I am very happy to share this article by Allen Farmelo which explains why Neil is right about sound quality — which thereby helps explain why I love listening to recorded music so much more since my life changed in 2016. I will tell you how.
In 2016, I was recovering from a heart attack, and I found myself seeking purpose in my life, since I realized I was lucky to be alive. By chance I found an old CD a friend had made for me in 2004 (after my husband left me) that is a compilation of NeiI’s songs, because he remembered how much I had loved Neil’s music long ago. He was right! After that, I began following Neil on Facebook and his website and watching videos of him on YouTube. I learned about Neil’s mission to save high quality music. That intrigued me and blew me away. What an incredible mission! I bought a new turntable and started buying his vinyl records again. (Luckily I still have my old ones.)
I have always loved music – my vinyl records and the stereo I bought in 1970 were precious to me. But something changed along the way. CDs were accepted as a convenient “improvement.” But my interest in music faded. I never replaced my old stereo receiver when it died in the 1990s. I thought I had “grown out of it” because I no longer had a big crush on Paul McCartney! Haha. The Beatles were long gone and we sadly lost John and George. But now I think there was more to it. Even though I had an iPod, I didn’t enjoy music as much as I used to. A lot of the feeling was gone. Since I have been a member of NYA, I’ve enjoyed listening to music in hi res, such as in NYA or with my Pono Player, much more than listening to a CD or low res audio. In fact, my life has changed so much, I only wish I had found out how much music means to me much sooner.
Mr. Farmelo’s article does an excellent job of explaining how subtle differences in sound quality can really make a difference in our experience of hearing music. He concludes by saying that Neil is right about sound quality. I hope at least one person who reads this article is inspired to listen more often to high quality music. If you love music, it is well worth the effort to feel the music.