In their search for the purest of the pure in sound quality and fidelity, audiophiles have come to earn a reputation of being the obsessive type. The class of Japan however, are quite literally taking this obsession to new heights. On top of the many thousands spent on the most expensive of equipment, some are now having personal utility poles installed in order to feed themselves power directly from the grid.
Takeo Morita an 82 year old lawyer from Tokyo, paid $10,000 to have his own 40 foot pole installed in his front garden, which he insists is a “crucial upgrade”. “Electricity is like blood. If it is tainted, the whole body will get sick,” explains Mr. Morita. “No matter how expensive the audio equipment is, it will be no good if the blood is bad.”
The theory is that by having a personal grid connection this “eliminates electrical interference that comes from sharing a public pole.” In other words usage of neighbour’s appliances results in noise in the electricity signal making “subtle notes inaudible and the overall sound flatter.”
Check out Mr Morita’s set up and those of some of his fellow purist’s in the video above.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
