An Audio Reset: Summer 2025 Holiday and a Few Takeaways

That’s Belle and me standing in front of the giant flamingo statue at the Central Terminal of at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Florida.

I call it an audio reset. Sometimes, it is beneficial for audio aficionados to step away from their comfortable reference systems, take a break, and subject themselves to poor-to-mediocre audio. 

After a busy year of teaching, summer school work, and reviews, it was time to decompress, so we flew down to Tampa on Saturday and spent a few days lodging at the Windham Grand Clearwater Beach, a stately oceanside hotel in Clearwater, Florida. Following protracted hot spells, it had cooled down to around 72 degrees Fahrenheit when we’d left Chicago, and now in Florida, it was hot and humid, somewhere around the 80s and 90s. After we arrived from Tampa International Airport, braving the twists, turns, bridges, and crazy Florida drivers courtesy of the Waze navigating app, a valet took our bags and parked our rental car. Walking inside, our shoulders relaxed as we were treated by the refreshing woody, citrusy, and floral scented spacious lobby with a 30-foot ceiling, hanging lamps and splayed timber supports overhead, large exotic plants in white hotel planters, couches, and a lively bar where women in dresses and men in ties mingled while guests in shorts and Hawaiian shirts checked in, and interior magazine-grade modern decor. It felt sublime. 

However, reality jarred us as we were hit with a nightly $40 parking fee for our car rental (my wife, Belle, who’d spotted this on the online hotel brochure, had called twice in advance and was assured that as hotel guests, we wouldn’t have to pay). The hotel clerk wanted a name (which we didn’t have), insisted that this was standard fare in the city of Clearwater, and was non-negotiable, so we complained to the manager. After an arduous conversation, she agreed to cut that in half. We felt a little better, and with that, took a tour of the hallways, marveling at the artwork, before taking an elevator to our room on the fifteenth floor. Reasonably spacious, with a steel and tinted glass sliding restroom door, it was posh and comfortable. Moreover, the long window looked out onto the Clearwater Beach pier and the nearby marina below. Mind you, the audio was subpar with the flat screen tiny TV’s speakers providing the sound, but we weren’t here to watch TV. 

The next two mornings, we took advantage of our hotel’s discount on beach cabanas (the normal cost of the blue enclosed canopy shelters with reclining chaise lounge chairs was $50 per day) we secured ours early in the morning for a $10 fee, enjoyed the fresh ocean air, relaxed, took long walks along the surf, lounged at the hotel pool, and explored local shops and restaurants. Overcoming fears sparked by Facebook posts of sharks at tourist beaches, I joined the masses and, my only-ankle-deep-water pledge be damned, I made sure not to be the furthest one out, I ventured out a little deeper and engaged in a little bodysurfing while Belle reclined in our blue cabana.

Sitting at the poolside, we chatted with a graying gentleman in swim trunks from Ohio who made the annual pilgrimage to the Windham Grand for years. He informed us that there was a great store just several hundred yards away where we could get food, liquor, and other supplies inexpensively (hotel accommodations, while nice, are quite costly). 

When we told him about the parking charges, he said, “I never rent a car! Why? You have everything you need within walking distance!” A cheerful man, we observed him making the trek multiple times a day, hauling six packs of beers (some of which he consumed, on the sly, at the pool), as we walked along the boulevard. Later, we purchased suntan lotion, lip balm, drinks, and snacks there, and grabbed takeout pizza just to the north of our hotel, which we ate in our room for a lovely dinner and a show (tinny TV speakers be damned!). 

On Tuesday, we drove down to St. Petersburg, where we strolled out to their long, famous St. Pete’s Pier, enjoyed the vista of the city’s gorgeous waterfront, looked for breaching dolphins, and had lunch taking in the breathtaking views of the city and nearby airport through floor-to-ceiling windows from their lush Teak restaurant. 

That Wednesday, we had Mexican breakfast al fresco, strolled for several miles along the shore, and later walked downtown along Gulfview Blvd., visited several hotels, went shopping, lounged again at poolside, and had fresh seafood for dinner, al fresco, at Marina Cantina, a nearby rooftop restaurant in the marina.

The next day, we received troubling news: The health of Belle’s mother, Mary, took a turn for the worse. We had planned on visiting her the following week; however, we cancelled our planned stay at another nearby hotel (thankfully, we purchased insurance, and after painstaking documentation and several phone calls, we were able to recoup our money), dropped off the rental car at the airport, and caught a Lyft ride to her house. 

In her 80s, Belle’s mother’s eyesight was failing (she couldn’t see our faces), she slept a great deal, and had not been eating well. She lives with Belle’s adopted sister, Naomi, who is confined to a wheelchair and gets 24/7 assistance from the state of Florida. However, with our arrival, her spirits lifted and, gradually, her appetite returned. 

Over the next week and a half, along with David Jeremiah’s Turning Point (a televangelist’s show Mary loves), we watched a lot of Gomer Pile, Lucille Ball, Three’s Company, and other reruns with Mary, spent time by the pool in the lanai out back (I did a lot of swimming there), strolled and shopped for shirts, swim trunks, sun dresses, watches (I purchased and returned a watch at Macy’s) and other items. We also took Mary and Naomi to a Korean supermarket and, on another day, Hella’s Restaurant and Bakery in Tarpon Springs, a popular Greek sponge fishing and tourist enclave (we drove Naomi’s van, which is retrofitted with a hydraulic ramp and other accommodations for her wheelchair). We visited with several of Mary’s friends, who dropped by. While we were there, we also cleared out a rat’s nest of cables, cleared out some office furniture with a neighbor, purchased a bed and mattress, and converted her home office into a tidy spare bedroom. 

Above, Juan Ayllon, Naomi, Belle, and Mary sit at the Greek restaurant, Hella’s, while below, Naomi and Belle explore a handmade soap store in downtown Tarpon Springs.

There’s a small yard behind Mary’s lanai, and beyond that, a pond, a neighborhood sidewalk and street to the left, and a thickly forested area to the right, packed with trees and overgrown vegetation. In years past, we enjoyed listening to a veritable orchestra of crickets, frogs, and the odd alligator croak (it sounds like a huge bullfrog). We enjoyed spending portions of our evenings out in the lanai, but were stunned by the relative silence. We heard some crickets and actually spotted an alligator that was four to six feet long one afternoon, but gone were the cacophony of frogs and birds, and other wildlife that we’d enjoyed in years past. I’d read that the proliferation of Burmese pythons had decimated a lot of Florida’s wildlife and openly wondered if they were at fault. The thought made me shudder. 

Late one evening, Belle and I sat by the pool and relished listening to various music artists via the high-resolution Qobuz music streaming app on my iPhone. I was surprised. Say what you will about the lack of scale, bass, and limited fidelity of tiny cell phone speakers, we still enjoyed it. Lossy MP3? Au contraire! The music was surprisingly clear in 44.1 kHz, 16 Bit FLAC format, and we had millions of songs available to us at our fingertips!

I think it was Tuesday morning when I drove an hour and 45 minutes to Punta Gorda, Florida, to meet my friend, Steven Hill, who owns Straight Wire, Inc., an audiophile cable manufacturer based out of Hollywood, Florida, that makes audio and A/V cables for retail, commercial, and OEM applications. A good friend since I met him at Audio Expo North America (AXPONA) 2016, he’s been an encouragement, resource, and help with my writing and reviewing. I use Straight Wire cables throughout my system, and most recently borrowed a pair of their Virtuoso R2 balanced cables for my recent ATC SCM40A loudspeaker review (which I completed writing during our first couple days’ stay at Mary’s house). 

We met for breakfast at John Ski’s House of Breakfast & Lunch, apparently, a diner of some renown in those parts. (Steven drove two and a half hours to meet me there!)  We talked, we laughed, and noshed on their “Fatboy Breakfast” – country potatoes, sausage patty, three strips of bacon, eggs any style (we had ours scrambled), slathered in “Big Daddy’s Sausage Gravy”, and topped with crumbled cheddar cheese! It was an awful lot of food but, hey, it’s vacation, right? On the ride home, we discussed world affairs, religion, and the need to not only take care of ourselves and our families, but also to be charitable and help out others when we can. It was a lovely visit!

During our visit, Belle did a lot of cooking and cleaning, scrubbing the washing machine and other areas that caregivers neglected, fetching tea and snacks for Mary, and managing her household. I helped out where I could. Over our stay, we had lovely and meaningful conversations, and I enjoyed my conversations with Mary. Moreover, I really bonded with Naomi, who has taken a real liking to me. 

A Poolside Blessing

One evening in the lanai, Belle told me that Mary said that I had changed. I was a lot kinder and gentler than she’d recalled. I almost teared up. It was a moment of validation; this past year, I have really been striving to grow in my faith and as a person. I had also given up alcohol this past year and a half or so, which has been an excellent move for me – by God’s grace. Nowadays, my drinks of choice are Heineken 00, non-alcoholic beer, and club soda. (Yeh, God!)

Up, Up, and Away

Soon, our stay was over, and we were off to Tampa International Airport via the Lyft app. Due to storms, there were a series of delays, yet still we managed to nearly miss our flight as we grabbed a pair of matching Tampa sweatshirts at an airport gift shop (we’d erroneously heard that temperatures in Chicago were now in the 60s). Oops! Then, after a half-hour wait on the tarmac, we whooshed off. Occasional turbulence aside, it was a non-eventful flight. 

When we landed at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, deboarding was easy, as at Belle’s insistence, we traveled with carry-on luggage only (thanks, Babe!). The temperature was somewhere in the 70s to low 80s, so dashing to the restroom, we removed our sweatshirts, towed our baggage through a maze of signs and escalators, caught a Lyft ride, and headed to grab our car at the home of Belle’s eldest son and his family where we’d left it two weeks earlier. 

A Suburban Get Together

Some 25 friends, neighbors, and children were socializing around a pavered fire pit out back behind their brick and aluminum-sided house when we arrived. There was an oversized pink inflatable fortress with a slide to one side, Nerf Rockets flying overhead, loud conversation, laughter, a little drama (one kid told the other that they weren’t friends anymore, resulting in tears), and new acquaintances. A kid’s show was playing on an outdoor TV set by the patio door as I spoke with a 30-something grade school principal who was thrilled with his great work-to-life balance while Belle chatted nearby with a puppy in her lap. We said our hello’s, mingled a while, and hopped in my SUV and made the final journey to our house. 

Sting, seen here singing in the documentary, ‘Bring On the Night’ on the Vizio flat screen TV, sounds wonderful playing over the ATC SCM40 loudspeakers, REL Acoustic S/812 subwoofers, Pass Labs electronics (their X150.8 amp sits on a Sound Anchors stand), Richard Gray’s Power Company Custom 1200 power conditioner, and Straight Wire cabling.

Home On the Range

That evening, it felt grand to put on a show in our basement family room, and experience it with great sound, courtesy of the ATC loudspeakers, REL Acoustic subwoofers, Pass Labs electronics, and Straight Wire cabling! That Sunday morning, I played a record on my vintage Micro Seiki BL-91 turntable while Belle slept in. Having been away for two weeks, I appreciated the rich fidelity, balance, and sound of my carefully curated system in a room that I’d set up acoustically for a better playback experience. Granted, I can enjoy music or A/V media just fine sans the hi-fi. After all, enjoying the relationships and those around you gives life meaning. But, man, being able to enjoy that with high fidelity is even better!

Opportunities, Projects, and Music

Yesterday, I just received word that I’ll be reviewing a Dynavector XX-2A phono cartridge. That will be a special treat! And, no doubt, there are plenty more projects and work coming down the pipeline. And it will get done – all in due time. And no more “Fatboy Breakfasts” – at least for a while! I’ve got to stay healthy. 

I am reminded of a childhood tune, “Whistle While You Work.” Perhaps for me, it’s better stated as “Whistle in High Fidelity While You Work!” But either way, I’m going to enjoy the music – and life – as well, and as long as I can.