Music Matters
A special Evening of presentation devoted exclusively to the reproduction of music with emphasis on Computer Audio
RSVP-Registration
Update: $3,500 of prizes given away at this event.
This is your invitation to Music Matters, our first annual special event devoted to the reproduction of music. It's free. Regardless of your favorite artists, your music library, or the way you listen to music, if it’s a big part of our life, you will want to attend Music Matters. Here, you will have have the opportunity to learn and experience the new world of Computer Audio.
During one listening–packed evening, you will see and hear the absolute finest music systems available, presented by the manufacturers, in four sound rooms.
- Thursday, December 8th, 5-9pm
- Paradyme Sound & Vision at our Sacramento showroom, 1732 Fulton Avenue. Our Roseville showroom will close at 4pm for this event.
- Each of the presentations will run 30 minutes.
Computer Audio Clinic
We have a special guest, Chris Connaker, of computeraudiophile.com, holding a special workshop on making your PC or Mac sound amazing. He will discuss anything and all things about Computer Audio, the newest trend. So bring your laptops and Mac's.
Highlights this year include Peachtree’s debut of the Grand Pre and Integrated Amp with cutting edge digital-to-analog conversion. GoldenEar will demonstrate the Triton Two loudspeaker, which is Sound&Vision’s “Audio Product of the Year”. B&W will show the 802 Diamond series loudspeakers driven by their famous Classe’ CP-800 digital preamp processor. Martin Logan CLX, world’s finest electrostatic Loudspeaker, will be here just for this event. The Harman truck will be out in the front parking lot.
Presentations will be made by the following manufacturers:
| Audioquest | B&W | Classe’ | GoldenEar |
| Integra | Mark Levinson | Martin Logan | NAD |
| Peachtree | Paradigm | Pioneer Elite |
Harman Showcase Truck
A very special appearance.
Listen to the finest in sound reproduction in the audiophile 2-channel listening room, and then enjoy premier theater quality in the multi-channel home theater room. Experience the luxury brands of Mark Levinson, JBL Synthesis, Revel and Lexicon that together provide the ultimate expression in home entertainment.
For more information and a virtual tour of this amazing traveling showcase, click here.
Our Feature Presenters
Peachtree
Jonathan Derda, Ambassador of Awesome
Jonathan Derda was born into the audio industry, cutting his teeth at his father's HiFi shop in South Bend, Indiana. "The first experience that hooked me on great sound was hearing The Beach Boys Good Vibrations on vinyl, through my Dad's Bowers & Wilkins 801s and Carver tube amps. I was six years old and I'll never forget it. It was like the Beach Boys were in our living room!" He now works for Peachtree Audio as their North American Director of Training and Communications, or as he puts it, their "Ambassador of Awesome" attempting to save the world from bad sound.
Peachtree will demonstrate that you already own a $10,000 music server, you just might not know it! Learn about the "hostile digital environment" that computers and digital audio streamers present and how Peachtree Audio designs their components to turn these devices into high performance music players. As much about music as it is technology, Jonathan will be playing recordings ranging from classical to dubstep to classic rock, from MP3 all the way up to 24/192 Studio Master resolution! This seminar will appeal to audio novices, music lovers, and experienced audiophiles.
Components on display
Grand Pre
Grand Integrated
iNova
DAC•iT
Martin Logan
Peter Soderberg, Western Regional Director
Peter Soderberg started his AV career as a Paradyme sales person way back in ’85. After discovering he can’t actually sell, but was good with people and eager enough to work long hours with a smile on his face, he became store manager a few years later. After 14 years, he moved on to work for MIT Cables as a regional sales manager and then as the general sales manager, working around the world with a wide variety of products and markets. After 7 years, MartinLogan, long a beloved speaker of his, came calling. After a few years as a regional manager, he advanced to international sales manager, all to satisfy his desire to sleep on planes, eat strange foods. Now he is the Western Regional Sales manager and one of the principal voices guiding the future directions of MartinLogan.
Paradigm
Rob Sample, Western Regional, Paradigm
Rob grew up in a music-loving household. He's spent his life enjoying music and movies, while pursuing good sound and video by always seeking a better understanding of the playback experience. He started playing music in high school, and has since expanded his involvement in the performing arts, music and cinema by working on-air in radio and TV, in bands, in improv comedy, in musical theater and film, and as a live sound & recording engineer.
His "day job" in AV retail in Portland, Oregon in '78 turned into a career when he became a manufacturer's rep in 1982. He was hired by Paradigm to rep the line in the Pacific Northwest in 1986, and has been serving as Paradigm Electronics' Western Regional Mgr. since 1992. He's a ham and loves what he does. Try the veal, he'll be here all week (or at least for the evening!).
Rob will be demonstrating theinew Paradigm Shift A2s, their new powered speakers for digital media devices along with their new earbuds.
B&W and Classe'
David Baker, Regional Sales Manager, B&W Group
David Baker has been with Bowers and Wilkins for 15 years and the industry since 1991 serving many roles with the company.
Whether you looking for a pair of headphones, a compact playback system for your iThingy, or a high quality pair of speakers, David will share with you some insight as to why Bowers and Wilkins has the right solution for you.
At Music Matters, David will be entertaining you with the Bowers and Wilkins 802 Diamonds and Classe Electronics. He will help take the fear and uncertainty of computer audio and share with you his experience and migration from an analog snob to a PC/Mac user for audio.
Come see and hear why many of the premier recording studios in the world, like Abbey Road and Skywalker Sound use the 802s.
Come see and hear why Hi Fi Choice Magazine appointed the Classe CP 800 as their Product of the Year for 2011 and said "this ground breaking preamp will leave its mark in hi fi history"
AudioQuest
Andrew Kissinger, Western Regional Sales Manager, AudioQuest
Andrew Kissinger got his start in the Consumer Electronics industry in 1999, selling car audio at The Good Guys electronics stores in Southern California as a summer job. His career and interests grew through various positions including sales, installation, department and district management, with his last position in a partnership role with Monster Cable that focused on sales, product training and merchandising for LA and OC Good Guys locations.
Upon The Good Guys closure in 2005, he assumed an inside sales position with AudioQuest, and was later promoted to Regional Sales Manager for the Southwestern US. His passion for great sound and a keen technical acumen lend well to his role in educating dealers and consumers alike. His focus on education and performance audio earned him the 2010 Regional Sales Manager of the Year award from AudioQuest.
Andrew will conduct for us a series of Shared Listening Evaluations, focused on revealing a system’s best abilities through the use of superior cables. Discussions will focus on optimizing a computer audio system for maximum sonic performance, and other related topics.
Cables being presented will include AudioQuest’s new USB, FireWire, Interconnect and Power Cables.
NAD
Bart Greenberg, Western Regional Manager, NAD
Bart is a 25+ year veteran in the Consumer Electronics industry and a Southern California resident. We first worked with Bart during his 15 years tenure at Sharp Electronics, where he helped launched the first fixed pixel front projection televisions in America under the SharpVision brand. He was also among the first to sell LCD televisions in the mid to late 1990’s, when their 5” and 8 ½” sets where the largest available.
In 2002, Bart joined Yamaha as National Sales Manager, where he managed both the audio and video portions of the business, and reignited his passion for music that brought him to the Consumer Electronics business in the first place.
Bart now manages sales in the West for NAD Electronics. NAD established a benchmark for performance and value with the launch of their famous 3020 integrated amp in 1978. Paradyme started carrying NAD again this year based on the performance and value that the line offers our customers today, as well as new digital audio technology that NAD possesses and Bart will demonstrate during Music Matters.
GoldenEar
Dave Kakenmaster, Western Regional Manager, GoldenEar Speakers
Dave is a lifelong music and hi-fi aficionado with over 30 years experience in the Consumer Electronics industry. With a lifelong passion for great music and the gear that reproduces it, he began his audio career in 1980 at Detroit's premier high-end dealer, Absolute Sound. They represented only the best brands and were one of the first to recognize the revolutionary performance and value of Polk Audio speakers, a company founded by four young Johns Hopkins graduates including Sandy Gross. In 1984 Dave left the retail world to work with Polk Audio where he helped establish the brand all over the country.
In 1997 Dave joined Definitive Technology, Sandy's next evolution of style and design, and is one of the premier speaker brands available today. As Western Regional Manager, Dave oversaw all sales operations for the western half of the US and helped DefTech become premier brand.
After Sandy Gross retired from DefTech, he knew he wasn't done and put together a company to produce his best and highest performance speakers yet, all while setting even higher standards for value. Dave joined GoldenEar as Western Sales Manager at its start in 2010 and has enjoyed establishing the brand from its start to its now enviable presence. GoldenEar is all about passion and excellence in products and service.
In less than one year, GoldenEar has won two Speaker of the Year Awards and highest praise from the mainstream press as well as the pickiest high-end publications. GoldenEar is the most award winning new brand in decades and has helped reignite passion for better sound the world over, all while making speakers that others may charge far more for similar performance. Affordable High End. That's what GoldenEar is building. You must hear them for yourself!
Dave will be demonstrating the Triton Two tower speaker, GoldenEar's flagship model. Among its many awards, the Triton Two was just selected Perfect Vision's Greatest Overachiever! This is a true full-range speaker that is at home with the most subtle music all the way up to dinosaurs marching across your screen and anything in between!
