I'm awfully late to the party, but I brought cookies!

ABC, I don't know if you're still around to read this, but ever since I got the Special Edition CDs for my birthday a dozen years ago, I've been a fan of classical music. John Williams' scores are the reason I listen to Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Holst, and Dvorak, among others, today. (I'm sure I'm not the only 30-year-old guy who can say that!) At the time, I enjoyed what I had. I didn't have an appreciation for sound quality, for mixing and mastering. That's only come in the last few years, now that I finally have hi-fi and great headphones. And along with an upgrade of equipment has come an upgrade of much of my music collection. (Steve Hoffman's forum has been a blessing to my ears and a curse to my wallet!)

And yet, with each purchase of a Star Wars score on CD, it seemed I was getting no closer to perfection. Each release had its limitations, some worse than others. Eventually I gave up the search and frankly stopped listening to these influential albums. So it should go without saying that when I found your "Audiophile" edition of The Empire Strikes Back, I did a little dance.

Your restoration feels alive, it feels spontaneous, like I'm in the studio with Williams' baton waving passionately just beyond my speakers.

After more searching, I managed to get ahold of your "Salvage" Editions of A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. Finally, FINALLY, I feel like I can sit back with eyes closed and immerse myself in Williams' revolutionary scores. Star Wars has always been the ultimate expression of escapism -- escaping not just the confines of your house, your time, your planet, but your galaxy -- which John Williams fully understood, and expressed it beautifully through music. With a few twists and turns of digital knobs, you've managed to bring out what professional engineers could not. You've helped restore what will most definitely be a lifetime of enjoyment.

My sincerest thanks!