Lyle loves it.

It is difficult to rationally explain one's passionate love of music to those who are lacking this "gift." Consider yourself one of the chosen. Whether it is attributable to the touch of the Almighty, predetermined inherited temperament, random genetic variation, or learned behavior, it really doesn't matter. Of course there is a difference between those with the aptitude to create the music opposed to "merely" appreciating it (though there are countless who do both), but there is no doubt that audiophiles benefit from being able to be conscious of music on a level that is beyond the ordinary.

Though I'd rather not turn this into this type of discussion, will acknowledge right from the start that the majority of audiophiles are males above a certain income level. Yet as it is with those for an ear for music, it is still a mystery why some "get it" and some don't in regards to the heightened appreciation of the accurate playback of recorded music. I know plenty of well-heeled music lovers who are perfectly happy listening to music on computer speakers, factory installed (or ridiculously frequency distended) car-audio system, or their iPod's ear buds no matter what this month's Robb Report tells them to buy (their lavish in-home movie theaters excepted, but this is a totally different subject).

And of course there are audiophiles that consider themselves part of this community that are more interested in the audio hardware than the music coming out of it. Boys and their toys will always exist. Of course there is more than a bit of this than I would like to admit in my own fascination with this avocation. I recently had a conversation with my wife where she asked me when observing me rearranging part of my system, "What does that big, ugly big piece of equipment do?" My immediate thought was that I believed that the component in question was a magnificent, absolutely gorgeous looking example of modern engineering design, and couldn't imagine anyone thinking otherwise. Also, there is the DIY contingent, which has its own fraternities and publications. Although you'll rarely see me wielding a soldering iron or looking at a schematic, my constant tweaking of my system might have to do with at least a little of this hands-on spirit within me. Nevertheless, my meaningful exchanges about this "hobby" with others is based on the appreciation of music and reproducing it with the nth degree of fidelity with the goal of getting closer to its quintessence--not the fascination of the gear itself or the workings of its innards.

Yet even if one can typecast what type of person an audiophile is, there is no guarantee that someone struck by the audiophile bug is going to be blessed with an income of a CEO, successful physician, high-profile attorney, or royalty. There is room for the regular guy or novice in this hobby, and even if one has a substantial income, there is no reason why one can't appreciate the majority of what an audiophile system has to offer without maxing out one's credit cards or taking out a second (or third) mortgage to do it. That is what makes me have a high regard for The Sensible Sound every time I read it, and especially when I have the privilege of writing for it.

But I'm hopeless. After being in this audiophile business for a quite a while, I've seemed to get deeper and deeper into it. I'm willing to take more and more financial, domestic, and social risks to get as close as I can possibly get to the unattainable audiophile ideal. From my experience as a struggling musician, I've witnessed the similarity between my behavior as an audiophile and my willingness to make sacrifices in order to obtain both these ostensibly unobtainable goals. The love of music is a strange obsession, and when one looks at the disproportionate relationship between the value of my audio system and my income one must assume I'm either crazy or a little possessed. There is no doubt that it's a little of both. And when the layperson reads an article in The Sensible Sound about an "affordable" pair of loudspeakers that cost $3,000, it might be understandable that they think we are from another planet.

Although everything is relative--and with what seems like the average pair of full-range speakers being reviewed in Stereophile and The Absolute Sound priced around $25,000 these days, it surely is. The Sensible Sound might not have the industry clout that the two latter magazines have, but when reading this magazine you are holding, there is a great chance that the music lover, potential audiophile, or experienced cost-conscious audiophile will appreciate its common sense approach very, very much. I know I did the first time I started reading it in the late 1980s. This was largely because I felt as if my compatriots were writing the magazine--others like me (although with more experience and expertise), not "professional audiophiles" who had any motive other than their passion for the music to guide their opinions. And it helped that it seemed very conscious of the fact that these writers didn't want their smaller bank accounts or thrifty spirit to get in the way of their appreciation of music that has captured them in the first place.

I think my first purchase of an item featured in The $ensible Sound was the Rotel RCD-855 CD player. At the time I was getting back into hi-fi after concentrating on making music for about nine years, much of that time being spent on the road. My modest system revealed the limitations of my first-generation CD player, and I was ready to upgrade. I had read about the player in other publications, but it wasn't until I read about it in The Sensible Sound did I feel that this player might be worth purchasing. It cost more than a typical player (around $350, if I remember right), but I still thought that if the "average" guys that wrote for this magazine said it was worth it, perhaps it would be. It was, but this is just one specific example. It was more about The Sensible Sound's overall demeanor that attracted me to the magazine- the least condescending group of articles, equipment reviews, and music reviews about audiophilia I've ever read. Yet it still gave the vibe that it was written by those whose obsession with the listening and reproduction of music that approached my own. I still keep that in mind every time I write and article or review, and I think it is still delivered by the other writers every time I read the magazine.

Congratulations to The Sensible Sound on 100 issues, and I look forward to the next 100.

Most exciting component purchase: My analog playback system, a Basis Debut turntable, Wheaton Tri-Planar tonearm, and Lyra Helikon cartridge. I felt as I had finally "made it" to the world of the analog-elite, and no longer had to worry whether or not I was extracting every bit of potential from my extensive collection of cherished records. But the Legacy Classic speakers I bought in the mid-1990s were probably the most sensible, rewarding purchase I've ever made. They lasted in my system longer than any component, speaker or otherwise, ever had before.

Most treasured recording: This changes on an almost daily basis. But often it's Ligeti's Requiem, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and London Voices with Johathon Nott conducting on Teldec. It's the only CD I own that is so s scary I can't listen to with the lights out. Plus, he's one of my favorite composers. This CD has replaced the original 1970s recording of the piece I have on Wergo that isn't nearly as well recorded or performed. On second thought, Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland is an album that I can't live without, and ultimately would place it above the Ligeti. But really, with about 15, 000 different recordings in my home, how am I supposed to pick the most treasured?

All-time favorite loudspeakers: There are three. Number one is the Sound Lab A-1, which was in my friend's system. These gargantuan, circa $17k, nearly 7-feet-tall, three-feet-wide electrostatic monoliths need plenty of power to drive, and his huge listening room to come alive. Literally. He drove them with a pair of behemoth Jeff Roland Design Model 7 mono-block amps (which put out 700 WPC into 4 ohms). I think this had a lot to do with my wanting to first audition, and then led me to purchase for my much more modestly sized listening room the much smaller (and less expensive), but still rather large Sound Lab Dynastats. They have lots of the character of the A-1s that makes those models so special, but in a much more manageably sized package. In an audio salon my favorite audition was when I spent a long afternoon listening to a pair of ProAc Response 4's. They were about $8000 if I remember right, so I wouldn't have had to take out that second mortgage I spoke of, but I'd certainly have a lot of explaining to do if I took them home. Needless to say I didn't, but they set a standard for dynamic speakers that haven't been matched in my experience. They've been discontinued, and their closest current model is the D80.

Most disappointing hyped product: Every single one of the countless "CD treatments" I've ever tried, whether fluid or disc add-on device. None of them improved a CD's sound quality. The cleaners clean, the scratch removers remove scratches, but that's about it.

Most missed audio publication: Listener. I'm not into horn-loaded speakers and the single-ended amps that they seemed to feature quite a bit. But the humor and style of the magazine, its well-written format, and their devotion to the music made it a pleasure to read.

Favorite audio writer of all time: Former Stereophile writer Corey Greenberg in the early 1990s. Finally, the old goats met their match, and they had to face the fact that not all "serious" audiophiles were middle-aged classical music snobs (although I have nothing against their ilk).

Most intriguing listening comparison: The first Double Double comparison KWN and I ever performed featuring Gustav Mahler; with my "winner" being the Claudio Abbado conducted Fifth Symphony. I felt honored to be asked to participate in such a forum, and I still do.

Your first exposure to T$S: In the late 1980s reading a newsstand copy at Tower Records. Or it might have been at my ex-drummer's house when he was reacquainting me to the current state of high-end audio after a nearly decade-long break.