Last February, Harvard University’s Shelemay Sound Lab got a big audio upgrade, courtesy of audio publication FutureAudiophile.com and a number of manufacturers and others. More than $100,000 worth of high-end audio components and speakers was donated to the Harvard facility, where students and others can experience, learn about and create music and sound.
Much of the information here was drawn from this article, “The Future of the Audiophile Hobby on Display at Harvard University’s Shelemay Audio Lab,” but I also wanted to talk to my long-time colleague, Jerry Del Colliano, publisher of Future Audiophile, to get his personal take on it.
One of Future Audiophile’s mandates is to bring the audio hobby to a younger audience. Del Colliano thought of finding a college who would be receptive to hosting a high-end audio system to introduce the hobby to a younger, more diverse audience. Del Colliano notes, “The Audio Lab had an audiophile system with old broken down turntables and planar speakers that didn’t present top-notch sound for multiple listeners.” He approached 33-year-old program director, John Pax, the wheels were put in motion, and now the Shelemay Sound Lab has a world-class high-end system with a VPI Avenger turntable and cartridge, T+A 200 Series electronics, SVS Ultra Evolution Prime Pinnacle speakers and SB17 subwoofers, all connected with WireWorld cable. The HD music streaming is provided by Qobuz.
Some of the T+A electronics in use at the facility.
As Del Colliano notes, “Music-loving Harvard students are encouraged to explore music in all sorts of varied formats, from archival recordings to more modern vinyl to HD files and streaming. The Shelemay Sound Lab is one part mastering studio, one part recording studio and one part audio playground.”
The launch event began with Jerry Del Colliano speaking about the benefits of an audiophile-quality system in improving the quality of peoples’ lives and reducing stress and anxiety. Marc Finer, an industry expert who facilitated Sony’s launch of the Compact Disc in the US in the early 1980s, presented a history of digital media. Then 18 year old, Lucca Chesky of Chesky Audio spoke about careers in the audiophile industry.
The VPI Avenger turntable installed in the Shelemay Sound Lab.
And of course, there was much listening. Mastering engineer Gus Skinas (who masters most of Octave Records’ recordings), provided DSD master recordings for a comparison listening test of various audio formats. The kids heard Skinas’ work with legacy Rolling Stones tracks, and Carpenters hits, as well as modern recordings from Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish – just for starters.
Many of the students had never experienced what music could sound like on a high-end audio system such as the one that was newly-installed at the Shelemay Sound Lab. But as Del Colliano and the others also demonstrated, they didn’t have to spend a vast amount of money to hear good sound, as when Skinas played a DSD recording via a $150 dongle DAC connected to his iPhone via the lab’s new reference system.
The system will remain at the Shelemay Sound Lab as a resource for students to listen to at their discretion. Jerry Del Colliano sees it part of a larger effort to revitalize the audio industry: “We’ve got roughly five years to solve the very serious audiophile demographic problem, or we are in very serious trouble.” He sees it as a very good first step, and more projects of this nature are now under development with Del Colliano and FutureAudiophile.com.
All images courtesy of Eli Brown.
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