The Shout, the Whisper, and the Echo – An Audiophile’s Journey
Once there was an Audiophile who was looking for the Audio Truth. He searched far and wide until he met The Guru. The Guru was meditating on the wooden floor, raised above the ground on wooden posts. The Audiophile sat in front of The Guru.
“Pray tell me,” he pleaded to The Guru, “what is the secret to sonic nirvana?”
The Guru asked him, “why do you come here?”
“I have the best high-end gear around. Even the cables are the best,” the Audiophile replied.
“Why do you come here?” The Guru asked again.
“There’s something missing,” the Audiophile sighed. “I have been upgrading and upgrading my equipment, but each one doesn’t bring me closer to sonic nirvana.”
“Ah, the Upgrade Path,” The Guru nodded. “Unfortunately, that does not always lead you to enlightenment.”
“So tell me, dear Guru,” the Audiophile asked excitedly, “what is the True Path.”
“Ah, the True Path,” The Guru nodded again, “does it exist.” The Audiophile wasn’t sure if this was an answer or a question.
After a moment of silence The Guru said. “Go to the beach in the morning. Then sing a lullaby.” He continued his meditation. The Audiophile knew his time with The Guru was up, so he stood up and went down the wooden ladder.
In the morning, he went to the beach. It was stormy, and the rhythmic crashing of the waves on the rocks and pebbles was overwhelming. He tried to sing a lullaby but he couldn’t hear himself. He began to sing louder so he could hear himself above the pounding noise. Suddenly there was a break in the crashing of the waves and he suddenly heard himself singing – no, he was shouting the lullaby at the top of his voice.
He ran back to The Guru.
“I got it,” he exclaimed catching his breath. “The secret is to have the lowest noise floor so you can hear the softest sound without turning the volume up!”
The Guru just sat silently.
The Audiophile stopped. “But my high-end gear is already ultra quiet,” he said to himself. “I don’t get it.”
The Guru spoke softly. “You have to listen to the bear.” He continued. “In the afternoon go to the hill at the back of the house. There you will see a cave where the bear sleeps. But don’t go inside the cave.” And he continued his meditation.
The Audiophile stepped down the ladder again. After lunch, he walked to the hill and found the cave. He could hear the breathing of the sleeping bear inside, the passing of the air in its lungs growing louder as he stood at the mouth of the cave. He was scared of the bear but he was a true Audiophile, willing to risk death to find his sonic nirvana.
“Big bear!” he shouted. “Tell me the secret to sonic nirvana!”
The bear just kept breathing in and out, almost like a snore. The Audiophile made many more attempts but he knew his efforts were futile. The bear just couldn’t hear him.
As he was about to walk back to The Guru, he saw a piece of wood lying on the ground. Suddenly he picked it up and pounded it on the wall around the mouth of the cave. It made a soft thud. The bear’s breathing was uninterrupted. He made another swing, and this time the thud was louder. “Get off your lazy ass and get out of the cave!” he shouted in frustration. He thought he heard the bear stop, but then it resumed its deep breathing.
He threw the wood to the ground, secretly thankful that the bear didn’t take his challenge as he was not sure he could outrun it. He walked slowly back to The Guru’s hut.
“I’m not sure I get this one either,” he said as he sat in front of The Guru. “Is the secret letting my system breathe, so there’s more ‘air’, as we Audiophiles call it?”
The Guru just smiled. “Tonight, after dinner, you go to the temple. Enter the inner hall, then pray for sonic nirvana, but not silently. Make sure the gods hear each word clearly. They might just grant your wish.”
That night, the Audiophile walked silently to the temple. He was alone. After he closed the door of the inner hall, the silence was so deep that he could hear his own breathing echoing in the empty hall.
“Hello.” He said, and the echoes flew right at him, “helellllllolloolellhellololllloooo.”
“I don’t know how to pray,” he said, but all he could hear was “IwaydoprwaydoprwaydoprIwayyyy.”
He talked more slowly, stopping after every word. Finally he found a rhythm that allowed him to hear himself clearly. He talked to the gods, and he imagined they understood him. Then he talked to the bear and sang a lullaby to the waves. And he sat silently for a long time, listening only to his breath echoing in the hall. After a while he felt himself becoming part of his breath, and his breath becoming part of the hall, the hall and the temple part of the wind, and he could hear his lullaby dancing in the breath of the bear in the cave and the waves on the beach.
In the morning he bid The Guru goodbye.
“Thank you, dear Guru,” he bowed. “I think I got part of it. My search is not over but I know which path to look for. It’s the one that will lead me to the inner hall in the temple.”
The Guru smiled but said nothing.
And they went on their separate journeys, the Audiophile stepping down the ladder and The Guru resuming his meditation.
“Pray tell me,” he pleaded to The Guru, “what is the secret to sonic nirvana?”
The Guru asked him, “why do you come here?”
“I have the best high-end gear around. Even the cables are the best,” the Audiophile replied.
“Why do you come here?” The Guru asked again.
“There’s something missing,” the Audiophile sighed. “I have been upgrading and upgrading my equipment, but each one doesn’t bring me closer to sonic nirvana.”
“Ah, the Upgrade Path,” The Guru nodded. “Unfortunately, that does not always lead you to enlightenment.”
“So tell me, dear Guru,” the Audiophile asked excitedly, “what is the True Path.”
“Ah, the True Path,” The Guru nodded again, “does it exist.” The Audiophile wasn’t sure if this was an answer or a question.
After a moment of silence The Guru said. “Go to the beach in the morning. Then sing a lullaby.” He continued his meditation. The Audiophile knew his time with The Guru was up, so he stood up and went down the wooden ladder.
In the morning, he went to the beach. It was stormy, and the rhythmic crashing of the waves on the rocks and pebbles was overwhelming. He tried to sing a lullaby but he couldn’t hear himself. He began to sing louder so he could hear himself above the pounding noise. Suddenly there was a break in the crashing of the waves and he suddenly heard himself singing – no, he was shouting the lullaby at the top of his voice.
He ran back to The Guru.
“I got it,” he exclaimed catching his breath. “The secret is to have the lowest noise floor so you can hear the softest sound without turning the volume up!”
The Guru just sat silently.
The Audiophile stopped. “But my high-end gear is already ultra quiet,” he said to himself. “I don’t get it.”
The Guru spoke softly. “You have to listen to the bear.” He continued. “In the afternoon go to the hill at the back of the house. There you will see a cave where the bear sleeps. But don’t go inside the cave.” And he continued his meditation.
The Audiophile stepped down the ladder again. After lunch, he walked to the hill and found the cave. He could hear the breathing of the sleeping bear inside, the passing of the air in its lungs growing louder as he stood at the mouth of the cave. He was scared of the bear but he was a true Audiophile, willing to risk death to find his sonic nirvana.
“Big bear!” he shouted. “Tell me the secret to sonic nirvana!”
The bear just kept breathing in and out, almost like a snore. The Audiophile made many more attempts but he knew his efforts were futile. The bear just couldn’t hear him.
As he was about to walk back to The Guru, he saw a piece of wood lying on the ground. Suddenly he picked it up and pounded it on the wall around the mouth of the cave. It made a soft thud. The bear’s breathing was uninterrupted. He made another swing, and this time the thud was louder. “Get off your lazy ass and get out of the cave!” he shouted in frustration. He thought he heard the bear stop, but then it resumed its deep breathing.
He threw the wood to the ground, secretly thankful that the bear didn’t take his challenge as he was not sure he could outrun it. He walked slowly back to The Guru’s hut.
“I’m not sure I get this one either,” he said as he sat in front of The Guru. “Is the secret letting my system breathe, so there’s more ‘air’, as we Audiophiles call it?”
The Guru just smiled. “Tonight, after dinner, you go to the temple. Enter the inner hall, then pray for sonic nirvana, but not silently. Make sure the gods hear each word clearly. They might just grant your wish.”
That night, the Audiophile walked silently to the temple. He was alone. After he closed the door of the inner hall, the silence was so deep that he could hear his own breathing echoing in the empty hall.
“Hello.” He said, and the echoes flew right at him, “helellllllolloolellhellololllloooo.”
“I don’t know how to pray,” he said, but all he could hear was “IwaydoprwaydoprwaydoprIwayyyy.”
He talked more slowly, stopping after every word. Finally he found a rhythm that allowed him to hear himself clearly. He talked to the gods, and he imagined they understood him. Then he talked to the bear and sang a lullaby to the waves. And he sat silently for a long time, listening only to his breath echoing in the hall. After a while he felt himself becoming part of his breath, and his breath becoming part of the hall, the hall and the temple part of the wind, and he could hear his lullaby dancing in the breath of the bear in the cave and the waves on the beach.
In the morning he bid The Guru goodbye.
“Thank you, dear Guru,” he bowed. “I think I got part of it. My search is not over but I know which path to look for. It’s the one that will lead me to the inner hall in the temple.”
The Guru smiled but said nothing.
And they went on their separate journeys, the Audiophile stepping down the ladder and The Guru resuming his meditation.
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