Words by Rafe Arnott, photos courtesy of Robert Garcia. Photo above: JBL C50 Olympus S8, featuring 15-inch LE15A woofers, 2441 compression drivers mounted to 2395 horns/lenses, and 2405 slot/075 bullet tweeters.
Listening – something my mother and father urged me to do more often when I was a child – turned into something far more for me than my parents could imagine when peppering me with hopeful exhortations to pay attention. Not only did I start to really listen to what people were saying to me, sharing with me, teaching me, I also started to look deeper into the complexities of the structures of music. A fascination which took root and grew into a slightly obsessive predeliction for hunting down and purchasing handbuilt high-fidelity components and difficult-to-source vinyl recordings.
The way we can learn to listen over time may reshape one's outlook on life – I know it has mine – effecting the way we interact with friends, family and modern society; be they digital or flesh and blood. Immersing oneself, plumbing the depths if you will, of a recorded event from the '50s, '60s, '70s or '80s – when have you – through a curated sound system allows for transcendental moments of connection with the artists who made the music, in a way – I believe – that reaches across time and space, placing the listener in the studio or live venue where the recording was made.
This ability to "see" into a recording has a profoundly positive and relaxing effect in both the psychological and physiological realms of one's consciousness, flooding the body with endorphins in a matter akin to a workout. Many individuals express that their sound systems enable 'well-being experiences' and that listening, or enjoying music by themselves or with others, is a major source of positivity in their lives.
As I’ve written previously regarding this, a listening space is many things to many people, but the common thread which ties all these individuals together is the happiness music heard through a high fidelity system engenders. And so, Listening Space is back with a sixth instalment (Read the first HERE, the second HERE, the third HERE, the fourth HERE, and the fifth HERE). In this article we connect with Shawn Boucher of Phoenix, Arizona.
This escape into hi-fi journalism is supported by Hi-fi Centre.
Photo below: McIntosh MA230 integrated solid state preamplifier/tube amplifier, McIntosh MR67 Stereo FM Tuner, arranged in a Danish teak console designed by Arne Vodder for Sibast furniture.
Music was very prevalent as a child. Before I was born my father worked as a radio disc jockey in Colorado. There was always rock ’n roll playing in our house..."
–Shawn Boucher
Resistor Mag: Describe who Shawn Boucher is, what’s your background? Where are you located?
Shawn Boucher: “I’m an Arizona native that grew up in the southwest and settled in Phoenix years ago. I work as an aerospace welder and tool maker for both fixed wing and rotor wing aircraft.”
Resistor Mag: Talk me about your business The Mod Ranch. Is the midcentury vibe reflected in your musical/hi-fi tastes?
Shawn Boucher: “Most definitely. I’ve always been a fan of mid century modernism and started collecting seriously about 10 years ago. I had a design idea floating around in my head for a mid-century-inspired modern mailbox and set out to fabricate a few prototypes. The design was well received on social media and in 2017 The Mod Ranch was born. In my opinion the golden age of hi-fi was during that MCM period and it’s very prevalent in my systems.”
Resistor Magazine: Do you play any musical instruments?
Shawn Boucher: “Unfortunately, as much as I love music I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”
Resistor Magazine: Did you grow up with music playing in the house? Was music an important aspect of your family life?
Shawn Boucher: “Music was very prevalent as a child. Before I was born my father worked as a radio disc jockey in Colorado. There was always rock ’n roll playing in our house, (before it was called classic rock). He had a huge vinyl collection. I remember my grandfather, (his dad) had a McIntosh system, and had built a pair of JBL C38 Barons. He listened to Jazz, classical, and was a big Nat King Cole fan, also a reel-to-reel fan. My parents took me to concerts at a pretty young age. Joan Jett and ZZ Top were some of the first concerts, and nowadays I try and take my mom to catch all the old “Outlaw Country” acts that come through the southwest on tour.”
Resistor Mag: Describe your relationship to music today, has it changed since you were young?
Shawn Boucher: “I would say it has changed in the sense that I’m much more open and accepting to music. There was a time I would only listen to Hardcore as a kid. Now, there’s not much music I won’t listen to.”
Resistor Magazine: Do you remember the first LP (or cassette or CD – physical media) you ever bought?
Shawn Boucher: “I certainly do. We were living in Glendora, California. There was a little independent record shop that had opened in the neighborhood and I had saved up to buy Dirty Rotten the ’83 debut album by D.R.I.”
Resistor Magazine: Could you describe the theme of your record collection, do you cover a lot of genres, or tend to focus on key ones? Are you into seven-inch 45s? Or mono recordings, for example?
Shawn Boucher: “I would definitively refer to my vinyl collection as eclectic. Consisting primarily of 12-inch 33s, I do have a couple hundred 7-inch 45s though. I cover anything from early country and western to, blues, funk/soul, ‘80s pop, rap, rock/metal, soundtracks, and the list goes on. I would say that my primary focus of my collection is on hardcore punk, and Jazz though. A sweet old lady gave me my first Blue Note record years ago at a yard sale, (Sabu Martinez, Palo Congo) and it sent me on a journey into the history of Blue Note, which in turn really opened up the world of Jazz for me. Nearly all of my reel-to-reel tape is Jazz, surprisingly I don’t own a single 78 though.”
Photo left: Altec Lansing 605B Duplex drivers mounted in the teak console.
Resistor Magazine: Music first, or gear first? Which is the master, which is the servant?
Shawn Boucher: “I would have to say music first. Without music the gear is just a bunch of useless electronics. The gear is a tool to reproduce the recordings, and the available selection of types of gear to build your system out of is nearly as vast as the types of music there is to play on it.”
Resistor Magazine: What got you started down the weird and twisted path of high-end audio?
Shawn Boucher: “Years back, I did some work for a guy in town that happened to be a vintage hi-fi collector/self taught repair technician. After seeing his collection and talking about music he made me a killer deal on a McIntosh MC2120 and MX113. I then set out to build a pair of C38 Barons that I remembered from my childhood. The guy I got the McIntosh gear from (Eric) and I became friends and I’ve since moved from solid state to vacuum tube, completed a JBL C40 build, and now recently finished my C50’s that are in my listening room.”
Resistor Magazine: Describe your current system in detail and how you ended up with what you have.
Shawn Boucher: “There have been some recent changes that I’m thrilled about, but I have two systems currently. In our living room, I’m running a Thorens TD 160 turntable with an Infinity Black Widow tonearm and Fairchild SM1 stereo cartridge, powered by a McIntosh MA230 integrated solid state preamplifier/tube amplifier. That’s all being heard through a pair of Altec Lansing 605B Duplex drivers, and is arranged in a Danish teak console designed by Arne Vodder for Sibast furniture. My listening space system features a custom Ariston Audio RD IIs (the predecessor to the Linn Sondek LP12) with a vintage SME 3009 tonearm I had rebuilt by SME up in Canada, and mounted to that is a Shure V15 series III cartridge and Jico stylus, the tape deck is Revox A77 sitting on a custom cart I fabricated. The power and control come from a recently restored Harman Kardon Citation II tube amplifier and a Citation IV tube preamplifier. My speakers are a pair of modified JBL C50 Olympus S8, featuring 15-inch LE15A woofers, 2441 compression drivers mounted to 2395 horns/lenses, and 2405 slot/075 bullet tweeters. These things are massive and the transparency they bring is just spectacular.”
Photo right: Boucher with some of his LP collection.
Photo above: Boucher's living room area for his McIntosh and Altec-based system.
Resistor Magazine: Would you describe your sound system as an emotional touchstone for you? As in, does it promote well being in your life?
Shawn Boucher: “No, I don’t think I would describe my sound system as an emotional touchstone necessarily, but rather the music as such.”
Resistor Magazine: Your system seems to integrate with your appreciation of “life” and seems to occupy important locations throughout your home. Is it by design? Why is that important to you?
Shawn Boucher: “I really do think it is by design, even if subconsciously in some aspects. The main system in our home is more central to our shared space. It’s open to the kitchen to allow my fiancé and myself to enjoy music while cooking, and it’s shared with the dining and living rooms for entertaining friends and family at dinner parties.
Photos above: Left – Custom Ariston Audio RD IIs with vintage SME 3009 tonearm (rebuilt by SME up in Canada), mounted with a Shure V15 series III cartridge and Jico stylus. Right – Revox A77 with restored Harman Kardon Citation IV tube preamplifier.
Shawn Boucher: “My listening room on the other hand, was moved from our Arizona room, into what was my daughters room after recently becoming empty nesters. I think in part due to convenience, and possibly due to the feelings it invokes sharing the space she called her own for so long. For whatever reason, it’s a place I find welcoming, whether alone or shared with people I hold dear. It’s a place I can dive deep into music for hours and experiment with ideas of design. My latest is taking the amazing vintage audio components found in Jazz Kissa’s across Japan and dropping them in a space designed to give an ode to the old Southwest.”
Photo below: Recently restored Harman Kardon Citation II tube power amplifier.
Resistor Magazine: What have you learned about high fidelity over the years you’ve curated your equipment? What advice would you pass on to those looking to explore this world and curate a system of their own?
Shawn Boucher: “That’s a tough question. I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned what I like and dislike, I’ve learned some electronics, troubleshooting, repair work. I’ve learned that little changes in a system can produce big differences. That it can be very personal, what one person thinks sounds great another can disagree on, and I’ve learned a ton about the history of it all and I’m grateful for that. If you’re looking to get into hi-fi, start off with some inexpensive good working used gear, check local online or estate sales. Look into joining some vintage audio social media groups, and never be afraid to ask questions. Last but not least, get to know your local independent record store.”
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