The Absolute Sound      July 2023

From The Editor
Fifty Years Of The Absolute Sound
Robert Harley considers this historic milestone.
Editorial By Robert Harley

  This issue marks 50 years since Harry Pearson published the first issue of The Absolute Sound and sparked a revolution in audio and music reproduction. Harry couldn't have known in 1973 that the audio industry was on the cusp of a once-in-a-generation transformation, let alone that the magazine he created would be a driving force behind that transformation. That first issue — more a stapled booklet than a magazine — laid the foundation for what The Absolute Sound would very quickly become — a cultural touchstone for an entire generation of music enthusiasts. It is impossible to overstate TAS' influence on the rise and trajectory of high-quality audio beginning in the early 1970s. TAS was the place where dreams were created and sometimes realized, where worthy manufacturers rose from garage operation to establishment players, where a new aesthetic complete with its own unique vocabulary was created, and the community gathering place for those of us who love music and care about the quality of its reproduction.

As I was combing through the early issues looking for landmark reviews and articles to reprint in this 50th Anniversary issue, I was reminded of just how radical The Absolute Sound was in the world of the 1970s. It defied all conventions of magazine publishing, was iconoclastic and wildly irreverent. TAS was the beacon that not only illuminated the industry and its products, but more importantly, established an intellectual framework for thinking about reproducing music in the home. Every issue was a manifesto. The foundation of that framework was right there in the title: Harry's brilliant realization that there was an inviolable reference against which reproduced music could be judged — the sound of real instruments in an acoustic space. He called this "the absolute sound." By this reasoning, judging audio products on their sound quality wasn't a matter of subjective personal taste or whim, like wine connoisseurship. Rather, the quality of an audio component could be judged by how much it deviated from an objective reference — the absolute sound.

An essential part of that framework — one that we take for granted today — was the creation of a language for describing an audio component's sound. Harry forged a joint conception of words and ideas that inform how we think about reproduced music to this day. The advent of this new vocabulary not only allowed us to communicate our perceptions; it also provided essential insights about what qualities we value in reproduced music. Before TAS, sonic descriptions were limited to prosaic terms like "clarity," "fullness," and "brilliance." The Absolute Sound gave us much more sophisticated concepts and vocabulary such as "soundstaging," "continuousness," and "grain" (not to mention the unforgettable "deep chocolate midrange").

This language, and the aesthetic behind it, was essential to the growth of high-end audio, as the industry transformed from the "high-fidelity era" of Hafler, Dynaco, AR, Fisher, and others to a new paradigm characterized by an astonishing burst of creativity and imagination beginning in the early 1970s. The floodgates opened; previous constraints on a product's size, build-quality, materials, ambition, and cost were shattered. Wildly imaginative designs, unthinkable to the designers from the previous generation, proliferated. Consider just a few of the brands that launched during TAS' first five years: Mark Levinson Audio Systems, Spectral, Vandersteen, Threshold, Linn Products, Thiel, Great American Sound (Ampzilla), Rega, PS Audio, Naim, Conrad-Johnson, Burmester, Bryston, and Goldmund.

Fifty years on, the industry continues to innovate, and TAS continues to be the standard-bearer for our wonderful passion. Half a century is quite a milestone, and one that we joyfully celebrate in this special issue. This issue's cover is a loving homage to the classic illustrations created by artist Robbie Wesson from TAS' early years. You can see examples of Robbie's work scattered throughout this issue. We've included two seminal reviews, Harry's assessment of the Magnepan Tympani I from Issue 2 and the Infinity Reference Standard (IRS) from Issues 19 and 20 — a speaker that would be Harry's reference for many years. You'll also find other memorabilia from the early issues.

One of TAS's greatest strengths that continues to this day is the experience, passion, erudition, and longevity of our team of freelance writers. Nine of our contributors have been writing about high-end audio for more than 30 years, nearly all those years at The Absolute Sound. That, folks, is an astonishing statistic. No other audio magazine even comes close to the breadth and depth of our writing staff's experience. Each of our writers was an avid TAS reader before he became a contributor. To showcase their remarkable stories, I asked our longest-tenured writers to describe how they discovered TAS and how they came to write for the magazine. Just for fun, I asked them to send "then" and "now" photos of how they looked when they became readers and from today. I can't say enough about our writing team; they are not only deeply passionate audiophiles and skilled critics; they are also as fine a group of human beings as one could assemble. It is a great honor and pleasure to work with them and to bring their insights to our readers.

Along with our freelance writing staff, TAS is created by three full-time editors: Executive Editor Jonathan Valin, Associate Editor Neil Gader, and me. The three of us have worked together for more than 24 years (26 years for Jonathan and me). I think that the TAS music section is, by a wide margin, the best it has ever been, thanks to Music Editor Jeff Wilson. I'm delighted to call them my friends as well as colleagues. TAS would not be what it is today without their tireless effort and dedication to the magazine's core principles.

A significant factor in TAS' continuing success is its graphic look, created by October Custom Publishing led by Torquil Dewar and Shelley Lai. Torquil and Shelley bring a keen sense of visual design to TAS that greatly enhances the reading experience.

TAS is celebrating its 50th anniversary because of Tom Martin, a subscriber from Issue 1. As you'll read in his "TAS and Me" feature, Tom bought a struggling TAS from Harry in 1997 out of a love for the magazine, for audio, and for music. His infusion of resources and business acumen provided the stability and vision that allowed TAS to flourish in the 21st Century.

I have had the tremendous honor and privilege of editing The Absolute Sound for the past 22 years (and counting). When I was offered the job in 2001, I felt a deep sense of responsibility to preserve the magazine's ethos and legacy while also guiding it into the future. A hallmark of TAS' early days was the wide diversity of opinion and approaches to pursuing musical realism voiced by its writers. There was no "party line" imposed from the top; TAS was a place for exploring this new world of high-end audio through the prism of disparate viewpoints. That tradition continues — to the magazine's benefit, I think.

I'm humbled by TAS' great legacy and immensely honored to have guided this ship for more than two decades. That The Absolute Sound is still vital and relevant half a century after its inception speaks volumes about the ideals on which the magazine was founded, the commitment and passion of everyone who has worked to create TAS, the ceaseless creativity and innovation of the industry, and our fundamental need for musical connection.

But the most essential element in TAS' success is our loyal and devoted readers, who have made the past 50 years possible. Thank you.

— Robert Harley

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