Richard, or Rich as he’s known, was born and raised in Worcester, MA. Rich got interested in hi-fi early, as his mom had an all-tube Fisher console stereo and great taste in music.
Rich saved all his money from his first job as a mason’s laborer to buy his first proper system, but really got the hi-fi bug when working part-time with a Linn dealer during college. Just three days out of college, he started his first full-time job at a local AV store. He bought a Dynaco ST70, a product he learned to recap and upgrade himself. It changed audio for him completely, hooking him onto tube sound.
Over the decades, Rich has worked for companies such as Tweeter and Magnolia Design Center. Because he was heavily involved with installation, he learned a lot about acoustics and troubleshooting. At Upscale, Rich especially enjoys connecting customers with turntables, cartridges, and phonostages, as well as tube and solid-state electronics.
Rich still lives in Worcester with his wife, and his three adult children are nearby. When he’s not fixing stuff around the house and in his kids’ homes, he loves visiting family scattered around New England.
Three On-Repeat-for-Life Albums: Live at the Apollo by James Brown, Band of Gypsys by Jimi Hendrix, Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal by Lou Reed