Talent is not the exclusive domain of only the exceptionally gifted or highly educated.

With the advancement of social civilization, people with thousands of different talents live together.

No matter how outstanding one’s talent is, or how excellent one’s knowledge and academic background may be,

if the virtue within that person does not surpass their talent, and talent is placed above virtue, the outcome for that person is unfortunate.

I am not talking about politics in our country right now. I constantly reflect on myself, using the ideal of not becoming a person whose talent surpasses virtue as a mirror.

As I grow older, I speak less and less.

I try to minimize words related to work and simply entrust everything to the flow of time.

Even if my silent demeanor may seem foolish and cause immediate losses, my belief that things will work out in due time remains unchanged.

Today, I will explain the acoustic characteristics of Apollon Audio.

Customers who have used Apollon Audio for decades since 2019 and have received upgrade services

have recognized that Apollon Audio is at the world’s highest level and have expressed gratitude, while also pointing out a lack of active promotion.

They offer me a lot of advice.

The purpose of the upgrade service I provide is to express my gratitude to the customers who have supported us.

However, the common response from audio enthusiasts observing from the sidelines who have no upgrade experience is, “Isn’t it just the same old thing?”

That is the thought I have.

Since the manufacturer hasn’t changed, and the same person made the product, even if they upgrade it with their own hands,

the common fixed notion among audio enthusiasts on the sidelines and many others is, “How much better could it really be?”

This is a natural thought based on human rational concepts.

Because of this, I always have to be careful with my words.

I didn’t suddenly enroll in a world-renowned university to major in electronic engineering and take special classes, leaving behind low-cost product development,

so it’s only natural to think, “It’s the same old thing.”

Perhaps one reason I speak so little is that I never even crossed the threshold of the prestigious university that the world admires.

I often feel that when someone has an impressive academic background, the audio equipment they make is sometimes idolized.

This happened about 10 years ago.

A group of electronic engineering PhD graduates from a famous American university developed cutting-edge products,

and used leftover materials to create devices that filter and supply power for high-end audio products.

According to common consumer evaluations, the sound was greatly improved and electrical noise was eliminated, proving to be a product with a twofold effect.

I delivered our products to a customer whose home proudly bore a reputation deeply engraved in the hearts of high-end audio enthusiasts and returned.

This was about 10 to 11 years ago.

It was the first time I saw that product, and I still don’t remember the brand.

Anyway, the customer’s level of trust was very high, so I naturally expressed empathy and admiration with a smile.

Degrees and academic achievements represent results and earn trust because that is the rational concept held by people, and anyone who goes against this faces verbal backlash — that is the way of the world.

The preamplifier and power amplifier delivered to that customer’s home about 10 years ago were brought back in 2020 for an upgrade.

After about 20 days of work and delivery, I received a call two days later.

They reported that noise, which had never occurred before, was now present. I scheduled a visit and conducted various special tests, but the noise persisted, leading me to suspect a product defect or a vacuum tube fault.

After retrieving the product through a professional delivery service and testing it, no abnormalities were found. I was very surprised that there was no noise at all. The next day, I delivered and installed the product again at the customer’s home, but intermittent noise from the speakers reappeared.

At this point, I felt both baffled and embarrassed.

I steadied myself and began testing everything from the beginning, including polarity checks and cable replacements, for three hours, but I could not find the cause. After three hours, my body and mind were exhausted.

Even in that exhausted state, I instinctively realized that a moment requiring a risky choice was approaching.

What kind of test do you say is dangerous? It’s not the test process itself that is risky.

Depending on the results, the moment would come when everything upgraded would have to be returned to its original state.

“May I remove the power supply device made by the electronic engineering students from H University and test it?” I politely suggested. The customer’s eyes showed a look of disbelief, and the response was that I should listen to the explanation given by those electronic engineering students. I quietly listened and then...

I proposed, “I have taken all possible measures. If no problem occurs during this test, I will take the product back.”

After about 20 minutes of work, I removed the power supply and completed the power supply setup for the destiny of the system.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze as if my heartbeat stopped for about two minutes. The noise that had so deeply disturbed the listener’s heart disappeared from the speakers,

and it was even silent.

Only after confirming that the irregular noise had disappeared did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

I think it’s best to end the related story here.