Ken Fritz - Audiophile Documentary

[BobbyTimmons]

No I wasn't doing that, and I did watch the doco. As I mentioned upthread, it was hagiographic. You are positively weighting the uncritical material. I mean, who slags off their dad or their mate to a stranger at a wake?

The hagiographic doco made by his son. The hagiographic interview his daughter gave to local news. The comments of people who visited his family. People who neglect their family don't usually get children like that.

Ken wrote on Audiogon explaining his motivation for building his system.
'Building things has been in my blood for 60 years so this task was not difficult. I built a business supplying polyester and epoxy tooling for the cultured marble and solid surface industry. It required a large pattern shop with every imaginable tool to construct the patterns for bathtubs, shower stalls, vanity told and wall panels etc. This shop was, and is still at my home property which made the project not only easy, but fun.'

'My business, producing FRP tooling for the cultured marble and cast polymer industry, took off and for 15 years I didn't have the time to proceed. Then business got bad and while I then had the time to finish it, I didn't have the funds to do so. 7 years ago I sold my business and then had both the time and funds to finish things up. My good friend and plant manager at my company retired when I sold the company and, like myself, needed something to take up the time.'

He wrote about his second wife.
'Sue know the type of person I was so it came as no surprise that I would be into my hobby to the same degree I was into my company. I need to also mention that at one time Sue said she thought a Bose was good enough<'

 

[Keith_W]

My no. 1 rule when talking to journalists: they will misrepresent you. I have looked after some well known people and I have received phone calls from journalists asking me to comment on their medical condition. My reply is ALWAYS "please discuss this with family, I do not release confidential medical information". On occasion this has been changed to everything from "requests for information from the medical team were declined" (somewhat accurate, but paints a misleading picture) to "an un-named source at the hospital said that he is not expected to survive" (I DID NOT SAY THAT!!!).

 

[BobbyTimmons]

Ken's posts on Audiogon show how hospitable he was to the audiophile community inviting strangers to visit him if they want to listen to his system.
'Regarding a visit, please email anytime you might be in the area and we can set up an audition.'

'I always mention to fellow audiophiles that may travel to the area to call should they have time for a listen.'

'I happen to be N. Chesterfield, Va. That is about 10 miles due south of Richmond. I always look forward to meeting fellow audiophiles and will extend an invitation to you should ever be in the area.'

 

[BobbyTimmons]

A response from one of Ken's friends to the article that was reposted in the same forum where the predatory journalist Geoff Edgers first contacted him.

'This is the letter I sent to the WaPo in response to the article on Ken Fritz. It was reviewed by members of his family prior to my sending it.

My original draft was much longer. The WaPo restricts the length of any submissions. I seriously doubt it will ever see print, but I had to write it and I believe it meant something to his family.

I wish we could be more kind to one-another. My letter is below:

“I am lucky enough to have heard this system, but I consider myself even luckier to have met Ken and been the recipient of his kindness, generosity, and passion.” Nicholas Tolson

Upon finishing the Washington Post article on Ken Fritz and reading endless vitriolic comments across the web, I revisited the documentary made by Ken’s son. It is available on YouTube with over 2 million views. The above quote, along with many other uplifting comments, may be found with a short scroll. How to reconcile the Ken Fritz portrayed in the WaPo article with the person I knew? Impossible. You get to know a person over time, flaws and all, and Ken was open about his life and the choices he made. These quotes reflect the Ken I knew for almost 25 years. I have met most of Ken’s children. His daughter and wife are my friends. I am acquainted with most of Ken’s friends and have met some of his work colleagues. The Ken in the article is a stranger to me and to those who knew him. A caricature of a person sketched from the worst moments of his life to create a trope of a singularly obsessive man ready for the lacerating comments of the mob. The readers of WaPo obliged – by the thousands.

Ken had a 1950’s Hollywood actor’s presence, an unflappable commitment to his ideals, and seemingly endless energy to pursue his dreams. He constructed his audiophile room and system while simultaneously working long hours to create a successful business from scratch. His son, Scott, devoted substantial time, energy, and resources to creating the hour-long documentary about his father. His daughter, Betsy, devoted several years to ensuring that her father was comfortable as his ALS progressed. Ken’s wife, Sue, adored him and admired his achievements, work ethic, and intellect even if he played the music too loud. Did the family have issues? Sure. Was it dysfunctional? Many would pray for such dysfunction.

Perhaps even more impressive is that, while building a world class company and audio system, Ken found the time to be a good friend. Whether you needed help with a project, a work problem, or just a sympathetic ear, he was there. Prior to completing the system, Ken told me that he hoped his room would become a gathering place for friends and music lovers. That happened until ALS struck. He also spent countless hours with Sue watching movies, listening to music, and dancing and laughing in the beautiful room he had conjured directly out of his own dreams. How romantic! Hardly the fringe lunatic, lonely and isolated obsessive audiophile hinted at in the article. Ken’s system had a dual purpose: to explore what could be done in the home audio realm; and, more importantly, to create an environment where friends and loved ones could share companionship and his love of music.

Ken was a real person, not a caricature. His family are real people. His wife and children continue to grieve his loss. His friends miss him and cherish memories of his kindness, generosity, and spirit. Ken wasn’t a celebrity or a politician. He didn’t seek fame or adulation. He lived in a humble home, excepting the audio room. He visited the homes of other audiophiles and enjoyed their systems, music, and companionship. Why the WaPo decided to cast Ken in such a disparaging and derogatory manner and felt the need to mock his dreams and passions (ultimately measuring their “worth” in absolute dollar terms) while delivering a disingenuous message about the dangers of compulsive behavior, is perplexing. Why the WaPo readership so gleefully eviscerates the last remnants of a good man’s legacy is beyond perplexing – it speaks to the most base and callous nature of humanity. Ken lived a rich and full life. A genuine story could have been written, one which more fully reflected who Ken was and what his life’s ambition meant to his family, to his friends, and to himself. This was not the story which appeared on your front page.'

 

[tmtomh]

What a bizarre (not to mention unconvincing) response to @BobbyTimmons' post. TheWalkMan said Fritz's family and friends gave him a good vibe about the man. The article was trying to uncover something negative to write about Fritz to titillate its readers. The worst the article could find was a bad relation with one of his 5 children. Statistically if you have 5 children having a bad relation with 1 of them is not much evidence for the article to muster for its narrative about Fritz's alleged neglect of his family. He had a good relationship with his wife too. His other son made an adulatory video about him. This is audio science review. You expect people might have critical thinking. Someone who has a bad relation with 5 of their children you would have some evidence for the thesis he 'neglected his family'. He had a good relationship with 4 of his children and his wife. We only know about a bad relationship with 1 of the 6 family members mentions. In Amazon reviews it's 84% approval. We also know his friends gave a positive vibe about him.

Dude, it doesn’t work as tit-for-tat when you have to tag yourself. It’s entertaining though!

But whatever; if you want to keep digging this hole, for no discernible reason, that’s certainly your prerogative. Just don’t expect the responses to get any more agreeable.

 

[kemmler3D]

A response from one of Ken's friends to the article that was reposted in the same forum where the predatory journalist Geoff Edgers first contacted him.

'This is the letter I sent to the WaPo in response to the article on Ken Fritz. It was reviewed by members of his family prior to my sending it.

My original draft was much longer. The WaPo restricts the length of any submissions. I seriously doubt it will ever see print, but I had to write it and I believe it meant something to his family.

I wish we could be more kind to one-another. My letter is below:

“I am lucky enough to have heard this system, but I consider myself even luckier to have met Ken and been the recipient of his kindness, generosity, and passion.” Nicholas Tolson

Upon finishing the Washington Post article on Ken Fritz and reading endless vitriolic comments across the web, I revisited the documentary made by Ken’s son. It is available on YouTube with over 2 million views. The above quote, along with many other uplifting comments, may be found with a short scroll. How to reconcile the Ken Fritz portrayed in the WaPo article with the person I knew? Impossible. You get to know a person over time, flaws and all, and Ken was open about his life and the choices he made. These quotes reflect the Ken I knew for almost 25 years. I have met most of Ken’s children. His daughter and wife are my friends. I am acquainted with most of Ken’s friends and have met some of his work colleagues. The Ken in the article is a stranger to me and to those who knew him. A caricature of a person sketched from the worst moments of his life to create a trope of a singularly obsessive man ready for the lacerating comments of the mob. The readers of WaPo obliged – by the thousands.

Ken had a 1950’s Hollywood actor’s presence, an unflappable commitment to his ideals, and seemingly endless energy to pursue his dreams. He constructed his audiophile room and system while simultaneously working long hours to create a successful business from scratch. His son, Scott, devoted substantial time, energy, and resources to creating the hour-long documentary about his father. His daughter, Betsy, devoted several years to ensuring that her father was comfortable as his ALS progressed. Ken’s wife, Sue, adored him and admired his achievements, work ethic, and intellect even if he played the music too loud. Did the family have issues? Sure. Was it dysfunctional? Many would pray for such dysfunction.

Perhaps even more impressive is that, while building a world class company and audio system, Ken found the time to be a good friend. Whether you needed help with a project, a work problem, or just a sympathetic ear, he was there. Prior to completing the system, Ken told me that he hoped his room would become a gathering place for friends and music lovers. That happened until ALS struck. He also spent countless hours with Sue watching movies, listening to music, and dancing and laughing in the beautiful room he had conjured directly out of his own dreams. How romantic! Hardly the fringe lunatic, lonely and isolated obsessive audiophile hinted at in the article. Ken’s system had a dual purpose: to explore what could be done in the home audio realm; and, more importantly, to create an environment where friends and loved ones could share companionship and his love of music.

Ken was a real person, not a caricature. His family are real people. His wife and children continue to grieve his loss. His friends miss him and cherish memories of his kindness, generosity, and spirit. Ken wasn’t a celebrity or a politician. He didn’t seek fame or adulation. He lived in a humble home, excepting the audio room. He visited the homes of other audiophiles and enjoyed their systems, music, and companionship. Why the WaPo decided to cast Ken in such a disparaging and derogatory manner and felt the need to mock his dreams and passions (ultimately measuring their “worth” in absolute dollar terms) while delivering a disingenuous message about the dangers of compulsive behavior, is perplexing. Why the WaPo readership so gleefully eviscerates the last remnants of a good man’s legacy is beyond perplexing – it speaks to the most base and callous nature of humanity. Ken lived a rich and full life. A genuine story could have been written, one which more fully reflected who Ken was and what his life’s ambition meant to his family, to his friends, and to himself. This was not the story which appeared on your front page.'

Thanks for sharing, personal testimony I guess is worth something comparable to the reporter's take in this case.

One imagines from the few facts available that his family would have had a noticeably better life if Ken had put less time and money into the listening room. That makes Ken seem blameworthy.

On the other hand we have an audiophile (possibly relevant) friend as a character witness.

So maybe let me revise my judgment of Ken and shift it to a judgment of behavior in general, that at least one person might defend them against. If your family misses out or experiences hardship because of your hobby - over the course of years, you do deserve some significant scorn.

Maybe that judgment fits this guy, maybe not. I'm just some dork on the internet that read an article.

 

[Sgt. Ear Ache]

That is not what Fritz did. He didn't just throw money at the system, he designed and built it himself. He said many times he doesn't care how it sounds in the end, it was the journey and the hard work of the project that brought him happiness. This discussion is full of people who are commenting on him without bothering to watch the video first and see what his real views were.

but, he also threw money at the system right? Like, a million dollars? It's great that he designed and built it himself, but it's an audio system. It's built to play his records on. Saying he "doesn't care about the sound" really sounds like a cop out to me...a way to get around criticism for spending way too much for way too little. And if he truly didn't care how it sounded in the end, to me that makes the story even worse really. It's pretty close to the classic rationalization hoarders often use. "I know it's crazy but it makes me happy so it's worth it."

 

[OldHvyMec]

if you want to keep digging this hole, for no discernible reason,

What hole? He gave clarification on the poorly written story about a man with a dream that A reporter obviously knew nothing about.
He did no one any good including the family Mr. Fritz left behind. His family never went without what they needed. A dad in the light of
the DADs I see today, he was a dad most would be proud of. He had ONE child that was a BRAT. SO WHAT.

It's as if the article was written by God almighty. It was written by a pure hack to say the very least. I took a position because I followed
the man before he died and did what he did.

Saying he "doesn't care about the sound" really sounds like a cop out to me..

He didn't say he didn't care about the sound at all, he was referring to it never being perfect in the builder's mind.

I personally have NEVER been perfectly satisfied with any personal project, no matter how perfect it seemed to others.
Any competent repair person knows when the job goes as planned, but the PERFECT result is usually from an onlooker
position, not the actual builder. The only people bold enough to say it went perfect, usually find out they put the "mouth"
on every project for the rest of their life. Nothing goes perfect, it's how you reduce the number and severity of bloopers
that make the real time issues that arise fixable.

People keep saying he SPENT a 1,000,000.00 dollars on a stereo. I don's see that unless he had 500+K in labor cost.

I think people assumed he could SELL it for a million dollars or had that much personal time invested. 1,000,000 in
gear, he wasn't even close as I pointed out with his power amps alone. Krell is not that expensive. I alway said Krell
should sell by the pound with the older models. 110-150lb Mono block wasn't uncommon when some guy hangs
30 pounds of added heatsinks for his heat sinks. 20 year of KRELL was enough for me.

The main speakers maybe 10K each. I saw the hybrid sub/bass units he used they are a bit spendy.

I saw a very interesting but personal room. I know how I would have tuned the room, I just wonder how he did?
I'm envious of his dedication more than any single thing. At 30 I might have had that much energy. At 75+
Jolly good show. Capital! Hip Hip Hooray!

I'll see you in heaven Mr. Fritz, I'm taking my Mac gear with me, I asked for a bigger room, ya never know.

Time to feed the chickens.

 

[tmtomh]

What hole? He gave clarification on the poorly written story about a man with a dream that A reporter obviously knew nothing about.
He did no one any good including the family Mr. Fritz left behind. His family never went without what they needed. A dad in the light of
the DADs I see today, he was a dad most would be proud of. He had ONE child that was a BRAT. SO WHAT.

It's as if the article was written by God almighty. It was written by a pure hack to say the very least. I took a position because I followed
the man before he died and did what he did.


He didn't say he didn't care about the sound at all, he was referring to it never being perfect in the builder's mind.

I personally have NEVER been perfectly satisfied with any personal project, no matter how perfect it seemed to others.
Any competent repair person knows when the job goes as planned, but the PERFECT result is usually from an onlooker
position, not the actual builder. The only people bold enough to say it went perfect, usually find out they put the "mouth"
on every project for the rest of their life. Nothing goes perfect, it's how you reduce the number and severity of bloopers
that make the real time issues that arise fixable.

People keep saying he SPENT a 1,000,000.00 dollars on a stereo. I don's see that unless he had 500+K in labor cost.

I think people assumed he could SELL it for a million dollars or had that much personal time invested. 1,000,000 in
gear, he wasn't even close as I pointed out with his power amps alone. Krell is not that expensive. I alway said Krell
should sell by the pound with the older models. 110-150lb Mono block wasn't uncommon when some guy hangs
30 pounds of added heatsinks for his heat sinks. 20 year of KRELL was enough for me.

The main speakers maybe 10K each. I saw the hybrid sub/bass units he used they are a bit spendy.

I saw a very interesting but personal room. I know how I would have tuned the room, I just wonder how he did?
I'm envious of his dedication more than any single thing. At 30 I might have had that much energy. At 75+
Jolly good show. Capital! Hip Hip Hooray!

I'll see you in heaven Mr. Fritz, I'm taking my Mac gear with me, I asked for a bigger room, ya never know.

Time to feed the chickens.

No, he projected his own desired interpretation, ignoring any evidence he felt like ignoring, and then accused others of not being critical readers. And by this point he’s clearly just dug in his heels, nothing more.

 

[ahofer]

At this point, we should all go read the original myth of Pygmalion and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark and spend a day reflecting on our obsessiveness.

 

[OldHvyMec]

From the OWNER via AG virtual systems, December 15, 2018

In regards to the Cranesongs; The planar mids from BG haven't been made for around 13 years and the Panasonic Leaf tweeters for about 20 years. I'm driving four BG RD 50 planners wired two in series and two pairs in parallel with one half of a Krell FPB 600 and 40 of the tweeters with one third of a Krell EVO 403 400 watt three channel amp. In the past I've incinerated four tweeters and four planar mids. I have a few spares for each but I can't count on nev having an accident by turning the level up too high.

I also have a good deal of pro recording gear and therefore decided to put peak limiters in the feed to the Krells. I wanted the best of the best and the Cranesong STC 8M are mastering grade limiter compressors. I won't be using them as compressors, just peak limiters. I first decided to limit the entire three front channels so I bought one stereo and one mono unit. After some thought I knew there was no need to peak limit the twenty four Scan Speak mid bass drivers. I also realized different degrees of limiting were best for the mids and tweeters. I will be getting two more STC 8M two channel units from Cranesong within a week so I can selective limit the three channels of the mids and tweeters independently with six channels of limiters.

The need for the limiting is really only when we put on a DVD where the bombs, gunfire and explosions will take their tolls on the drivers.

Regarding a visit, please email anytime you might be in the area and we can set up an audition.

To show off the system I use Laura Branigan, platinum collection. Gloria and The power of love are spectacular along with Fleetwood Mac's Go your own way . For classical both Bethoven's Moonlite Sonata and Mahler's Resurrection are startling. When the CDs and LPs are done I put a few master tapes from The Tape Project on the Ampex ATR and it puts everything else to shame.

Thanks for your comments and please do call when you're in the area.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Please note what he is using for power amp 15K? A compression limiters from Manely would be more expensive? Maybe?
He seemed keen on limiters.

He also speaks about Strathearn ribbons and where he got his. There was only three places and one sold them all to two people
when the demand dropped and the company closed? Magic Mikey and Brian Cheney from VMPS. Infinity stopped using the drivers
because of transportation issues primary. Pretty fragile, mine sure were. I remember Brian Cheney requested an air ride trailer
(which was rare in the 80s) from port of entry to El Sobrante (? it might have been the old shop). I was waiting on HIS shipment,
for my 8 24" drivers.

Nothing sounds like that driver. The BGs, nothing special there but great drivers tougher than any Strathearn ever made. They aren't
as ugly as Strathearn either, Strathearns are pretty crude actually. They used to sell for 100.00 a foot from the Strathearn distributor.

Scanspeak I haven't got a clue, I've never used one. BUT 24 is a lot if that is per column. Lay them down to work on them?
I always think about (on the spot) repairs with speakers. Get vertigo with those. Needs a light rail 2 ton gantry in that room.

He make mention early on in the design stage of the room, measuring and enjoying the process more than the actual system. Man do
I identify with that. It's alway fun to think "NEXT!"

Regards

 

[kemmler3D]

he was a dad most would be proud of.

Maybe?

...wanted the best of the best and the Cranesong STC 8M are mastering grade limiter compressors*. I won't be using them as compressors, just peak limiters. I first decided to limit the entire three front channels so I bought one stereo and one mono unit. After some thought I knew there was no need to peak limit the twenty four Scan Speak mid bass drivers. I also realized different degrees of limiting were best for the mids and tweeters. I will be getting two more STC 8M two channel units from Cranesong within a week

*$5700 each before tax

• Never took his family on vacation as long as he lived
• Spent ~$20K just on limiters

Well, let's just say he clearly wasn't a value-for-dollar guy.

This is the beef for me. At ASR we supposedly prize objective evaluations of gear and a big part of that is evaluating value-for-dollar. We constantly mock "audiophools" who actively resist learning the science behind audio so they can keep spending maximal dollars on gear that doesn't actually do what they want it to do.

By all appearances, Fritz seems to have belonged to the latter camp, at least to an extent. TOTL just because it's TOTL. He resisted digital until he was physically unable to do so. But for some reason in this case we should treat the whole project as a tragic and noble pursuit and ignore the copious wasting of money and flat-out wrong ideas about audio.

People debate the ethics of the high-end audio world quite a bit on this board, in part because it sometimes falsely convinces people they need to spend money they can't easily afford to spend. There are those that feel this is unacceptable and the victims of the HEA industry shouldn't be blamed for falling prey to - let's just say it - the lies it's founded on. This really seems to be one of those situations. Either that or he knew better and persisted in science-free audiophile beliefs because he felt like it.

I love the idea of DIY and building a purpose-built listening room. But I don't love seeing people spend huge sums on stuff that isn't required for the sound quality. And it makes it worse when you hear the family missed out as a result.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

Maybe?


*$5700 each before tax

• Never took his family on vacation as long as he lived
• Spent ~$20K just on limiters

Well, let's just say he clearly wasn't a value-for-dollar guy.

This is the beef for me. At ASR we supposedly prize objective evaluations of gear and a big part of that is evaluating value-for-dollar. We constantly mock "audiophools" who actively resist learning the science behind audio so they can keep spending maximal dollars on gear that doesn't actually do what they want it to do.

By all appearances, Fritz seems to have belonged to the latter camp, at least to an extent. TOTL just because it's TOTL. He resisted digital until he was physically unable to do so. But for some reason in this case we should treat the whole project as a tragic and noble pursuit and ignore the copious wasting of money and flat-out wrong ideas about audio.

People debate the ethics of the high-end audio world quite a bit on this board, in part because it sometimes falsely convinces people they need to spend money they can't easily afford to spend. There are those that feel this is unacceptable and the victims of the HEA industry shouldn't be blamed for falling prey to - let's just say it - the lies it's founded on. This really seems to be one of those situations. Either that or he knew better and persisted in science-free audiophile beliefs because he felt like it.

I love the idea of DIY and building a purpose-built listening room. But I don't love seeing people spend huge sums on stuff that isn't required for the sound quality. And it makes it worse when you hear the family missed out as a result.

Ken didn't promote audiophool things (I already told you), he didn't 'resist digital' (his main system relied digital inputs until 2019 as the turntable took years to build and he writes in 2018 about playing CDs on it), the greatest effort was spent on room acoustics (which were perfectly balanced write Acoustics First), was a workaholic with his company in the 1970s and 1980s still he didn't 'never take his family on vacation'. When the business picked up he retired financially successful with more than enough money to spend thousands of dollars on limiters to protect his one of a kind retirement project DIY speakers. You continue promoting falsehoods about him. You are mixing up claims from his first wife about not having enough vacations (they were still having vacations he paid for) in the 1970s and 1980s with equipment spending in the 2010s which was over 30 years after they got divorced. You mix up his expenses in the 2010s with parts of his life which were thirty or forty years earlier.

If you want to talk about audiophools look no further than the journalist Geoff Edgers who wrote the hitpiece on Ken. At the beginning of the article Edgers quotes his friends in the audiophool industry to introduce his agenda to demonize Ken. Edgers uses this common trick to introduce his agenda into the article by attributing it to others while seeming like an impartial narrator. “You’re mining the lunatic fringe,” Jonathan Weiss, the owner of Brooklyn-based high-end audio boutique OMA, warned me when I told him about this story. Fritz, he argued, was the kind of obsessive who gives audiophiles a bad name." Weiss sells $363,000 wooden horn speakers and he gets laudatory coverage by Geoff Edgers in the Washington Post and others in the New York Times.

 

[Axo1989]

The hagiographic doco made by his son. The hagiographic interview his daughter gave to local news. The comments of people who visited his family. People who neglect their family don't usually get children like that.

You could interpret gestures like that as evidence of fabulous fatherhood, or of enabling narcissism, even Stockholm syndrome. I'm not trying to do either. But it was actually the doco—not the article as "hit-piece"—that gave me an initial not-positive impression of Fritz and his obsession.

If you want to talk about audiophools look no further than the journalist Geoff Edgers who wrote the hitpiece on Ken. At the beginning of the article Edgers quotes his friends in the audiophool industry to introduce his agenda to demonize Ken. Edgers uses this common trick to introduce his agenda into the article by attributing it to others while seeming like an impartial narrator. “You’re mining the lunatic fringe,” Jonathan Weiss, the owner of Brooklyn-based high-end audio boutique OMA, warned me when I told him about this story. Fritz, he argued, was the kind of obsessive who gives audiophiles a bad name." Weiss sells $363,000 wooden horn speakers and he gets laudatory coverage by Geoff Edgers in the Washington Post and others in the New York Times.

As for OMA and their products, people don't need to be obsessive to buy such things, just wealthy and taken by a particular retro aesthetic. I really prefer them to Fritz' un-ironic listening room kitsch in terms of aesthetics (I'd go in another direction entirely for sonics) but the urban/industrial mid-city loft or high-ceiling apartment that they look good in costs rather more than Fritz' alleged audio budget.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

As for OMA and their products, people don't need to be obsessive to buy such things, just wealthy and taken by a particular retro aesthetic. I really prefer them to Fritz' un-ironic listening room kitsch in terms of aesthetics (I'd go in another direction entirely for sonics) but the urban/industrial mid-city loft or high-ceiling apartment that they look good in costs rather more than Fritz' alleged audio budget.

They are pure unadulterated audiophoolery from start to finish, nothing to celebrate there including its poor aesthetic.

It's strange to compare it to Ken who didn't do any audiophoolery except buying some Krell monoblocs, 'the three most expensive cartridges in the catalogue' and OPPO blu-ray players. He was a DIYer who worked on room acoustics and collected good quality stuff.

 

[Axo1989]

At this point, we should all go read the original myth of Pygmalion and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark and spend a day reflecting on our obsessiveness.

Haha, how apt. And I laughed, but the parallel holds up if you take it seriously as well.

It's strange to compare it to Ken who didn't do any audiophoolery except buying some Krell monoblocs, the three most expensive cartridges in the categoru and some OPPO blu-ray players. He was a DIYer who worked on room acoustics and collected good quality stuff.

Yet, you made the comparison.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

Yet, you made the comparison.

Geoff Edgers wrote the hitpiece on Ken. At the beginning of the article Edgers quotes his friends in the audiophool industry to introduce his agenda to demonize Ken. Edgers uses this common trick to introduce his agenda into the article by attributing it to others while seeming like an impartial narrator. “You’re mining the lunatic fringe,” Jonathan Weiss, the owner of Brooklyn-based high-end audio boutique OMA, warned me when I told him about this story. Fritz, he argued, was the kind of obsessive who gives audiophiles a bad name."

People are saying Ken is the audiophool here while being played by a violin by the Edgers and his friend who sells overpriced wooden horns. I recommend you compare this to the articles Edgers writing celebrating his friends in the audiophile industry. It's a real misplacement.

 

[Axo1989]

Geoff Edgers wrote the hitpiece on Ken. At the beginning of the article Edgers quotes his friends in the audiophool industry to introduce his agenda to demonize Ken. Edgers uses this common trick to introduce his agenda into the article by attributing it to others while seeming like an impartial narrator. “You’re mining the lunatic fringe,” Jonathan Weiss, the owner of Brooklyn-based high-end audio boutique OMA, warned me when I told him about this story. Fritz, he argued, was the kind of obsessive who gives audiophiles a bad name."

No, Edgars wrote an article, "hitpiece" is your characterisation.

I read what you wrote there the first time, if you feel the need to repeat post, you are doing it for your benefit, not mine. I can see why you grok Fritz on an emotional level, this is similar narrow-focussed obsessive behaviour.

OMA offer an idiosyncratic aesthetic, as Fritz did. I prefer their ironic take on pre-WW2 tech, compared to Fritz which may be neo-Victorian (or something, anyone can help me out with a more historically accurate take). But I'm thinking only of aesthetics, not sonics (as I said above).

 

[BobbyTimmons]

No, Edgars wrote an article, "hitpiece" is your characterisation.

The comparison is to the author of the hitpiece who is a known audiophool. The person who he quotes to introduce the hitpiece agenda of the article sells $363,000 wooden horns to the audiophool community. The hitpiece is part of a series of articles Edgers is writing which heap praise on the worst audiophool excesses. Ironically the demonization of Ken is introduced by the worst member of the audiophool industry, Jonathan Weiss, by the most read audiophool community member Geoff Edgars.

I can see why you grok Fritz on an emotional level, this is similar narrow-focussed obsessive behaviour.

I noticed in other topics that some of the people here are like 'alcoholic anonymous' members. They inject their own personal issues about 'narrow-focussed obsessive behaviour' into the discussion. It says more about their own struggles than anything else.

The problem with Edgar's hitpiece as his friend wrote is that the hitpiece narrative doesn't match the story. 'Ken told me that he hoped his room would become a gathering place for friends and music lovers. That happened until ALS struck. He also spent countless hours with Sue watching movies, listening to music, and dancing and laughing in the beautiful room he had conjured directly out of his own dreams. How romantic! Hardly the fringe lunatic, lonely and isolated obsessive audiophile hinted at in the article.'

 

[Axo1989]

The comparison is to the author of the hitpiece who is a known audiophool. The person who he quotes to introduce the hitpiece agenda of the article sells $363,000 wooden horns to the audiophool community.

Yes, obsessive repeat posting. Were you thinking third time lucky?