RMAF15: Legends of High-End Audio

Moderator: Robert Harley, The Absolute Sound
Panelists: Paul McGowan, co founder PS Audio; Arnie Nudell, co-founder Infinity Systems; Bob Stuart, co-founder Meridian Audio; and other industry legends
Four of high-end audio's greatest designers and company founders will talk about how they started their companies, invented new technologies, and created their iconic products. This panel is a rare gathering of the greatest legendary figures of the high-end audio industry.

[@anathema771]

RIP ARNIE NUDELL. ur legendary vision will be followed.

[@cengeb]

Guy looks like he is half asleep, under whelmed indeed

[@joemiller5850]

I love this panel - Dan D looks like a mob hit-man, Arnie - rich as he was- looks like he was going through dumpsters, Richard Vandersteen looks like my butcher, Bob Stuart looks like he could be working for NASA, and Paul looks like he could never be anything but happy. Nice guys all. I think that this kind of “down to earth” attitude is one of the things that makes high end great. No 3-piece corporate suits here. Very relatable to those of us who so admire them. Rave on!

[@Sams911]

If Frank McIntosh and Gordon Gow were still around and on this panel, you'd have my entire HiFi experience sitting in one place... Really enjoyed this, love Paul and RIP to Arnie!

[@scottbennett3119]

I have always lusted after Infinity speakers! So nice to see Mr. Arnie Nudel in this video and of course, you Mr. Paul.

[@johnhanselman6371]

Being an exceptional engineer and also an exceptional businessman is very rare so that is why there are only a few hi-fi legends.

[@williamklimek9676]

my first system for PA was Altec A-7's with Crown DC 300A power amps, VFX-2 crossovers, ESS air motion transformers for highs and this for blues bands in Chicago early on. I was in first RIAA recording class in Chicago with Bruce Swedien as teacher, who was then with Universal Studios and he went on to work with Quincy Jones on Thriller. I had audiophile interests back then, never had the budget for it, but took what I knew into live sound, and that with a rowdy crowd. Quite a haul. Now I have had servo subwoofer (ported) from Yamaha along with IK Loud and/or Adam A7x monitors but my other electronics is more PA and recording gear, but high end is still beyond my budge, though I probably have 30k in gear. Enjoy what you have while you can, be blessed.

[@robertyoung1777]

Arts education is so important throughout life as it helps us be creators not simply consumers. Great panelists! Arnie Nudell and Paul are right on the money in this video.

[@donalddeorio2237]

My parents always had music playing especially on the weekend, then I got the bug. Started reading Stereo Review and Audio magazines. When I started working at Macy's I would go to the electronics dept and look at the stereos. The manager hooked me up with a Pioneer Receiver, BSR turntable and kenwood speakers. That was my first stereo. As an adult I've helped friends, relatives. Introduced them to good sound, advised them on brands to look at.

[@cabronesse386]

This is simply awesome and inspiring!

[@MrCatalysis101]

A fabulous hour, thank you.

[@archiemacdonald553]

good to see all those great minds together .great hour .😊😊😊

[@jamesnelson8549]

I love these stories & the men telling them!

[@uvafan940]

Awesome. Krell and Infinity speakers. Sonic bliss...

[@luisgambao1255]

Another year, another RMAF. I've been watching all your videos, and trying to learn something from you, for many years and I thank you for sharing. Here goes a big thank you from Azores (Portugal), middle north Atlantic. Please, keep sharing.

[@vishS14]

only 3 reactions? really? This much talent in one room , truly amazing. Thank you very much for making this possible. from The Netherlands

[@jqzIII]

I never "react". I do comment though.

[@23x31]

Arnie Nudell was-is the king of speakers.

[@samuelsalins8309]

👍

[@cengeb]

Actually the AR dude Vilchur changed everything, developed the sealed enclosure, AR KLH then Advent did more for hi fi loudspeakers than most. JBL is also still king of live sound, along with a few others.. Infinity is a dead brand, and all the hype associated with the nonsense, that doesn't hold up over time....DSP changes everything.

[@necrodh]

@@cengeb jbl never sound like music, infinity sound like another dimensión, and infinity was a pioneer in so many aspects

[@aumkar2]

Excellent!

[@samuelsalins8309]

Excellent topics 👍...interesting

[@Gnofg]

I am not certain that music id more important now than when I grew up. The greatest teacher of the variety of music in the sixties was AM radio. There was no separation of music by marketing. We would hear everything on AM radio from Sinatra to the Beatles.

[@MrMr123]

Great video, thanks for sharing 💯👌🏼

[@donalddeorio2237]

My kids were used to hearing good sound from an early age. They all grew up taking music lessons 1 piano and 2 violin. I always had a decent music system. I had 3d acoustics 3d610b , then Dahlquist DQ20i. Always playing music at home in the car. The last few years I worked for Home Depot. And I would talk to younger kids who worked with me and ask them what do you listen to music on. Most of them it was bluetooth speakers. And I would send them to Magnolia at best buy, they were the only place that had a listening room. And most of them came back to me and said wow, I never realised music could sound that good. And then I directed them to used gear on Ebay to start them off on their journey into audio. It's very fulfilling to see these kids learn that there were better ways of listening to music, more fulfilling ways.

[@christophschuermann6512]

Great video! It's all about the love and care to music....great respect.

[@zerocapacitance1]

Excellent

[@danlivni2097]

Great video

[@Geerladenlad]

Why isn't Bob Carver on this panel?!?!?

[@dontcare563]

Or Nelson Pass

[@khoi83]

some probably couldn't participate...

[@cuttergallery]

Meridian gear is incredibly innovative and amazing, but not as well known in the US. Bob Stuart deserves as much credit as anyone on the panel.

[@archiemacdonald553]

bought my hi end first meridian 101 preamp 103 d power amp then upgraded the 105 power amps .awsome .

[@weizenobstmusli8232]

Fascinating

[@clittle1559]

That story at 52min is Fing awsome

[@RickMahoney2013]

I would have loved to have hung out with these guys.

[@RonaldRagn]

Listen to these old men talk hi fi :)

[@TheAncientTones]

Did anyone else notice what Arnie Nudell said from 30:30 to 30:46? He stated that a Klipschorn had a 12" woofer but the 4/3 copy he built had a 15" woofer. Surely, everyone else on that panel as well as the moderator knew that every Klipschorn has a 15" woofer but nobody called him on it.

[@scottlowell493]

The Klipschhorn Jubilee had dual 12" woofers, but since day 1- it was a 15.

[@TheAncientTones]

Yes, the Klipsch Jubilee has 12" woofers but at the time Nudell allegedly built his K-horn copy the Jubilee was not yet in existence.

[@scottlowell493]

They let his comment slide...probably just being polite. Arnie also talked about servos being the better design, and that's been disproven.

[@daralzanachuck6874]

1 up, you really are a speaker spotter.

[@Anth4044]

I really enjoyed this👍👍

[@stephencosta6814]

I cannot believe there's only 40 comments on this legendary recording truly all legends top-notch people industry makers and shakers and wallet Breakers...lol

[@markrobinson9531]

It sometimes disappoints me when I raise the legendary names of guys and gals like this (and their imaginative products) that few friends know of whom I speak but I quickly recover,raise my banner and continue pushing the gospel of high end audio.

[@tommywingate2220]

Most products designed and built today are superior to products from the 60’s and 70’s However when whoever decided that vinyl was obsolete and brick and mortar outlets selling 2 channel home audio weren’t necessary lotsa young people got screwed. Yes all the lovely tech conveniences we all enjoy are wonderful BUT 2 channel stereo is frocking awesome and I hope the people who were lost will be found.

[@dhpbear2]

Call me old (67), But I can't hear any difference between a 256kbps MP3 and any other medium. It's a fact that the the quality of headphones (even cheap earbuds) has gone WAY up even in the past 10 years.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Music is considered a byproduct, something in the background...but it is getting better. We got two generations that have no idea on how music can sound. In 1999 I went to an audio show in Eindhoven Netherlands (VAD). Thought that a $2000+ cd player would kill any turntable...boy I was wrong!

[@raffiequler7510]

CD is a compressed format. Data compression is very real on CD.

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Could you explain since to my knowledge cd as a format is not a compressed format.

[@raffiequler7510]

+Mike Hydropneumatic A CD file in standard 16/44 resolution has a bit rate of 1411 kbps (kilobits per second). A studio master in 24/96 resolution has a bit rate of 4608 kbps. On average, digital studio master file is over 3 times bigger than a CD file. A lot of recordings are done in 24/192 resolution, which will give you 9200 kbps. In order to fit those huge files on CD, they first have to be downsampled to 16/44 resolution at 1411 kbps. As you can see, a lot of data is thrown out just like when making an MP3 file. This is why HD Tracks and Acoustic Sounds websites exist. You can purchase high resolution, studio master files on those sites and get it on your computer and then connect your computer to an external DAC and then to your stereo amplifier. CD and CD players are pointless in 2016. Today, computers enable us to play much higher quality files than CD files.

[@utubecomment21]

Music doesn't need a pair of $100,000 speakers or $20,000 cable or a hole punch of phony misnomer's

[@raffiequler7510]

utubecomment21 Your plastic Logitech speakers are simply NOT enough for music either.

[@MitchDenham]

I realise this video is old, however, I don't think it's a matter of telling 'young people' that Bluetooth is bad, and vinyl is good. I think convenience is an important factor for 'young people'. I love my hifi setup (I'm 26), but I have no problem with playing music via Bluetooth to my car's factory stereo because it's easy. If I'm just popping to the servo for a chocky milk, I just want to get in my car and for my phone to pair, and just play. I'm not looking for a superior audio experience in my car. Same goes for my little JBL Flip 3 Bluetooth speaker. It's good enough, and convenient enough, for when I'm having a few beers with my mates. It's not perfect, it distorts a bit at louder volumes, but it's fine. The convenience of being able to listen to what you want, when you want, is an import thing for 'young people', we're not always looking for an audiophile experience.

[@ejchristian2843]

Arnie Nudell is a legend alone. If he hadn't begin designing loudspeakers we probably would not know hi fidelity existed. The emit r is by far the best tweeter in the world and nothing else has came close since then as well as the img woofers.

[@terrywho22]

Lets not get carried away. AN had a large impact on modern audio, but the Quad ESL57 was produced 11 years before Infinity was a company working out of a garage and the Klipschorn was available over a decade before the Quad.

[@RickMahoney2013]

I have the Infinity Reference 4 speakers with the Emit R tweeter.

[@cengeb]

Funny stuff, mostly nonsense, but funny. AR KLH, Advent, started it all, Infinity was just following in the path created by the originals. Saul Marantz,Dave Hafler,Avery Fisher, these comedians are also rans, funny stuff. Bozak, James B. Lansing, get the facts

[@mhp_loudspeakers3768]

The Emit tweeters are good Tweeters, but there are far Better Tweeters out. A Scan Speak D3004 outperform a Emit far. But no body can Build a good speaker wirth them, because the Knowledge hoe to Design a speaker ist noch so good.

[@stevenkoski228]

Where’s Nelson Pass?, to be blunt, Michael Borresen shames all of them, he’s on a significantly higher level.

[@melara505]

Whoever wrote the description does not know who Richard Vandersteen is? Dan D'Agostino?

[@cengeb]

MQA, More Quack Audio?

[@cengeb]

David Hafler, Edgar Vilchur,Henry Kloss, Fisher, ie Fisher Hall!!!, (first hi fi all in one receiver) and several others pioneered the industry, these jokers are after thoughts....McGowan, "so for lunch I had some prunes, and some water, but wait, I digress," what a tool

[@conchobar]

So what were you expecting, a seance?

[@arnesjostedt3211]

I disagree with the idea that reproduced music must sound like live music. Particularly today, with the vast amount of production that goes into, through and over the sounds that end up on a release. Music that sounds like how the producer/engineer intended, ok. But please - unless it’s orchestral music or a live album...

[@MichelLinschoten]

They would just get a PA system and be done with it ...

[@adamnocon9432]

True legends, but missing Mr. Mark Levinson.

[@ac81017]

Infinity became the largest speaker company in the world......... ...... Scilence...........

[@cengeb]

Dynaco actaully sold more A25 loudspeakers than most others in the industry something like 500,000 , Infinity did no such thing, Infinity is like many, now dust

[@mhp_loudspeakers3768]

@@cengeb infinity? Look at their innlvations. Their speakers arr one of the Best ever made.

[@cengeb]

@@mhp_loudspeakers3768 Servo motion feedback speakers where pioneered by Philips in the 1970's sold at the employee store,pioneered lots of stuff, Infinity didn't.Infinity invented nothing, marketing company, like so many, with word salad.....

[@trevormartin5248]

rip arnie

[@tomislavpocivavsek9751]

where is nelson pass

[@APRIL2862]

WHERE'S BOB CARVER?

[@utubecomment21]

Earl Geddes? Hardly legends, just well regarded individuals some with .... commercial acumen's, and i mean 'commercial' not in a good way. I can't think that your average Yamaha, Sony, Pioneer, Monster headphones or B&W Zeppelin owners are going to know the likes of Vandersteen or Paul McGowan. But the fallacy here is that these people are in some way class leaders or in fact 'Legends'.

[@uvafan940]

@@utubecomment21 Well I have yet to see ANY Yamaha, Sony, Pioneer even remotely in the same ballpark as a Dan Agostino amplifier, or Arnie Nudell's speakers. So yes, definitely class leaders. Are they multi million/billion dollar companies that throw out junk for you to buy? Certainly not. But pioneers and legends in the Audio Industry? Absolutely. It is people like them that make these multi million/billion dollar audio companies look/sound good by using their ideas and designs.

[@clittle1559]

I have a Carver car amp kinda coolandrare

[@conchobar]

@@utubecomment21 You clearly aren't familiar with the products of D'Agostino, Nudell, and Stuart. They are truly legends of audio design, not just sales.

[@utubecomment21]

@@uvafan940 "Dan Agostino amplifier, or Arnie Nudell's speakers." Those are just names which some deem as - High End. Acoustics don't really care about people's opinions, brand names or how deep ones pockets are! I feel sorry for you that you think they do. All the best

[@sloboat55]

Don Rickles would maul these guys.

[@kevinbeckenham3872]

High end ripp off

[@djd829]

Who else thinks that Stuart is the most boring person on the panel?

[@cengeb]

Arnie looks like the guy who used to be the comedian that played the drunk...that hat is really classless...oy vey

[@nodammit]

Make sure you judge people by how they look, not what they can teach you. Well done.

[@cengeb]

@@nodammit what can they teach me...how to be inefficent in mfg...and have grossly over priced home audio electronics...? Wearing a hat inside and being tasked with doing a seminar, to push over priced consumer electronics,show some respect for the audience.ant dress like a homeless person

[@cengeb]

Philips did servo motional feedback loudspeakers..they pioneered it...this guy invented nothing

[@nodammit]

@@cengeb , inefficient (correct spelling) in manufacturing and grossly over priced? Yes, that must explain how these one man operations grew into multi-million dollar companies. Right. And cengeb, since you know so much more than they do, what is the name of your company?

[@cengeb]

@@nodammit Raise your standards...these guys are marketing nudnicks

[@zachansen8293]

If you invited paul to this then I have no respect for the video at all.

[@brahand]

Why?

[@cengeb]

These guys make AUDIO amplifiers and speakers...they didn't invent ie. the CD (changed EVERYTHING in home and pro audio), the DVD,(changed EVERYTHING in movie distribution) the Audio Cassette, LaserDisc, they didn't invent the B3 Electronic Organ, they made and sold products, they where already invented, developed, and decades ago, pretty well just another consumer home electronic device. Hero worship, for this level of nothing, is pretty sad, "legends"....oy vey.

[@cengeb]

Mcgowan, what kind of water did you drink, what a TOOL!

[@andysummersthxcinemaandmyc7748]

All talk no actual practical loudspeaker eq amps and all that jazz just a load of yap, yap that I skipped though in less than 1 min.

[@cengeb]

Hafler and Dyanco sold 500,000 units of one model amplifier, Legends, not these guys

[@CDJF1]

Agreed....and where is McIntosh's reps??

[@JEG6919]

Arnie was an audio stud. The rest are forgettable. Add a zero to the price types.

[@FJBx100]

Only true for D'Agostino.

[@conchobar]

Bob Stuart and Dan D'Agonstino are only forgettable if you aren't familiar with their products.

[@JEG6919]

Cake Batter I’ve heard their wares. Nothing unique but the price .

[@cengeb]

Retirement home, let the inmates out for some air?

[@petermay1219]

The lying con artists, and the dummies they con. And they are paying for it.........

[@cengeb]

D' Agastino has all failed company, what a goofball

[@Borednlonely]

Great video

[@craigstephenmcdonald9915]

Excellent