From Clark Johnsen’s Diary: Notes From Beyond
Clark Johnsen

This space is turned over today to Thad Chmielak. By way of introduction, I made Thad’s acquaintance in 1988, when he wrote me as a fan of Brian Cheney’s VMPS loudspeakers. Thad had designed (without Brian’s knowledge or participation) an elaborate marketing program for VMPS, and beyond that, a novel way to employ these (or any set of decent first-order speakers), called STARS. This bore many resemblances to David Price’s later Cogent Technology approach, reported upon here several years ago (who can say how many?). Thad even had a working mini-model of STARS, which he freighted me in a large box measuring 3 x 4 x 5 feet.

Opening this, I found several more lovingly-wrapped boxes tucked inside with instructions affixed atop each. Also there were two cassette tapes, one with spoken guidance, the other with special demonstration music, I learned. This assembly project kept getting put aside, however, after I realized it might take hours. Eventually I never did do it, and I think that’s why Thad stopped writing and I never heard from him again until recently; he must have been sad I didn’t take his baby and nurse it. I don’t blame him.

But I get ahead of my story.

Upon receiving his initial communication, I replied briefly, and received back a thick packet. This consisted of a long cover letter and extensive documentation. The whole thing being way too massive and detailed for me to reply to, I chose instead to inscribe comments in the white space. This document he returned, with handwritten responses below mine, accompanied by a whole new cover letter and additional enclosures.

(The same thing happened between me and Enid Lumley for several years, nothing too strange...)

We met only once in person, in Las Vegas, at the 1989 WCES, the first for each of us, where he and his wife Ruth and I shared a suite at the last real motel on the Strip, the Bali Hai, which I had scouted out through brochures. It had grass, and a courtyard pool; and was quiet, and only two stories high. Couldn’t last! Today we know that property as "The MGM Grand."

But I’m talking ancient Las Vegas history: Ten years ago. The Chmielaks and I hit it off immediately; though I hadn’t known Ruth before, merrily we headed out into that good night called Vegas: City of Sin and Darkness and Brightness. And returned to our rooms in time for enough sleep to help Brian set up next day.

That "help" turned out to be something more. Brian had the flu, so we three all alone prepared the exhibit, helping truck his heavy speakers and racks of tubed amps upstairs and getting them working. Brian reappeared only on the first day of the show, not in great good cheer, but sensibly appreciative of our effort. The first few hours were spent in Thad’s and my running errands and politely putting off visitors outside until Brian got the system swinging.

Afterwards we established our major communication link, Thad back in Minnesota, myself in Boston. It had developed too that we shared an interest in what I call "Hidden History," Thad especially in what might be termed "Hidden Technology." One of his most urgent gripes was "turbine noise," a misnomer perhaps for unintended (perhaps!) low-frequency emanations from engines, especially flying machines. And it was an intriguing argument: When the Feds imposed on the aircraft industry a lower noise-spectrum figure, he said, they took care to make sure no spec existed for under... what was it?... twenty cycles or so. Thus engineers devised ways to displace acoustic energy into the subsonic region, rather than the more audible one above it. The airplanes that take off and fly over us daily, hourly, every minute... now emit, with Federal connivance, dangerous ant destructive Extra Low Frequencies with the result that, while we don’t hear them, we are still hugely affected. In subtle ways. You’ll see.

This theme was one Thad worked to death in his letters, sometimes to the point of boredom. But I was never not a believer: For instance, my research bore out his allegations about the Feds’ spec curve. And that’s important to understand, in what follows.

Here we have too, another Tequila Moment in which I have ingested a healthy dose of Herradura Reposo and now perform an afterdeath miracle for a friend, namely, Thad Chmielak, RIP, November last. I just heard, on February 23rd. Which brings this diary more up to date than I could have done alone.

Follows now, the codicil Thad wrote to his will, or portions anyway. It involves yours truly, but, unadjusted during the eight years we remained out of touch, I assume it still incorporates his final wishes and so I must act upon it. About which, I’ll have more to say in the afterwords.

About the second part... well...

You will see a thoroughly unbroken man, although somewhat off-kilter. He was my friend, however, so go easy.

Such people does audio provide!

CODICIL TO OUR WILLS
December 28, 1990

If both of us are deceased, it is requested (please) that whoever is in charge of distributing our "estate" (ha ha) contact

R. C. (Clark) Johnsen
c/o The Modern Audio Association
or c/o The Listening Studio
23 Stillings Street
Boston, MA 02210

in order to determine what items (if any) of the following he would be interested in receiving. If he decides to take any (or all) of the following items, it is requested that packing and shipping costs be paid from the estate. At least give him an opportunity to "bid" on these items. You probably won’t get much for most of them anyway (not many people want 250-lb 6-foot-tall speakers, or LPs or turntables any more).

1. Any and all phonograph records (including some RCA Living Stereo; Mercury Living Presence; Mobile Fidelity, Nautilus and other halfspeeds and direct-to-disks; various other audiophile LPs such as Athena, Water Lily, Chesky, Reference, Sheffield, and others; some used and some unopened), and reel-to-reel tapes (both blank and used previously for other’s personal recordings).

As regards the LPs, please do not sell them off to pay any debts. Their intrinsic "worth" (to a music lover) is MUCH more than what anyone would likely pay. It would be a real shame not to give them to someone like Clark, just because of a few more dollars. A REAL DISGUSTING SHAME!

CDs (digital-audio compact discs), and cassette tapes (both blank and recorded) are to be handled as regular property per instructions in the main part of the will.

4. Turntables and accessory items:

Modified Empire 698 turntable, complete with dust cover, Empire tone arm, Shure V-15 Type V Micro-Ridge cartridge and special custom tone arm cable. Includes some short-time used (spare) V-15 Type V styli.

Standard Empire 698 turntable, less cover, including mounted Empire tone arm, Shure V-15 Type V (standard hyperelliptical-stylus) cartridge, and standard white tone-arm cable. Also includes extra tone arm.

Standard Empire 498 turntable, less cover, including mounted Empire tone arm, Empire EDR.9 cartridge and extra stylus, and standard white tone-arm cable. Garrard turntable (modified, and used for record cleaning), including check-case box of parts and associated items.

Extra modified (improved) Empire 698-type tone arm (stored in a shoe box).

Various turntable belts.

Any extra cartridges, various replacement styli (have some unused micro-ridge styli stored in the refrigerator), stylus-cleaning brushes including Audio Technica AT-637 vibrating stylus cleaner, LAST stylus cleaner and Stylast solutions, and any additional accessory items for sound reproduction from phonograph records.

[… ]

10. VPI HV-17 Record-Cleaning Machine (serial # 2412, possibly still in the box, unused).

11. One pair of VMPS Speakers (Super Tower IIa/R Special Edition Tower Speakers in oak-veneer finish) including brown grillcloth assemblies (one for each), all pertinent drivers, and all crossover parts, and a total of six aluminum TipToes speaker-support cones.

[… ]

14. As many gallon containers of Acoustic-Magic "latex paint" as are found.

[… ]

16. Any and all acoustic-isolation (rubber, navcom, or sorbothane type) anti-vibration and damping equipment (feet, supports) and materials.

[… ]

It is hoped that these wishes may be carried out in order to assist in the promulgation and preservation of analog acoustic technology. Clark Johnsen is the only person we know who understands what is at stake and cares enough to find "good homes" for the above items.

Yo, Clark!
Just a word at you from the grave!
Booh!
Is this a first?

MORE WORDS

Thanks for your help and good conversation. Perhaps you are doing even more good than you know. We think so. Remember "Illigitimi non Carborundum"? Sorry about the spelling, but you see, I AM (sorry, was) Polish. Too bad we couldn’t get together. Maybe next time. If you get the LPs, don’t be so damn hard on me regarding my choice (?) of music.

Does STARS and "speaker headphones" ring a bell? Try it — you’ll like it ! STARS (use an oscilloscope and carefully positioned microphone to do it right) speakers at 150-degrees separation, 10-feet from and facing each appropriate "sweet spot" ear, in-line (tandem) low-back acoustically-absorbent-chair seating.

Use two-foot thick baked (burns off processing "oils") Manville (gold) fiberglass, polyester, or such on the sides, on the floor in front of you and between the speakers, above your head (a false chicken-wire-type ceiling), and surrounding the cabinets, with baffle covered also (yes, it does make a big difference when you’re this close to a quasi-anechoic environment; leave bevelled cut-outs for drivers).

Make the insulation at least 4’ thick in back. Crushed velvet covering material in any color makes things attractive and fiber-free. Make little 8’x 2’ acoustic "mattresses." Keep the electronic and playback equipment on the outside of this sound-absorbing area (no reflecting surfaces allowed within this room, at all — even the lights need to be acoustically shielded). Allow the lowest frequencies to pass through to the outside (you can’t readily stop or absorb them anyway). Since you already are using a large warehouse with no early reflections for your "listening room", the improvement wrought here will be "icing on the cake."

Listen from 2 to 5 AM and you MAY get 5-30 minutes (total) of fairly-good listening (when the system is able to show what it can do) during this period. But, don’t hold your breath. Be patient. Try again. When you finally hear the magic, it will be worth it.

When you hear the music die ("shrivel-up"), turn it off, and run to your door and put your ear upon it. Within three minutes you shall hear the plane if it is coming your way. You will be able to use your system to tell when a plane is taking off many miles away. While playing quiet music that has sufficient low-frequency acoustic content, you can sometimes hear far-off plane noises (you may think they are in the recording sometimes), and stop hearing them with the music turned off. This may be just the opposite of what you’d initially think would happen. But, sound (unless it is opposite polarity, equal amplitude, and identical frequency) does NOT cancel! It is additive!

You may become so discerning as to eventually start hearing planes (especially the "buzz bombers") in your water pouring to fill the tub (no longer heard with the water turned off). Perhaps after hundreds of such verifications and reinforcements, you’ll start understanding the truth. You may even become aware of how it affects (actually, CONTROLS) your emotional "stability" (men become irritated and lose their tempers, even over trivial matters; and women become argumentative and lie unknowingly), your mental and concentration abilities, your reasoning capacity, your spiritual perception, and your attitudes (whether you are ready to conquer the world, or you wish you’d just die).

It also prevents total music enjoyment.

This is due to at least six unique modes of pollution: First, it forces you to become very negative and "protected" mentally and emotionally — you can’t put your guard down (open up, become receptive and sensitive) when you’re being hurt (your subconscious knows); secondly, the sound is terribly distorted due to complementary eardrum/driver Doppler shift — the souring of notes caused by what I call double-Doppler shift (I’d guess that dipoles and vented/ported speakers are less affected than acoustic suspension box speakers, but your eardrums are still pumping back and forth!); thirdly, you are unable to hear properly because of the tightening up of your "ear-protection" muscles; fourthly, these tire very quickly, and you may even feel much pain and discomfort as they fatigue, which is not conducive to enjoyable listening; fifth, any sounds that do become audible, perceived, or consciously noted are just plain annoying, bothersome, and interrupt concentration even more; and lastly, any incremental amplitude increase (to try compensating for loss of musical enjoyment) substantially increase the distortion levels.

Perhaps some of the most "fatiguing" speakers/components are some of the best ! Poorer designs may be so distorted as to keep the ears from reacting to infrasonic/turbine-noise/hiss distortions created by our so-called modern technology.

But, music is only a tiny part of it; only a device to enable you to start learning the more insidious evils caused by "sound" (I think sound might also heal; i.e., Brahms Fourth might cure gingivitis if heard in an undistorted manner; 97 Hz sine waves remove bowel obstructions?).

You may even continue to learn just how pervasive and powerful this "secret weapon" really is. In the end, you will start understanding how it causes us to do "evil" without true understanding and appreciation of what we do. No drug is this bad.

I regret that I do not know how to stem the tears. It will eventually appear obvious to you, but others will remain oblivious (so, what else is new). The truth is very sad. You already know that people, "just won’t listen." You didn’t. I didn’t. Why should others? Sorry.

All you can do is keep saying, "The buck (evil) stops here. " You become a sponge, buffer, or inverter.

Good luck, Clark !

Since the subconscious mind ends up (logically) associating the subconsciously-detected "pain" (stress, irritation, fear, annoyance, confusion, loss of concentration) with everything you are saying, doing, AND thinking at the time, it quickly makes us more susceptible to the opinions and advice of others.

"No sense in thinking on our own anyway, since we’re not the experts," as the others claim to be. This = their power!

It is just that simple !

Anyway, regarding the sound room, it is possible to "hear" incredibly-small modifications once the big "problems" (early reflections) are eliminated. I guess you know that.

Now, the effects of additional cabinet bracing, better cables, etc., will stand out. Don’t be fooled by what you like (i.e., "air", unreal depth, anything you don’t normally hear live). A Mickey-Mouse cartoon may be fun to watch, and Fantasia is gorgeous, but it is not real.

If you want more depth, or a different sound than what is on the record, you can always add synthesizers, equalizers, or reverbs. Live sounds are "dull" (we hear them every day, right?). Close your eyes and really listen. How often does real sound "get your attention" ? Wear a blindfold (at least mentally, or close your eyes) and try hearing how much "depth" there really is in most situations. False or exaggerated depth is very often a distortion — one of the euphonic distortions most loved (I think that tubes sound just like my old beloved automobile spring-type reverb unit, but with MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more finesse; I like them too !) by audiophiles. You do need to develop discernment.

The idea of the "infinite baffle" is a good one — if done well, VERY well. Good luck and happy listening.

Keep remembering, and don’t ever forget: it is not too important how a system sounds if you are enjoying the music.

If you keep concentrating on the system, it may be time to get away from it for a while.

You can try girl watching, but don’t get caught; they’re after one thing, you know!

Just say, "No!" (did you hear the one about the lazy Polak that married the pregnant woman?)

Auf Wiedersehen to Cambridge Clark.

Postscript From Clark Johnsen...

The above letters illustrate the crying need for a superior obituarial service (not unlike what I have just provided) and for general legal forms with which to dispose of special collections. Among my attorney friends I have long campaigned for the latter.

Many people have highly specialized collections — not just audio gear and records — that they know full well, no one near or dear to them will understand how to handle. Most of us are therefore resigned to seeing (from Heaven!) our babies sold to stores or otherwise flung to the four winds from some auction floor. And perhaps this is for the best! But some thought at least should be given, to how one might keep the collection, or certain specified elements of it, together by willing it to interested outside parties, or specifying the mode of sale. Printed legal instruments for this purpose would facilitate both the thinking and the giving, and I call upon all lawyers in the readership to consider writing such documents for our own and the public good.

And let it be called, The Thad Chmielak Memorial Registry Service.