It’s the time of year for saving money!
Today I received this Email from Paul McGowan of PS Audio:
Boulder, CO 11/21/2017: It is with heavy heart I am writing about the end of an era. My friend, mentor, inspiration and former business partner, Arnie Nudell, has passed away from complications of pneumonia. The family laid him to rest on Monday, November 20, 2017.
Arnie could truly be said to be one of the founders of high-end audio, along with Bill Johnson, Harry Pearson, and a small handful of other influential figures. When Arnie, John Ulrick, and Cary Christie started Infinity Systems in 1968, there was no other company in audio that pushed the state of the art the way they did. They cleared the path for the rest of us to follow.
A website is currently under construction. www.arnienudell.com will memorialize his accomplishments as well as provide a platform for friends and devotees of Infinity to post their remembrances as well as someday provide information on the work of this audio legend.
Arnie Nudell will be missed.
—Paul McGowan
Although I knew Arnie Nudell was having some health issues, principally back pain, I was not aware of any serious issues. Like everyone, I assume every day that everyone I know will be there, available by phone, until someday they are not.
Over the years I saw Arnie on a regular basis, and when I reviewed the Genesis 6.1 System for Stereophile’s Guide to Home Theater Arnie accompanied Gary Koh to my home in the Boulder foothills to set up the system. At the time, my wife and I were the caretakers for nine cats.
When Arnie first walked into my home the first thing he saw was our alpha female cat, Gingersnow, who like all cats, knows who likes them the least. She immediately gravitated toward Arnie. As Gingersnow approached him, Arnie turned a distinctively whiter shade of pale because he was deathly allergic to cats.
I quickly let Arnie know that in anticipation of his visit I had scoured the main floor of my home to rid it of as much cat dander and hair as possible. Arnie was still quite concerned, so I covered the main listening seat sofa with an additional just-washed covering and he took a dose of his strongest anti-allergy pills, and we proceeded to set up a complete 5.2 system for the next several hours.
I had wanted to show Arnie my main system, which featured the Dunlavy SC VI loudspeakers, but they were located downstairs in a room owned by three cats that had not been scrubbed. When I suggested a listen he gave me a look…Arnie never heard my Dunlavy SC VIs…
RIP Arnie Nudell…
