If someone claims to have created the Hi-End audio market, this person is Mark Levinson, so why would he turn away from the high-end market where he has made such a contribution?
To be precise, you are not interviewing Mark Levinson, but he designated you as the audience. It is undeniable-if you have a little common sense of the history of HI FI-we pay a high respect to the brand today, and it would not even be possible without this person to exist. He founded Cello in the past and now leads Red Rose. If the past experience has passed, Red Rose can be regarded as a brand new. However, Mark Levinson almost conceived the concept and connotation of Hi-End which we already know and pay attention to. He has always supported Class A transistor amplifiers, low-gain preamplifiers, moving coil cartridges, open-reel tapes, salon-style manufacturers that only manufacture Hi-End products, audio equipment fever, and so on.
But Red Rose is a 180-degree turning point compared to its past experience. The original product series consisted of a tube preamplifier, a tube stereo power amplifier, a pair of tube mono power amplifiers and a pair of small aluminum ribbons. Loudspeaker composition. The total price of the entry-level system-the pre-level, post-level plus speakers-is 6500 pounds in the United States. In the past, this price could not even buy a pre-stage from Mark Levinson. What's more, Mark not only chose two-channel but opposed multi-channel, he is also a powerful thruster of SACD. As a result, we began an investigation in response to the huge changes in the attitude of his third brand and his strong dissatisfaction with multichannel.
HFN: Why-after being a banner for HI-END transistors for 30 years-did you suddenly start embracing tubes?
ML: I have always been interested in results rather than technology. I really pay attention to Victor TIscareno's tube and FET transistor high voltage stabilized power supply merger. Victor's design is very creative and practical. What impressed me is:
1. Sound quality;
2. Reliable and trouble-free operation;
3. Affordable price-amazing cost-effective products;
4. Compact and beautiful design, I think it is very attractive.
I also keep my attention between the aluminum band speaker and the tube machine we developed.
HFN: Did you develop speakers before you met Audio Prism?
ML: In the order of research, yes. Bo Bengtsson is a talented ribbon speaker designer. He has an amazing intuition for grasping natural sounds. I think one of the themes is to implement high quality and simplicity and simplify all the design through our existing speakers, tube machines and wires.
HFN: I ’m not saying that you have a "religious moment", but from your recent company ’s recent presentation, Red Rose is a considerable change in attitude. For example, Cello gives users almost unlimited flexibility , Which complicates the design, now we are talking about the other extreme, what triggered this (change)?
ML: Any company has its own life, its own spirit, it has already formed and developed, but it is hard to say where it came from. I think an interesting direction for Red Rose is that (aluminum ribbon speakers) are not only efficient but also easy to drive. Therefore, they do not require the large current required by traditional high-power speakers. It does not require the voltage and power amplification that other speakers may require, which makes the 35W power amplifier as a highly viable energy source. The power amplifier of 140W per channel exceeds your actual needs, so part of the results have changed-focus on developing more efficient and easier to drive speaker system and then find the ideal tube machine suitable for driving them.
HFN: Since you are also concerned about dual channels, this seems almost to be a political statement against complex AV systems. What made you oppose multichannel?
ML: There are obvious and less obvious factors involved in surround sound and digital audio surround sound. I feel that most people, when they have the opportunity to audition our products and compare them with any surround sound system they have heard before, they would rather choose Red Rose two-channel products, this view is built on what we have is located in McGrady The shops on Xun Avenue are based on pedestrian auditions. Some people have heard of quite a few systems before, and all said they found it to be a super product and bought it.
We are not saying that people should not have surround sound. We just say listen and tell us what you think. I imagine that if someone asked us to install a surround sound system, we would, but no one thought that after listening to our products. Some differences are: 1. You need a Processor (tone controller) to use the surround sound system, and the Processor has some disadvantages. One of them is that you cannot get rid of the circuit distortion; 2. You must participate in the operation of the system because the Processor and There is no need to know which program to play. This is no problem for the master, but it is a serious problem for anyone else. You ca n’t just sit down and watch a movie. You have to know which button to press to get the right sound. This all causes pain to the neck. Then, even if you make it work again, 85% of your sound comes from the middle speaker, and the sound effects are released from the other speakers.
The feedback we received was that, first of all, we provided a much better voice and a much higher value, because compared to complexity and confusion, your money is spent on quality and convenience. Obviously, if you have to buy five, you ca n’t buy the same quality speakers (compared to two speakers) with the same money, five speakers and a subwoofer, compare two speakers, or high quality 5-1 channel power amplifier compared to two channel power amplifier, and cable, you increase the overhead.
On the other hand, how many people want to slaughter their house to hang the wire, subwoofer, and tweeter on the stand or on the ground? This is not what most people are willing to do. I will not, I mean, maybe you will, okay, but how many people really want to live like that? Or how many are willing to hire a repairman to make a hole in the wall and bury the wire into the wall to end the wall? I don't think people would really want to do that, but the factory is telling them that this is what they want, so they are dizzy. We came and said: "You don't have to do that-just listen." People are grateful not to do these surround sound things.
HFN: You mean that we Europeans believe that the view that a large number of Americans turn entire rooms into mini theaters is fictional?
ML: I have n’t counted so I ca n’t comment. There are certainly many multimedia theaters being established, but usually I would say that most people do not have the necessary financial resources to do this. And even if they have this ability, they will think that simplicity and quality are more wise choices. I think people are tired of excessive things. If you go too far, you will never feel good again. Just like the rear wing on a car, no one wants a two-foot rear wing. Times have changed, people pay more attention to quality, but people want value and harmony, and want to express their values ​​and lifestyle. Yes, people are willing to consider almost everything recommended by big industries, but if they feel bad, people will give up.
Few people like audio shops. I asked people many times, are there any audio shops you like? No! Why is this happening? This is a painful question and a painful answer. I think the first point of the customer has disappeared. The store sells anything the market can afford-a line of $ 400 per foot, I mean, spare me, I think the whole thing is out of the ordinary. Once again, people yearn for harmony and comfort. If it is not a complete delusion, people have doubts about whether they can get better audiovisual equipment. People feel frustrated, disappointed, confused and lost too much money in the past. What is needed now is a truly savvy era: what do we offer? What do we want them to do? What will they get? I think most people will like better music and better images. They want an opportunity to find a way to make them feel good, in other words they want to be respected so that they only need to appreciate and no one tries to count them.
This is not a question of selling hard and soft, it is a question of not selling-show people what you can offer, they will tell you if they like it, so that they can easily say "yes" or "no".
HFN: Is this a precise (mirror) response to what you experienced earlier? Because Mark Levinson and Cello are high-priced brands? Do you feel guilty? I will imagine that your rebellious psychology makes you jump to the other extreme-suddenly the intruder becomes the protector.
ML: This statement is very interesting: Red Rose has a pair of speakers of $ 45000, a pair of backstages of $ 20000, a front stage of $ 10000 and a digital 24/96 tone converter of $ 12000, and other cutting-edge, high-cost products. Even if the prices of these products are third-grade compared with other products on the market that claim to be reference levels. However, it is the emerging technologies such as aluminum band speakers and electronic tube machines that make (HI END audio products) drastically reduce the cost and size. If in the past, if you want to make some improvements to the products, they will definitely become bigger, more expensive, and more complicated.
HFN: So you couldn't do it in the past?
ML: I don't know how to do it! I do not know what to do. Ribbon speakers and tube amplifiers are the keys to making any device you hear vital—whether you listen to an open tape, CD, SACD, FM—it will make the system work well. Many people own the Red Rose system because they have good sound trends and are very friendly. For example: the room is not acoustically processed and can be manipulated without high IQ. Things are simple and function perfectly.
HFN: That is to design the entire sound system as a whole.
ML: Again, if you do n’t care about the effect or what you release from the speaker, you will definitely be affected by all factors. How can you tell others that your amplifier is accurate and prove what you said before you heard it? How can you prove the exact power amplifier you claim, because you have 20 power amplifiers with the same test indicators and different sounds? In the end, you have to record the music and replay it-just like we did earlier-if it sounds like the singer, that piano, then you are right. But if you change the cable every time or the speaker or amplifier or whatever the sound changes, then you must explain to the customer how you prove that your amplifier is accurate. You have to tell them what I used, it sounds more like the music we just recorded and replayed. If you do n’t tell them, you are misleading consumers.
An interesting thing is that if you can use the instrument to reproduce the sound, the product does not have to be changed, upgraded, improved, or outdated. Like some other products, this is a big thing we need to do-produce products with long life. Looking at cameras and watches, the watches you could have 70 years ago are more attractive than today's products, or Leica cameras-never out of date. But if the watch records terrible time (not allowed) or the camera takes terrible photos, all of this will not exist. You have to fly qualitatively. For me, qualitative overflights have not been achieved in the past. The so-called "qualitative fly-by"-not a three-month bestseller-is the standard by which people feel that the product is outdated. If you can copy a piece of music intact, your product will not be outdated.
HFN: Does anyone in the public strongly oppose complication?
ML: Very good question. I am not sure if it can be explained because different people have different experiences. But I will say that people can recognize something when the sound is really natural. If people like to stay in a room with music, you touch their hearts. The music must be touching, otherwise it is noise. People hate noise, so if people come in and hear something that moves them, it is a very different requirement than showing them good equipment. I think people yearn for this, they do n’t have these in their lives, or they are told they have and they actually do n’t, so when these really happen, people say, “It ’s amazing, I want these to enter my life.†They created change. We are not chasing after people trying to sell them-we show them what we have done. People fall in love with things that improve their quality of life.
The fact is this, the sound also helps the video. If you can hear better conversations, sound effects, background music and impact in a simpler and more cost-effective way, this is also very attractive.
HFN: But do n’t you try to promote two-channel?
ML: We are not trying to promote it. We just open the door and let people walk in.
HFN: It's like telling the public who is supported, for example, in the past 17 years, vinyl records have faced CDs.
ML: Vinyl records are good things. There are reasons why people like it—because (real) music has powerful touching power, people want to hear it. Yes, when the music is over-tuned, when the music becomes mediocre during the recording process, when the music is completely distorted through the replay of the (so-called HIFI) equipment, people will walk away and turn to Among other things-such as computers. The entire audio industry has made music too cold and uninteresting to attract people, and I am willing to help improve these.
People who like vinyl records are right. The reason they love vinyl records is actually very practical. These reasons are not based on imagination or fiction. Twenty years ago Dr. John Diamond tried to help people recognize the mistakes of digital technology but no one wanted to listen. Now those people can't wait to hear what he said, because it has proved that some errors exist in the music being recorded and replayed, this is the origin of SACD.
The error is caused by multiple reasons, one of which is the 16bit / 44.1KHz system followed by the operating system for CD recording.
HFN: In other words, what we accept now is inappropriate?
ML: People still don't know the whole process of things. Because there is no test (reference) to prove what people are going through. For example, the sound engineer can work 14 hours a day without any discomfort, but after a couple of hours with the so-called digital audio, they have a headache and want to go home. Why is this happening? There is no test to show why this is the case. Some people feel uncomfortable when listening to a CD. Why is this? The fact is that many companies are experiencing a decline in sales and a deserted business and cannot explain all this. Yes, the reason is that the entire audio industry originally came from enthusiasm, excitement and passion, not profits. This was what some small but authentic workshops did. Small and authentic record stores, small and authentic audio companies. Do you understand? That's how it was originally. Now it has become an American company, a Japanese company and the like (a monster). Momentum has almost disappeared.
However, when the real value once appeared again, people can still recognize and respond, and we are proving all this in this store.
HFN: So you are an optimist? It's not too late to develop this enthusiasm, can enthusiasts still have expectations?
ML: There is indeed hope. However, it is really helpful for some music lovers to realize and act. These big audio companies must know how people feel and concentrate on improving. Without feedback, they would not do it.
The problem with digital recording is not just a question of sound quality, but the fact that-as Dr. Diamond pointed out-multi-bit digital compression technology (PCM) tends to exaggerate people's reactions, and 100% of users have this Feeling, and the facts are more complicated than that. The essence is that when music is recorded and replayed using digital compression technology, you can clearly prove that it has a negative effect on people. Digital storage technology (DSD) is the only digital recording system that does not produce such an effect.
HFN: What do you attribute it to?
ML: It's hard to say, because we haven't tested it, analog technology has been around for a hundred years-we have never been able to test it accurately. Digital audio (although) is very new, but it can't be tested.
DSD is the only hope we know can save the music world. Without DSD everything is over, we have to go back to vinyl records and analog tapes. Unfortunately SACD has been abused. People take the master tape through the PCM and put this thing into SACD, called SACD, no one told the public that this is not SACD at all-this is to put the PCM number into the SACD shell. What they heard was PCM numbers. Listening to such a SACD is no different than listening to a CD. There must be a system to tell people what SACD is like. We took a plan to prove everything that happened, but because the analog signal was digitally compressed by PCM and then played by SACD, so many SACDs were invaded by PCM, this plan derailed.
HFN: What happened when you pointed out this to Sony?
ML: Now this plan is being implemented-I do n’t know yet, there may be some positive changes, but as soon as the entire alliance is involved, things get complicated.
HFN: The situation you mentioned is a bit bad. I expect a software system compatible with SACD to form a large market, and then you will use a brand to launch pure and unambiguous SACD.
ML: I'm sure this will happen one day. However, first of all, to make a comeback (referring to a fever-grade SACD), there must be more SACD machines working the way I understand, but we do not yet know how good they are. SCD-1 is good, but it costs $ 5000-the question is what happens when they lower the unit cost. Many questions have not been answered yet. But there is one thing to be sure that may be the most important opportunity for the music world-some ridiculously the same is true for video-the introduction of the DSD machine will regenerate the entire industry.
At present, the DSD recording system is only two-channel-although most sound engineers do not record 24 or 48 tracks-I have never exceeded the two-channel, so I still recognize stereo. Sometimes I even want to go back to mono.
HFN: Yes, I would like to watch on the wall.
ML: But there are reasons for doing so.
HFN: I very much agree.
ML: I know a theater owner-a prestigious theater in New York City. The manager and the film projectionist came and said they knew that the analog audio track sounded better than the digital one. They simulated until a few months ago. Under the pressure of a producer, they had to put away the simulation system. He said to them: "When my film is shown in this theater, I want to hear digital audio tracks."
But now it is not just a dispute over sound quality-it is something more basic. The PCM system is distorted. We cannot be attracted to the sound of PCM, which is very bad for the entire industry, and it is also bad for those who are affected by record sales. Before the analog masters can no longer be played, what will we use to save them? PCM digital? This obviously has too many important issues (to be solved) and DSD is a silver lining. So we are excited and willing to promote it.
HFN: Can the SACD camp fight against the DVD-Audio Alliance?
ML: DVD is a PCM digital. It is old and antique. The sound engineer knows this, the tuner knows this, the musician knows this, and the people who heard it know this.
HFN: But the DVD-Audio Group is indestructible.
ML: There is nothing unbreakable. The deciding factor depends on the public. Ultimately, if the public does not buy it, it does not matter how big the company selling it is. In front of the public who did not want to play obediently, stronger companies also bent their knees. Looking at the tobacco industry, the fact is that consumers will judge everything. Consumers are saying: "Unless we are interested, we will go away." |
