Audiophile pioneer Harry Pearson from The Absolute Sound, RIP*

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by paulieb00, Nov 5, 2014.

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  1. paulieb00

    paulieb00 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Wisconsin
  2. masterbucket

    masterbucket Senior Member

    Location:
    Georgia US
    Don't know of him unfortunately.
    RIP.
     
  3. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    I'm sad to hear this news. Brilliant, fascinating, maddening, and extremely distinctive stylist and connoisseur — the high-end audio Roger Ebert.
     
  4. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Yup. And the sort of "High-End" writer who was astute enough to notice such things as stacked Advents:

    10. Advent

    Not very long ago, a long-time audio buddy gave me a chance to hear his Double Advent setup (and in his garage!). The experience in a sense, just about took my breath away: The speakers, even in that primitive setting, were magnificent! They remained as uncolored and neutral as ever, exceeding too many of today’s so-called “super” systems. I had, if the truth be told, forgotten (audibly) just how very special this doubling up [stacking a pair atop another pair] of Henry Kloss’ last great speaker was and remains. Wished I had had the sense to hold on to the pair I bought (back when, actually in 1972, just before I started Issue One of this rag). The Advents weren’t then entirely trouble-free thanks to mechanical problems with the original tweeters. Seen in today’s light, aside from an airy top end, the only thing missing was its ability to recreate a wide and dimensional soundstage. If you can grab a pair in good condition, and they are out there, be smarter than me. Harry Pearson


    [​IMG]

    RIP, he will be missed.
     
  5. robertawillisjr

    robertawillisjr Music Lover

    Location:
    Hampton, VA
    Outstanding writer. I was often fascinated by his writing while at the same time disagreeing with him. A pioneer in high end audio reporting. RIP
     
  6. RevUp64

    RevUp64 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, US
    I sat countless times in Harry's music room, listening to the "Casino Royale" soundtrack for the umpteenth time on the latest set-up for which he was writing a review, or watching a dvd on a very tricked-out projection system in the next room (Harry favored HD-DVD over Blu-Ray). He was always gleefully recommending audio equipment for my home that would have been out of my price range if I made 5 times what I do. Harry was quite an entertaining, eccentric character who would load up his pockets with kibbles in the morning and feed the neighborhood cats while on his early morning walks. I could tell so many stories about this wonderful man and his Victorian house in Sea Cliff.

    R.I.P, my old friend :'(
     
  7. Larry Geller

    Larry Geller Surround sound lunatic

    Location:
    Bayside, NY
    I used stacked Advents for years. RIP, Harry
     
    Robin L and sushimaster like this.
  8. Linto

    Linto Mayor of Simpleton

    Very sad, loved his writing
     
  9. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    RIP - an important part of my audiophile education.
     
  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Can a mod PLEASE fix the thread title? Spell out his full name, thanks.
     
  11. smctigue

    smctigue Forum Resident

    The best ever, very sad.
     
  12. pjaizz

    pjaizz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I am an audiophile today primarily because of HP and the early editions of TAS....RIP Harry...gonna miss u...
     
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  13. chosenhandle

    chosenhandle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minneapolis
    great writer, he will be missed
     
  14. DR.J

    DR.J Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago Suburb
    Figured he wasn't doing very well. His written output and overall presence had decreased over the past couple years. He seems to have lived a very full life. We can't ask for much more and are rarely given that. Rest In Peace Harry!!!
     
  15. audiolab1

    audiolab1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    What the heck happened to the RIP HP thread in the Audio Hardware section? If you're going to combine the threads, at least merge the posts instead of deleting them completely!
     
    wgb113 and No Static like this.
  16. PMC7027

    PMC7027 Forum Hall Of Fame

    One of the High End's two true pioneer writers (J Gordon Holt being the other). RIP, Harry, and thank you!
     
    Billy Budapest likes this.
  17. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
  18. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven

  19. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    I too was saddened by this news. I only met him years ago, briefly and would have loved to have visited him in the heyday of TAS. I still go back and re-read some of the early issues- they were very erudite compared to a lot of what we read in the audio press today. HP's views on music and high fidelity were enormously influential in the first 'high end' gear boom (from the early 70's through the advent of the CD and home theatre) as were J. Gordon Holt's. I have a few shelves of records from his early 'List,' some of which have stood the test of time. He was thoughtful, wrote well, and always seemed to recognize that his views were likely to change as his understanding continued to advance- hence, the 'best' was only a snapshot of what he was hearing and achieving at a moment in time.
     
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  20. Beagle

    Beagle Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa
    Very sad news. Sure didn't think he was that old though.

    HP always spoke his mind and told it like it was. I'm glad I still have my collection of TAS dating back to 1979.
     
  21. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Always was a TAS guy.
     
  22. brew ziggins

    brew ziggins Forum Prisoner

    Location:
    The Village
    What a shame. 77 is a good run, tho.

    He alway struck me as a lunatic, in the best possible way. Happily his writing skills were up to the task of conveying his unique take on the world of gear, music and sound.
     
  23. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    His early writings are worth reading again and again. I agree with the poster above: the early days of TAS are probably mostly responsible for my becoming an audiophile. He was very influential, and maybe lost the plot a little in the last few years. But he was always highly respected and changed audio journalism in a very positive way, more than any other writer.

    Rest In Peace, Harry. I felt like I knew you.
     
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  24. ggergm

    ggergm another spring another baseball season

    Location:
    Minnesota
    Ah, jeez. This one hurts.

    As a reader of The Absolute Sound since issue #1, I learned more from Harry Pearson than any other audio writer. He taught me to trust my own ears. He also insisted that even if he was running Infinity QRS midrange/tweeter towers with Magnaplaner Tympani 1D woofer panels, the music still trumps the hardware, every single time.

    After the devastating fire in his home/studio in Sea Cliff, I sent him, unrequested, a complete set of sealed Sheffield Labs records I had in back-up. He sent me a nice thank you note.

    Tubes are glowing a little less brightly tonight in any audiophile's living room who cares about music. HP cared.
     
  25. Sneaky Pete

    Sneaky Pete Flat the 5 and That’s No Jive

    Location:
    NYC USA
    This is sad news. He and J. Gordon Holt created the whole vocabulary of sound reproduction. I believe HP coined the phrase High End which has become a part of the general lexicon.

    I truly loved his magazine especially in the old days when it was digest size. The writing was witty and erudite and the reviews gave me insight into how the equipment actually sounded. In many ways he taught me what I was listening for. In the process I also found out about great music.

    Thanks HP
     
    apesfan likes this.
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