Our mission is to promote deep listening of recorded music. We believe music is an innate force which can connect us, but its value is often overlooked in today's fast-paced and distracted world.
We aim to help people rediscover the joy and beauty of listening to music with intention and attention. Whether at home or in public, we strive to create environments which foster a deeper connection to the music and to each other.
Our Cafe Sound speakers combine vintage design and aesthetics with modern and sometimes vintage components. We believe they encourage a culture of deep listening, which can inspire people to engage with music in new and meaningful ways, and ultimately, help build a more vibrant and connected community of music lovers.
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From our Founder, Chris Baus
My roots in vintage audio go back over 30 years to a time when some now vintage equipment was still considered new. My enjoyment for audio has been fundamentally based in a love for music. Not being a musician myself, I've always viewed musicians as magicians.
In 2023, I decided to get more serious about my audio hobby and incorporated Cathode Bias. Our primary objective as a company was, and is, to serve the growing vinyl and HiFi listening room market in the US. We believed, and continue to believe, that growing Cathode Bias would require growing and promoting the industry as well.
Our first year was met with moderate success, selling 3 major sound systems. As with any new company it is difficult to know what will work and what won't. My background is in the tech start-up industry were experimenting to determine what works and was doesn't is encouraged. That is a bit harder in the physical world, but social media and modeling goes a long way.
Our products are combination of new audio technology and the best of vintage. Some components we source directly from the vendors, some we scrounge off the internet, and travel long distances to acquire. I'm not afraid to call what we do "curation" more than engineering – especially after years of working in tech engineering.
Entering our second year we realized to increase our install base we would have to simplify and standardize our products while remaining true to our vision. We believe we have done that with our Modesta line of speakers. Our 15", 2-way versions will enter production in April 2024 after testing both in our workshop and as part of pop-up events in Reno and Miami.
Modesta's vibrant colors, designed by my wife Eylin, remind us what listening to music should be about – fun and relaxation. We hope you will join us on our adventure. We will be here as long as it remains fun. It only drivers and boxes, it is the people we meet along the way who matter.