Listening, a recent film by Stereophile, explores how one deaf audiophile experiences music through a Mylar balloon.

In a touching video tribute to late writer Art Dudley, Stereophile tells the story of deaf audiophile Bob Lichtenberg, who currently owns Art’s beloved Altec Lansing Flamenco loudspeakers. Lichtenberg, 64, is completely deaf and has learned to experience music by holding a Mylar balloon between his hands, using it to sense vibrations transmitted by larger speakers.

Clearly a very deep music lover, Lichtenberg reflects on listening and the writing of Art Dudley, “Music is so universal – the sound of God talking. Really good music gets you to that point where you leave your body.”

“Art Dudley wrote as if music was fun. He was a different kind of writer – he made music human. So for me, these speakers are the fun part of music. One part of the musical spectrum is to have fun. You can’t be serious all the time listening to just the sound, you have to listen to the idea.”

Watch the short film below and read the full story at Stereophile.