Favorite Designer

Richard E. Lord (REL) Subwoofers; Michael "Creek" great budget equipment; Mike Vansevers (AC power conditioiners and cords); Dr. William "Conrad" and Dr. Lewis "Johnson"; Stan Warren (modifying other's equipment brands).

I must vote for Steve McCormack here! Just for starters, he pioneered the Mod Squad TipToes which have now assumed many variations / incantations from myriad manufacturers. Has built too many components to even mention; designed musically & affordably. Fantastic customer support & advice.

Mr. Bob Stuart. The Queen should knight the guy!

Ralph Karsten @ Atma-Sphere, someday the rest will catch up and Roger West @ Soundlab.

Primarily my vote goes for the people at Apogee. We all know how the speakers sound, but they also have a pair on display at a museum. People on the outside of this little world have recognized their brilliance as well. Second vote is for George Melior. He is a very original thinker.

I have to submit a vote for Joe D'Appolito. EVERYONE uses his design. From Dynaudio to Coincident to Hales to Wilson. Yet, basically the only thing he gets out of it are those magic words of advertising "D'Appolito configuration". He is a tireless advocate in the speaker building hobby. Helping even the smallest designer who is trying to build a pair of speakers for his home. Almost all of what he provides is free. There is no more deserving person in the world of audio for the spoils($$$, etc.) of this industry, yet to say he is a common man would be one hell of an understatement. If you ever had the opportunity of asking him for help, you come away knowing you have been educated. Yet, not talked down to. A true gentleman.

Sounds like Mr. D'appolito has a lot in common with Mr. Trelja. True gentlemen.

jeff rowland: not only are his circuits works of art, so are the boxes that housem.' aj conti: his basis turntables are beautiful and constructed with very great care and very tight tolerances.

Today: Bruce Rozenblit at Transcendent (OTL Amp) and Ric Schultz at EVS (Mods and DACs) - two very approachable renegades. Although both design some terrific sounding gear, they have completely opposing philosophies on the value of tweaks and exotic audiophile materials - one a strict "topologist", the other a super tweaker. The Past: long before the company he started went full bore mid-fi, I was a big fan of Paul Klipsch and his very early designs.

In my opinion Joe D'Appolito has much more in common with Brulee than does Trelja. To quote a famous British phrase, "Do good by stealth, and blush when the fact be known." Perfect description of both Joe D and Brulee to me.

Junji Kimura(47Labs), Denis Morecroft(DNM) and Touraj Mogghadam(Roksan)
All 3 approach their art with fresh ideas, unique approaches and focused vision.Where most other designers flog away at refined rehashing of traditional ideas, these designers work from a clean page, understanding the fundamentals required to do the job and execute them with conceptual brilliance and technological elegance.