Happy 4th, as we like to say in the US. Today we celebrate our declaration of independence from British rule, which officially ended on this day in 1776, though it would take more than a declaration to achieve it.
I remember a similar day in my life, a day too of independence. When Arnie Nudell and I first began making loudspeakers together in 1990, we shared ownership of the company with another loudspeaker manufacturer. Genesis was co-owned by a Canadian firm responsible for the Mirage and Energy line of speakers. Together we ran the company and built speakers that were excellent, but designed more towards the side of commercial success rather than ultimate sound. Never fully satisfied with the arrangement of too many cooks managing the soup, our independence day came a few years later when we bought back the company.
It was then, and only then, that Arnie's design genius really kicked into high gear, unfettered by committees. The first speaker we produced was the Genesis 1, a newer and more remarkable version of the Infinity IRSV I have in my listening room now, and the designs that followed were every bit as brilliant.
Independence, in the right hands, can spark genius, as it did in 1776 and again, in 1993.
