RIP Alvin Gold

Seems that HiFi reviewer Alvin Gold died a few days ago. I liked his reviews when I was young and getting into the hobby.

Sad news. I enjoyed reading his reviews and found I had similar taste in most of the kit I had listened to.

Sad new, loved Audiophile back in the day.

Met him a few times. He was a nice chap although frequently seemed overwhelmed by the amount of kit passing through and a complicated domestic life. I recall going along with PQ & delivering the Ongaku he did the first ever review of in Audiophile. His reaction to the price then was quite amusing. Cheap by the standards of much of what gets reviewed now but pretty shocking then.

Prior to Audiophile he wrote good engaging reviews every month for HiFi Answers. There was a PR chap called Andy Giles who’d respond teasing Alvin, writing about him as a cave dwelling neanderthal with cloven hooves for feet, twigs or spilt food in his beard & animal skins to keep the damp out. But it was always taken in good humour & I think he gave as good as he got.

A few of the journalists from that era are having tough times health wise and to be honest most of the current reviewers don’t seem to make it half as entertaining as they did.

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That is sad news. I liked Alvin’s writing style.

All hifi reviewers should have beards. They should make it a law.

Met him once when I bought a Krell KSA50 off him (it was a review item I believe), very secretive. He ran a Roksan Xerxes and some Apogee’s at the time.

Seemed OK, had a room full of gear (new gear) that he slammed the door to when I arrived.