It looks like we're living at a time where some of the original pioneers of everyday things we take for granted are passing.

I've got to say when you read their stories most of them would rise to the heights of any field they worked in and Edgar Villchur certainly joins that elite group ..

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/business/edgar-m-villchur-hi-fi-innovator-dies-at-94.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Villchur

And Oct 17 was the day my three week old great grandson was diagnosed as profoundly deaf, that means no hearing at all. My sister and his family are coming to grips with the sad news and as his uncle with 50yrs in the sound recording biz I'm just devastated.

All my working life I fixed any sound problems and here I am, probably the most important and I can't seem to be able to do a damn thing about it.
It's terrible.

Coincidently Edgar Villchur chose the field of hearing research and worked on the modern hearing aid and I'm doing a job about 2 blocks away from the NSW Deaf Institute for Children.

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Allan,

Thank you for that link. I remember when AR-9 speakers were released. I never heard them, but knew I had to have them... mom and allowance conspired against me.

I am very sorry that your great grandson was born deaf. Perhaps technology will find a solution some day.

I must congratulate you on using your ears so well.

Thanks Peter. Yes AR speakers, ah me, as a youngster I never knew of their history but this quote from that link ..

'Acoustic Research continued to expand its loudspeaker line, producing the smaller “bookshelf” speaker, the AR-4, which was popular among college students and younger families. In 1966, Stereo Review’s yearly summary of the high-fidelity equipment showed that AR’s loudspeaker sales represented almost one-third of the entire market, a share that had never been achieved by any hi-fi company before that, and which has never been equalled since'.

ONE THIRD! of the entire market! every company would like to say that.

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Thanks for your thoughts for my great grandson, for all of us at present it's the sadness of him not hearing his mother singing to him. He's getting more smiles and hugs than I ever got :)

After everything settled down a bit, we realise that he may never play piano but getting him to hear speech is the main priority. Some of these developments on WP happened only 3 yrs ago, so you're right about the future.

Cochlear implant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant)

We've since learned more about deafness in kids and the earlier it's discovered the better. Thanks again Peter.

Al.