29 August 2006



Richard Smith at Left and Don McDonald - Photo Courtesy of Positive Feedback Online

We at JENA Labs are shocked and saddened to hear the news of the death of Richard Smith to Cancer, which we just learned he had been fighting for the past 2 years.  Neither Mike nor I were aware that Richard was suffering with Cancer, so this news comes to us with no warning or expectation.

We [ JENA Labs / JENA Technologies ] have been and continue to be an OEM consumer of Audience (TM) Auricaps, which we use in our power conditioning products. Over the years I came to view my 'phone time' with Richard as a high point in my day. He always had an upbeat and youthful expression in his voice. All too often we would diverge from the business at hand and get to waxing poetic about the 'old days' of high end audio, back before it was even called "high end". We sometimes went well beyond the subject of our mutual passion of audio and music. I particularly recall a conversation we had a few years ago concerning of all things, Collies. We have 7 Collies in our 'family'. Upon learning of this fact, Richard told me of an experience he had very early in his working career when he was with a phone or cable company. He was installing new lines in small retirement home for its new occupant, Rudd Weatherwax. Some of you many recall that it was Rudd who was the owner-trainer of the most famous line of Collies ever, the 'Lassie' dogs. Rudd's son had taken over the main breeding and training program, and Rudd had retired to a new small home, with some of his famous collies as companions. Richard was introduced to the movie and TV star dogs by Rudd. Apparently it made an impression on him, as years later he recalled the event in great detail and with enthusiasm. He was quite taken by both the beauty of the dogs, as well as their exceptionally gentle nature.

Richard was an 'early adapter' to the the idea that various kinds of capacitors each have a characteristic sound. He was among the first of those who provided the audio community with capacitors that  were actually selected for and engineered to produce good music. Unlike today, there was at one time very little choice in capacitors suited to fine audio. The specialty capacitor manufacturers of today have at least in part, Richard Smith to thank for helping to build the marketplace that currently exists. To quote John McDonald, "Richard and I went into the high end audio business the first time in the early 80's and became known for the SiderealKap capacitor, that was rated by Martin Colloms (HiFi New and Record Review) as the best capacitor in the world."

Richard also enjoyed speaker design, and was a proponent of Line Source Array topology, not often seen in commercial speaker offerings, but which are certainly capable of uncanny sound-field re-creation. In 1997 Richard Smith and John McDonald founded a new company, Audience LLC, to manufacture and distribute a new generation of parts and products for the audio community. In addition to the success of his Auricaps and other products, Richard was able to see a life long dream come true in the recent commercial release by Audience LLC, of his Au24 True Line Source speaker system.

We will miss him. The audio world is smaller without his presence and further contributions.
Jennifer WhiteWolf-Crock


Interested readers can learn more about Richards contributions to the audio world at http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue19/RichardSmithinterview.htm