Words by Rafe Arnott, photos courtesy Type 7 Films.
Putting together a film about high fidelity that focuses on the importance of enjoying music is the exception, not the rule. So, as I watched Type 7 Film’s feature short on Devon Turnbull and his OJAS brand of bespoke loudspeaker, amplifier and cable designs, I was struck at how truly unique the approach was. Hi-fi isn’t a hobby or industry that usually celebrates music, it tends to keep the centre of attention on the gear, and how the gear measures. Nothing so prosaic or subjective as how an album makes you feel, or the meditative pleasures of experiencing a favourite LP playing back on an ubër audiophile-grade sound system.
Hearing Turnbull discuss electro-magnetic principles of amplification and how a loudspeaker transducer functions is enlightening because the approach is so refreshing; he references the lack of perfection in anything hand built, and states, most eloquently, that “…there is no spec for beauty.” A philosophy that must come off as anathema to the traditional hi-fi set, who regard specification and measurement as gospel. The idea that high fidelity could be classified as a “wellness product” is one I’ve long aligned with, and I thought this film should be shared with our readership as a window onto a whole other world in this hobby not often glimpsed in traditional audiophile media.
"For me... there's nothing that's more emotionally transformative than music. Nothing can change my underlying mood faster, and more effectively than music can."
–Devon Turnbull
Turnbull and the film’s director Jeremy Elkin and Executive Producer Ted Gushue took time out from their busy schedules to answer a few questions about the film.
Resistor Mag: What made you choose Devon for this Type 7 film series? How did you hear about him, and why was it important to include someone with his focus and experience?
Jeremy Elkin: “I met Devon at a block party through DJ Stretch Armstrong – I had been seeing his speaker systems around town, and was curious who was fabricating them. Every project we take on begins with a conversation, and Ted and I felt like it would be the correct choice to feature him in the series. There's a calming nature to Devon, and the acoustics in his space. I felt like it could be performative when captured. The OJAS episode wound up being super therapeutic and informative.”
Resistor Mag: What's your relationship to music like? How important a factor is it in your life? Are you a record collector, or collector of any type?
Jeremy Elkin: “Filmmakers are collectors. Music has always influenced every part of my life. I grew up in a house filled with records, every genre. My brother was a DJ and my family had eclectic taste in music, so I was luckily immersed in a tidal wave of sound from birth. When I dig for records, I'm hyper aware of the feeling I get: the album art and design elements, learning about new artists and labels, the sonics… it's like a free museum visit. The exploration of physical objects and memories.”
Photo above: Turnbull extracts one of the custom Altec-tooled OJAS drivers from an enclosure.
Resistor Mag: Why is bringing these eclectic stories to light important to you?
Ted Gushue: “Anyone can reach out to big celebrities to try and get some super-hit buzzy story. I always find that stuff so boring and predictable. I have always been curious about the people behind the scenes who are really making shit happen. Devon is one of those people, and if we can help elevate what he is doing for the audio world, to the rest of the world, I will consider that we have done our job.”
Resistor Mag: The films you've worked on with Jeremy in this series seem to focus on entrepreneurs, designers, engineers or artists with unique visions and focus. As Executive Producer on these shorts, what was the purview of your influence? Did you have a hand in choosing the subjects and subject matter, or was there a predetermined arc to this story which you were helping to define through characters and content?
Ted Gushue: “Jeremy and I, in addition to several other filmmakers have a constant ongoing conversation around who is inspiring us at any one moment, and most importantly who is logistically possible to work with. A variable that got extra difficult during the Covid era of safety regulations. Then we get to work.”
Photo above: A vintage Ortofon SPU cartridge traces an LP transcription on Turnbull's OJAS-prepped 'n plinthed Garrard 301.
Resistor Mag: What was it like working with Devon? Was there a predetermined vision for his episode, for music and high fidelity to have a place at this table, or did it slot into place fortuitously?
Ted Gushue: “Jeremy had the original vision, I was really just in a support role, pushing him and cheering him on to make the best possible film. In general the concept of an audio-centric film is near and dear to my heart as I’m quite passionate about it, but it also came from a place of ignorance – meaning I know only so much (so to work with Devon was a bit of a selfish way for me to learn more about the audio world.)”
Resistor Mag: Where does the Porsche obssession come from? Is it a shared aesthetic between Jeremy, yourself and the company in general – as in, is that what brought you together? Or did it develop as a shared realization over time?
Ted Gushue: “Type 7 was founded by me on behalf of Porsche with the goal to explore all areas and intersections of art, design, technology, architecture and innovation. Porsche is naturally a part of that conversation. It’s also the car my dad drove when I came home from the hospital, so it’s personally been in my blood forever.”
Resistor Mag: What's your relationship to music like? How important a factor is it in your life? Are you a record collector, or collector of any type?
Ted Gushue: “I spent my first few years living in New York as a DJ. Music is incredibly important to me. The record collection keeps growing. Now I just need to find the right space in Milan to install an OJAS system…”
Resistor Mag: Why is bringing these eclectic stories to light important to you?
Ted Gushue: “Storytelling is what I am here on this planet to do, and doing so with guys like Jeremy and Devon is what gets me out of bed in the morning.”
Click the link above to watch Type 7 Film's exploration of Devon Turnbull.
Resistor Mag: I know it is important for you to help demystify high fidelity. When you were approached to do the film, did you see it as an opportunity to share and educate?
Devon Turnbull: “Absolutely, and really just share my perspective on audio reproduction.”
Resistor Mag: You cover a number of relatively complex concepts regarding the electro-mechanical playback of recorded, and in this case transcribed (physical) media – vinyl records – in the film. How did you determine the specifics of how, and what, you wanted to discuss regarding a hi-fi system?
Devon Turnbull: “I was really just reacting to Jeremy’s questions as he was interviewing me, and it kind of turned into this, how does it all work, question. I’ve always wanted to make something like an info graphic explanation of the magic of audio reproduction. I feel like the more you understand how it works, the more magical it becomes.”
Resistor Mag: You mention adherence to a philosophy behind your thinking in engaging with, and designing for high fidelity. You say "I want to do as little as possible to eloquently amplify the signal coming out of a phono cartridge until it's powerful enough to move a speaker and produce a satisfying level of sound..." On the surface this seems like such a simple goal, why do you think it's so difficult for so many in the hobby to achieve?
Devon Turnbull: “Minimalist circuitry is really just so rare these days. It almost requires a level of DIY.”
Photo above: Turnbull, as an audio engineer, artist, industrial designer and music lover (among many of his talents and skills) appreciates and intelligently converses on some of the virtues of specific hi-fi facets in the film.
Resistor Mag: Much of your efforts in the arena of high fidelity, outside of your design and builds of custom loudspeakers and amps, seems centered around empowering a DIY ethic. Do you think the film helps further this cause?
Devon Turnbull: “I certainly hope so!”
Resistor Mag: Many in the hobby have major hangups with how gear measures (which is in itself subjective and based on the methods employed), yet you seem less concerned with measurements, and more in touch with the emotion inherent to music. You say, "There is no spec... for beauty" when it comes to determining what works in designing speakers. How important do you think it is to keep your quote in mind when curating, or building a sound system of one's own?
Devon Turnbull: “I think the most important thing is trusting your gut—follow your heart. People always ask me where to start if they want to build their own speakers and I always say the same thing: find a speaker that you really love and then study it. You might have to listen to a lot of different speakers, all designed professionally, before you really connect with the sound of a particular type of speaker. It would be a shame to spend months studying how to design a certain type of speaker that you don’t end up liking no matter how well you design and build it. Oh well, we’ve all been there, right?”
Read more about Devon Turnbull, his history and his OJAS brand in Resistor Mag's in-depth interview with him from 2020 HERE.
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