Planar Sound – An Interview with Mark Glazier

Specially trained in psychoacoustics (the “perceptual science of hearing”), Mark Glazier knows his role as president of American audio systems company, Wisdom Audio. We find out how he intends to change the world of sound reproduction.

Text by Andrea Azureene Heng

Photography by Matthew Lee

The world of sound has always been an interest to New York native Mark Glazier, president of acclaimed audio equipment label, Wisdom Audio. Ever since he was first exposed to his parents’ H.H. Scott tube-based integrated audio amplifier (which they passed on to him years later), he has been hooked. The first audio equipment he owned was, however, completely self-assembled – he bought the kit from Heathkit. Mark’s relentless pursuit of audio perfection is understandable. call him a hi-fi nut or an audiophile, his endeavours into the realm of sound perfection is perhaps characteristic of such an acoustic genius.

Yet the sleek, swanky audio speakers and equipment created from the labs of Wisdom Audio belie the level of sophistication that has gone into every component Mark has witnessed rolling out from the manufacturing facility back in the US. This is nothing short of revolutionary – Wisdom Audio’s products are so alarmingly thin and yet surprisingly bright sounding that they have found niche voids to fill in architectural design, home entertainment and home décor.

Back in the last century, the common belief was, the bigger the speakers, the better they performed – or so most of us thought. Technological advancement has brought forth a new technology in the form of a planar magnetic drive that enables faithful sound reproduction from thin films of compounds sandwiched together under precision engineering to produce laminar speakers that sound as good as, if not better, than conventional floor standing speakers.

Mark praises the company’s Audyssey system, which redefines the way one hears sound from Wisdom Audio’s Sage speakers with its room acoustic correction technology – an aspect he cites is one of the most essential in order to provide the best listening experience.

According to Wisdom Audio, planar magnetic driver technology offers significant benefits over traditional speaker systems, particularly at frequencies above the bass (where dynamic drivers still tend to make the most sense). PMD speakers provide superior detail, outstanding dynamic range, and controlled directivity as compared to alternative technologies, all of which add up to create a more consistent and realistic level of performance in the home.

As a leader in the development of PMD technology, Wisdom Audio is pushing PMD to new heights of performance while addressing some of the inherent limitations of planar magnetic designs.

SWITCH catches up with the audio guru in Singapore, during the launch of the Wisdom Audio suite of products at luxury home-entertainment store, Clarity AV.

SWITCH: How did you land yourself in this business? Why did you decide to embark on this professional direction?

Mark Glazier: Over 35 years ago, I began my professional career in the audio industry. I was somewhat of a technology and music geek as a child and became fascinated with how early stereo systems could both entertain and affect people’s lives. I then became interested in the specifics of music reproduction as teenager and decided to pursue a career in the audio industry.

I studied psychoacoustics (the perceptual science of hearing) at university and entered the design and manufacturing sector following my studies.

What challenges did you face getting to where you are today?

It is mostly about people. through the years, I have learned that assembling the necessary team of skilled and experienced people to create extraordinary products is essential. It is not easy to find people that both share your vision for excellence and have the skills and discipline to create world-class products and customer support while striving to create new benchmarks for an industry.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Producing products that genuinely contribute to the state of the art for music reproduction. I have never been interested in producing “me-too” products. rather, I am motivated by our team’s ability to create products that establish a benchmark for a new category, as we are doing with our Sage architectural speakers. Producing products that offer compelling performance (must cross the “recorded music” line and allow you to feel that you are there at the real performance), utilise sophisticated technology and are packaged in a world-class industrial design, provides me with unlimited satisfaction.

What’s the most crucial piece of advice you’ve received that has impacted your career?

Only hire people that are smarter than you are.

What are your thoughts on the age of technology today?

We have access to everything from anywhere. while beneficial, in some ways, this is fundamentally changing the way we interact with each other; some good and some not so good. However, the opportunity to communicate, learn, entertain and enrich our lives is without precedent and continually evolving.

How do you think technology is a boost to society?

It enhances our productivity, access to information and ability to communicate. I can be in Singapore for a distributor visit and be in touch with my office and customers worldwide from my laptop. we can stay in touch with family, friends and business associates so easily. old barriers are broken down allowing more personal freedom, learning and exchange of ideas.

What controversies of technology concern you in relation to the audio industry?

Years ago, people had strong concerns about the impact of digitally encoded music on the quality of what we hear. Today, that is not an issue as the quality of digital encoding and conversion back to an analogue signal is at a high level. However, the ubiquitous use of compressed audio encoding schemes (e.g. MPEG) combined with listening via headphones or poor quality speakers/amplifier systems, has its limitations. Many people are no longer exposed to live, un-amplified music and do not have a good reference for the sound of “real music”, making them less discerning when it comes to selecting a quality audio system for their home. Ignorance about good audio reproduction is the main deterrent to becoming interested and acquiring it.

How do you think technology has aided the audio industry? What’s been its evolution here?

In the last 30 years, I have to say that the emergence of digital encoding of audio signals has been the most significant. That has allowed for many new product concepts, ranging from the compact disc (CD) to music servers (including the iPod) that allow you to store your entire music library conveniently in a database, accessing it in creative ways to experience your library in new ways (composer, artist, group, genre, etc.). Digital audio has allowed us access to our music in other forms, portable; and for the home, making it easier to access whenever and wherever we want.

Digital (recording) has also impacted the creation and recording of music, enhancing opportunities on the artistic side of the musical experience.

What do you feel is missing from the world of technology?

For me, it is important to make interfacing with products more human and intuitive. Too many standards and too many competing systems make interacting with technology (i.e. products) too complicated and cumbersome.

If you could build anything, what would it be?

Our company is currently engaged in building architectural speakers which offer a level of performance that have a greater impact on the overall sound quality of music or film reproduction than any product I have been associated with in my 35-year career. I believe this is the most satisfied I have ever been with the results of my personal and team’s efforts.

What void is Wisdom Audio filling with its audio solutions? Who are you targeting?

I decided to join Wisdom Audio to develop a product concept that heretofore had not been addressed in the industry: high performance architectural speakers that could compete with the finest floor standing speakers. By architectural, I mean speakers that become part of the home; they can be installed in a wall or on a wall. Wisdom Audio is the first company devoted to high-end performance in this category. We recognised that many people who have already invested in a lovely home either do not have the space or inclination to have large speaker boxes sitting on the floor. Rather, they prefer the music system’s speakers to be hidden (in-wall) or mounted on-wall adjacent to their flat-screen video display.

In what ways is the quality of audio equipment beneficial to one’s entertainment experience?

A high performance audio system can radically change your interaction with your music and film collection. The realism achieved by the best systems creates an illusion that you are one with the real event, bringing the emotion and impact of the original performance into your home. It is not just “the sound” but also the “emotional artistry of the performance” that immerses you and allows you to imagine being one with the performance. For music, it can be as good as real life. For movies, it can be better than going to the movie theatre.

Describe your best audio experience in three words.

I am there.

What are the most essential sound accessories to complement the best audio experience?

Clean 230-volt power, good quality cables and room correction.