Gene the Genial Genius Goes

Although he had founded his company some 20 years earlier, it was the release of a blockbuster movie, 'Earthquake' in 1974 which brought Gene Czerwinski onto the pro-audio radar in a major way. The film featured a new technology, Sensurround, the aim of which was to use infrabass audio to create the physical sensation of being there for the audience. In collaboration with several noted component suppliers, Gene developed a system which generated 120dB of subsonic power across the auditorium, inaudible, but palpable, and in so doing earned himself a technical Oscar. That Gene should have been the ideal man to do this should have surprised no one, for he had long believed in developing systems whereby highly efficient loudspeakers made maximum use of available amplifier power. He was also shrewd enough to realise that, just as bands and musicians wanted to play their music louder than before, so people listening to their recordings at home would want to play louder too. A line of home hi-fi speakers, designed around this philosophy, soon followed, and the strapline 'Loud is beautiful - if it's clean' was coined.

I was a hi-fi retailer of modest notoriety at that time, and was duly approached by a then unknown Iranian entrepreneur, Don Purkiss, who had a 40 foot container of Cerwin-Vega speakers in the driveway of his house in Ealing. Between us, Audio T and I shifted the lot, and quickly because, yes, they did indeed play loud. Gene also came up with a pragmatic solution to the blown tweeter problem, in the form of user-replaceable diaphragms. He knew we'd push the products to their limit, and sometimes beyond. Sophisticated thinking, coupled with naive marketing - it wouldn't happen today, and that would be our loss. It was not long after that I first actually met Gene. He had pitched up at the Heathrow Penta Hi-Fi show with a 1000W amplifier and two column speakers which, at 103dB/1W efficiency could also handle that power. He fired them up, there in the hotel room. Outside in the grounds, wildlife spontaneously aborted, while planespotters ricked their necks trying to see where Concorde had suddenly materialised. This was my first insight into the mad scientist, or as I think I once wrote, evil genius side of the man.

Characteristically, he also found the Alt Prag in Frankfurt, which was the Mondiale home-from-home during the Musik Messe, and home to the best glass of Budweiser Budvar and home-cooked Bohemian food on the entire planet. By that time, the C-V strapline had changed to 'turn it up' and, ironically, having just returned from my local bowling green, I was wearing a crimson polo shirt with that logo and statement embroidered into it when I came home to the sad news from California. For many years, I think around a dozen, Gene's interests in Europe and outside the US were ably represented by Bill Anderson and Stephanie Kilburg. This left the maestro to practice his black arts and pursue his science in peace and in the Simi Valley. As Bill was quoted as saying by the L.A. Daily News, "Everyone who met Gene liked him." So did all of the people who worked either with him or for him. He will be missed, especially by all of us who love to listen to our music loud!