Pictured from left, Kim Hyun Jun, Kang Tae Hwan (Saxophonist), Park Je Chun (Producer), and Choi Jung Hoon (Engineer).South Korea's Audioguy & Partners is an aptly named clearinghouse for all things related to great audio. Headed by the passionate (and terrifically busy!) Jung-Hoon Choi, Audioguy is a world-class recording studio, an audiophile record label for jazz, classical, and world music, and a dealer for high-end pro audio equipment.

Choi proudly wears many hats at Audioguy, including CEO, producer, recording/mixing/mastering engineer, and sales manager. His hard work was recently rewarded by winning the 2013 Korean Music Award for "Best Jazz & Crossover – Performance Album" along with six other nominations in the Jazz and Crossover category. Consistent with a tireless pursuit of transparent sound, Audioguy is both a Metric Halo user and a Metric Halo dealer. Indeed, all seven of the KMA-nominated and winning works were recorded and mixed using Metric Halo ULN-8 and ULN-2 preamp/conversion interfaces.

Audioguy & Partners recently opened a state-of-the-art recording facility. Notably, it includes a Hamburg Steinway & Sons D piano, an SSL console, over seventy microphones (many vintage), and multiple Metric Halo interfaces. Although new to the scene, between 30% and 40% of South Korea's jazz recordings already happen at Audioguy. "I always strive to make recordings that are timeless," explained Choi. "I don't want to be part of a trend. I want my recordings to be as engaging decades from now as they are today." In addition to studio work, Audioguy provides location recording services throughout South Korea, as well as China, Japan, and even Europe. The portability and audiophile quality of the Metric Halo interfaces make them reliable travel companions.

"All of the Metric Halo hardware is great, but I especially love the ULN-8," said Choi. "The ULN-8's microphone preamplifiers are outstanding, and the conversion is pristine. I also love Metric Halo MIO Console, the software that controls the routing and DSP of all connected Metric Halo interfaces. It can do anything! Whatever a producer, engineer, or musician can dream up, MIO Console can do."

Audioguy & Partners is also a record label that releases some of the most innovative and captivating classical, jazz, and world music of South Korea. "Our identity is strong because we handle all of our own planning, producing, recording, mixing, mastering, and promotion," said Choi. "Metric Halo is a part of most of those stages, and all of our Korean Music Awards nominations and winning work were recorded, mixed, and mastered using the ULN-8 and ULN-2." Those nominations include three for "Best Jazz & Crossover – Jazz" (Sorefa, Soar, and Ascetic) and four for "Best Jazz & Crossover – Performance Album" (Sorefa, Reverberation, Discover Myself, and Ascetic). To their excitement, Sorefa turned into a win for "Best Jazz & Crossover – Performance Album" during the evening's awards ceremony.

Everything else that's happening at Audioguy sets it apart as a pro audio equipment dealer. "All of our staff are recording engineers," said Choi. "They understand the real-world performance of our products, and they accordingly offer our customers proper suggestions and service. They know more than the manual or the sales pitch; they know how our products operate in the field. Working with the people at Metric Halo is great. They are timely, competent, and always very friendly."