Who R U?

Hi Detlof,
Here's to weaving tapestries, both across oceans and across human experience; music and science; a beautiful synergy!

and the universal answer is...i dont know.

Lots of gear to stuff in that sea bag dude! I was in the Navy also.Have fun!

I'm a 22 yrs. old and have been into Hifi for about 4 yrs. I am a second class petty officer in the navy serving on active duty in Groton, CT, the Submarine capital of the world. I just re-enlisted for another 5 years. Right now I am in the process of upgrading my system. I started off working on home theater, but my tastes have turned to two-channel stereo. For speakers I have B&W 805's powered by my Pioneer Elite receiver, although I just bought a McCormack DNA-225. I use audioquest cables, and my dvd player for a source component. I am about to transfer to the west coast and will finish upgrading when I get settled.

I've been working with a therepist for twenty years trying to figure out the answer to that question. I'll let you know when/if I come to a conclusion.

I'm 51, a publisher, and was introduced to hi-end audio by my 19 old son, a sophomore at U of TX in Austin. He is studying electrical engineering and preparing for a career in audio engineering. I am putting together a system in my home office and thoroughly enjoying the hobby. I also play golf and enjoy decorating our home (sounds crazy, but my wife does like to do it).

I big wave accross the oceans to you, Larryr...and how right you are!

Biotime: I'm 31yo and have been an audiophile for 12 years. It started out with ACCURATE, rather than boomy, reproduction of sound in my car. My best/last car system had McIntosh CD/tuner and amps and 12 Dynaudio Speakers with 2 digital signal processors to put independent delays on the driver's side speakers for proper imaging (similar to TACT RCS. Sounded great for a car.

I've been doing the home stuff for about 3 years. I'm a Physicist so I enjoy both the acoustical and gearhead aspects of this hobby, but I also love music. I pay for the audio toys with my consulting firm that designs biotech instrumentation for genetic research.

I'm a 57 year old shrink and father of two sons, one of whom teaches psychology at the Univ. of Ill. Have been a 'phile for 30 years. Nice to know there's another shrink on this board! Love tubes, great female vocals and Dylan. Listen to folk, blues, and jazz. Feel there are many synergies between my profession and love of music; artistic and human expressions interface with ech other.

Su2618 - brilliant!!! You summed it up in 2 simple sentences. I agree 100% - and that's a first on this site!!

I am 48 , have been involved in hifi for 25 years-hardly ever known a woman who cared about it! And they can hear better than us guys!

I guess I throw my two cents in. I'm 43. I got hooked listening to my mother's console stereo. Went ot prep school, got really hooked and bought a Dynakit, Large Advents and a Dual 1218. Years later, many, many components later I'm hooked on big planars ML, Maggies, reference Infinities. I know it's a problem but I'm in denial. So my wife gives me the basement to play with.

Hi, I'm Ed. I'm an aural-a-holic.
Also a dad, husband, humor writer (10 books published--search Amazon.com), tech writer (dull, but pays for the mortgage & toys), engineer, inventor (only 1 patent--Tom Edison's legacy is safe!).

Now a maker of DVD's, have worked in consumer electronics for over 25 years. Was a guerilla in the home-video revolution. Wrote instruction manuals for Sony--you can blame me for alll those VCR's, helplessly blinking "12:00!... 12:00!...12:00!"

Have been obsessed with all things hi-fi since age 13, when I yanked speakers out of junked cars and installed them in shoe boxes. (Yeah, they did sound "boxy," so don't ask!... Shoe-ey, too.)

Have a dedicated "movie room," (now also known as "Junior's Bedroom/Dad's Movie Room")and a separate music system, now 5.1 channels with SACD and DVD-A players. Was a quad-guy back in the 70's, so this is deja-vu all over again...

I think I've built or owned almost everything ever made. Well, maybe not, but it sure seems that way (ever list all the audio stuff you've had?? Try it sometime.).
Dynakits? Been there; done that; burned my fingers; got heaping hacking lungfuls of toxic solder fumes... Shortwave radio? Hey, what's yer 20 good buddy? 73's! (I'm into collecting cool radios too--ah, that audio addiction goes deep).

Hope to converse with and possibly meet f-2-f other local audio-holics (live in the cultural center of LA--the beach, Redondo that is), but I fear we're becoming harder to find than rocking-horse manure. We're a rare, strange breed. But there are worse things we could do with our time and money. Like attend John Tesh concerts.

Very good thread and a great idea: Well, I'm 67 now, a shrink by profession and I live in the heart of the old continent. English is not my native language. I come from a musical "Jekke" family and I have been involved with music, actively and passively practically all my life. I am into tubes, vinyl and ESP's, but run a fairly decent digital setup as well, because I don't want to miss new important software in my fields of interest. I am heavily into jazz, blues, funk and classical music. I have a grown up son who is in the computer business and is a DJ as well. My wife died five years ago and I live alone now. The passion for this our hobby has not abated through the years, it keeps me alive and on my toes. I am fairly new here on AudioGon and I enjoy the threads and posts and often try to participate. The results are a mixed bag , I suppose I still have to learn the "mores", but thanks to all I have been in closer conversation with. I learn something new every day.

hi bill,

sounds like ya got *yer* musical priorities in order, so mebbe there's hope for yer son! ;~)

even a used wiper is beyond my budget, so i yust have to make-do w/a pantera. :>) its p.o. had a 6-cd changer & decent super-tuner fm-cassette head-unit installed. i still don't know how to use it! that ol' cleveland yust behind yer head makes pretty-decent music of its own - perhaps not like the symphony of eyetalian power - more like good southern rock? ;~)

regards, doug

Hey, Doug,

When reading your note, I had the following thought.

When I was a kid, there were a few Ferraris in my neighborhood. One day I was at the pizza joint and there was a 1967 275 GTB4, which in my opinion is absolutely beautiful. I remember thinking, one day... I'm going to save $14,750 and buy me a Ferrari. Well, by the early 80's, I had the $14,750. Unfortunately, Ferraris cost $80K by then! So, smart feller I am, I bought me a used BB512. Now, in 1984 it's about the fastest production car in the world. So, I drive it accordingly. Six years pass and Enzio dies. Too bad. The entire world now thinks that cars which everyone was afraid to start are artwork. People figure they should pay funny money prices for automobiles. Prior to then, I would corner my car in the 130s. Then I started to have images of my house going sideways through the corners. I wasn't afraid. I just couldn't see trashing a car that now was worth what my house was. Now, I know this is off point. But, today, I can buy my car back for less than I paid in 1984 and about 1/4 of what I sold it for.

I remember having ADS box speakers and a ADS power plate installed in the Boxer when others were having esoteric systems put in their exotic cars. At idle mine was perfectly good background music. And at 96 decibles at the top of a gear, you know... I just didn't hear the music. I could never figure out what insanity an owner of a Lambo running 400+ horsepower and 90+ decibles was thinking when he spent 5000 to have the coolest system that couldn't be heard???

While I love beautiful music and great audio, screw the music if the ponies are there! So, maybe this year a used Viper with some speakers behind my ear.

I'll go home or to a concert for music appreciation. In a car it's tire scrub that counts.

Bill

hey lakefrontroad, tell yer son - i'm into car-audio too - nuttin' like the wail of the 3-litre alfa v6 in my daily-driver at 6.5k rpms! and, w/a commute of 45 miles each way, there's lotsa time for music! :>)

regards, doug

ps-no radio in my daily-driver - *that* kinda music can wait 'til i get home... ;~)

Hi everyone. I've been asking myself the question for most of my 51 years. I'm a retired pension actuary. Yeah, I know, the most boring guys in the world! Well, considering I'm a residential landlord on Long Island, I've got bad and worse covered. Happy that we're married 22 years, we have three children; 12,17,19 who remind us regularly we just here to see them through life.

I re-found music and beauty in my life this past year when I retired. I am astonished how I'm captivated by the presence of music. I built a two-channel system in the living room and an 11-seat theater in the den. The two channel is Levinson/Levinson, Resolution Audio/Dunlavy/PS Audio and the theater is Citation/Citation/Proceed/Panasonic DVD/Hitachi HDTV/with theater seats.

Our family loves the presence of the music now throughout our lives.

Our older son is an electrical engineering major and is into car audio about one tick lower than my interest. His ability is a little smaller than his interest.

We live in northern Westchester County, here in NY.

Other than the expensive nature of this illness, it causes me to seek out additional cd vendors and live concerts I never realized that I needed. I am truly grateful for the added dimension and tranquility audio is/has given to me.

I also want to thank those who have taken the time and interest to help me learn the little I know in order to put the systems together. Thanks. Bill

Nice to meet all of you. I'm audiogon member msw26, a 43-year-old, single guy with no children living "uptown" in NYC with over 1600 CDs. I work in the computer field for a brokerage firm on the weekends and am pursuing an M.A. in statistical sociology at one of the local colleges during the week. I recently replaced my old Yamaha reciever (given to my cousin, an over-educated, under-employed academic, and her partner) with an amplifier, pre-amplifier and tuner.

The old system had two pairs of bookshelf speakers (Infinity and Paradigm, also with cousin). I wasn't attempting to emulate "surround sound." It was modeled more on the old Bose "direct reflecting" idea that non-destructive signals from several directions would sound superior over a larger listening space than a more "focused" sound originating from only two speakers. I first noticed this benefit when an old college roommate (another amateur audio enthusiast who continues to build his own speakers) and I combined our separate stereos in a small college apartment. Unfortunately, I still live in a small (Manhattan) apartment and really don't have the space to arrange all my possessions around a designated "listening" area with only two speakers. At any rate, the old system (now with the cousin) sounded better when arranged with the "diffused" approach than with the "focused" approach, so I tried to replicate this design using better equipment. This may or may not have been a mistake. I'm still playing with it.

Largely on the audiogon website, I've purchased mostly used equipment and begun to assemble my first real "hi-fi" system (or at least, something approaching it) at a significant discount: a Krell KAV-500 amplifier, (I know it's intended for home theater, but the ancient wiring in my pre-war apartment building really can't support the four monoblocks I'd prefer) a Pass Labs X-0 preamplifier, (2 sets of balanced outputs. When I leave NYC, hopefully I'll own a house where I can have the four monoblocks and long XLR interconnections) and again, two pairs of bookshelf loudspeakers: (1) Sonus Faber Extremas (2) Dynaudio Confidence 3. (I know many audiophiles will think these are a little light on the lower end, but this actually allows me to play music louder in my apartment building without bothering my neighbors!) DH Labs Q-10 speaker cables (internally bi-wired for the Sonus Fabers) and Air Matrix interconnects thoughout.

Currently, I'm looking to replace the ancient CD Onkyo player (circa 1987) with an HBB 850 Plus CD recorder. My tentative upgrade path is to eventually add AES/EBU connections to both an MSB Platinum DAC and a Perpetual Technologies P-1A, the latter for its upsampling and jitter reduction capabilities. After that, perhaps a PS Audio P300 to regulate the power for the pre-amp, CDR, P-1A and DAC. Eventually, I'll add another CD transport so I can actually copy an out-of-print CD or two!

While the 100 watt-per-channel Krell KAV-500 doesn't struggle to drive these two demanding pairs of speakers, it doesn't exactly overpower them, either. Purchased used, the amplifier did not come with all the documentation, although one line of text in one document suggested that if I remove one channel, the power distributed to the remaining four channels will increase. Krell has not been overly responsive to this owner of a piece of used equipment that don't even make any longer, (I think) and I'm loath to damage the thing while trying to "improve" the system, but I toy with the idea. If anyone has any idea, about this or anything else, please feel free to contact me directly: msw26@columbia.edu

Take care,
Mike Watkins

My equip is ML aerius i, DC-1, bat vk200, b&k amp forgot model # but its a 3 channel for rear(paradigm stylus) and center is ML cinima, pioneer elite DV-07 301cd/dvd, niles ipc 12(dealer said I need one, now I know I could have upgrade the breakers in the box and been better off), nht sub sw2pi great sub for the price, but looking for more now. Looking to get a bat pre to better my 2 channel. Really bat 3i, vk200, ml, pioneer cd(I found surenergy here, for me any how) transparent music wave thru out, except the interconnects betw the dc and bat is rca to balanced from analsyst plus. Dealer told me the analsyst would sound better than the transparent, well I say you should have saved me the money and sold me the analsyst first. Sorry alittle excited there. And thats about it. Looking for a little help here. Thinking of the vmps subs and marchland xcross over. If anyone has any knowledge of this e-mail me at pcc67@mediaone.net I'll try to keep the question short, but probably not. See ya, have fun audio friends. Love this site, some of you really know what your doing and I appreciate all the help I have received. Thanx Pete

Wow, lots of people talking. Its nice to see who's behind the @. My name is Pete and I am 34. I am married and have a 3yrs old daughter, "O" I forgot to mention a very understanding wife. I've been in the military for 14 yrs, started in the USAF, then the USCG and now in the USANG(air national guard fulltime), my job is military police. I also own a couple apartments, which I ventured into 5 yrs ago. Hell who could afford this stuff on just military pay. Been many places and into music since I listened to "bye bye miss american pie" when I was about six. I played sax for 2 yrs, love the sound of the sax but I gave it up, honestly I sucked at it. At age 11 I owned a pioneer system and was into all kinds of music. Knew I would eventually own separates just picky up until 2 yrs ago when I heard some ML aerius i. Which I do love for the speed. I listen to Dire straights, jethro tull, eagles, rock, jazz, female and male vocals, mozart, and everyday I find something else that moves me. Recently took interest in 3 blind mice, gertz/go something or other, and cowboy junkies. Always looking for something new. So I guess I listen to what moves me. Hobbies include this crazily over priced hobbie, cars and snowmobiling. As far as this hobbie goes, I don't claim to no much about it, but I know what I like and if I can't addition it I usually won't buy it. I do support my local dealer, but I do believe their interest lie else were. Though its hard to know all equip.. Yes I do say whats on my mind, that's me.

I'M A 54 YEAR OLD "PHILE" LIVING IN TEXAS. I'VE OWNED SEVERAL SYSTEMS FROM CO'S LIKE TRESHOLD, KRELL, ARC, ROWLAND, LINN AND CURRENTLY USE ACCUPHASE INCLUDING THEIR INCREDIBLE DP-75V CD PLAYER. MY WIFE LOVES THE MUSIC HIGH-END DELIVERS BUT NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN THE EQUIP. SHE DOES UNDERSTAND A GREAT DEAL ABOUT IT THOUGH WHICH HELPS.

Retroguy, i too have built several pairs of speakers. I have a couple of suggestions. One I prefer the sound of scan speak like the 9500 tweeter and the 25w8565-01 10in. woofer. Has far has crossx goes use ohmite resistors nad the crescendo caps our the best period....
All parts can be had by www.northcreekmusic.com
Good luck and hopes this helps in anyway

I HAVE TWO GREAT Passions, one music,two cigars. Ive been a music head for ten years, a cigar smoker since 12 now 38.I live on the island of Guam, in the south pacific.Besides the music and cigars, I play golf four times a week and dive the wrecks and reefs here atound guam, visibility is 150-200 ft daily,water temp is 83f.For employment ive been a dental tech.ceramist since i was 18.To relieve ones self of island boredom population 90.000 on a 5 mile wide by 27 mile long island i travel frequently to Hong KONG and France .Great site and always iteresting topics.
My system consist of wadia 861 connecting via synergistic des.ref active sheilding to a pass x350 driving a pair of dunlavys sc 4as via synergistic des.ref.speaker cable.my biggest problem is the concrete walls ceiling, and floors finally making progress. thanks for the rambling

Well answering David99's post I consider myself a 'newcomer' and feel obligated to let everyone know what's going on with my system. The best component in my system is my speakers, Avalon Eclipse. I have a Rotel RB-990BX amp powering them now, but I also use sometimes some heavily modified adcom GFA-565's. I realize neither amp does justice to the speakers but I have plans of replacing them as soon as I have made a decision. I also have a Acurus Act 3 pre-amp which is also on it's way out the door in exchange of a BAT pre-amp. I use a Rega plannet 2000 CD player and think I am going to purchase a turn table within the year. I listen mostly to Jazz and some rock and a little bit of techno. And I also am a big cables guy (I really think it makes a difference, I am a believer) so I use TEKline cables throughout the stereo, all pure silver wire, if there are any questions on my gear feel free to coment here our send me an e-mail I would be glad to answer any questions( and if you e-mail me NO one will rate your post!) Thank you and happy listening.

Ok all you new faces here.Give it up and tell us a little about your self and what your packin for audio gear.Dont be shy,we all had to do this too.

i am a 53 yo married physician assistant who works in an ungent care fascility 3 days a week,owns a home health care agency and a surgical assistant business. i have been involved in audio for most of my adult life but only into highend for the past 15 yrs. i have a very forgiving wife who tolerates my addiction.i also have 1 large old english sheepdog and 8 cats.

Retro, the woodworking is the easy part as I am finding out. I just may take you up on the advise as I get closer to designing crossovers. It's been a long time since I graduated engineering school.

WOW, I just spent the last 2 hrs reading all of the intro's. My name is Scott Jensen. The reason I give you my full name is, when I started in this hobby, back in the mid 70's, every time I walked into an audio store, I was encouraged to buy Scott components with Jensen speakers. ;-) My 1st exposure to hifi was in the mid 70's when my older brother took me to a hi-end dealer in downtown Ogden, Utah called the Hifi Shop. You may remember it because of the Hifi Shop murders. Several people were torture and killed amidst the JBLs and Bang & Olefsons. Bad situation. Anyway, I'm a 41 year old with 3 kids. I have a degree in Logistics and I guess you would call me a manufacturing systems expert. I've spent years in the Automotive business, learning from Toyota, and eventually from the Goldratt Institute. Some of you may know what that is . . . My love of music started when my older brothers brought home an album called "Meet the Beatles". My love of great audio stems from the Hifi Shop visit when we demoed a huge pair of JBLs via a Linco table and Phase Linear power. I was hooked. I've since listen to everything I could, but have never been so impressed as the time I found a small speaker store in downtown Salt Lake City called Speakerlab. They had a pair of towers called model S50's. Designed by Milos Nestorovic they had a 2 bass drivers, a 10" & 12" wired in a patented series. The bass response was tight and earthshaking at all volume levels. I was a young poor married guy at the time and could not afford them. So I continued to dream about buying them. During this time the Speakerlab store closed and Nestorovic started his own company. His speakers start at 5k which is still a little out of my price range when I've got two other hobbies to support. So, any advice or opinions on obtaining something like them or better would be greatly appreciated. Even a pair of used Speakerlab S50's would be swell, but I haven't had much luck yet. Good to read about everyone, and hope to interact with some of you in the future on this great website.

Gmkowal, it's great to build your own speakers, the final payoff is extraordinary. I have designed and built some 30 pairs of speakers over the years. I am currently working on a ribbon hybrid. Tweeter/mid from an original Apogee Duetta, and several Vifa options. Anyone have any suggestions? Good luck on yours. retroguy

Howdy, my name is Guy...I am a 45 year old, degreed electrical engineer. I live on Long Island, am 45 years old and have been married for 23 years. My wife and I are DINKS which is how I can afford this hobby. I also enjoy woodworking as well as the technical aspects of audio. I play guitar and have loved music all my life. I am attempting to build my own speakers. It is a pleasure meeting all of you.

Hi Shaqspack; great intro. post-- at least I certainly enjoyed it, and welcome to Audiogon Chat. I believe "some of us" could occasionally use your professional services on some of the more heated threads. Do you do cyber-counseling? Nice to meet you too Retroguy; I see on another thread that you're already "mixing it up". Cheers. Craig.

My name is Todd, I go by retroguy. I have been in the Electronics Industry all of my life. Built my first crystal set at Eight and my first Two way at fifteen. Earned most of a BSEE at UIUC in the early 90's. I'm 35 shortly have a lovely wife that has danced for the Geoffrey in New York and now has her Masters in Chem. Does research for ADM Corporate. We have two incredible sons, Euler who is four and Feynman who is 18 months. Not much into HT, It's hard enough to get two channels to sound good. I was very fortunate to find my wife, she loves music as much as I do. Our children are constantly listening to music as well and showning a talent. My oldest boy has a nice singing voice when he's not being to shy. Enjoy your music. This was a genius thread to start.

Glad I found this post. Past few months I bought some good stuff, sold some good stuff, and got a lot of good advice here on AG. I am Ed. We go by shaqspack (www.shaqspack.com) for our lovable lab Shaquille. You can see him on his Website. I'm 46 and just got married this Thanksgiving, thinking it wouldn't make a difference after 7 years. It did, even happier. Our four-footed furry kids (Not inbred) are enough for us. I have a Ph.D. in psychology and practice general psychology and medical-legal consulting outside of Sacramento. I was born to be an audio geek of some sort. Remember taking apart my mom's record player at an early age. And learned about capacitance, getting my butt knocked across the room. AND ICK, IT WAS TUBE!! Funny how that's turned out. I remember my early audiophile days thinking Yamaha was the holy grail of audio and upgrading wiring meant using heavier gauge lamp cord (and better wine meant over a buck). Passions for audio cooled until HT. Wow, movies at home (My wife and I have never been to a movie together -- it's just been that long since anyone could drag me to a theatre --- and I'm gettin' old -- wanna put it on pause and pee when I want). So, got the bigscreen (just a projection) and Dvd (Pioneer 05) and B&K separates with new soliloquy speakers to replace paradigm any day now. Playing with assorted wire, etc. My wife refers to it all as black boxes. She didn't have a TV when we met. Now we have a smaller HT in the bedroom. How romantic Kristi, me and Shaquille in the middle. My other passions are flying (licensed pilot) and coaching youth (Jr. Hi) basketball. Go nuts or need a movie in Sacramento, I'm the guy.

Hi everyone by the looks of things I'm a younger audiophile, 19 and spending every penny earned on my stereo. I am currently single and I am a co-owner of a garage (not your typical hi-fi enthusiast) I graduated high school when I was 16 and went right to work (to busy listening to music for college, sorry). I know my ears are still developing and try to make my stereo the best I can step by step and one day hope to be like the rest of you, whom I would like to thank for all of your techinical support I have recieved from everyone. More specifics I live in upstate New York (no, not a correctional facility) just a little south of Albany, I have been into high end audio since I was 15. I try to be like a sponge and absorb as much as possible but all of you know so much more about this stuff then do I but I am learning quickly. My other interest besides this is women(obviosly) and cars.

Vetgonpunk@aol.com, I clearly remember when I was your age and discovered my perfect amp. My only advise to you is to enjoy your youth, the music, and your friends. Hopefully some of which will be females who like the same tunes you do. You are already at the right site to discover other alternatives in equipment. The good news is you care about this at such an early age, you have your whole life to discover the "magic" combination. My best to you!

I love my amp. Its just fun to stare at. im only 19 years old and i love to crank it up really loud! It took me over a year to find the perfect amp. At first i was skeptical about paying 260.00 for a 20 year old amp with wooden sides. But now I am so glad i did. Soon i want to get a pioneer Elite 300 disc DVD player and match up the wood sides. if anyone has any advice about making it better let me know

I'm not sure if its available on vinyl, I'd love to hear it though, I will be looking for it now, AIC unplugged is the best sounding AIC album IMO, all their songs actually sound better(to me) when unplugged. I just remembered David if you like AIC have you listened to Jerry Cantrells Album "Boggy Depot" thats a great album too. More mellow than AIC but same sort of feel.

Another heavy metal great is the Metallica Black album. (you probably own it) Something kind of funny is that Nothing Else Matters is actually a rework of a nylon-string classical guitar song called 'Romancia'. I remember when I was learning it, I stopped: "Haven't I heard this somewhere ?".

Hmm,Ok John,maybe that explains why I liked this CD so much.Im into Alice in Chains and have most on vinyl.Very interesting! Thanks!

Tim,for some reason I thought it was the first release.Yes,the first song is "Flight response"I loved this CD on first listen.As I stated above,I have a CD-R copy.The sound quality is quite good but Im wondering how much better a "Store Bought"CD sounds.Also,do you know if this is avaliable on vinyl?

I have that CD, and I think it's cool too! You know what it is ? Days of the New is a previously unsuheavy metal band that went acoustic. Heavy metal is characterized by power chords played over minor keys. That's why the music has that way-cool yet slightly disturbing sound to it. Alice in Chains is another band that does this. If you like DOTN, you will probably like AIC's acoustic album 'SAP'. AIC's MTV Unplugged is good too.

David 99, I am a huge fan of Days of the New, which album do you have? If it starts with "Shelf in the Room" you have the first album which is a cool album, but if it starts with "Flight Response" (sound of horses getting nearer then its the second album and that is a brilliant album , if its the socond one I advise you to listen to it with your eyes closed or in the dark to capture all the moods they put into it. Great choice of music! Tim.

Craig,I agree! Maybe we "hot heads" can save the potentially damaging comments/views for the other audio related threads.Lets keep this one clean please! Ive been turned on to a new CD.Its unusual for me to be excited at a first listen to something new.Usually I have to get a bit used to it.Its the first,self titled release from a modern rock band called "Days Of The New" Its really unusual and I think some of you that would never consider modern rock may enjoy it.Craig,check it out.The copy I have on loan is a CD-R.If you dont enjoy it as much as I think you may,I will buy it off you.Happy Holidays all!!

Personally I'm glad that David99 had the nerve to start this potentially contentious thread, and as he mentioned me in it, I feel a small amount of joint responsibility for it too. I think the thread has been highly successful, extremely interesting, and very worthwhile. So, I sincerely hope no one pollutes it with pettiness and negativity. I have really enjoyed getting to know other Audiogon members, and as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the most valuable threads of the year. Thanks David. Cheers and Happy holidays to all. Craig.

Hi Bencampbell, specialised subject-Dylan, Me too. Maybe one of us should start a Dylan thread. Gotta go, theres smoke pouring out of a box car door. P.S. Don't follow leaders watch the parking meters. Nice to meet you Ben.

Treljia,David99...I work in the boring world of pigment production,studied Chemistry at college in general terms(Physical,Organic,Inorganic). My real expertise is in popular music,specialised subject- Dylan.D99 yeah well the girlfriend is pretty supported of the hi-fi because she knows I love music so much..sometimes she even hears a difference when I change/upgrade....actually I've just had a really stressful day being messed about by a guy who was supposed to buy my old amps...it's took the edge off my new purchase which I've been listening to and now have to abandon testing due to it being 23:30 here..oh well there's always tomorrow.. Regards, Ben

Hey Tim.warhurst@ nice to know you Aussies are there. I know that New Zeland and Australia are about as close as New york and L.A. but your a hell of a lot closer than Minneapolis to the Kiwi's. Try out the Plinus amps or even the integrated amp they have. I had the SA100 prior to my Aloia, really clean class A or AB and not at all electronic sound. I think the have some of the best bang for the buck out there. Good luck, and thanks for a great Olympics! J.D.

My turn , I'm 26 yrs old, an Electronic Tradesman , working as an Electronics Tester for BAE Systems in Adelaide, Australia. I'm single with no kids. I've been into music for most of my life, thanks Ma! Pretty much I like all music except Country, and (c)rap. I've only been into this Audiophile thing for about 2 years. Even then I don't think I would be classed as an Audiophile, more a bloke who enjoys his music and learning ways to improve my listening pleasure. I guess mostly I'm a DIY person (speakerwise). I'm also into Roadbikes , Cars (and car audio yeh I Know it sounds crappy just loud) and seeing live bands( mostly South OZ metal acts, my girlfriend is dragging me out of the shed to see them). I'm looking to upgrade my Amp's and CD player soonish in the search for perfect Audio, But will I find it? I might find my perfect Audio sound but I bet some of you out there would hear it and want to tweak it to bits. Being Australian I think I'm easily satisfied(or is that amused). Thats who I am. Tim.

BenCampbell, what area of chemistry do you work in? Nice to have some brothers on the site. Have to say I moved to IT at the end of last year. Spent at least half of my time programming the equipment to run my experiments, create/update spreadsheets, and write report. Didn't like the fact that the computer guys were making 3X as much as me. Also didn't like the big multinationals continuing to devour my company, and rip it apart(Lucas Varity - now TRW, etc.) Quick joke, "Why do the English drink their beer warm? Lucas electrics". So you know the old saying, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em". So here I am programming for a big company in Philadelphia, PA. Hope you continue to post!