Yesterday I unpacked my Sutherland Phd after moving from Hawaii to the mainland back in the end of Sept. 2012. This is April 8. When I packed the amp I removed the batteries for fear they would leak and make a mess of things. The unit was packaged in the original shipping box it arrived in. When I unpacked it, it looked pristine. After inserting brand new batteries and anxiously hooking it up to the turntable (it’d been 6 or 7 months since I heard music through my system) it wouldn’t turn on. Disappointment You bet. I sent an email to Ron Sutherland asking for help. To my surprise, an hour or two later, Ron replied to my email with a couple of helpful suggestions. I followed the instructions, but unknowingly to me, I made a mistake in understanding them. In another email I asked Ron if I could call him and included my phone number in the email. Viola! The phone rings and Ron was on the phone! Nice guy. The kind of guy you wish you could sit down at a bar and have a drink with. We discussed the problem, and in a second Ron had the issue isolated and the remedy all in one. There was a faulty battery holder. We jury-rigged it in a way that will last for years to come, and the unit works perfectly and I listened to music the rest of the day.

Kudos for Ron on a number of things. First and foremost, designing the Phd. I spent my whole life waiting for this thing and didn’t know it until I bought one and have been using it ever since. Next kudo is just the kind of man Ron turned out to be – pleasant, helpful, uplifting and smart! Next, I swear he was as happy as I was that his “baby” the Phd was all fixed up and ready to go. As it turns out, this whole experience was a positively memorable in my audiophile life. I had a good time. Way to go Mr. Sutherland!

Ralph