Arnie Nudell has passed.
- Thread starter goodolpg
- Start date
Gone to where you can hear your perfect speaker. RIP Arnie.
Paul McGowan claims they are going to continue to work on the speaker(s) they were working on with Arnie. He posted a podcast of an interview he did with Arnie awhile back. It is insightful and somewhat funny to hear Mr. Nudell's candor.
Paul McGowan claims they are going to continue to work on the speaker(s) they were working on with Arnie. He posted a podcast of an interview he did with Arnie awhile back. It is insightful and somewhat funny to hear Mr. Nudell's candor.
buzshaws
Active Member
Sigh...at 57 years old, all my lifelong go-to's, heros, and those that I've admired are passing. These were the old palace guards and news like this is a painful reminder there are new guards and it's disturbing. Instead of carrying on old torches, many flames of those pioneers have simply been ignored or extinguished rather than preserved and advanced. Well, it was a great run in hi-fi, those '60's-'70's. A lot came before and some noodling after, but those two decades provided, IMO, everything that represented the best in reproduction, with Arnie being an example of one of those pioneers in an industry we'll not likely see the likes of revived again. Sad and sobering news :-( On the thankful side, look at all the innovation, research, and golden-era happiness we have because of those like Arnie that created a wonderful legacy that will thankfully outlive us 
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
Paul McGowan touched on that subject, with one of his blog posts:
"He wanted nothing more than to finish the work he had started with Darren, Bascom and I, to build his next generation of loudspeakers—a project we had been working on with him for more than the last year—a request we shall carry forward with in his memory."
And since it concerns Arnie Nudell, here's the full blog entry:
"Arnie Nudell
It is with a heavy heart I report to you that my dear friend, mentor, inspiration, and partner, Arnie Nudell, passed away last week from complications of pneumonia. He slipped away at peace and wasn’t in any pain.
In 1968 nuclear physicist Nudell, engineer John Ulrick, and cabinet maker Carrie Christie formed one of the most famous loudspeaker companies in the world, Infinity. I first met Arnie at the insistence of my friend (and another mentor) Harry Pearson. HP was concerned for me. The fact I was listening to speakers he did not approve of was too much for Harry and he made arrangements for Stan and me to meet Arnie Nudell of Infinity Loudspeaker fame. It proved to be a fateful moment that changed my life and that of my family. I will forever be in Arnie Nudell’s debt.
Arnie loved music but I suspect he loved the art of reproducing it most. He was obsessed with high-performance audio. Even in his last few days of life, he could not shake it. When PS engineer Darren Meyers visited Arnie in the hospital—and he had just come out of sedation—the only thing Arnie wanted to talk about was HiFi, his deteriorating physical condition seemed a distant second of conversation.
He wanted nothing more than to finish the work he had started with Darren, Bascom and I, to build his next generation of loudspeakers—a project we had been working on with him for more than the last year—a request we shall carry forward with in his memory.
Arnie’s passing was the end of an era that became audio’s golden age, where musical truth and the absolute sound was its guiding light.
Arnie Nudell will be missed.
Arnie’s son, David, has reserved the website domain www.arnienudell.com. There’s nothing there to see now, but over time we will help the family build a website where his friends and fans can post their thoughts about Arnie, Infinity, and what he brought to the world of music and its reproduction. We will endeavor to list all the speakers he had designed and perhaps form a small community of like-minded people who share updates, mods, schematics, ideas, and all things relevant to this man’s enormous body of work.
We all know we’re not going to make it out this world alive, yet deep down inside none of us actually believe it. I certainly never thought Arnie would slip away from us. He was the toughest son of a bitch I ever met. And the most generous too.
See you, man.
If you want to know more about Arnie from his own lips I had the good fortune of interviewing him a few months ago for a new podcast series I was planning on launching someday, called Ohm’s Law. While I haven’t had the time to put the series together yet I can certainly make available the interview which has never been made public.
You can hear the entire interview (about 20 minutes) by clicking the link."
clicking the link
7.62
Infinity nutcase.
A few things,
First, Thank You StimpyWan for posting this.
I think I now want a pair of servo statics so I can hear the start of Infinty.
And last, I listened to that podcast while making my lunch and getting ready for work. I can't Thank Paul McGowan enough for capturing that and asking all the right questions ! for me anyway. Hearing Arnie speak, to me is absolutey amazing. Being brutally honest I shed a few tears at the end.
Thank you Mr McGowan.
It is now a very high bucket list thing to get to RMAF, and hopefully get to stop at PS Audio to hear the Mighty IRS.
First, Thank You StimpyWan for posting this.
I think I now want a pair of servo statics so I can hear the start of Infinty.
And last, I listened to that podcast while making my lunch and getting ready for work. I can't Thank Paul McGowan enough for capturing that and asking all the right questions ! for me anyway. Hearing Arnie speak, to me is absolutey amazing. Being brutally honest I shed a few tears at the end.
Thank you Mr McGowan.
It is now a very high bucket list thing to get to RMAF, and hopefully get to stop at PS Audio to hear the Mighty IRS.
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
Hey 7.62 (sounds like the name of a Star Wars 'Droid), You're Welcome. And if like me, this video, of Paul's IRS speakers, will be as close to seeing and hearing these speakers as I'll ever achieve. Plus, the whole Building a Music Room series is awesome to watch. Heck, all of Paul McGowan's videos are awesome. I subscribe to his Daily Blog posts too. They're always entertaining.
Oh yea, I almost forgot this video. It's Arnie discussing the then new PS Audio BHK Signature amp. It's pretty hilarious. Plus, it makes me want a PS Audio BHK hybrid system. And a pair of IRS speakers...!
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Listnnthdark
Well-Known Member
Thank you Stimpy for the post and Video !
Before I got my first "Good speakers " ( Lower end Infinitys in 1984 ) I could never appreciate Classical music . I directly credit Mr Nudell for opening my ears to it . ..Loved the video ! Could listen to him all day and night .. A terrible loss . But look (and listen ) to all he GAVE
Thank You Mr Nudell ( he said with a tear in his eye )
Before I got my first "Good speakers " ( Lower end Infinitys in 1984 ) I could never appreciate Classical music . I directly credit Mr Nudell for opening my ears to it . ..Loved the video ! Could listen to him all day and night .. A terrible loss . But look (and listen ) to all he GAVE
Thank You Mr Nudell ( he said with a tear in his eye )
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
I met Arnie Nudell once. It was in 2004, and I was at my first CES. So, of course, I was seeing and hearing gear, that I had only read about, to that point.
One of the rooms that I was eager to visit, was the Genesis Tech suite. After I finally found it, I walked in, and was immediately engulfed in a beautiful surround presentation. Warm, relaxed, detailed, and holographic. Very impressive.
Well, after standing and listening for a few more minutes, I see this quiet little man standing off to one side of the room. When I made eye contact, he smiled and asked if I had any questions. As soon as he spoke, I realized it was Arnie, and I immediately went tonged-tied, and while a thousand different questions popped into my head, I couldn't utter a sound. I just kind of nodded and smiled too, and backed from the room. I felt like a fool, but I was ecstatic! I had met Arnie Nudell. An audio god. An Icon! That brief meeting was the highlight of the trip to me.
One of the rooms that I was eager to visit, was the Genesis Tech suite. After I finally found it, I walked in, and was immediately engulfed in a beautiful surround presentation. Warm, relaxed, detailed, and holographic. Very impressive.
Well, after standing and listening for a few more minutes, I see this quiet little man standing off to one side of the room. When I made eye contact, he smiled and asked if I had any questions. As soon as he spoke, I realized it was Arnie, and I immediately went tonged-tied, and while a thousand different questions popped into my head, I couldn't utter a sound. I just kind of nodded and smiled too, and backed from the room. I felt like a fool, but I was ecstatic! I had met Arnie Nudell. An audio god. An Icon! That brief meeting was the highlight of the trip to me.
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
A good Arnie NuDell bio, in Issue 47 of Copper Magazine.
I'm headed to Denver for the weekend for a little skiing and picking up some speakers. Monday I'm going over to PS Audio to listen to the BIG DOGS! They said stop by anytime. Also, going to try and ask how the new speaker design is coming. Can't wait. Hell, I almost don't even want to go skiing now - just go straight to PS Audio.
Sound Dragon
Yawns and sets his couch on fire!
I cannot wait to hear all about it. I would love to know if there is a signature infinity sound to the new speakers
I think there will be a very strong family resemblance. The new speaker uses the Genesis version of the EMIT-r, a planar magnetic mid-range, a mid-bass coupler, and servo-controlled woofers. Furthermore, PS Audio has an IRS-V system in one of its listening rooms.
Seppo
Super Member
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
I hope Stereophile posts the 2nd part of the interview soon. That contains a sit down interview with Paul, plus a recorded listening session with the IRS speakers!
