Four Days At The Center Of The Vinyl Universe

This past weekend, the global audiophile community descended upon the center of the vinyl universe - Salina, Kansas - for the inaugural Vinyl Summit, a four-day celebration of Acoustic Sounds' 40th Anniversary. Founded by Chad Kassem in 1986, Acoustic Sounds has garnered national attention with profiles inThe New York Times, an appearance on WTF with Marc Maron, and a feature on CBS Saturday Morning spotlighting Kassem's singular journey and decades-long pursuit of the highest quality in recorded music. To celebrate this milestone, the Vinyl Summit brought that vision to life, welcoming leading voices from across the audiophile world, including musicians, and industry executives, collectors and dealers, and fans of all stripes, for a gathering dedicated to the craft, innovation, and community behind exceptional sound.

Spanning October 15-18, the Vinyl Summit offered a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the people, processes, and uncompromising standards behind the creation of the world's finest records. From mastering and vinyl production to high-fidelity listening experiences, the event revealed the fully vertically integrated operation Chad Kassem has pioneered at Acoustic Sounds, bringing every stage of the record-making process together in line with his uncompromising standards.

The Summit extended Kassem's vision beyond the record-making process, bringing the people who create records together with the audiophiles and customers who cherish them. Industry leaders and music lovers alike experienced firsthand the craft behind exceptional sound, united by Kassem's mission to raise the bar for recorded music.

Live music was also central to the Summit, with three evenings of performances in two world-class venues. Blue Heaven Studios, Acoustic Sounds' restored 1920s church turned recording and performance space, hosted Thursday's Jazz Night, featuring Chico Freeman and Band, Jerome Sabbagh, Dave Douglas, and Becca Stevens, accompanied by Pete Washington on bass, Billy Drummond on drums, and Elan Mehler on piano. Friday's Blues Night brought togetherMud Morganfield, Jimmy D. Lane, Marquise Knox, Noah Wotherspoon, and Robert Finley. The weekend culminated Saturday at the historic Stiefel Theatre with performances by Bernard Allison, four-time Grammy Award winner Jimmie Vaughan, and blues legend Taj Mahal.

More than a celebration of Acoustic Sounds' 40th anniversary, the inaugural Vinyl Summit offered a firsthand look at the vision and craftsmanship behind Chad Kassem's mission to "save the world from bad sound," while looking ahead to what's next: new possibilities for hifi,, continued innovation in physical music, and a growing community united by a shared passion for the art of the record.