Words by Rafe Arnott, photos by Farzad Monadizadeh. Image above: Monadizadeh (left) and friend Ghasem Kiaee at a Tehran warehouse where vintage hi-fi equipment is restored.
While being one of the oldest civilizations known to mankind, dating back to the fourth millennium B.C., Iran is nonetheless thoroughly modern in its tastes for high fidelity. Yet there too – just like Western-influenced cultures – some are seeking a musical path by mixing the present with the past, curating vintage amplification and loudspeaker designs into their set ups.
Farzad Monadizadeh is one such individual. Not only does he work in a modern hi-fi shop, and freely mix and match DACs and music streaming technology with 60 and 70-year-old loudspeakers and amps, he oversees the restoration of many different vintage and historical brands such as Altec, Ballantyne Co. EMT, JBL, Nagra, RCA, and Studer – to name but a few.
Monadizadeh grew up in an environment where music was part of life, and this exposure eventually led him into high-end audio of all types, with an underlying appreciation for the passion and soul that goes into performing live as well as respect and love for the recorded event. Monadizadeh graciously agreed to an email back-and-forth, and the following is taken from our exchanges, lightly edited. I hope you enjoy this unique glimpse of hi-fi in a part of the world few have been able to explore.
Resistor Mag: You work in high-end audio, where is your shop in Iran? What type of gear does the shop specialize in?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “We have some dealers with shops, and we have showrooms. The stores are selling just hi-fi and high-end audio equipment."
Resistor Mag: How did you get into hi-fi?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “When I was a child , I found a Sony CD player one-bit, but it is really high quality sound… And then I love the audio systems always, and when I got into car audio systems, I became serious about hi-fi and high-end audio.”
Resistor Mag: What’s the hi-fi scene like in Iran? Is it very niche?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “In Iran, because of sanctions and customs, importing of audio equipment is very expensive, the main reason is strength of Euro and US dollars. Before the sanctions everything was normal, and the market was OK. But now, the market is different and comes with huge prices.”
Photo above: Several '60s Altec 1215A portable low-frequency folded horns (which came with portable high-frequency multicell horns) awaiting restoration.
Resistor Mag: A neighbour who owned a pair of Model 19s introduced you to Altec. Did you know much about the marque before this?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “I heard the brand of Altec from my grandfather when I was young, because he was a gifted singer of traditional Iranian music.”
Resistor Mag: You met a gentleman who had acquired a lot of Altec speakers from a TV studio in Iran… did you end up purchasing gear from him to restore, or did you have to find your own source?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “Yes, he restored all of them. But I can tell you that, 90 per cent of Altecs do not need repairing of drive units. It’s just the body which needs some work. All internal units and crossovers are in perfect condition for the most part.”
"They built beyond time equipment even from now. It is not easy to see that for some who lean towards modern quipment and measurements used for building speakers, amps, etc."
–Farzad Monadizadeh
Resistor Mag: Is the vintage equipment you’re sourcing expensive? I know people who were able to acquire rare vintage turntables, amps, speakers etc. for nothing, or next to nothing, for many years before the market became hot. Is that still the case in Iran, or is there high demand for vintage equipment like Altec, JBL, and Western Electric?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “I did not see Western Electric or brands as Altec and JBL in Iran. You’re right, many people got rich because of hot market in Iran, but we did import many new amplifiers and speakers from Europe and Japan. I can tell you the market does have two parts the last 20 years. Part one is vintage audio, part two is modern audio equipment. But some people prefer to experiment, matching the vintage and modern audio equipment to hear the different sounds of old with new.”
Resistor Mag: Is it becoming harder to find vintage gear in Iran, or easier now that you know where to look?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “Absolutely harder because of the current market. I think the hi-fi and vintage audio markets in Iran have grown in a linear line… but we need to wait and see what will happen because many Iranians will be leaving from Iran.”
Resistor Mag: You talked about much of the vintage equipment you source having varying degrees of damage, but you have a technician who can work miracles with the gear and bring it back to life. Tell me more about this.
Farzad Monadizadeh: “Some of electronic equipment needs just a recap, but some of them need much more. It is difficult to say we can do miracles, but if the source company does exist, we talk with them about the problems. But, old or vintage gear, we are repairing as we can.”
Photo right: What appears to be a '60s Altec 755c full-range eight-inch driver. Photos below: Left – Monadizadeh's system at home includes Altec A8-16G Voice of The Theatre (VOTT) models. Right – An Altec 288-16G compression driver mated to an Altec 805B multicell horn sits in a warehouse.
Resistor Mag: You’ve attended High End at Munich several times, so you know the current state of the art… yet you’ve spoken passionately about Altec industrial design, their lifelike sound and how they rival or beat speakers you’ve heard costing six figures. Why do you think these vintage 60-year-old speakers, amplifiers preamplifiers, etc. remain so vital?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “Because they are godfather of audio equipment. They Invented this kind of speakers and in my mind, they are not old in this time. They built beyond time equipment even from now. It is not easy to see that for some who lean towards modern equipment and measurements used for building speakers, amps, etc. I remember when I was in Munich and I saw the room of Western Electric. Many people came there and just listened to the music… huge horn loudspeakers, horn woofers with one watt capable of driving them. Are you kidding? You can use a radio amplifier and listen to huge sound. But it needs great current for that amplfier, anyway, If you see the new manufacturer company specialize in horn-woofer, you can see imitation of Altec or JBL in their speakers, horn body for woofers, or tweeters. For example TAD company built exactly same as Altec speakers that I have, and they are marketed as monitor speakers. In history Altec and Western Electirc built the golden era speakers, where are all the others now?”
Resistor Mag: Did you grow up in a home with music? Do you or anyone in your family play a musical instrument?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “Yes, my grandfather was a singer and he played Setar instrument (an Iranian Instrument), and also my aunt played piano perfectly.”
Photo above: EMT broadcast turntables (EMT 930st left, EMT 928 right), lie amongst Studer and Sony broadcast reel-to-reel decks awaiting servicing. A plethora of Nagra tape decks fills the shelves in the background.
Resistor Mag: What do you listen to primarily? LPs? CDs? Digital/streaming?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “I do not like streaming because you have many companies that change the figure of sound in their studios, and you have many copies with different sounds. I am using reels and CDs and also sometimes LPs, but I do prefer using CD and reels with a Nagra CD Player and Studer tape machine.”
Resistor Mag: Do you remember the first LP (or cassette or CD – physical media) you ever bought?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “Yes, when I was five years old my father bought for me Sony CD player 1-bit and the casstte player was National from Japan, this was 33 years ago.”
Resistor Mag: If you listen to physical media (LPs, CDs), what’s your collection like? Do you prefer specific genres (jazz, classical, rock, punk, electronic, etc.)?
Farzad Monadizadeh: “Yes, I do have all genres as you mentioned, I love to listen to all genres. For example, I do have all Diana Krall’s albums on CD, but I love to hear Depeche Mode too.”
Photos below: Left – Large bi-radial JBL "butt cheek" horns with JBL compression drivers. Right – Stacks of Altec 811-B style horns.
Resistor Mag: What does your current home system look like? (Speakers, amps, turntable, DAC, etc.)
Farzad Monadizadeh: “I have Gryphon Cantata (this is the most famous speakers from Gryphon and the serial number is their last), Altec 816 with huge horns, Altec 9844, Altec A7, Graham Ls3/5A, Davis Speakers Coubert Series No. 3, 4, 5. For amplifiers there is an Gryphon Antileon Signature Serise – very mint. Studer A68, two pairs. Soulution 330 integrated amplifier, Sansui Au20000. Preamplifier – Gryphon Sonata Alegro, CD player is Nagra CDC and Studer D730, turntables are Project and Thorens.”
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