"Bruce J. Richman" wrote in message
...
George M. Middius wrote:


Margaret von Busenhalter-Butt said:

I've been browsing RAO going back a few years and noticed that he was
frequent poster who was feisty, witty and, at times, quite charming
until
his apparently untimely death. Who exactly was Steve?

Nobody knows for sure, but he terrified the 'borgs.



Since I knew Steve personally, I can comment. George's comment however,
is
pretty accurate. He certainly was not shy about ridiculing Krueger and
his
favorite target, Bwian McCarty (but that's another story).

Steve was a South Florida high-end audiophile dealer who participated
quite
actively in RAO. To his credit, he made no secret of his biases, signing
his
name with a listing of brands that his store carried (Sunshine Stereo).
He
would answer questions from a dealer's perspective, recommending both
brands
that he carried (such as Quads and Dunlavy speakers) and other brands that
he
did not carry (e.g. Magnepans).

I felt dissed by Zipser on occasion. I feel he had some of the character
flaws Arny possesses, even though their attitudes about audio were entirely
different.

But to his credit, his assalts were always "in the moment". He never pursued
an altercation beyond the subject then under dispute.

Zipser was a high-end advocate, less biased than most dealers, less of a
whore than most dealers, willing to make the exception, as Bruce notes, for
exceptional products that he did not carry. He had a loud mouth and could
run over you in a hurry. As with most high end advocates, he made both
claims that could be justified, and claims that could not. As that era
fades, I miss the moment I could walk into a high-end store and believe, if
just for an instant, that I was going to hear magic.

Fairy tales for adults, but sometimes I did hear magic!