Meet Danial Shimiaei, the director of engineering at high-end hi-fi brand Mark Levinson. Regular readers will be familiar with some of its products, such as the No.5105 turntable and impressive No.5909 headphones, the latter of which gained a five-star review. On a recent visit to the impressive Harman Luxury Audio site in Northridge, California, we got a chance to talk to Danial about his journey in audio, his personal taste in music and just what it is that makes the Mark Levinson brand so special.
What Hi-Fi?: What made you interested in hi-fi?
Danial Shimiaei: Probably when I was about 15 years old, a young straggly kid, I was bored and just walking around in a small town in northern California; and I went into a hi-fi store. It was there I got my first taste of listening to proper playback.
What did you hear?
It was a Pat Benatar record that had just come out and I was hooked. I could not believe what emotional impact music could have. It was a very, very dynamic song and just captivated me.
What was the first piece of music you bought?
My first two records were [Pink Floyd’s] The Dark Side Of The Moon and Steely Dan’s Aja. Having been a foreigner who came to America and didn’t speak English properly, I gravitated towards music that didn’t have any lyrics, because I didn’t understand them. So even when I was listening to music that had lyrics in it, I really focused on the music itself, the instrumentation, the frequency, the bandwidth and the dynamics. And of course, back then, without being educated in it, none of it was calculated for me.
What was your first hi-fi system?
この記事は What Hi-Fi UK の May 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は What Hi-Fi UK の May 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
System of the month
A superb set-up that will bring you equal joy whether playing games or watching movies
I SPENT 24 HOURS IMMERSED IN DOLBY ATMOS MUSIC - THESE ARE 8 KEY THINGS I LEARNED
What Hi-Fi? deputy editor Andy Madden gained some interesting insights from the world of immersive audio on a visit to a Dolby Atmos studio
Philips Fidelio L4
Philips adds another good pair of headphones to its Fidelio line
Sony HT-AX7
Bird? Plane? No! It's Sony's... portable theatre/360-degree music thingy
Final ZE8000 MK2
Your Final destination for great sound - or a sonic dead end?
BenQ X3100i
BenQ's latest gaming projector is surprisingly good with movies too
MINI MARVELS
While positively tiny in today's TV world, these compact, 24in sets could be just what you need
RAISING THE BAR
Elevate your home cinema sound with this trio of convenient soundbar packages
INDOOR PLANTS IN FULL BOOM
These premium wireless speakers are designed for use in the home - where they will raise the roof
TAKE TO THE FLOOR
From pumping dance music to grand orchestral heft, these pillars of strength will deliver in spades