A visit with Ivan

[cleeds]

One of my best friends - who is also a bit of an audiophile - lives up on the Cape, and it had been years since I last visited Steve. So last week, he and I spent some time with Ivan.

Here's the bad news: It was a short trip, so we only had two hours with Ivan. As Ivan noted, that's like spending two hours at Disneyland.

But - what a visit! First, as many of you know, Ivan is very accommodating, applies absolutely no pressure, and really has a passion for what he does. That passion shows in every little itty-bitty tiny miniscule microscopic thing he does with audio. You've probably seen the photos others have posted here of Ivan's systems but - please trust me on this - even the very best of them don't really do them justice. Ivan's systems are things you need to see and hear for yourself.

I've been in many of the best audio salons. None of them can top what Ivan does.

Because so many others have posted photos of Ivan's place, and because I absent-mindedly forgot my camera (Hey! I was on vacation!), I only took a few pics with my phone. I chose Ivan's Sonus Faber / Burmester / Esoteric Grandioso system, because it was my favorite-sounding of the bunch.

Here's a brutal fact: That system is the best digital I have ever heard ... anywhere. To be honest, I was not aware that digital could sound this freakin' good. (I'm using the polite F-word there.) He played Edgar Winter Group's Frankenstein and it was a trip. No, really, it was a real trip - it took me to another place.

So kudos to Ivan for executing such extraordinary audio installs and maximizing every detail - both visually and audibly. And thank you Ivan for such a wonderful time! The only thing that could have made it better would have been if we'd had more time - but that's my fault.

Now, as Paul Harvey used to proclaim - here's the rest of the story:

I've been into audio and hi-fi since I was a kid. I had good hi-fi gear when Steve and I met back in the late '70s: Pioneer SA-9100 integrated, Rectilinear III speakers, Scott 433 tuner, Sony PS-X6 turntable (my nephew is still using it) AKG P8ES phono cartridge ... you get the idea. But it was Steve who introduced me to the high-end when he bought a used ARC D-76A amplifier for what was then the whopping total of $600. I though that was nutso-bucks for a 60-watter ... until I heard it in my system. And the rest, as Ivan would say, is history, and I've been into the high end ever since.

And now, I've returned the favor to Steve, who has been bitten by Ivan's high-end video install.

So, payback is a bear. (I used the polite B-word there.)

Thank you again, Ivan! We had a great time!