When it comes to creating crystal clear audio, Tom DeVesto knows how to do it better than anyone. After all, he has plenty of experience (more than 40 years to be exact) as the co-founder of Cambridge SoundWorks and founder of Tivoli Audio and now his most recent venture – Como Audio.
Photo Credit: Como Audio
Photo Credit: Como AudioWe recently caught up with DeVesto to learn more about the brand and what his thoughts are on the future of audio.
When did you first become passionate about music and what made you decide to make a career out of it?
I’m a baby boomer, so music was a big part of everything we did 40 to 50 years ago. At the time, I was anti-Vietnam War and every time we did an event, there was music. If you were from that generation, music was an integral part of your life. If a new album came out for Fleetwood Mac, it was a big event.
I was an English major with a political science minor and ended up making a commercial version of PA systems. I traveled the world doing events. Music has always been a part of my life. I went to school in the middle of the Smoky Mountains and opened up a store that sold tapes. It grew to a few stores. At the time, Henry Kloss developed the world’s first acoustic loud speaker. We were a dealer of those products. I sold those three stores and moved to Boston to work for Advent in Cambridge where Kloss and I made the world’s first big screen TV. Kloss Video was brought public and then we started Cambridge SoundWorks. We had about 60 stores, 30 in New England and 30 in San Francisco. The idea was to create a national chain with the company. It was brought public and we sold it to Creative Technologies out of Singapore.
Tell us a little about Como Audio and what makes the brand so unique.
Como Audio lets you access all of your music from one device with the press of a button. It was named after a town in Italy where I have a home and design group. We developed it with the idea in mind that not only should the device sound good but should be something that looks nice and is able to stand the test of time. Our Boston office is in the Innovation and Design Building. We have a dedicated team working here. Most people have worked with me for several years.
Any predictions on the future of audio?
Neil Young, who I worked with a lot in the past, just released Neil Young Archives and right now it’s free. He has put all the work he has ever done in one place, so you can search by song, timeline or whatever. I think you will be seeing more of that as we go on. Resolution is agnostic to whatever you have. I think you will be seeing new ways to look at the delivery system. That’s what I think will be the future of audio.
What type of music do you prefer to listen to in your spare time?
I listen to music all the time. I am a huge blues fan and also love jazz and rock and roll. I am on the Board of Overseers at WGBH and WMVY, a radio station on Martha’s Vineyard.
Since you’re a Bostonian, can you share a few places you like to go in town, i.e. restaurants, locations, etc.?
We have a place on Washington Street in the South End, a home in Cotuit, another in Florida and one in Italy. When we are in Boston, Coppa in the South End is one of my favorite restaurants along with Santarpio’s Pizza in East Boston. The Cantab Lounge in Cambridge has live music every night and bluegrass on Tuesdays. My wife is a bluegrass mandolin player. We are lucky to have so many great restaurants to choose from in Boston. Gaslight is another great one and we live right across the street. Mela in the South End is always good. Abe & Louie’s was another favorite for years. For music venues, Harvard’s Sanders Theater is great for acoustic performances.
