I travelled to Wilmington from Miami via Charlotte on Friday March 13, 2009 on US Airways. The first leg of the journey was one of the smoothest that I have ever encountered. There was not the slightest ripple of turbulence in the two and a half hour journey. After minimum delay to change a tyre, the connecting flight departed, arriving at around 11.30 a.m. By the time I registered at the Wilmington Riverside Hilton, it was just after midday.

Doug Schneider and Jeffrey Fritz of the Soundstage Network hosted a five-course gourmet dinner, par excellence that evening in a private room of the hotel. It was an occasion to interface with some of the finest audio minds on this planet. Andy Payor, speaker designer of Rockport Technologies and Ralf Ballmann, President of the German electronics company, behold, stole the limelight with their revolutionary ideas.

Ralf engineered the hybrid pre and power amplifiers that would drive Andy’s flagship Arrakis loudspeakers. Gabi van der Kley, supplier of cables and interconnects, flew over from Holland and arrived just in time for dessert. Among others present were Grant Samuelsen of Shunyata Research, Mike Latvis of Harmonic Resolution Systems, Peter Sanstone and Samuel Laufer of Laufer Teknik, Albert Bellg and Randall Smith, contributors to Ultra Audio and our hostess, Andrea Fritz, Jeff’s charming wife.

Oblivious of time’s effects on the ageing process, six of us ventured over to Jeff’s music vault around midnight in a rented vehicle, using GPS for navigation. First impressions can sometimes be lasting. TWBAS looked authoritative and imposing, but simple. I was immediately captivated by the obvious weight and mechanical design of the Harmonic Resolution Systems’ vibration isolation racks and stands.

The weekend was one of ultimate relaxation and lots of listening for everyone. Jeff lives on a 1.5 acre spread, right on the threshold of the Intra Coastal Waterway. The surroundings are healthy, teeming with wildlife and fish. It is the perfect environment in which to nurture his two young children, Abigail and Ian, ages four and two, respectively.

My main mission was to write a feature article on TWBAS. However, during our many discussions, most of us agreed that more of the world’s population needs to be exposed to high resolution audio systems. By so doing, there will be renewed interest in the industry. Some ideas for rectifying this anomaly are now on the drawing board.

Read the feature at http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/ultraaudio.com/features/20090401.htm

Simeon L. Sandiford
Executive Producer of The Rainmakers