Bill Thalmann

[whnay1]

Today I received the sad news that a dear friend and Audio Pioneer, Bill Thalmann, has passed away after a long struggle with an illness.

I first met Bill in 1978 when I worked at Audio Associates. He was the top Technician there and was a wizard at repairing esoteric gear such as aligning Marantz 10B Tuners, Rebuilding Tandberg Reel to Reels and player. He later repaired exotic electrostatic speakers.
Bill then moved into an R&D and Technical role at Conrad Johnson. He could repair the great big monsters such as the Premier Ones to the Original Conrad Johnson preamps.

He then moved to open Music Technology in North Springfield. There he built an amazing business and was a McIntosh Authorized repair outlet. He modified equipment making the power supplies and internal circuits better. Everything he did he improved.
He could rebuild Apogee speakers and modified their ribbon tweeters to deliver exquisite highs.

I adored this man as he a true friend who was helpful, he had a marvelous sense of humor, and he was a man who served our country in the Air Force and he was a Dad too.

We all know that someday our time will come and we pray for Bill's family and friends as we mourn his loss.

RIP Bill Thalmann.

[Paolo]

So sad to learn of Mr. Thalmann's passing. It was not that long ago when I had the privilege of chatting with him by phone a couple of times about vintage CJ gear. He struck me as being one fine gentleman. Even though he wasn't accepting any new work, he was extremely generous with his phone time, answering my questions and giving me some expert suggestions in a most cordial manner.

RIP indeed.

[admin]

Very sad to hear the news. RIP.

[Joe Appierto]

Sad news indeed. I dealt with Bill by phone in 1998 and then sent him my PV10AL preamp which he converted to a 10A by adding a phono stage. He also upgraded the RCA connectors to Cardas brand. It was a job well done and served me well for years to come. RIP.

[zermatt]

I will miss BIll, we had a lot of fun modifying audio gear for the last 25 years!

[SolderSlinger]

What a loss. He was a great audio historian too. He was involved in the development of Premier 12. If you look at the bottom side of the PCB, center left most area, you can see
C-JD
PC 610/1/2A
8/93
wgt

Bill's initials are wgt.

[Big Dog RJ]

That's a huge loss without a doubt. These kinds of personalities are legendary! They're one of a kind.

In today's world there are fewer people of this nature, not only the skill and knowledge of audio gear but also the passion to fix and care for such gear. These days, that passion is lacking, and with digital domain taking the lead, our precious tube gear is going to disappear.

That's why I always say, enjoy those fine tunes!
RIP another legend.
Stay safe y'all, RJ

[roberto]

he was always helping everybody with his knowledge regarding Conrad Johnson goods. I will miss him too.

Very sad news!!!

[zermatt]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Please visit the MT website and leave a comment for Bill family. The site has some nice info on Bill life. Here is the link: https://musictechnology.com/