Like many of you, I devoured magazines as a youth, audio magazines in particular. I subscribed to Stereo Review, Audio, then Stereophile, then Absolute Sound, the latter two when they were in their truncated size. And much later Listener and sometimes The Hifi Critic and several other expensive British mags.
  I knew right off that J. Gordon Holt of Stereophile was quite a bit different than Julian Hirsch of Stereo Review.  I loved Stereophile, and couldn't wait until the next issue came in its paper mailer. I have to admit here, that living in the country, or the sticks as we called it- a different part then- I lived for periodicals as a kid. I loved quarterlies.  I subscribed to the Welsh Pony Society, a quarterly, loved those quarterlies, at the age of 8, Tropical Fish World after that. You know the type I was. Well, you had to do something back then.  Anyway, early Stereophile was truly something I sunk my teeth into.  The Absolute Sound was okay, HP I never got on with. He reminded me of the George Sanders type, living in a house high off the coast wearing fancy jackets and over indulging in everything, with his man-servants installing the latest gear at his whim.  J. Gordon Holt, on the other hand, reminded me of professors to come, the Ronald Coleman type, a man of the people. 
  So nothing has thrilled me more lately than one of my friends thumbing thru the April issue of Stereophile at my house one fine Sunday afternoon, and proclaiming that my shop was featured in a product ad, right in the middle of some of the most prestigious audio shops- read salons- in the country. I was totally flabbergasted. Not that I'm featuring anything less than reference level gear here, albeit in rather humbler surroundings than some of my counterparts. It was more an acknowledgment to me that I've brought the goods to this area of the country  that we've been sorely lacking.

  I have to say I'm still totally head over heels in having Brinkmann turntables here, or should I say table. The photo I keep brandishing about is of the Bardo and its 10.5" arm with Ront tubed power supply. Love it, love it, love it! 
Besides the Bardo, there is the Oasis, Spyder, and the flagship Balance. Due to startup constraints, I could only afford the Bardo to begin with. Something else will come soon. The sound of the entry Brinkmann Bardo is undeniably great, and the rest of the line only gets better, and offers their own set of unique features.

  I apologize for some of my terrible photography- well, that's being too kind. 

  Well, well, well, it looks like I've generated quite a few comments from some of you regarding my chatting on about the importance of source first, and rightly so.  As I say, some of you have never considered what a good front end does for the rest of your system, or some think their system not worthy of upgrading their front ends due to a perceived level of gear chosen. Again, all I can say is come out for a listen, and you'll easily understand the importance. I've never heard it the reverse of what I state. Or set up a time for me to come and visit you with something that I feel will compliment your system.  It's as easy as that. Proof is in the pudding, as they say.

  And besides the front end debates, some recent discussions on racks have been an eye-opener for me. The percentage of you that fret about new amps, speakers, etc, only to place them on something as unmusical as a Salamander rack or some homemade tribute to Burning Man is vastly high, too high. So if I can be of help sorting out the foundation on which you put your precious prized gear then by all means call for a visit. Not everything is available to try at home due to size and weight but we'll see what we can do.