All components in BOLD are loaned; all components in standard face are owned by us.
LOUDSPEAKERS
Vandersteen Quatro Wood Carbon.
ELECTRONICS
PS Audio BHK 250 amplifier, PS Audio BHK Signature preamplifier. Heed Thesis phono stage.
SOURCES
Digital: PS Audio DirectStream DAC and DirectStream Memory Player.
Analog: Fern & Roby Montrose Turntable and Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Cartridge.
Computer Based System
Integrita C4 NAS from Certon, AURALiC Aries G2 and Mini (Lightning DS), Ansuz PowerSwitch A2, Netgear WiFi extender w/SBooster power supply.
HEADPHONES
Sennheiser HD600 and Focal Elears. Heed Audio Canamp. Portable headphones from Zu Audio. Astell & Kern and Acoustic Research portable amps.
CABLES
Black Cat 3020 and Purist Audio Neptune interconnects. Black Cat 3020 and Purist Audio Neptune speaker cables. Purist Audio Digital, Sablon Panatela, Triode Wire American and Silver Statement, Dynamic Design Heritage and Luminous Audio Power Lynx Mega AC cords. USB cables from JPlay, WyWires, Skogrand, Audience, Cardas, Purist Audio, Black Cat, Sablon Audio, and Furutech. Network cables from Ansuz, JPlay, Audioquest, Cardas, WireWorld and Sablon Audio. Purist Audio Contego S/PDIF RCA or AES/EBU, Locus Design Core S/PDIF RCA or AES/EBU, or DH Labs D-75 AES/EBU digital cables.
ACCESSORIES
PS Audio P20 Regenerator, Entreq Poseidon Ground unit, TELOS Ground Conditioner, Nordost Qv2, Qx2, and Qx4, Furutech RD-2 demagnetizer, Silver Circle Juice Box Pro (office) and Tchaik (video system), and Audio Prism QuietLines and Purons (throughout the house). Synergistic Research Back Box (2) and Synergistic Research FEQ Carbon Acoustic Field Generator. Two dedicated 20 AC circuits. Original Cable Jackets (frig's AC and telephone line). GIK acoustical treatments. Black Raviolis, Daedalus Audio DiDs, and Fern & Roby Rack. Clever Little Clock. Olympia Record Crates. Various Peter Belt treatments. audioexcellence az AudioDharma Cable Cooker for all cables.
Since 1981 (when we first put together a modest system: NAD 3140, DCM Time Windows, AR turntable, DIY silver speaker cables) we have been "seriously" into audio. Carol insisted her first paycheck with a new job be put towards buying that system. We have owned quite a lot of different audio-related "items" over the years (Cary, Blue Circle, Clayton, Muse, Adcom, Apogee, Cardas, Kimber, JPS, Nordost, and many others—of which a good number are still here and listed in our system description). We started an Audio Society (at the time being the Greater South Bay Audiophile Society which is now the LAOC Audio Society ran by Bob Levi) here in LB way back in like 1992. After a few years we launched a print publication audioMusings that, after a number of years, merged with Positive Feedback some 20 years ago, to go online where we are partners with David and his wife Lila.
We are both well-known and respected in the industry, having been a part for the past 35 years and counting. We have attended, as Press, CES, RMAF, CAS, AXPONA, and other such regional shows over the years.
Collectively, we have reviewed countless products over the past 35 years though we prefer to listen to music and not components. Dave has no airs about his writing as he considers himself a hack at best—and how he writes is how he thinks and speaks, which we guess makes him both a hack speaker and thinker. Carol on the other hand is an accomplished author having published a number of books. We are not typical audiophiles in that our music preferences fall outside of the norm for the vast majority of audiophiles—hence we avoid mentioning what we listen to within the reviews, though Carol has a series of pieces centered on music that she finds special.
Our listening room is about 18' long x 14' wide and has 9' cove'd ceilings. All walls are lathe and plaster with suspended wood floors (construction is 1928 Spanish) which have been reinforced directly under the speakers with concrete pillars. While this is our living room, it has become dedicated more to audio than to casual conversation. As such we have employed a fair amount of room treatments (GIK, Synergistic Research, and Shakti products), as well as two dedicated AC lines. Speakers and equipment have been painstakingly measured and set up to offer the best presentation possible. Our musical tastes are pretty much all over the map, but we do prefer music that is more slanted and "alternative" to the accepted norm—regardless of the genre.
When we listen to music, we prefer a full-range sound that places the performers out into the room. We like a more "in-your-face" sound as opposed one where the soundstage sits well behind the speakers. Additionally, we like our music with a bit more "syrup" than most so our current system is slanted towards the richer and warmer side of things. Another thing we do like is detail and imaging. Yes, a well-defined soundfield that offers a well-lit stage is what we are after—though one that stresses musicality over sterile neutrality. Not lush mind you, but a bit perhaps a touch darker than most. Of course as time moves on, we prefer to just "listen" as opposed to "listening to."
We spend a fair amount of time here in Long Beach as members of the arts community (Dave's work can be found at www.daverclarkdesigns.com). We also enjoy good food and drink.
Computer Based System (home office)
- Dell W7 Desktops (audio is direct out via USB). iTunes, FooBar, JRiver, etc.
- PS Audio Sprout 100, Schiit Wyrd.
- ELAC B4 loudspeakers.
- Sennhieser HD600 headphones.
- QNAP with four 2TB WD Green drives as well as the Certon C4.
- Shakti Stones.
- Zu, Kimber, Audience interconnects. Kimber, Cardas, JPlay, and Furutech USB cables. DH Labs Power Plus or Dynamic Design AC cords. Audioquest Ethernet cables.
- iFi USB 3.0 and Purifier 2.
- Cat 6 and Netgear gigabit switch.
Home Theater System
LOUDSPEAKERS
ELAC UniFi 2.0 fronts and center, Paradigm 250 surrounds, and a Velodyne DSP12 subwoofer.
ELECTRONICS
Pioneer VSX-60TXV receiver.
SOURCES
Sony OLED K90 HDTV television and an Oppo BD105.
CABLES
Luminous Audio speaker cables, Audioquest Carbon HDMI, Silver Sonic HDMI 1.3 cable, and DH Labs Deluxe Toslink cables. Bybee Golden Goddess TV Enhancer AC tail, DH Labs Red Wave, Luminous AC cords.
ACCESSORIES
Silver Circle Thaik, Shakti Stones and On-lines, and an Electra-Clear EAU-1 parallel AC unit.
