By Amy Hansen, Nordost Product Trainer and Sales Manager

Sometimes I can’t help but reflect on the journey that led me to where I am today. For me, that journey has culminated (so far) into a great love for the industry that I have the privilege to be a part of—hifi audio. 

If anyone had told me back in my college days, studying Criminology and Sociology, that at age 50 I’d be knee-deep in the quirky world of hifi audio, surrounded by audiophiles, I’d probably reply, “What’s an audiophile??”. Ten years ago, I stumbled my way into the hifi industry and have never for a second wanted to be anywhere else since.

Nordost opened the doors to this new world for me.  A world of music, people who love music, artists, audiophiles, audiophile shows (I’m one of the weirdos who love trade shows!), manufacturers who are driven to replicate music as it was intended to be heard, and my beloved HiFi Dealers, who support the habit they love so much. Leave out any one of these key components, and I would probably be watching the clock at a desk-job somewhere, totally unaware of the music missing from my life.  

Let’s face it, what are we all doing in this hobby if not enjoying music and the artists who make it?  Like most, I’ve always loved music and the emotions it allows you to feel.  It can get you pumped for a night out (okay – maybe for me that was years ago, but I still remember it), it can transform you, make you cry, make you laugh, motivate and inspire you to push on, connect you to strangers, make you think of someone you love or a lost love, it can talk to you without words, or even put you to sleep.  I had never quite realized how important music really was to me until I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2018. 

In addition to being a music lover, I have always been a runner. Obviously, I knew that my cancer diagnosis was going to be a setback to this passion. After surgery and radiation, I couldn’t wait to get the green light to hit the pavement again. It was when I did that I realized just how important my playlist was. It was filled with motivational songs about being stronger, feeling alive, being brave, and being at peace. My music truly let me believe I could fly.  I ran my very first half marathon only three months after completing radiation, and that could never have happened without my precious playlist.  

If you’re reading this, my guess is that you spend much time, like I do, trying to achieve the best reproduction of sound from your audio system. There is skill to that. It takes hours of dedication to find the right products that complement each other, your listening room, and your musical tastes. It’s what we do, and it’s part of why we’re here. But don’t forget, in the midst of your critical listening, to occasionally just sit, or stand, or dance, and simply enjoy the other reason why you choose this hobby we love: the music.