We’ve all seen the excesses that the Golden Ears set enjoy; the five-figure energy conditioning bins, the gold-plated HDMI cables. As coated by the Washington Submitnonetheless, [Ken Fritz] might have gone farther than most. Earlier than he handed away, he estimated that he spent 1,000,000 {dollars} on the best potential hi-fi setup he may think about.
There’s loads of hardcore gear within the rig. Large cupboards loaded with carefully-tuned speaker drivers. A $50,000 report participant constructed right into a 1,500-pound weighted base for the utmost in stability and vibration resistance. Costly cartridges, top-tier reel-to-reel decks, and amplifiers value greater than most used automobiles.
Because the piece explores, [Fritz] knew that none of that was sufficient. Sound is all in regards to the house as a lot as it’s the tools. Thus, the household residence itself was remodeled to turn out to be the final word listening atmosphere in flip. The listening room bought all the pieces from concrete flooring and its personal HVAC and electrical methods. A lot of the tools was customized constructed to keep away from losing cash on overpriced name-brand gear. The story of the package was additionally the topic of a documentary shared on-line, by the identify of One Man’s Dream.
The piece examines what goes right into a top-tier setup like this, whereas additionally exploring the human value that [Fritz’s] ardour had on him and his household. The ending is unhappy and brutal in a approach you wouldn’t suppose a narrative about hi-fi gear ever could possibly be. It’s an training in additional methods then one, and teaches us that it’s value keeping track of the remainder of our lives whereas pursuing what we get pleasure from essentially the most. Video after the break.
