Seems a tad ironic somebody from McIntosh accusing other companies of making 'toys for insecure adults'.
“Corner Club Cathedral Cocoon”
Did anyone read this article in the December Harper’s by Sasha Frere-Jones, subtitled “Audiophile and its discontents”? My reaction is that it ought to be required reading for newbies to the Audiophile world. Amazing that it was not in an audiophile mag but then again probably none would print it. He makes lots of good points coming from his viewpoint as a musician, music lover and reviewer. It is behind a paywall at Harpers web site so you may have to make a trip to you local public library if you are not a subscriber in order to read the whole thing. There is lots to chew on, very worthy of discussion here.
Here are a few tidbits:
On the need for expensive equipment - “I find recordings to be immensely sturdy. Something as potent as Miles Davis’s “In a silent way” creates a different reality even when played through an iPhone or the ten year old Bluetooth speaker we have in the bathroom…”
On the power of marketing- “For most of my life I believed in the implications of “non-stick pans”: other pans must be unmanageably sticky…” I loved this shot at Teflon. While washing up last night after dinner I realized not only is stickiness not a problem with most pans but the non-stick "solution" requires special handling in washing and storage and, of course, chips and pollutes with Dupont's fine forever chemical PTFE. In case your wondering this relates to audio with claims like "transparency" and other market speak.
On a $360,000 turntable- “Gordon Gow of McIntosh Laboratories called this type of equipment “toys for insecure adults.”
O yeah, the title. It is his mnemonic for four types of music listening. On the Corner, street music where music is a backdrop to human interaction; In the Club where the music moves a little more to the foreground; in the audiophile cathedral where music is prayer but can be done in the company of others; and most isolated with your headphones or earbuds Cocooned away from the rest of the world.
It's fun, it gores a few oxen and it’s worth a read, then lets talk about it.
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