All components in BOLD are loaned; all components in standard face are owned by me.
Main System
LOUDSPEAKERS
Von Schweikert Audio VR-35 Export Deluxe, Magnepan LRS, REL Strata III Subwoofer
ELECTRONICS
Pass Labs XP-12 Preamplifier, Pass Labs XA30.8 Class A Stereo Amplifier, "Fugly F4" DIY First Watt F4 Impedance Converting Amplifier (Thanks DIY Audio!), Homebrew Basic David Slagle AVC Autoformer passive volume control.
SOURCES
Analog: Music Hall MMF-9 Turntable with Project Carbon 9c Arm modified with with Cardas Litz phono wire and Expressimo Audio's Half Moon Heavyweight Counterweight, Lyra Delos MC Cartridge, Goldring Maestro MC Cartridge, George Wright WPP100C phono-stage and WP100 Sowter Step-up Transformer.
Digital: Main digital front end (new 2024): Roon Nucleus One streamer> PS Audio AirLens>I2S>PS Audio DirectStream Mk2!
I am now using Roon ARC remote, and Roon Remote to control the Nucleus One from anywhere! On my Android phone or my Laptop. I can stream Qobuz, or lossless files stored on my NAS from anywhere, including the car via Android! Nice.
Also: Synology DS216j NAS with mirrored 3 TB WD Red drives, Pioneer 578A UDP, B-Fi Wi-Fi DAC Streaming Music Players to run a rudimentary whole house system. Halide Bridge USB to S/PDIF interface
CABLES
DH Labs Silversonic HDMI for I2S, Stealth Hybrid MLT Speaker Cables, Triode Wire Labs (TWL) "The Obsession" Power Cord, TWL Spirit XLR IC, TWL American Digital High Power Power Cord, TWL Spirit XLR IC's and Phono IC, Kimber 4TC speaker cables, Soundstring Octaphase Interconnects, Kimber Silver Streak and Hero interconnects, Final Labs interconnects, and Shunyata Sidewinder and homebrew Belden/Hubbell/Marinco power cords. CAT5 Plenum homebrew speaker cables.
ACCESSORIES
Block Audio C-Lock SE Connection Guard, GIK Impression Series Acoustic Panels. Nitty Gritty 1.0 Record Cleaning Machine, Expressimo Audio "The Lift", Audio Additives Digital Stylus Force Guage, Final Labs Daruma 3II isolation, Vibrapods, Lovan Classic equipment rack, DIY points, ceramic cable supports, and various homebrew isolation tweaks. Monster Power Strip.
MISCELLANY
LOUDSPEAKERS
Audioengine HD6 self-powered speaker system, PSB, Polk Audio, Mirage Omnisats, Phase Technology SAT/SUB.
ELECTRONICS
Panasonic SA-XR50 Digital Receiver. Yamaha DSP-A1 receiver. Yamaha TX-950 Tuner.
CABLES
Acoustic Research IC's, West Penn commercial speaker cabling, Monster Toslink digital, Radio Shack IC's and Belden oxygen-free speaker cabling.
The Room
The main system is located on the long wall of a 12' x16' sitting room. The equipment rack and speakers are against a 16' long outside wall with corners on both sides, which gives the VR-35 speakers the rear boundary reinforcement they need for their best performance. There is a bank of windows on one short wall and the other has a three-quarter 8' high wall that separates the listening room from a 12' x 5' walk-in closet. This extends the volume of the listening area to 12' x 21'. At the center-line of the 21' dimension, the vaulted ceiling peaks at 11' high, sloping each direction to 8' at each end of the room.
The downside to this layout is the listening position. The chair is within 3' of the rear wall, which is also partially open to the 11'x 14' bedroom with an 8' flat ceiling directly behind it. While this is a compromise, the sound of the room is very good. Together the two areas form an L shape with a total of 406 square feet. In 2017, I added GIK Impression panels in the front corners and at the point of first reflection. The completely carpeted space is filled with bedroom furnishings and overstuffed chairs. Even with considerable damping from the GIK and furnishings, the room is still somewhat lively and dynamic. The overall volume allows for excellent bass extension.
About Me
Yeah, I like funny. I like tongue-in-cheek. I like fantastical metaphors. But I also love truthfulness between the lines of farcical writing. And here is the truth. You won't like everything I say. That is perfectly acceptable. I do not have "golden ears". I am getting old. I can't hear as well as I used to. I have tinnitus that only gets better when I crank Led Zep to 11. Think you hear well? Take an audiology exam. You'll realize you don't hear 20Hz to 20kHz. I am nowhere close. Aging. Yeah. And yet...this is the important part...I can still discern differences between gear, and put a narrative bow on those I really like. My writing is subjective. It is entertainment with a stated purpose of illuminating our hobby, as well as some of the incredible audio gear made today.
Many parts of my articles are supposed to be funny. Laugh, damn it.
I have been collecting and listening to music since the mid-sixties and this has been my main impetus for becoming involved in fine audio. I enjoy the majority of musical genres, especially Bluegrass, Americana roots, Western Swing, Jazz, R&B, Classical, and Folk music—yet good old Rock and Roll stole my heart as a youth and will never let go.
I like a somewhat relaxed, yet dynamic sound; wide staging and good imaging, more on the warm than cool side. I regularly listen at lower volumes and only crank it when I get the air guitar out of its case. And while audio gear comes in a distant second place to listening to great music, I do love writing about gear and sharing my experiences with others.
I appreciate your support. Cheers and rock on!
