Just now I read Raul’s invitation to add memories of his visit to San Diego. I don’t have any special qualifications for that other than possibly being the only one from that group who still participates on Audiogon.
We are fortunate here that we have an active club, the San Diego Music and Audio Guild. The MAG has provided a way to meet many other local hobbyists and with that, many solid friendships have been formed. It was one of those members who was instrumental in inviting Raul to visit us during a US tour, and to call together a smaller group of individuals to meet with him. As I recall there was a core group of about six of us.
Over the days of his visit we met at one another’s homes so had great exposure to a few very different systems and the opportunity to discuss our impressions of them. They varied from HE speakers driven by SET amps to multi-way floor standers driven by hundreds of watts. Both analog and digital sources were utilized. Also Raul brought along his newly developed preamp which we had the chance to audition in some of those systems in direct comparison with the owner’s preamp. My system was one of those, although it is completely different today.
My major point though are my impressions of Raul. As I’ve posted previously I found him to be a very considerate, knowledgeable, and polite gentleman. He was able to contribute many insightful comments on the various systems, always doing so in a constructive way. So I consider it unfortunate that so many harsh words have passed here in response to some of his posts.
Just the same, I believe I can understand some of this criticism. Many of Raul’s comments come off as condescending. I didn’t find that in our face to face discussions but some of his writing appears that way. So why is that? Again I’m not an expert, but I do have some suggestions. First, English is not his native language and I’ve read multiple times where his word choice or expressions may not convey what I think he may intend. Second, you need to understand his degree of enthusiasm and commitment to musical reproduction and enjoyment. I think that leads to over-long replies and posts. He easily gets carried away when a simpler statement or description might serve better. Third, I suspect he spends so much time with those lengthly posts that he does not take time to review and edit them before submitting. Otherwise he might shorten or clear up points which may be misconstrued. And fourth, it could be a matter of style. I found Raul to be open to learning, sharing, and not condescending, but I can see where some of his knowledge and enthusiasm to share that comes off in ways that many ’Goners find offensive.
And now, back to tonearms. ;^)
Peace.
We are fortunate here that we have an active club, the San Diego Music and Audio Guild. The MAG has provided a way to meet many other local hobbyists and with that, many solid friendships have been formed. It was one of those members who was instrumental in inviting Raul to visit us during a US tour, and to call together a smaller group of individuals to meet with him. As I recall there was a core group of about six of us.
Over the days of his visit we met at one another’s homes so had great exposure to a few very different systems and the opportunity to discuss our impressions of them. They varied from HE speakers driven by SET amps to multi-way floor standers driven by hundreds of watts. Both analog and digital sources were utilized. Also Raul brought along his newly developed preamp which we had the chance to audition in some of those systems in direct comparison with the owner’s preamp. My system was one of those, although it is completely different today.
My major point though are my impressions of Raul. As I’ve posted previously I found him to be a very considerate, knowledgeable, and polite gentleman. He was able to contribute many insightful comments on the various systems, always doing so in a constructive way. So I consider it unfortunate that so many harsh words have passed here in response to some of his posts.
Just the same, I believe I can understand some of this criticism. Many of Raul’s comments come off as condescending. I didn’t find that in our face to face discussions but some of his writing appears that way. So why is that? Again I’m not an expert, but I do have some suggestions. First, English is not his native language and I’ve read multiple times where his word choice or expressions may not convey what I think he may intend. Second, you need to understand his degree of enthusiasm and commitment to musical reproduction and enjoyment. I think that leads to over-long replies and posts. He easily gets carried away when a simpler statement or description might serve better. Third, I suspect he spends so much time with those lengthly posts that he does not take time to review and edit them before submitting. Otherwise he might shorten or clear up points which may be misconstrued. And fourth, it could be a matter of style. I found Raul to be open to learning, sharing, and not condescending, but I can see where some of his knowledge and enthusiasm to share that comes off in ways that many ’Goners find offensive.
And now, back to tonearms. ;^)
Peace.
