Thank You Sgt. Pepper

Until I was about 11 or 12 I lived in a monaural world. A world of clock radios and 13" black and white TVs. We had a stereo, but it was usually only used at Christmas for a stack of Firestone Christmas albums.

Then one time I was spending the weekend at my dad's and asked if he had any music I could listen to. So he gets down this record and cues it up. Then he hands me a pair of huge '80s over-the-ear headphone and changed my life forever. I like to think that it wasn't just the experience of hearing true stereo for the first time, but also hearing one of best albums ever recorded by the Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.



From that point on I consumed music. I also yearned for better and higher quality systems for my listening pleasure. I didn't have much money, but I used my strawberry picking money one summer to buy a huge boom box and even got a Walkman for Christmas one year. I've plateaued nicely on the equipment and haven't gone the way of some audiophiles. Either I am not one, or managed to let my finances dictate that area of my life. It pains me to report that the integrated amplifier I bought when I graduated from high school has finally bit the dust. And the tweeters on the Polk Audio Monitor 5Bs I bought with my friend Eric the first time I drove into the Portland area without grownups have tweeted their last.

Fortunately, I am not without:

Rotel RB-985 THX-certified 5-channel power amplifier
Rotel RSP-1066 Surround Processor/Preamp
Polk Audio RT-8 tower speakers
psb Alpha Sub-Zero 6 powered subwoofer

Funny thing is I had the amp and speakers long before I had the preamp. While the cinema performance was excellent, the stereo was flat and dead. That all went away with the 1066. Now the whole set up sings in both 2- and 5-channel.

Last thing I listened to in glorious stereo (and loud!):

"When Will You Die For the Last Time In My Dreams"
-Polvo, Exploded Drawing
1996, Touch & Go Records