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View Full Version : John Watson of Mana: The complete interview



Neil McCauley
15-01-2016, 12:33
How did your interest in music reproduction start John?


I guess I was always into music from a very early age. My Father was an electrical and mechanical engineer and used to build his own Hi-Fi back in the Fifties, so music played a big part in my formative years.

You’re probably best known, even today, for the Reference Table. What litmus test of success in sound quality did you set yourself in those early days?


Live music. I wanted to hear music as close to the live sound as was possible. I hate it when music sounds nice. Okay if that’s what it’s supposed to sound like. then fair enough – but I hate Hi-fi systems that make everything sound nice. Let’s face it, a brass band should not sound nice. It should, if reproduced properly and if you happen to be to close to a brass instrument, take your head off.

And today, what’s your litmus test?


Again the live sound, warts ‘n all.

Some experts claim that the ultimate test of the quality of an audio system is how close it approaches the original sound – while some argue that because of recording technology distortions, no one, not even the recording artists know what the original sound was really like. What are your thoughts on this apparent paradox?


I believe that we as human beings know instinctively when something is right or, in this case, sounds right.

I’d say that most musicians who play real instruments know what said instrument should sound like. They’ll also be familiar with how their chosen instrument will sound in a variety of different locations. When it comes to electronic instruments and sounds then this is not quite so clear cut and I guess a lot of it could be down to the individuals as well as engineers and the producer’s interpretation.

An alternative approach is that the ultimate test is to see how close the audio system reproduces what was on the original master tape – or master digital file. What’s your view?

I suppose it’s a .....

http://www.hifianswers.com/2015/07/mana-acoustics-john-watson-the-complete-interview-by-howard-popeck/