Roger Alan Modjeski

July 14, 1951 to December 11, 2019

I first met Roger in Santa Barbara, CA back in 2003 and in fact lived there for over a year before realizing one of the top circuit designers in the audio industry was my “neighbor.” My journey with Roger began when after seeing many positive owner comments and reading a couple of reviews, I bought a used Music Reference RM-9 MK I amplifier. While I could tell from pictures the amplifier was physically no slouch, in person it was even more imposing, especially the large potted transformers that were responsible for nearly all of the amplifiers weight.

Although the amplifier drove my Spendor 1/2e speakers quite well (and better than any tube amplifier before and after it), I was still quite curious about its design. So, I searched for Music References’ contact information and was surprised to find the shop (actually Roger’s house) was located about 3 miles from me. Our first conversation felt more like a job interview and when Roger realized I knew very little about tube amplifier design he kindly asked me to bring the amplifier by the shop so he could bench test it for me.

When I arrived, Roger led me to his lab, made some room on the bench, then hooked up some cables to my RM-9 that in turn were hooked up to his Sound Tech and oscilloscope. All the time while testing Roger explained to me what he was doing and why (although it was all Greek to me). While this particular amplifier was about 15 years old, Roger pointed out that it still tested to near original spec. While I was satisfied with the results, Roger was not and insisted I leave the amplifier with him. It didn’t dawn on me back then, but I would eventually learn Roger was never satisfied with good enough.

I left Santa Barbara in 2007 and occasionally would go back and visit Roger, but fast forward nearly 8 years later and my life’s journey takes me back to California and the Bay Area where 6 months previously Roger set up his shop and audio school in El Cerrito just North of Berkeley. It didn’t take long for us to connect as we caught up at the local California Audio Show where he asked if I would like to come over and check out the new shop. Little did both of us know from that point on I would be by Roger’s side learning from him and in the process developing a close friendship with him as well.

My first question to Roger when I walked into the shop was, “Where did all these boxes come from?” I guess he did a pretty good job hiding them back in his Santa Barbara digs. There were packed and semi-unpacked boxes everywhere and stuff lying around with barely any room to move. So off to work we went over the next several weeks as we made a game of navigating through the maze of boxes. Occasionally, I would find something foreign to me in one of the boxes and ask Roger what it was. The answer would sometimes seemingly take an hour to explain as Roger would wax poetic about how he came upon the object, its history, and use.

What I learned immediately in the early days of our work together was the extent of Roger’s knowledge of tubes and parts. He had visited some of the famous tube factories in the US and abroad, interviewed the people manufacturing them (with a Nakamichi microphone and Sony TCD-5, ironically the same deck I used to record concerts for years), and applied the knowledge he gained by creating unique circuit designs. As much as an educator as he was, Roger’s thirst for knowledge was even greater. I guess they both go hand in hand as you can’t teach what you don’t know.

After the shop was finally set up, we got to the real work. Roger taught me the tube side of the business first. Explaining the various types of tubes that were sold, how he used them in circuits, how other designers used them, which tubes were for which amps, and the test parameters for those amps, even the ones Roger didn’t design such as Audio Research, CJ, and CAT. I started out picking, processing, packing, and shipping orders (all of which I still do today). Roger also insisted I keep a notebook and was always fond of starting sentences with, “Get your notebook and write this down.” Judging by the volumes of notebooks in his library it was clear that Roger liked to have his detailed notes and test results easily accessible and wanted me to start doing the same.

Eventually it got to the point that he finally turned the whole tube store operation over to me which leads me to another thing I learned about Roger. The man was generous, both with his knowledge and his heart. You learn a lot about a person when you are alongside them for an extended period, and while we certainly talked about audio and circuits and stuff, we also talked about life, values, and philosophy. There are only a few people in my life I can say I learned something valuable from and that made me a better person. Roger was one of them. Sure, he could be surly, gnarly, opinionated, crass, and didn’t suffer fools gladly. However, way more often than not he was passionate, kind, caring, and generous.

So, over the span of 4 years, I was the apprentice. When we moved to the new location in San Pablo, I watched Roger much more closely as he designed, tested, and repaired equipment. The latter being the means by which he got his start in electronics when he was in high school. I would eventually learn to build out the boards that Roger used for his prototypes and later even graduated to wiring the circuits. He also taught me how to use the computer tube testers so I could restock inventory, but most importantly Roger taught me how to run his business and instilled in me the principles on which he ran Music Reference for 38 years.

It was important to Roger that the business continue and wanted to pass the torch to those he mentored to keep Music Reference and RAM Tubes going after he was gone. Roger’s bio from the Music Reference website talks about how he selects a product based on the principles of the designer, along with the skills of the people who crafted it, and culture of the company that supports it. In Roger’s case his design philosophy followed these simple principles: Make it easy to use, make it reliable and long lasting, and on the rare occasion something does go wrong make it easy to service. So, I promised my friend and mentor that the partners in Music Reference will make it our mission to honor his design principles and legacy as we move forward. Fare thee well my friend.