Loren Barstow was born and raised in New York in a small, uncharted area known as Long Island. He attended the State University of New York at Albany where he received a B.S. in Atmospheric Science. Loren got lost after migrating south one winter and ended up at Crutchfield. Since he has always been a science and technology type of guy and has always had an interest in electronics, he didn't mind. After spending some years in sales, he joined the Crutchfield creative team where he has the privilege of writing about assorted A/V gear. In his free time, he enjoys listening to a variety of music, gaming, reading, and dabbling in Japanese.