Angel Flight East - December 2024 / January 2025

Sometimes in life there are special things that happen. 

I want to share with you the opportunity that you, family members, or others might need as well. I am making a special request and Audible Elegance will also contribute to them as well.  Angel Flight East is a 501C registered Non-Profit organization.  Donations to them are tax deductible.  We are willing give a portion of our net sales proceeds towards them in relation to the donations made directly by you to them.  That way, you get the proper tax documentation for your records.  Clearly, our ability to donate a portion of our sales relates directly to the amount of our sales in December and January.  In no way are we saying you have to make a purchase to donate to them.  Of course not.  They are a great organization that stands on its own and could use your support. You can make your donation by contacting through their website:  www.angelflighteast.org.  

A few months ago, Lisa Salberg of 4HCM.org ( wonderful person who helped Deb & I work through her first heart issues with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) brought to my attention a fine organization known as Angel Flight East.  

Angel Flight East has a clear mission statement:  To provide free air transportation to qualified patients and their families by arranging flights to distant medical facilities, delivering supplies to disaster areas, and reuniting families during desperate times.  Their website is simple enough, angelflighteast.org.  I ask that you take the time to visit their website, particularly if you are within the 14 states they serve.

A month or so, ago, Debbie had the need to return to the Cleveland Clinic for continued check-ups on her newly 2nd transplanted heart.  As some of you may know, it is an 11 hour trip from where we live in Virginia to the Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.  At last count, I have made the trip to them from one place or another now counting at 72 times.  The old man is a bit worn on this, not to mention the time and expense of doing so.  She contacted Angel Flight East who were willing to assist her with the request.

What is so very important to recognize is that the individual pilots, in their private small planes, do this as a public service.  It is completely voluntary and done so without compensation.  That's right, they do it because they care and many of them find as a way to give back to the community.  Angel Flight East, themselves, make the arrangements with these pilots to make these trips possible. I want to share with you now, Deb's personal experience with them and, to her delight by chance, a check on her bucket list of life:

"Kley was my lifesaver tonight. First encounter with Angel Flight. A few hiccups, but Kley stayed with me through it all. There were 2 scheduled legs to my Cleveland journey. First was a layover in this teeny WV town. The hotel they booked was 1/2 hr away, and no Lyft or Uber service, although one was scheduled. Kley borrowed the airports service car and drove me to the hotel. That is where we found out there was no service. So, he drove me back to the airport and flew me the rest of the way in to Cleveland. Luckily, Richard was on duty at the hotel I usually stay at, and I’m in my room getting ready for a snooze fest (hopefully). Tomorrow is a “lazy” day and Wednesday I go to my appointments. Since the HCMA has partnered with Angel Flight, I had to wear my ambassador shirt!"

-Lou

The Wiremold Power Strip (Q&A) - November 2024

I recently received an inquiry from a patron regarding power consumption and the Wiremold Powerstrip:

Lou,

I was listening to you discussing the Wiremold power strip.  I’d like to know your advice on how I should use my available power.

I have two dedicated 20A circuits that terminate into 8 PS Audio receptacles (4 per circuit).  I also have one 15A receptacle that is shared with the other receptacles in the room.

I have three monoblocks for my front three speakers, a Rythmic E15HP2 subwoofer, a preamp, HT processor, music streamer, DAC, network switch, and TV.  I’ve been wondering if I should use one of the 20A dedicated circuits for the Amps and Subwoofer and put everything else on the other.  The TV is plugged into the 15A non-dedicated circuit.

I don’t know if it is best to put the high powered components together or split them across circuits because that would mean the lower powered components would be sharing the circuit.  Anyway, sorry for the long question but if you have any advice that would be greatly appreciated.

Warm regards,

-William

A most interesting question and now be prepared for an interesting answer.  I'll let the use of the Wiremold power strip be my guide.   

Conventional thinking on a power strip is to plug the most current demanding piece of equipment at the beginning of the strip and lesser demands down the strip.  In actuality, the reverse is actually better.  Why?  Well, once an inaccuracy is introduced early in the chain, it cannot be fixed.  What happens is that the amplification actually uses more energy  to produce the inaccuracies than otherwise. 

So, with that said, what do you do?  Well, double sockets usually has one as the primary receiver of the wire and then it is jumped over to the adjacent socket.  Which is which is not obvious from the outside.  So.....

You get to play with the permutations of the outlets.  A trial by experience, so to speak.  The mono blocks do not concern me unless you are playing at high volumes with inefficient speakers.  I don't know what you do or how much current is actually demanded by them.  Class D mono blocks do not require as much as say vacuum tube AB amplifiers or some solid state designs. 

That's the best answer I can give you with the information that I have.  -Lou

Why Audio Prices Keep Going Up - October 2024

Sometimes I receive good questions that respectfully deserve my attention including one from a fellow patron below:

Hi Lou,

The world of Hi-Fi Audio retail has changed so much since the 1970’s with so few independent stores still operating. Yet outstanding audio products continue to be produced but at seemingly much higher prices. While outstanding audio can still be found at affordable prices, flagship products are much further out of reach for the average consumer than they were 30-40 years ago. Meanwhile the world of computers become more affordable every year.

Please offer your opinion on why so much audio equipment is priced higher every year?

Well, I suspect there are a number of factors at play here. Some ordinary, some market. 

In the ordinary, a lot more effort (and cost) is spent on aesthetics.  Look at Classe and its transformation, for example.  They went from black boxes with handles to smooth metal wrap-around chassis.  With speakers, look at how many now have very expensive finishes and I am familiar with those costs having been an attorney for Baldwin Piano.  We also have the pressures of lower volume against fixed costs.  Add to this that many of these specialty units are also hand built and labor costs have soared.  I cannot speak as to R&D, part costs,  failures, and the like.  I am sure they play a part. 

There is also the attraction of making fewer units at a higher price for a limited number of people.  Why try to make a living selling popcorn when you can be better off selling steaks?  So, the lure of the Far East Market, where about 90% of all American High End is sold, can be a serious influence in what and how something is built. 

I certainly saw this when Jeff Rowland began to focus on the Far East.  Others followed suit. Some followed this path in hopes of becoming a recognized brand, regardless of competition to become like Rolex or Tiffany.  If you own one, you have arrived and so pre-sold becomes the goal. 

Now, if you look at the American market, for example, notice how fewer there are of specialty retailers.  Then go look at the magazine racks to see if any of them are about audio. All of this began long before the internet.   Others are simply following what appears to be a successful approach by constant flag-shipping against an assumed competitor.

Without question, part of the pressure also comes from Far East production, particularly China, who produce goods on a scale and cost basis that smaller companies simply cannot compete.  Thus, those companies are driven up the pyramid of customers to an ever decreasing number.  The same phenomenon occurs with retailers as well when distribution of cheaper goods forces them into more expensive products to stay in business.  

And, all of these factors are both related and dependent upon each other.  It is not a single answer or conspiracy.  Whether it is right or not, however, is not my decision but those who run the companies.  Can some of these factors become self-defeating?  In short, yes.  Likewise, it may be the only path available to them for however long it will last and with many of them approaching retirement, that may be just enough. -Lou