You already know I love Jeff Joseph and his speaker designs. He usually makes it to my Top 5 at every show where he exhibits. But at FLAX 2023 he pulled a quiet little trick that I almost didn’t notice at first, but now I can’t stop thinking about it.
One of the best reasons to visit a Jeff Joseph room at a high-end audio show has to do with the music he brings–I’m not sure I know anyone in the entire industry who can introduce you to so much that is fascinating and new. But this time was different–he was playing video. In this case, the video was from NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, and Jeff kept mentioning how incredibly talented these musicians were, despite being relatively unknown. I had to agree.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
Jeff Joseph had assembled a familiar system–Doshi Audio electronics, Cardas cabling, Aurender digital–all around his Joseph Audio Pulsar2 Graphene two-way monitors ($9,999/pr USD). It’s been a few years since I reviewed the Pulsar, but I still remember exactly how it sounded in my listening room back in Rochester. Every time Jeff brings the Pulsar to a show, I think, “There you are. I’ve missed you.”
After a couple of songs, I was reminded of all the times I listened to multi-channel systems with all types of digital audio formats. Twenty years ago, I was put off by an expensive surround sound home theater system because the musicians were playing on a screen in front of me, but their instruments were coming at me from behind. My brain immediately told me this wasn’t right. I never seriously considered home theater again.
But here’s Jeff Joseph, waltzing in with a single pair of two-way monitors, the TV screen positioned up and between them, and the music matched what was happening on the screen. Vocals came out of mouths. Bass notes came straight from the bass strings. The universe suddenly aligned, and all was well in the world of two-channel audio.
I mentioned this to Jeff Joseph before I left the room. He said, “Yeah, I know!” But I’m still wondering. Was this a happy accident? I’ve heard from one other person on this subject and he told me this happened to him once and it was a complete surprise. But knowing Jeff, I think maybe he knows exactly what he is doing.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from FLAX 2023, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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