My real start was signing up for an electronics class in high school, and later on assembling a Dynaco amplifier in kit form. It almost worked too, but eventually had to be sent back to the manufacturer for fixing. I had some low self esteem at that point, wondering what in the world I did wrong. I understood the task at hand, went over everything in fine detail, took my time and checked off all the boxes in the procedures. When I got the amp back, I naturally inspected it and didn't find a thing out of place. The tech had written a note and said just some soldering needed fixing. I felt kind of better after that and was relieved that I at least stood a chance in this hobby, but I still felt awkward not knowing much. Heaven knows I wasn't a brain coming out of basic electronics class. In retrospect, I can say that I was by no means alone in my efforts either. At that time there weren't a whole lot of truly knowledgeable individuals around that did understand much. I suppose we all just did what we could with what we had. I mean, man,..this stuff was HARD!

I graduated high school and did some wandering around, attending some college and working various jobs (remember when you could walk in anywhere and get employment?). I had looked around for something related to audio, but didn't really find much. Recording engineering caught my eye, but mostly musicians ruled that world and no real schooling existed. Eventually, I found my way into a pre-engineering program at a local university and had thoughts of finding myself there. I took some guitar lessons when I wasn't studying and really sucked at it. I had broken my left wrist when I was 6 and had arthritic symptoms later in life, so I just put the guitar away. If I couldn't play like George Benson, then to heck with it. But, it had given me an ear for music and an appreciation for equipment that alot of people don't ever get, so for that, I have no regrets.

Soon, I found my way to the University of Wyoming and ended up with a BSEE back in '83. I had gotten a degree in my hobby and at least some empowerment into electronics design. I found that topics such as Passive & Active Network Analysis & Synthesis, Electronic Circuits, Acoustics, and DSP held the most interest. During those days, I was a student member of the AES (Audio Engineering Society) and couldn't get enough. It didn't help that I was not the best of students, because I always wanted to know how and why things being studied were important and how they applied. Well, of course, that level of learning can't be obtained going to school. I just wanted to know what made a good amp, and there wasn't anyone telling me or talking about it. Near the end, basically brain dead and saturated , I think I had had my fill of all the high falutin' theory. Since I had not learned what makes a good amp, there was still work to be done. I knew the effort was going to be on my shoulders as well as standing on the shoulders of those who did know a thing or two, so the fight continued.

Upon graduation, going to work for an audio company was still very small scale at that time and working for one of the big boys just didn't seem like fun to me. Products such as theirs were just of the mass marketed variety and besides, I wasn't that type of guy. One must understand at the time, high fidelity audio as an industry was just getting off the ground. I had a young mind with some fledgling ideas, but nowhere to take them, so keeping them to myself was a natural. I started a career with the Navy working in underwater acoustics, with my efforts mainly being in instrumentation automation and modification. It was not uncommon for companies to buy products and have their in-house engineers retrofit the gear to suit their needs. It was pretty overwhelming at first, but once you get into it, things start coming together. I was learning there were things on this planet much more sophisticated than an audio amp, ....or were there? It would be an interesting conundrum I would hold locked up thinking about for quite some years to come.

Eventually I had my fill of working for the Navy. I also had an unquenchable desire coupled with some newfound knowledge to start my own designing, and have been working on gear ever since. While I did go on to other jobs such as computer programming work at various IT organizations, I have never stopped working on gear. I have been through many different phases and have done much groundbreaking development that won't be found on websites, journals, or books. Some of it is simple and practical in nature reflecting basic electronics, and some is a bit more complex. My efforts have involved my own design work, consultation, amp rebuilding and repair, and teaching. While gearing up to manufacture my own equipment, lending my design expertise to amp rebuilding is every bit as enjoyable. Whatever is involved, I know how to get a good piece of equipment out of just about anything.