Name.  Martin van Rooyen

Company. Perreaux Industries Ltd 

Position in company. El Kabong

What was your very first hifi?

Pioneer 20w receiver, speaker and turntable package….I was ecstatic.

What was the first live music event you attended?

Fleetwood Mac, Western Springs New Zealand 1977

What music do you listen to when you need to unwind from a stressful day?

Varies, sounds cheesy I know, but I still like Burt Bacharach, also keen on Michael Franks, Sade, Dianna Krell and a host of other sultry voiced dreamers

CD, vinyl or streaming?

Still playing CD at home, work is mixture of streamed music and CD…mostly streamed…

What do you look for in a Hifi set up?

Big Hooters…no seriously…well thought out system and placed componentry leading up to good sound. Pretty rare to see a well sorted system on account of room constraints for most…..Importantly is having good taste in music…heard more than my fair share of terrible music placed on very expensive systems over the years. The right music is the top priority to my mind. Too many punters buy very expensive systems only not to invest in a decent music collection…if it was the other way around…there is always room for improvement, but too many haven’t got a clue. That’s what it is all about after all isn’t it! Music is the key!

Where do you see the future of hifi going?

Hard to say, good sound is good sound. It’s hard to achieve. Just wish it was a little more accessible to people who want to get into it…what seems to be happening is the bar is slowly getting raised which is preventing many from taking the leap.

What would you do if you won the Lotto?

Retire, buy a 70ft old fishing boat and f$%k off with my wife and 6 kids for 6 months over summer and cruise around New Zealand

What are your hobbies outside of music and Hifi?

Gardening, Bulldozer driving, boats oh and did I mention bulldozer driving.

Favourite tipple?

Lemon lime and bitters, not that big on the alco stuff

What would your epitaph be?

He died with his boots on