A reportedly Pulitzer prize nominated environmental journalist and Hi Fi enthusiast, Harry Pearson founded and financed The Absolute Sound in 1971 ostensibly to spur Gordon Holt founder of the similarly independent Stereophile magazine, to continue that publication in a more organised and timely fashion. Both these publisher-editors, also gifted audio critics, felt that there was more to describing sound quality than brought out by rote audio measurements combined with rubber stamped review approvals, the latter the practice of the vast majority of magazines of the day in the USA and indeed worldwide.
Pearson established the idea of the absolute sound, that the best quality replay of natural well recorded classical and non electronic music should approach, by instinctive and experienced judgement, the natural sound itself. He defined a rich vocabulary of subjective terms for reproduced sound to help communicate an understanding and appreciation of sound quality variations. He commissioned what may be the longest published review of a turntable ever, 35 pages of TAS on the technology and sound quality of the Goldmund Reference, a review I could not have written without his guiding example. His contribution to subjective high end audio reviewing and journalism has been immense, arising from a deep love and understanding of live classical music.
[17 November 2014: Correction made from Pulitzer prize 'winning' to 'reportedly' and 'nominated'.]
Pearson established the idea of the absolute sound, that the best quality replay of natural well recorded classical and non electronic music should approach, by instinctive and experienced judgement, the natural sound itself. He defined a rich vocabulary of subjective terms for reproduced sound to help communicate an understanding and appreciation of sound quality variations. He commissioned what may be the longest published review of a turntable ever, 35 pages of TAS on the technology and sound quality of the Goldmund Reference, a review I could not have written without his guiding example. His contribution to subjective high end audio reviewing and journalism has been immense, arising from a deep love and understanding of live classical music.
[17 November 2014: Correction made from Pulitzer prize 'winning' to 'reportedly' and 'nominated'.]
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