INTRODUCTION
I welcome you to my website, 'Happy Sounds'.
My name is Christopher Stubbs and it is with pleasure that I introduce Happy Sounds philosophy.
If you have come to this site via a link from my Happy Hands webshops, you may know my business based on the philosophy of direct imports with sales direct to consumers - the goal to eliminate extra costs and passing savings on to customers - a business which continuously aims to balance suitable quality with excellent prices for mostly disposable goods. I am originally from Canada and moved to Japan at the age of 24 and have lived here in Kagawa-ken for 20 years.
Although the philosophy is still the same - direct from factories to reduce costs - I am introducing in this case products which are very different and certainly not 'disposable'. Music and music reproduction (including cinema) is something I love and for which I have a very high setting for excellence. If you are new to the world of high audio, then spending 200,000 yen or more for a set of speakers may seem expensive...until you truly hear them and appreciate the difference. At the same time, unfortunately , there are many who spend the same money and even more for audio equipment whose value lies mostly in the high profit taking, marketing, advertising and branding of the product - but which has little to do with actual great sound reproduction (in my opinion).
Also, if you do happen to know the world of high end audio, you will know that it is easy to spend 5,000,000 yen or more on speakers alone and much much more on other parts of your system - some speaker wire sells for hundreds of dollars a meter! But actual testing can produce very interesting results and I suggest careful consideration on what parts of your system to invest in and always to keep a good sense of humor.....gizmodo.com The products which I introduce here are very inexpensive by comparision - but I stand by them and suggest that these products are second to none in their price range and compete with other products many times the price (and win in my opinion!). For those who want to spend more and to invest in some extraordinary sculpture I suggest starting at the following link:higherfi.com (some of these speakers are excellent but what a price!)
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This is my hobby - my intention is to share my experiences to those with interest to explore the world of sound. My qualifications? I have loved and been exposed to music since I was a child. I started piano at 8 and continued to study music at university majoring in composition and working with computer generated sound for music and recording. But mostly my interest and fascination to enjoy excellent sound reproduction is my main qualification. Just as music tastes vary widely from person to person - the interpretation of 'excellent sound reproduction' is also very subjective. Having said that I base my evaluations with a love of all music forms (Jazz, Classical, Rock, World ethnic...) and love of theatre (which itself is a highly challenging medium for sound reproduction in many complex ways) ....but with critical evaluations always of individual artistic integrity, performance and recording.
You will find this site appear as a 'speaker' website - but it is more than this. Great advances to digital amplification, active crossing for speakers and room correction technology have been made and make significant improvements to the sound as it interacts with your individual and unique listening environment. It must be clearly understood that your 'room' is a very significant factor effecting audio performance - one must give as much attention to the room as to the audio equipment - but no matter what the room treatment, digital room correction used properly offers such great results that cannot be ignored by anyone who is interested to further improve his or her system.
And so I introduce Newform Research, a Canadian company making some of the best loudspeakers in the world. Embracing and incorporating new technology rather than retreating from it, Newform Research speakers offer exceptionally transparent listening opportunities - good for all kinds of music and cinema. This is not a speaker 'tuned for classical' or 'tuned for Jazz' - they are speakers designed to accurately reproduce the original sound and stage as recorded and intended by the musician/director/sound recording engineers etc. In his designs John Meyer also incorporates simplicity and ease of use and is evidenced by their high sensitivity, incredible detail and dynamics and with easy placement in most rooms.
New in the line up are 'Powered' Newform speakers which use state of the art digital amplification including active cross-over software by Hypex- an exclusive European company heralded for excellent products (hypex.nl). For unbelievable results I introduce the world leader for room correction: Tact Audio. (tactaudio.com) Tact equipment is not cheap but has unmatched value - note that computer interface with software and testing is required by the customer/listener.
I include direct links to the manufacturers should anyone wish to deal directly. An excellent source for used equipment from around the world is: audiogon.com. As a business I will sell products as shown in the website and my prices include all shipping, handling, customs and delivery to your door. People who would like to see and hear and experience regardless of purchase are welcome by appointment to visit my show room which includes separate rooms for both 'live' and 'dead' acoustics for clear comparison of speaker and other product performance. Newform Speakers, Hypex and Tact are all comparable. I welcome anyone to bring their own music, amplification and even speakers to compare results...Application can also be made for a sample active speaker LSM for trial basis at your own home for a minimum cost to cover shipping out and shipping back.
Some ask how I came across these products - there was no chance to listen before purchasing in my case... however after reading so many rave reviews on the net, and reading thouroughly John Meyer's website which gives a very clear and honest picture of his mission and product, I felt confident to purchase and sample his speakers. Note they are only sold by him factory direct from Canada, and can only be found thru searching English websites and therefore there is little opportunity to find his products here in Japan. I took the 'risk' to order from him and I am eternally grateful that I took the first step. John's explanation (edited) of his speaker manufacturing as follows:
Newforms design philosophy is very simply to eliminate errors. Loudspeakers cannot make music, they can only reproduce it. The fewer errors a loudspeaker makes in that reproduction, the more lifelike the music is going to sound. The more character a loudspeaker adds to the reproduction, the less like real music it will be.
Our loudspeakers look unique because they are designed to get out of the way of the music, not attempt to "improve" it. Our designs consider the real world rooms in which they will be required to perform.
We use the highest quality components in our designs that sonically justify their cost. Embellishments either aesthetic or marketing based are left out. Our loudspeakers are very tight, integrated designs and produce the maximum musical bang for the dollar.
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Christopher St. G. Stubbs President HAPPY HANDS LATEX GLOVES LTD. 
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