Feels so good

One will easily feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of his audio collections neatly stacked in the four corners of his music room. He tells amazed visitors that the stuff he has accumulated through the years does not only cover every inch of this room, but that he has more stored upstairs and in their front garage. He is thankful, he confides, that his wife has been understanding and supportive, but hastens to point out that his family always comes first before his hobby.

Audiophile Francis Sogono’s Wiredstate moniker, “Vintage Dog,” is actually a misnomer. His collections include not only vintage gears but also the latest. He explains that he wants to experience the best that both audio philosophies offer. His music room is a veritable treasure chest of virtually everything there is in audio: low-powered SET (single-ended-triode) and high-powered push-pull amplifiers, bass reflex, acoustic suspension and compression driver speakers, among others.

If his collections were used as a gauge of how he is as a person and a working professional, he will definitely pass with flying colors. For one, he has a knack for details and for putting everything in order. I was impressed no end by how well cared for his prized collections are. Vintage audio gears made long before I was born still look sparklingly new, and they can still sing!

Francis  says: “I really don’t consider myself as a collector of audio gears, so why did I end up with having, at some point, over a dozen pairs of speakers, six turntables, and almost a hundred pieces of audio gears? My love for good sound, music and audio equipment... the right equipment (not necessarily the most expensive) in the right room are just as important as the music and software (CDs or LP records) we play through them. Getting the synergy spells the difference between magic and mediocrity. But audio is a personal thing — each one has a different way of hearing, appreciating and enjoying the music. I respect choices and preferences people make about their equipment and system. If it puts a smile on their faces, then that’s a great system.”

Curiosity as to how each piece of equipment works and sounds and how that synergy is created is what drove Francis to acquire different pieces of audio gears. He acquired a modest sample of gears designed and built during the Golden Age of Audio (‘50s and early ‘60s) and later years: Marantz, Quad, Dynaco, Fisher, Eico, Magnavox, Sherwood, Bogen, Scott, Heathkit, Altec, Thorens, Spendor, and some from the more modern age: Clearaudio, Conrad Johnson, Audible Illusions, Koetsu,  Rogers, Von Schweikert, Sonus Faber, Sun Audio, and of course, local creations (DIY stuff) like Tono, Ike’s Voigts, Harana,  Hypertriode, and many more.

Francis grew up in Victorias, Negros Occidental until high school, and spent his college at De La Salle University taking up Industrial Management Engineering. He shifted to rival school Ateneo where he took Chemical Engineering. His two children are both IT experts; his wife Marlene is an excellent cook and a baker.

Francis himself does the retooling and in some instances the restoration of vintage gears that need special attention. Again his aptitude for time management is mind-boggling. Ordinary mortals such as I can’t comprehend how he can cope with his busy schedule as vice president for information technology at United Laboratories, and still find time for his time-consuming hobby and his family.

That is how Francis releases the stresses of life. It makes him feel so good doing what he loves doing best. His passion for audio even extends to sharing and helping others with the same hobby. Francis single-handedly foots the bill in hosting the country’s biggest web-based audio forum, Wiredstate.com (WS). What sets the forum apart from others is that it doesn’t even require distributors of audio gears to advertise. It is enough that audio dealers register as members and that they sell their wares to fellow members with utmost professionalism. It is the only web-based forum without an ad.

With WS, Francis was able to create a big audio family whose fellowship can rival that of some religious and lay organizations. His WS anthem says it all: “What sets us apart from other forums (both here and abroad) is that we are all here to learn and have fun in the process. We respect each other’s views and differences with the same consideration we expect for ourselves. We can disagree with an idea or with someone without being disagreeable. We all come here for several reasons — to learn, to teach, to share, to sell, to buy, but above all to have fun! We have created a unique community that thrives on three basic values: honesty, trust and respect.”

Francis also shepherds and nurtures Filipino ingenuity by recruiting talents to put up a proudly Pinoy audio creation: the Tono Audio. Tono Audio in 2005 produced a preamp it named Tono Violin. Its workmanship, parts selection and musicality humbled some pricey branded preamps in the market. To date, audiophiles continue to be amazed at how the preamp performs. Encouraged, Tono Audio launched Tono Piano, which caught the eye of US-based Vacuum Tube Valley (VTV). The two products are now being exported abroad amid rave reviews.

VTV later commissioned Tono Audio to be the official maker of VTV’s famous pre-amp using the same quality parts and chassis of the Tono violin. Marketed as Tono-VTV preamp, the product is exclusive marketed in the US.

“My vision is to encourage more locally-designed audio equipment and compete internationally. Some of the better sounding gears in my system are locally designed and assembled. Such passion, together with other WS guys (Mickey, Arnold, Ed and Jun), inspired the creation of Tono products,” he says.

Francis is not about to rest on his laurels, though. He believes that there are many things he can still do to help other audiophiles. Sharing his time, know-how and resources with members of the audio community makes him feel so good.

* * *

For comments or questions, e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com or vphl@hotmail.com. You can also visit   www.wiredstate.com for quick answers to audio concerns.