Velissarios Georgiadis.
April 26, 1960 – April 26, 2019
Louis Desjardins, The CEO & Chief Designer of Kronos Audio have written the following as tribute to the recent departed ‘Audio Light’, Velissarios Georgiadis, The CEO & Chief Designer of True Life Audio;
“It was 7pm on a rainy Friday, Good Friday. I looked at my Facebook feed, and noticed it was my friend Velissarios’ birthday. This amused me, because I had spoken to him a few hours before and he never mentioned his birthday (I never mention mine…). I figured I could pester him about it so I dialed him up on messenger. No answer. I called his son Aristomenis , and I heard him say, panicked: “my father had a heart attack … I am going to the hospital … he is uncons… “ . The line went dead.
These words sounded as if they came from a bad dream. Surely, this was not happening. He must had eaten too much birthday cake and felt sick, or had a panic attack. I chased darkness away from my mind… but still… Twenty minutes later, I got a text from Aristomenis. “He died.” Time stopped. Everything was still. Nothing mattered.
I met Velissarios 5 years before. It was at an audio show in Holland. I was meeting a new distributor and a potential dealer from Brussels. I did not expect much from this show. Then, someone came in the room as I was setting up the PRO, “What is that???? … This is crazy !!!” I turned around and saw a tall guy, solid, uncut hair, and a huge smile. We talked a bit. “what is a TLA” I asked jokingly. He invited me in his room to show me. As soon as I entered the room, I could feel it. A sound that was whole, liquid, well balanced. A sound that came from the best of traditions of Hi Fi , but with a touch of modern Hi-End. Of course, I told him I liked it, a lot. His face lit up like a child’s.
I was won over. Things would never be the same.
It already felt like I had aways knew this guy. We had been brothers in arms in another life. His enthusiasm and openness were contagious. We smiled and laughed for 3 days. Our only regret was not to have done the show together.
We stayed in touch. I got to listen to his phono stage in my system. I decided to use it at the Montreal Audio Show. I loved it, but I was greedy. I wanted more. We started collaborating together at developing a new concept. It became the Kronos Reference Phono. Three years of intensive work, countless discussions, hitting walls, tearing them down, never doubting it was all worth it… if only to say we could do it.
After much work, the Kronos Reference Phono was released. It was an instant success, and I am proud to say TLA remained busy handcrafting its circuits for the best part of 2018 up to now.
Velissarios and I also collaborated in audio shows in Munich and in Greece. We had the a few disagreements, but they never lasted long; our passion for sound was too strong. We were again to collaborate at the 2019 Munich show, this time with Lawrence Audio and Kubala Sosna. This was to be one of TLA’s great moments. New mono-block hybrids and a revised pre-amp were on the menu. Then tragedy struck ten days before the show.
Of course none of that would matter now. My thoughts were with the family. My thoughts were with myself. How could it be true. Still, I had a show to do, and only a few days to land on my feet.
Then I received a call from Aristomenis. “We will do the show. My family wants to honor my father. My sister and my mother will join us in Munich. TLA will continue.”
There is a will for life in all of us. There is a determination to move forward. There is a will to go beyond and to excel. If only we tried, if only we believed. Velissarios believed. The Georgiadis family also believes. TLA will move forward… it is the inspiration Velissarios left with us”.