At Definitive, we believe that every great piece of HiFi carries not only sound, but also the story of the people and vision behind it. That is why we’ve created The Definitive Q&A Series: Beyond the Music. In each conversation, we sit down with our Pillar brands to uncover what inspires them, what drives their pursuit of perfection, and how they continue to shape the future of listening. These are not just products — they are the expressions of mastery, artistry, and dedication that define the world’s finest audio.
And this year, as part of our 50th anniversary celebration, we are bringing everything we’ve got — together with our partners — for what will be our biggest and most ambitious event yet. Pillars of HiFi will be a rare chance to hear, learn, and connect with the legends shaping the sound we love.
Reserve your spot HERE
Let's head to one of Definitive's long-term partners, Transparent, and hear from Bob McConnell, a Definitive favorite that we know you all know.
On the Edge of Innovation
What’s the idea or product you’ve made that you know changes the game… the one that, when people hear it, they just stop talking and start listening?
When Transparent introduced the concept of Custom Calibration for our high-end cables, this pushed beyond what is possible in any kind of optimized wire only solution. Cable interaction with the output of a component results in audible changes to the signal that almost always can be found to artificially put forth one part of the sound to the detriment of the musical whole. This is why we have made listening, at a scientific level, such a critical part of our design process and always in the comparison to the sound of live, unadulterated musical instruments and voices. The concepts of tonal and harmonic balance, dynamic expression and spatial realism are always better conveyed when the cable perfectly matches the needs of the component outputting its signal. This ensures we never manipulate the sound or “tweak” it is such a way just to get noticed but instead deliver a compete and naturally balanced musical picture to the listener so they can relax and experience a performance.
When you’re building something new, what’s the obsession? What’s the thing you can’t let go of until you solve it?
Because what we do at Transparent is directly impacted by the potential of the equipment we’re connecting we are constantly listening to the newest and most “edge of the art” products from major manufacturers to establish how we can improve our designs to reveal more of the musical information that is present on well made recordings. We have a collection of brands where we have established a like-minded synergy based on these musical truths and as they evolve, we have needed to evolve always ensuring that we are not a source of manipulation or exaggeration in any part of the sound but instead reducing layers of lossiness through the most careful matching our measurements and production standards can achieve. The biggest thing we obsess over is that differences must be investigated and evaluated to guaranty that the resulting product is better at all aspects of musical reproduction not merely one aspect to the detriment of another. Lastly, a new Transparent product must be demonstrably superior to its predecessor in systems of the appropriate level of musicality or it doesn’t see the light of day. Transparent never tries to make “tweaks and audiophile fads” that quickly become yesterday’s news. We want a system that is connected and powered by Transparent products to deliver, as close as possible, the unaltered musical truth of the performance.
Roots & Origin Stories
Every company has a spark… a moment where it almost didn’t happen, but did. What was yours?
Transparent evolved from being an importer and distribution company to becoming a manufacturer after our reputation for exceptional customer service and quality had established us as an industry leader. During that time, our in-house design and research team had developed many of the listening and evaluation protocols we still use today. When it came time to develop our own line of cabling and power products based on the knowledge gained from these processes, it was a big leap of faith. When our existing partners chose to come with Transparent and trusted in us to deliver on our shared goals of greater musical completeness and lifelike presentation it was a confirmation that these concepts are what is truly valued by music listeners. Definitive was one of the very first partners of Transparent back in 1993.
What’s a piece of your company’s DNA that’s been there since day one… and still shows up today?
Having our design and listening teams attend as much live music performance as possible to constantly set that as the standard for music reproduction in a system and evaluating our products and the products we use in our labs every day to that high mark has been an unwavering standard since day 1. Anything that alters the fundamental structures of music performance in an audio system must be rejected no matter how initially attractive, as these kinds of manipulations always force the listener into a spiral of patches and fixes that are eventually rejected as false sound. HiFi can never be the standard. Live music must be, and we pursue that goal with every research project and product design.
Why Definitive Matters
Do you remember the first time your gear ended up in a Definitive room? What did that feel like?
With such a long partnership there have been a great many special moments shared between Definitive and Transparent. Our original product roll out was the genesis of everything and Definitive played a critical role in those early years. Revolutionary products like OPUS, Power Isolator XL (PIXL), a range of custom installable products that could still sound like music rather than “infrastructure” and so many more, have continued to advance the possibilities for customers at every level of interest to experience the Definitive difference. What does that feel like? Seeing and hearing our products in action at Definitive and the hundreds if not thousands of customers we have help to deliver a better music listening experience is why more than three decades on it is still so special and rare.
What is it about this partnership that actually means something to you… not just business, but the way people experience it?
The collaboration, professionalism and deeply held friendship of the two organizations is what truly matters to us at Transparent. Everything comes and goes in cycles and today’s “audiophile tweak” is tomorrow’s exotic paper weight, but the partnership and commitment to providing our shared clients with musically involving and honest listening experiences will never go out of style.
The Human Side
What’s the funniest or weirdest thing you’ve ever seen someone do with your product? Certainly the nature of our product designs can present some “logistical” challenges when figuring out how to place some of the larger network modules in the confines of a room design. From custom brackets attaching and OPUS speaker module to the back of large (it would have to be) floor stander, to windows cut in to floors to show off networks that needed to be out of walking areas but still wanted to be seen, to having a manufacturer finish their speakers to match the custom red gloss finish of our Magnum Opus are just a few highlights of handling our products. I guess another would be having us fit an XL level power cord with a C7 connector to be used with an appleTV box. The owner and the system designer swear by it!
If there was one fact about your company that would surprise people… the kind of thing they’d tell someone later… what would it be?
Our ownership has always valued the local Maine artisans, machinists and technicians who build our products. When you look at the code on a Transparent cable box, it includes the initials of the technician that built it. One of them, who built some of the products on Definitive’s opening order in November of 1993, is still building cables for us today.
Music That Moves You
One album… one artist… the moment you hit play, it all comes alive. Who is it?
Pick a mood… Robert Marcellus- Mozart Clarinet Concerto- Szell/Cleveland, Chuck Mangione- Children of Sanchez, The Beat- Special Beat Service, Yes- Fragile… shall I go on? 😉
What’s the record that’s the time machine for you… takes you right back the second it starts?
You do realize how impossible this question is…right? So many things, but if I had to pick only one it would be Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass – Casino Royale from the …Sounds Like… album. I was 4 or 5 years old and the sound of that record instilled in me a love for brass and band music that became a cornerstone of a lifetime musical journey. BTW this was long before I knew anything about it being an “audiophile classic” by about 2 decades
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Beyond the Music: A Definitive Q&A with Shunyata Research