Tom Waters: Do you have a first memory, a first unforgettable musical experience that left an impression?
Peter Smith: In 1984 I heard the first WATTs (Wilson Audio Tiny Tots) with Entec subwoofers and a good Jeff Rowland preamp. I then discovered sound-staging and dynamics! A school friend of mine had this gear. Back then, you could record your music to VHS tape. Jeff Rowland had made a modification to his gear so that he could output that digital stream to an external Sony PCM501 DAC. External DACs were not common at all back then. It really impressed me because the sound-staging and tonality were so good, so convincing. The speakers seemed to just disappear. My friend went on to become the largest Indian dealer of various esoteric brands for many years.
TW: And did that start you on the hi-fi journey or did something else start you on the audio equipment quest?
PS: Yes, most certainly, it started me on my quest for better gear and learning more. At that time, I didn’t even know that such expensive speakers existed! I remember in 1985 I went to Japan for one of my first holidays overseas.
The very first Sony Walkman was about to be released — I begged this dealer to sell me one the day before the
