This is the age in which most mortals are content to drop anchor at the base of the Himalayas. There they happily audition low-resolution digital downloads of their jejune repertoire on iPods and the like. However a few members of the so-called lunatic fringe have ventured across the threshold by undertaking the arduously satisfying climb to the summit of Mount Everest. They prefer to dwell in an environment where the air is pure.

Audiophiles seek that comfort zone, the nirvana in which playback of recorded music approaches its horizontal asymptote of real musicians performing in real acoustic spaces. In this treasured domain, the intrinsic warmth of music heals pain and melts snow. Here are a dozen palpable reasons to encourage more of us to attempt that climb:

Simeon L. Sandiford
Managing Director