Roger Modjeski
Our first SFAS event following the California Audio show was a smashing success! The capacity turnout of about 40 audiophile souls included nearly half who were new faces, having joined SFAS at the Audio Show in August. The energy and general vibe on Saturday was the best I can remember at one of our events. This bodes well for the future!
This was the second in our SFAS series of Audio Expert events (the first was the marvelous Albert Von Schweikert), this time featuring audio luminary Roger Modjeski, founder of Music Reference (amplifiers) and RAM Labs (tubes), both featured at http://www.tubeaudiostore.com. Roger has recently relocated both himself and some of his operations from Santa Barbara to the east Bay Area, where he will fulfill a longtime dream of starting a school for audio engineering (see http://tinyurl.com/p3vyj83).
Roger held forth with brio about amplifiers, especially tube amplifiers and pre-amps – He even demonstrated a Tesla Coil Amplifier that put out sound via a cool-looking electrical arc! We had an agenda for him, but let’s just say he took some liberties. Roger talked about the history of modern vacuum tubes, the perils of NOS shopping, tube selection for different components and applications, design considerations, tube noise and tube selection. There was a generous helping of history and anecdotes about products, companies and legendary designers, including David Hafler, David Manley, Nelson Pass, William Z. Johnson and Harold Beveridge. He even mentioned Frank Lloyd Wright, whose Taliesin is an inspiration for Roger’s new audio school.
Roger Modjeski is charismatic, brilliant, knowledgeable, witty, loquacious, enthusiastic, stimulating, iconoclastic. He’s always wanted to be an educator (hence the school he is starting) and I often felt the kind of excitement I recall from my best college professors. At times his delivery also reminded me of Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. Entertaining, enlightening, exciting. This was one of the most technical sessions we’ve had, but to me (a non-techie), it was neither dry nor boring nor inaccessible.
And if all that weren’t enough, I’m happy to report that our host Leslie has comfortably settled into her new converted garage listening room, complete with rugs, upholstered furniture, wood furniture and art. And although this was mainly a “lecture” event, the little taste we did get of her system in the new room was very encouraging. Great lunch, too. A very fine time all around.