Dave- You know I am with you buddy!! It's just amazing how much life has changed for some of the early poster's on this thread, a real trip down memory lane- and that's can be damn scary. Hope every one's doing well and they are even closer to audio nirvana since there first post here. Happy Holidays :o) ~Tim
Who R U?
A while back Garfish mentioned he lked the idea of getting to know some of us better.As no one has started a thread like this before I will take the plunge.I have been involved in and read many heated exchanges here in AudioGon.I hope no one attacks me for this thread saying "who cares about you,this is audio" Anyway,Im 45 and live in W.N.Y.I have never been married but have a music loving 11 year old daughter who lives with me.I have been a nurse for 20 years.Before that I was a Navy Corpsman for several years.I recently became engaged (first time) to a beautiful 30 year old music loving woman.At my age a 30 year old is a keeper and I have never been happier!! My other interests??Im into vinyl,who has time for anything else??
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I'm a 50 year old fireman, married with 2 grown sons. I grew up listening to and playing classical music but listen mostly to rock. My father was a church organist for 50 years and my grandfather built and worked on pianos for 65 years. I love music and I love this site. For relaxation I listen to music or go fishing. |
i'm hoping i'll figure it out one day... on the outside, 31 y/o, single, white male from upstate ny (schenectady). moved all over the world: belfort, france when i was real young (1 to 4); later, milan, italy (14 - 17) and tokyo, japan (17-18). while in high school, attended the royal school of music for composition and piano performance, but gave it up in college because i thought i needed a more traditional degree. would love to get a piano again one day. after college, moved to dc to work for the audubon society (still with them), and lived with my best friend (a dj at a club) for several years. the only vinyl i ever really knew was progressive house! we had two turntables, a mixer and my martin logan aerius setup in our living room, with milk crates filled with records all over the apartment. ah, those were the days :) beside progressive house (BT, blue amazon, peter rauhofer, jr. vasquez, sasha, john digweed), i also love classical (chopin) and jazz piano (love dick hyman) and R&B. my all time favorite artist is stevie wonder. oh, and my middle name is "dennis" (my father's first name). family calls me steve. thanks to all who answered, it's great to get some personal details about some of you that i feel like i now know! |
Glad to see i am not by far alone in my love for audio! I am 30 years old live in Woonsocket, R.I. married with a 5 month old daughter. Unfortunatly my wife does not share the same interest in this hobby. I don't make much money but all the spending money i get goes to my home system! I work for CVS, the warehouse, in woonsocket shipping all the good stuff out to the CVS stores. I started out with car audio at 16 years old, and ended up building a $25000.00 system in my 1995 gmc Jimmy, now i am building my home set up and will probably end up selling my system in my truck! There is no end to this maddness of our love for awesome audio sound but good to read about many of you fellow audiophiles! Sounds corny maybe to some but everyone calls me audiophil, being my name is phil and i just so happened to be addicted to this wonderfull hobby! |
I am 45 years old and have loved music since I was 6 years old when I started playing the guitar, I now own over 30 of them. I have lived in New York/New Jersey most of my life. I play six different instruments today. I am married and my son is now seven (big kid z). Having him has been the greatest part of my life because he is so full of life and sure of himself at seven. My wife loves music also (Ella, Billy Hoiliday, Sara V) and she sings and plays the piano. We get out about one to two times per month to NYC/Philly to see live music. Allman Brothers in NYC in March is always the highlight because I learned every guitar lick from Duane and Dicky went I was younger. Brain Setzer was just out of this world recently also (gotta go see him if you can). I have been in sales for all of my life mostly in the financial industry in Real Estate financing. Hey, it's a living. I now live in an old country home on a lake with the typical stone fireplace etc. Life is always good. The down side is that I lost some family and friends in the WTC. It really made me realize that life is always too short. Anyway, I still have the same ten friends from high school that we see every month. Also five good friends from college that I stay in close touch with. Thanks for reading and Happy Listening! Always for the music, BigKidZ |
Great to see so many in "my age bracket". I just turned 47 on 1/6/03. I have been into this hobby since my early teens, growing up in the Buffalo area. My single biggest audio epiphany was hearing how good a high power sound system could be made to sound in less than ideal conditions: the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound PA!! I'll be a Bills fan till the day I die :) Went to college in Boston 1974-1979, and continued to live in New England until returning to the Buffalo area for grad school in 1986. My profession is as a librarian/IT professional. I have lived in South Carolina and Hershey, PA since leaving Buffalo for the second time. I currently live just outside of Philadelphia on the NJ side of the Delaware River. I have a son who is a college freshman, and a 5 year old daughter who started kindergarten this year. My wife is supportive of this insane hobby of mine in as much as is possible. We have a Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) by the name of Charli. My other passions besides my family and audio are fly fishing and skiing |
My name is Chris Field, Im 26, somewhat single, an Aquarius and I enjoy long walks on the beach and idle chit chat. After barely making it out of highschool (1.6gpa) and not being accepted to any college (obviously) I figured that wasting my highschool carrer (while fun) was not the best idea. I joined the United States Air Force in 1996 with a guaranteed job in the electronics field after scoring near perfect on the ASVAB ( cant believe people can fail that thing) I lucked out and was assigned Telecom. After 7 months of training I was assigned to Misawa AB Japan, where I first encountered good stereo equipment. I bought myself a good reciever and DVD player and ever since then I have been upgrading / overhauling my system. After Japan I was stationed in Wright-Patterson AFB, Oh, (god that sucked. If there is a buttcrack of the world it is the state of ohio, no offence to anyone living there, you already have it bad enough) I stayed their for a brief year and a half and got out of the military after my 4 years was up I managed to grab the coat-tails of the telecom bubble and god a job at Time Warner Telecom working on DMS 500s, 5ESS, Seimans, STPs, SCPs, doing network surveillance as well as troubleshooting any / all customer troubles. This job I'm currently in probably has one of the meanest learning curves in the world, but the pay is ok and the learning curve keeps you busy. (how did I manage the 1.6gpa?) In my telecom life I have installed/maintained/troubleshot Local PBXs, Electronic Key Systems, and DMS500 & 5Ess Class 5 switching systems. Ive installed Cat-5, spliced fiber(fusion) dug cable trenches and been electrocuted 3 times. (that explaines the nervous twitching ;) Ive been into audio equipment for about 7 years, I started out in the mid-low grade, finally got myself a very very nice mid-grade, and now im looking to push it into the high-end of the spectrum. I want to drive my carreer to High-End audio, but unsure of the path. With the PBX / cat-5 installation experience I'm confident I can install multi-zone systems, its all about running cables. I would like to try that, but have a hard time finding the time. Im not married yet, but I have a wonderful girlfriend who is currently going to school full-time to become a massage therapist. Once she finishes it will open up a lot of my finances to the point that a $1000 monoblock is not completely out of the question. I have tried various times to get her interested in this twisted hobby, however, it just does not appeal to her whatsoever, however, she does not complain about it, because she does enjoy music and movies. She just doesent understand why im constantly moving the speakers a little, and dressing/re-dressing my cable management system. |
Hi, I'm David, 58, living by the sea in Wales, UK. Married with grown up kids (one an investment banker, the other a pro rugby player in France). I work as advisor to a number of high technology companies and look after investors interests in high tech businesses. My journey into audio started at college with the usual low cost set-up using British valve (tube) equipment such as Quad and Leak. Over the years system has developed (mostly forward, sometimes backward) through the usual steps with electrostatics (Quads, Dayton Wrights, Accoustats, Martin Logans) to a long and rewarding association with Infinity RS-1b speakers driven by Audio Research amps and today to Wilsons driven by Pass X1000 monoblocks. Taste in music is very wide from Bach to Opera to reggae to pop. I like to go to the opera as often as I can (Covent Garden in London, San Francisco, Moscow) and I'm still striving to recreate that sound at home. Getting close but not there yet! Besides audio, I run steam trains in the garden and I'm into photography and also fine wines. Any audiophiles on the US side of the pond who need help, advice or a contact this side of the pond, please feel free to contact me. |
Dave, Maybe I can help you get there by a "bio update". It has been going on 3 years since I first put in my admittedly "thin" bio. I'm now 35 and my kids are aged 5 and 4. I still have the same gig at an investment firm doing individual and small business retirement planning. My wife STILL thinks I'm crazy with the audio bug and can't understand my need for "bigger, better, faster". Whenever I put a new componenet or cable in I always ask her opinion and she always says "It sounds good" then spoils that remark with the follow-up "but I also thought it sounded good before". She still sits in her chair out of the sweet spot (to the left of the left speaker in fact) and insists that she can hear it "just fine" from there. I seem to go at this hobby in waves and have found I usually tinker with my system in the winter. Not only am I inside more but the lack of humididty seems to improve the sound. Also, living in Dallas, there is less demand for electrical power in the winter and brownouts are very rare, which seems to also impact the overall experience (maybe I AM nuts!). This past year I decided to take the hi-rez plunge and bought an SACD/DVD player. I am very happy with about 80% of the titles I own - the other 20% are no better than their CD counterparts IMO. I guess that just goes to show you can't turn a poor recording into an excellent one by simply adding the latest technology! I'll sign off now and update again in another 3 years:-) Enjoy the music! - Tony |
All right -- heading for the 500th post. Here goes. Just a simpel guy -- two only children (one is 28, married and with one child) the other is 4 and one-half and beautiful. Trying to make up for the mistakes I made the first time around in some ways. They're both wonderful though, the eldest is a school teacher. Anyway -- got the real audio bug in the Army in Germany early 70's. Listened to and bought some interesting stuff. Dumped it off and on and just migrated back into the hobby. Only started tube-rolling with the current rig (nothing to brag about actually -- deference to my spouse -- however I have hung onto some key pieces that I dearly love. I'm on track to get the final "replacement" piece for what I once had -- R2R deck -- Revox. That way I can play the stuff I recorded oh so many years ago again. It'll be interesting to hear it through the new stuff. Oh yeah -- Southern CA is my home, always has been. It's amazing what a little disposable income will put you through these days. I always look to maximize the limitations set on by home arrangements and spousal requirements. Otherwise it would be dedicated room etc. Still, I see, smell and taste the ocean everyday when I wake up because I spent the money on the home in the location not on the available space to do the audio thing. Still in mid-fi mode by most accoutns but I love what I've got (probably want to do something with speakers soon though). |
Fathom7- Simple guy? 2 kids? I don't see how that is possible! Don't kids make everything an adventure? I don't have any and am not planning for any at this time, but I can only imagine life becomes anything but simple. :) In any case its nice to have you "jump start" this thread and let us know a little about you and your system, there are a number of people here on the 'gon who live in the south cali. area. You should try to track some of them down, its always nice to meet others who are local to you who share the same wackiness :^) |
I'll work o nthe tracking down thing. Just as a follow-on I just initiated my first round of tube rolling. It's more fun and rewarding than I imagined. I'm two-thirds of the way through and have found the process amazing. The steps I've used include replacing a set of tubes and allowing for burn-in and then critical listening then roll in the next set (not in place of the first). Thus I'm two sets in place with one more to go. Great stuff. F7 |
New to Audiogon, but like the commentary and community. 39 year old technical writer. Live in NH, squirreled away in a log home surrounded by woods (but close to civilization - the best of both worlds). Stumbled into tech writing about 13 years ago - and despite its often humdrum nature - it pays the bills and I'm competent enough at doing it. Work isn't really that important to me. Married for 15 years (together for 20) to a mostly wonderful woman who has glimmers of getting "it" (mostly the music), but for the most part is too busy for such frivolity. Her father was a music professor for 30+ years, jazz band leader/occasional gigger, and a somewhat accomplished composer and arranger. I had on a Paul Desmond/Gerry Mulligan disc a few weeks ago, and he recalled playing with one of them (don't remember which) back in the day. Apparently also a harsh musical task master, so maybe the wife just spent too many hours with the metronome. :) Two children - girl 5, boy 7 - who are not too far past that irritating stage of having to hear the same song 72 times in a row. I still love them dearly. Anglo-American by birth. Seven years in England (3 at boarding school), five years in Sri Lanka, and the rest right here in the USA, split between NH and CT (UConn grad). My own musical experience is HS and some college chorus/chamber groups. Haven't sung in years though, and fear I have lost a once reasonably good tenor voice. Hobbies include reading (mostly fiction), movie-going/watching, board games, road biking (Bianchi TSX), running when my knees can stand it, downhill/X-country skiing, travel (Brazil/Argentina, Costa Rica, Greece, Japan, Austria, Italy, UK, Canary Islands, Canada, France among other places) and music. Decidedly low-to mid-fi, and enjoy my system for home theater as much as music (don't really have the time for quality listening, given the energy expenditure required to raise two young ones). My "System" includes Mirage OM-7 as mains for music/HT, Mirage OMC-3 center channel, and two recently purchased Wharfedale Diamond 8.2 70 Anniversary speakers for rears/spare stereo pair. Couldn't pass up the e-bay price. Onkyo Integra DTR7 receiver, Panasonic DVD player, an old Onkyo turntable purchased in college (but at least I still have it and use it occasionally!), a Sony mid-grade tape deck, and a Sony 5 disc CD changer that my wife picked up for free at the swap-shop at the dump. It beat our 13 year old single-play Magnavox CD player hands down! Oh - and a 25" Monky Ward color TV that's still going strong. I guess I'm here for the same reason that I have a "Sterophile" subscription (nice to fantasize), and to hopefully glean something meaningful from the cheap tweak brigade. Musically, probably enjoy British pop of the low-fi/emo/pastoral/jangly variety most of all (XTC, Mull Historical Society/Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Badly Drawn Boy, Martin Newell, Francis Dunnery, World Party, the Blue Nile, Del Amitri, Trash Can Sinatras among others), but enjoy much more. Last two CDs played: Dennison Wittmer's "Recovered" (great remakes of 70's SoCal and other rock gems) and Rickie Lee Jones "Pirates". Last rock concerts attended: Steely Dan at the Tweeter Center (Everything Must Go tour), Sanata's pre "Supernatural" tour (last summer), and Badly Drawn Boy at the Avalon Ballroom in Boston (a GREAT show). Peace, George O BTW, the moniker "Regiolanthe" is a nod to "Reginald Iolanthe Perrin" (RIP), a character created by author/scriptwriter David Nobbs both in novel and TV form (late 70's Britcom). I can identify with his ongoing quest for search for enlightnement/meaning in an often meaningless and routine world. If you appreciate the term "Bolivian Unicyclist's Jockstrap" as it applies to frozen desserts, well, Reggie's the guy for you. |
My name is Mike Chaiko, 42, and I'm a terminal audioholic with little hope for recovery. I live in central NJ, where i've been nearly all my life. I'm a full time Army National Guard helicopter Instructor Pilot and have been flying both airplanes and helicopters for the past 23 years. Amazingly, I'm getting close to retirement from the military and will be looking for a flying position in the civilian sector shortly. I've been married to a wonderful wife for 11 years (although she's got little appreciation for high-end audio) and have a 5 year old son and a 4 year old daughter. My hobbies include soccer (although I haven't played for years due to knee injuries), competitive cycling (have a Moots Titanium/Campy racing bike), homebrewing beer, cigars, and obviously home audio. My earliest musical memory was going to my best friend's house one day to listen to his parents new hi-fi. His older brother played guitar and just bought Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced?" I was 6 years old at the time and still remember listening to that album all day long. I borrowed it to show my parents and they absolutely flipped when they saw the cover and heard that "monkey music". I guess part of me liked the reaction and the newfound connection to rebellion and rock-and-roll. My musical tastes have since expanded to include jazz, blues, and clasical. I'm still on cloud nine after seeing Pavarotti last night in Trenton, NJ. I've always been a fan of live music and feel connected to the emotion that musicians convey on stage. I've found audiogon an incredible resource for the upgrade path i've chosen over the past year. I appreciate all the responses i've received and am happy to "meet" all you goner's out there. Happy listening!! |
Iam 46 years old,migrated from Philippines 24 years ago, I am a medical technology,and a nurse, married to a lovely wife,2 kids boy and a girl, 15 and 16,I live here in Illinois,1 mile from Michael Jordan,2 miles from the Chicago bears place. I love music a lot,many of you, dont have the idea, that in my country, we play music anytime' with open window,ussually at 4 am, neighbors love it, for they cant afford stereo, we own sansui, kenwood,national quadrosonic,it was fun,over here here if I forgot the window cop will show up,I am Christian, I use my gear to listen to a lot of Gospel music,adn I love classical,folks,country music,When I found out Agon, I learn a lot from you guys, Mostly are good audiophile,I even met someone from Hongkong thru this site,very very nice guy,There are couple of Agoners here that make me laugh, Tireguy is one of my favorite,TWl,Bigkidz,and many more. So thank you guys,its been fun,I made a good friend John(stehno)from Kansas, this is really cool.Dan Wright is another good guy,Klaus from Oddyssey, lastly thanks a lot Agon staff. |
Jayctoy- We have chatted via emails before, its nice to read a little about who you are and how you got there:) When ever we wrote to each other before it was just the facts, talking audio and that's it- its nice to see there's a lot more to you. And of course thanks for the ego stroke, like any one else I appreciate it as much as the next man/woman. Happy Listening. |
Tireguy, you just dont know,How much I enjoy reading your thread and some jokes of course,You are right, now you have an idea who I am,just in case you need medical advise you know where to go,free of charge, There are some agoners here, when I read their biography I respected them more because they open up a lot,It is amazing, how honest they are of who they are,Tim now when I see their name on this site, I smile like I know them, For the guy who started this thread,THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU,it made you more closer to the community with the same passion.Tim maybe we should post a thread who is your favorite Agoners and Why? In my case, I thought you are so verstile in your post, sense of humor,and able to make friends here at Agon. Whar do you think? |
Who, me? My name is Andy, I'm 37, divorced once, and I'm stranded in Los Angeles again. For several years I had a happy life in the local mtns. Trees, birds, snow, music. Sigh. Now it's payback time. This too, shall pass. I'm a part-time care giver to my father, and a part-time jack of many, varied trades. Dad has Alzhimers, and only rersponds well to/reconizes me. Even that is fading. He blessed me with a start in this wonderful hobby when I was 14, and what little engineering knowledge I have I owe to him. I have never specialized in anything, though I have never stopped learning new things. Many subjects facinate me, and I'm always eager to learn as much as I can. I do consider myself a gear-head, a stereo nut, and not so much an audiophile. (music lover, yes) I have a specific and defined listening ethic, to be sure, but big gear with enormous power supplies / hideously thick energy reserves just turns me on. (example: Rowland Model 7s) I have spent vastly more on gear than I have on music, so there you have it. How's that for brutal honesty? But I'm satisfied, to an extent, and have not made a major gear purchase in a couple of years. I'm delighted to introduce myself to you all, and look forward to widening my scope of knowledge in this community. Thanks for reading this! Cheers |
My name is Ron. I'm 46, married to the same wonderful woman for some 22 years and have a son who is nine and a daughter who is 6. I've been visiting Audiogon for about 6 months. I live in northern Indiana and own a small advertising & marketing firm, as well as being a partner in a moderately large manufacturing business with several siblings. I've had several clients in the pro music business, including Crown International (amps, mics), Pro Co Sound (pro and MI cables, snakes, The Rat) and a new client which just introduced their high-end cables in Las Vegas. I've played music for a good portion of my life - keyboards, trumpet and drums - though my chops have almost disappeared since I don't play or practice regularly. I'm getting back into audio after a long time and starting to build a new two-channel music system. I also have a modest Marantz/Paradigm HT system. My first system was purchased in college and consisted of Genesis 1 speakers, an Advent 300 integrated unit and a Technics table with a Shure V15. Those speakers were still seeing daily use in my office up until last month when I replaced them with some B&W 602's. I just gave them to my 9-year-old tonight so he could start building his first system. I'm blessed with a wife who likes music, has a good pair of ears and doesn't blink an eye when I talk about buying gear - in fact, she encourages me to get good stuff. The only thing she requires is that it looks nice in her house. I recently picked up a pair of Tyler 7U's in rosewood and she thinks they're beautiful. I'm also happy to report that my children love the same kinds of music I listen to (at least for now) and are both learning the piano, which they seem to have a natural talent for. My first 45 record was the Beatles' Hard Day's Night and my first album was Iron Butterfly's In-A-Godda-Divida. I listen to a wide range of music, from Christian rock to Alternative to Classical, along with some Metal, Jazz and whatever Sounds Good. (No rap and very little Country.) Our city puts on one of the premier Jazz Festivals in the country each year, so I get three days of listening to live performances in intimate settings. A few evenings with the municipal band and a few other concerts throughout the year fills out my live listening. Besides a renewed interest in audio, my other interests include the restoration of two historic downtown buildings that I own, participating in local government and civic organizations, travel, theology and a little woodworking. I think Audiogon is a wonderful resource for learning as well as purchasing all things audio. I hope to be as active as time permits. |
I'm Gordon, in the banking business...well, I'm in the part that pursues delinquent debtors...been with the worlds largest automotive financing Company for 7+ years. I've experienced a lot of audio setbacks...from listening to salesmen rather than my own ears. Due to my lack of patience, I have lost a lot of money in so doing. Now getting back to what, to me , sounds best... Tubes...and starting at ground zero. Bought a sweet little 30 WPC integrated from an Audiogoner and have been ecstatic since delivery. Also added a tube buffered CD from Kevin Deal, and am looking for a good deal on a vintage McIntosh MR-71. Just ordered a pair of Green Mountain "Europas"...just before the projected change and increased cost...but will buy the next version as well. Have the privilage of being close to the factory and have even had the sig/oth (Reva) visit with me for some critical listening. She's finally beginning to accept my obsession and can even be critical when some source material doesn't sound "rawght" (she's from Arkansas). We live comfortably in Colorado Springs with a view of snow covered Pikes Peak about half the year. I'm originally from Nashville TN and miss the flavor of that community. I'd welcome an education on "tube rolling"...and the differences between 12AX7, 12AU7, and 12AT7's and would welcome any suggestions for tube sources. My power stage can accept EL-34,37,KT-66,88, 5881, or 6L6...probably a few more... (I have external bias adjustments....and prefer this to having a self-biased set-up) We have a Lhasa Apso who's name was so repeatedly argued about that she just became "Baby-Dog"...and we're adding another pet....for her...that we'll call "Kitty" (a Bichon/Poodle mix)...my silly sense of humor....and she'll never know, now will she. I have 3 children who are "grown" technically speaking... and who still live in TN...My son changed majors recently when he recognized (much earlier than I did) that he was not the next (Insert favorite Rock "GOD") and now is on a path to a more solid financial future. My daughters are avoiding marrying into wealth....so far...I'm cutting their allowance...today. |
My name is Craig, 34, simple guy with a wonderful dog and lives in a nice well-kept ordinary house with white picket fence. I study at the university and sometimes do perks in repairing PC's. I got in audio about 2 years ago, but never had one, just completed a nice system comprising of a Bottlehead Foreplay with upgrades, Straight 8 speakers and a pair of ASL 845 monoblocks, with the CAL Alpha and Delta as being the source. I could ask for better!, all tweaked and all using Jena Labs cables and CVH power cords, veery nice. I just still cannot get over how addictive quality audio are. This is a social problem (not). This is a beginning of the wonderful phase of life in real artistic appreciation, I love it. Audiogon has been and will be a valuable asset for all audiophiles across all time trajectories, and tastes. Cheers! |
I'm 49 years old and live in N Minnesota. I work for a paper company. I'm married, and both my wife and I are avid homebrewers. My gear is modest by this sites standards (I think): Nestorovic 5AS T-cabinet speakers, adcom GFA 555 200w/c amplifier, Lazurus cascade tube pre-amp, pioneer 100 cd player, and a pioneer turntable. Any upgrades would probably be a DAC, a friend has a Chord. I'm kinda waiting for prices to fall, and in the meantime I listen to great music. So, howdy. |
ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS,I LIVE IN FLINT MICHIGAN(NEAR DETROIT)I RIDE & COLLECT HARLEYS(the kind you kick start)NOT THE KIND THAT YOU SEE ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL THAT DENTISTS RIDE,I AM A FOREMAN FOR A UNION ROOFING COMPANY & WORK FOR THE MOST PART ON FACTORIES & SKYSCRAPERS INSTALLING HOT TAR ROOFING,MUSICAL TASTES RANGE FROM FRANK ZAPPA TO SPYRO GYRA, DISLIIKES ARE PEOPLE WHO USE PHRASES LIKE OPEN & AIRY OR INCREASED TIMBRE TO DESCRIBE GEAR,LIKES ARE PEOPLE WHO USE PICS IN THEIR ADS,BEST SYSTEM EVER BUILT IS ALL MCINTOSH & KLIPSCH,mc300 amp,mc7104 amp,2 mq 101 eqs,mcd 7007 cd player,mr7082 tuner,c-38 preamp,cary audio tube dac,klipschorns & klipsch cornwalls(modified),WORST SYSTEM EVER BUILT WOULD HAVE TO BE CARVER! SOUNDED LIKE LISTENING THRU A SOUP CAN WITH A BUCKETT ON YOUR HEAD. |
I am Jamie- known to friends as "The Dude". I say the word "dude" far too often and even after college- and now grad school, it is still in my vocabulary. Funny really, but it has become the norm for me. I was turned onto audiogon a year ago from a friend who found the site and I browsed every once in a while. Recently after moving into a new house and deciding to get some new gear- I researched items on the site and bought things through other audiogon members to build my current system. I am as much into theater as 2channel and built my system as such. When I can aford to do so, it would be nice to build a dedicated 2 channel system. I have finally hit the stage where I can enjoy my sytem without listening only to become a critic on where I find the flaws lie. I now have a complete dynaudio system with a rotel amp, cal icon cd player, pioneer elite dv47ai dvd player, and sony 9000es preamp. This will suite me fine for quite a while until the upgrade bug hits me again. 'Til then, I am going to gain all the knowledge I can from this site. I am very impressed with the huge knowledge base at audiogon and am more impressed with the professional and educated attitudes the members have. It seems that other sites lack true knowledge and passion and there is little to learn. Glad to be here. |
47 , self taught cook . Gourmet catering buisness keeps me moving and happy. Have been consumed with music since I was a little kid , my mom loved it. Married with two pugs . I collect art and spend most of my time designing post modern architectural design schemes for my home whereby I am slowly gutting my home and making it my own world of light , color , sound and facinating objects of art . Graduate degree in business . Drummer and have been in numerous bands . Mostly rock , blues , alternative and metal. Karate dominated my life for two decades until I tore ligaments . Spent all of my money traveling the world meeting chefs after school . Music , audio and the passion of the senses is the focus these days. |
Hi, I'm a 48yr old frostback from Ontario Canada. I got drawn into this obsession (hobby) when I was a kid. My mother workked in a restaraunt and when they'd change the records on the jukebox she'd buy the ones that were going to the trash.I spent many hours playing these, scratches and all. It was the music that moved my world. I remember the first Lp I bought, the song that was playing the first time I had sex (the Gods were with me that night Smokey Robinson singing OOH Baby,Baby, followed by The Purify's I'm your Puppet). All these sounds came from either an old Phillip's radio or $10 record player. I knew that with better equipment I get even more music. And so it continues. The one thing I think we should remember is the equipment is a means to an end,that end is more music. I certainly enjoy music on my home rig but some of my fondest memories are of things like my fishing buddies off key and totally obscene renderings. I think we should share our love for music. Too often I see our hobby as a rather insular thing.Passion is best shared.Although no one asked my worst "audio" moment was the purchase of my first CD player. I paid $500 for it about 1982 and it took a couple hours more to find a CD to play. I hooked it up and hit play. It was like A dull drill boring through my skull.Laser bright and very tinny.Things really haven't changed that much. Vinyl still rules. This is a great thread. |
My name is Henry, 43 yrs, and I live in Hong Kong. I am a equity research analyst working at a buldge bracket firm. I've been a music nut all my life, those my preferences have chged over time obviously. My parents were both musicians so I guess it rubbed off me, though they were Classical musicians, and I don't really get into it. As for gear, I sort a go thru 5 year cycles (thereafter try not think about it and just listen to music)...and am about to go thru one now. Both of my sons luv music, and though again tastes differ, its cool that I am finding out some interesting new stuff once awhile, and they are starting to get my old rock records...Led Zepplin! |
Hello everyone, I'm Jose. I'm 40 years old, 41 in a few days, May 7th. And please... feel free to send presents my way ;-). I'm single, never been married but have been with my girlie and her 7 yr old son, Kyle, for about 5 years. Luckily she tolerates my obscene spending and thank goodness she doesn't nag as much as she should. I was born in the Philippines and I've lived in downtown New York City since I was 10. I'm a manager of a boutique in SoHo. I've worked there for as long as I can remember but I like the place and my co-workers, who have become close friends over the years. HT is still somewhat of a preference but I like my music almost as much. There's nothing like relaxing to a good movie or jazz after a long day. Some of my other passions are mountain biking, sports, especially my Mets (I've hardly missed a game since '77), who always manage to break my heart every year and a nice cold bottle of beer or 2 with some good friends. I consider myself pretty lucky. Can't really complain much about anything, except for some shipping delays (damn UPS) when I order some gear. I really try to have a very positive outlook cause life is too short. I'd like to thank everyone who helped spend my money on this never ending quest to find audio/video nirvana. It's nice meeting the whole bunch 'o yous. ps. Hi, I'm Betty, his girlfriend. Let me tell you it's never ending hearing what he wants next! No money in the bank, just enough to pay the rent & food! |
26, Aaron, from Parma,OH, Computer Analyst in Solon, OH. I do PC, Telephone, and Network support for a 500-man company with a four-person team. I've been into audio since about May 1999. I got my first real system in Feb 2001, and tubes and planars in Sept 2002. I'm a die-hard panelhead who loves tubes and vinyl. I listen mainly to Classical (Romaticism, 20th Cent, Modern) and Heavy Metal (Death, Black, Grindcore, and Hardcore genres). I graduated from Midpark High School (Middleburg Hts and Brook Park, OH) in 1996. I attended two years of college. I'm unmarried and have a wonderful live-in girlfriend who enjoys audiophilia, music, and movies as much as I do. So she is very supportive. We're moving into our first house in two weeks (off of Pearl Rd [rt.42] in north Parma, OH, near I-480, and not far from I-77, I-71, and I-80). Parma is a southern suburb of Cleveland, OH. I'm at that point where it seems like I'll be at the same point for a few years, so I decided to buy a house until I figure out some new directions. BTW, I'm talking simultaneously about my life, career, and audio system. ;-) Eventually I'll figure out what's right for me then things whould start to work out even better. Though I still not complaining at the moment. Aaron Trocano cell: 216-926-9777 ast3@po.cwru.edu aaron_s_trocano@adlt.com PS: The above contact info should always find their way to me. Call or write to discuss. |
I'm a 41 year old male and recently led an expedition to the Majal region in north-eastern Tibet in search of the near-extinct 3-toed albino mountain lion. The expedition was abandoned after the team doctor was savagely attacked by a wounded Sherpa who had previously left the team to make a solo attempt at scaling Tibet's 5th highest peak Mt. Kanburo. The wounded Sherpa unfortunately failed in his attempt at scaling Mt. Kanburo due to navigation errors, and was last seen operating the gherkin slicing machine at Macdonalds, Katmandu. Being a native Brit, I once represented England in the International Break Dancing Championships in which I came 83rd. Break Dancing has been a passion of mine, but since gaining 86 LBs after training for the Wisconsin State Hot Dog eating championships, I've been somewhat unable to continue with that particular passion. I was a recent contestant on the TV show 'Stars in their Eyes' in which I made an acclaimed impersonation of Frank Cannon, the popular TV detective from the 70's. 2 weeks after my appearance I was offered a 12 week run at the Sands Casino, Las Vegas which I reluctantly refused as I'm back in training for the September International Hot Dog eating championship, to be held in Norway. I have also worked as a stunt man in my spare time. I recently featured in the hit movie Mission Impossible 2 in which I can be seen leaping from a 3 storey building. Unfortunately, I missed the airbag and broke both ankles on impact. I tried to claim off the insurance but was told I didn't have a leg to stand on. Other interests include professional wine tasting for two major vineyards in the Nappa Valley. I once tasted 6 vintage Cabernet's that were all featured on the cover of Wine Premiere. I'm also fluent in a number of languages. In August last year, my pet Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pig Amy, suffered an unprovoked attack by a vicious car park attendant at Six Flags amusement park just outside of Chicago. Generally considered kind and passionate, Amy retaliated and on arrival at the scene, paramedics determined there was nothing they could do to save the car park attendant. Amy has made a full physical recovery but is receiving ongoing psychiatric treatment to deal with the trauma of this terrible incident. Audio has been a hobby of mine since I cashed my Father's life insurance policy in 1984, and invested wisely in a pair of Goodman's speakers and a cassette deck. My Father still has the speakers to this day, and they have been used for a variety of purposes including props in the popular movie 'As Good As It Get's, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. I make all my own dresses. |
Hi all, My name is Michael (39) I hale from Casper Wyoming. I currently live in Englewood, Colorado. I have had various careers over the years, cabinetmaker, electronic technician (USN), spent a couple of years designing and integrating computer systems for the physically challenged, carpenter and I am currently a digital switch design engineer for a major tellecommunications company. I have a lovely wife of 2 years a wounderfull step daughter and yes a grandson who is three. I find Agon interesting reading, so many points of view yet everyone has the same goal the best tone possible within their given system. It is nice to find a forum where snobs don't prevail. In this journey I find myself looking for and listening to quality recordings instead of a particular genre of music. Thank you Agon members for the education. Michael |
I knew it...I'm always the last guy to know about the party...I would have joined earlier but my audiophile pal Dave99 said I had to wait and be voted in by the audio cognescenti community at Audiogon...I wonder after waiting for 3 years to join if he was really kidding or not...I'm a 49 year old guy that has been into audio since 1972...I've owned Quatre Gain Cells...GAS Phoebe...Bryston...Mark Levinson...Krell...Adcom...JR 149's...KEF 101...KEF 104...B & W 802...Soundwave Grand Siloloquy's..Ariston..Oracle Delphi...CM Sound Labs...SAE...and how many other brands I can't remember anymore...At this point of my existence I'm into HTS and for real Hi-Fi I go to Dave99's house and listen to some fine tube gear...My current wife seems to indulge me in whatever avenue I choose to drift down so I'm pretty fortunate in that respect...Kids are grown and somewhat gone so we're having a swell time... |
Hello, Although new to Audiogon, I have been into audio for over twenty years. I have been married to one woman for over 15 years, and we have a twelve year old son. At 41, I am a social worker that specializes in adoption. My wife is usually a good sport about my audio pursuits, although my system is banished to being placed in an armoire in our bedroom. Recently, I got a concession to place a single sub outside the armoire, so life is pretty good. I love classical and jazz music, and have been collecting for years. I listen to music for about one to two hours a day. Gear that I have previously owned includes Carver, Harmon Kardin, and JBL many years ago. When we knew we could get a nice house and still afford to eat, I started back into serious audio gear. I started out with all Rotel separates and JBL monitors. I have since replaced Rotel with a Bryston amp and pre-amp(Dac) while keeping the Rotel cd player. The JBL's were replaced by Harbeth's, which I then replaced with JM LAB monitors. After all this upheavel, I think I am close to being happy with my system. I have had two diferrent B & W subs that I liked, especially the last one, but I am now looking for a sub to go with system. Apart from cords, IC's, cables, and maybe a good surge protection unit, I think I am ready to step off the upgrade-merry-go-round for a while. I have really enjoyed getting to know a little about fellow Audiogoner's. Best Regards, John Walker |
Hello, I am new to Audiogon this year and have already made several purchases. I listen to almost every type of music. If it's good I listen. Favorites are jazz and funk. I am a Systems Engineer for a Consultant company. Since I don't have a TV, music is always playing in my home. I just purchsed Sonic Frontiers Line 2 and a Line 3 and Processor 3 through Audiogon. I will probably put the Line 2, AR LS9 up for sale. Slept on a SFT 1 that had the I2se upgrade. Will not do that again. So far I love the gear. It has really given me a new outlook on the extensive colletion I own. I am also an avid photographer and do some weddings, social and corporate events. |
Wow, Another thread I can't believe I've missed! I'm a 35 year old wholesale fine wine salesman in DC. I'm single but live with the love of my life in our brand new condo in downtown DC. I've been on Audiogon for about 4 years I think, if not longer! I love buying, selling, and especially trading, and I've yet to have a bad experience. The people on here are the coolest bunch of audiofreaks anywhere and I'm proud to be associated with them! Thanks guys! |
Wow, I missed this thread too for the last two years. Jond, I wish I would have seen you post earlier: I used to be constantly in the DC area. Nice place to live in a downtown condo (Actually I live in a nice condo, too, but in downtown Calgary). I haven't seen David99 around for a while, but maybe we should push this thread to the 500 mark. I used to be a very happy audiophile with almost no system changes for 5 years, before that another 5 years with almost no changes. Then my integrated amp broke and I discovered Audiogon. From there I better stop counting... Besides hanging out on Agon, I was born in Germany in 1974. I lived there until 1997, when I came to Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA!!) to work on my Ph.D. in physics. Finally finished, I live in Calgary, Alberta, and in the Waterloo/Toronto area in Canada. With my wonderful wife being from India and later Singapore, we have can be found anywhere in Canada, US, Singapore, India, Germany. Still have to develop connections to Australia, Afrika, South America, and Antarctica to cover the remaining continents. Well, best wishes to everyone here and thanks for "wasting" two years of my life...(nothing compared to the seven years of physics though ;-) Rene |
born in taipei, taiwan in 1977. i was lucky enough to receive piano lessons for 7 years. i have always loved electronics (cameras, minidiscs, computers...). knowing how beneficial it is for infants to hear music, i ventured into this crazy hobby in 2003, when my son was born. i admit that i love audio jewelry. both classic/vintage technology and cutting edge technology intrigue me. my wife and 2 children currently live in nyc. |
Another David, 46, married 26 years, hmm, today? Yikes, I better get home
bummer dude
I've been around Audiogon for a while - just never really poked around the threads much. My wife and I live in Southern Maryland. We own a small mom-pop C-store. I've been addicted to music all my life. My father used to have a Scott amp/receiver with the Warfdale speakers with the famous Purple Dome tweeters still dont know what that means..? He also had a Roberts Reel-Reel that we made endless recordings with every Saturday & Sunday that was back in the mid 60s I purchased a B&O system back in 1977. The old B&O 4400 system which I still have today - though don't use too much anymore... Im just now starting to get into this new separates world of audio systems. I now have the Pipedreams #15s with a VAC Avatar Super and recently picked up a Spectron Musician II for the subs, and a Resolution Audio Opus 21 DAC & CD player. I love most any music if its music This is a great website. Ive always appreciated the respect and mannerisms folks display here. If anyone lives in the Southern Maryland, Virginia, DC, area send me an email so we can hook up Great Thread David |
i was born in switzerland in 1960. was also starting to hang glide in 1975.just read the first threads .did work in a metalweavery for too long ,got so bored, that i started to spend all the money i earned "sometimes more" in stuff that i realy cold'nt afford,like driving porsches and motorbikes. bevor that i met a girl she was from germany ,she also liked that life style ,did not have another joyce i guess. so when she moved in, we bought our first accoustic research speakers,not knowing much about hifi,but sounded best from a small display . that was in 1981 ,then after those boring 10 years consummating luxury stuff i had purchased my first house , went self employed " still wondering how i managed to buy a house with at least $20'000 in debth", but i did good for 5 more years self employed, i never liked the job as weather shelter installer and seller.then in 1994 my friend asked me to emigrate to canada. shure i sayd , so i sold house porsche and all my new mark levinson ,martin logan ,proceed. sota etc.gear . went to canada. just like that. i was shure to get a simple live started without luxury . well, after arriving in vancouver and having a bit of cash i bought a house in the interior of bc. just bevor leaving vancouver i picked up a pair monos from sonic frontiers could not resist had to drive those infinty rennaisance 90 i brought over. i never installed my stereo until 3years ago .forgot to mention i also picked up a nice looking oracle delphi back in vancouver. the whole thing never sounded right with a ps audio pre amp and old denon cdp. in the mean time since arriving in canada , i had obligations to get the landed imigrant status.i started an equipment rental bussines,had to hire a canadian worker for six month and my wife got pregnant almost lost the house having spent the mortgage money on all this equipment ,had really a tough going with that business ,not good talking english din't help either. with help of another frind i met here , i got true it financialy. now since about a year i am a member of audiogon got hooked again and bought some high end gear . god whenn does it ever end? i have now three boys a working business and a hobby i enjoy and i love to read this forum.i hope this was not waisting to much of your time. thanks for having this forum.erwin. |
I am sure some of you have heard of the website myspace.com, I joined in an effort to help a friend launch his website and have found it is great getting to know more about people and groups of people... In any case I would encourage you to join if you are interested in knowing more about fellow audiophiles who participate in this community. I've even took the liberty of making an official audiogon group so we will be able to track each other down. Just add http://groups.myspace.com/audiogon as your group and you'll find other audiogoner's for right now I am the only one and one is the lonliest number :) This is myspace for those who are not familiar with what it is. For those in doubt of this sort of thing, just give it a shot its free and you can delete it if it you wish. I've got in touch with people I haven't talked to in years, I am able to keep in touch with those I don't see often and its easy.... the one tip I will offer is don't use it during peak hours when you have 8+ million people on any site at one time it slows things down a bit, in particular when your creating a profile. Let's see if this flies. |
Hi Everyone,great thread so here goes,my name is tony and i have been reading this site for 5 years and just recently joined.Age....wow,you guys are gonna make me say it..47 ouch!!!Married to the girl of my dreams 9 years younger,high five anyone?Long story on that....2-kids grown and almost gone.We both enjoy all types of music.But what has attracted me to this site for so many years is the quality of the people here,just a great group of wacky music and movie lovers.Not to mention the wealth of knowledge that can be had when everyone chimes in.I also live in the chicago burbs,work as a construction forman and love dogs,my current being a white german shepherd with a personality that still kills me.How much better can you get...love..music...animals?My wife says if you love those things then you are a good,decent,human being.I tend to agree.Looking forward to talking with you wacko"s..have a good day all. |
Dewald Visser 23 year old male AUDIO enthusiast. Loves music, music, musiek, muzik... on Vinyl that is... Plays piano & guitar - loves to sing. Running a small Graphic Design Studio. Busy developing a high-end turntable and will hopefully be busy manufacturing soon! I live is a beautiful small town situated on the foot of the Anderson Gebergtes (mountains) called Lydenburg - in the Mpumalanga provence. South Africa. Dewald Visser - only audiophile in about 300 kilometer radius! |
Great thread. In our world today peaple have become obsessively estranged from friendship... My name is William Childress and I am a anesthestist for a small community hospital in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains (bluegrass world capital). I have a wonderful wife whom works tirelessly within our home and as a registered nurse part time at a local nursing home. We have four children (2 girls & 2 boys) who enjoy music (piano, clarinet, violin/fiddle, and guitar) and, of course, driving us crazy. I enjoy rock-n-roll, jazz, ragtime, swing, blues, bluegrass, celtic, (funk generation) soul, classical, oldies, and 50s 60s 70s pop. My audiogon login does pay homage to the Grateful Dead - I was and still am a "Dead Head." Though, many may dislike 'the Dead', I employ those folks to take a moment and listen; their music was quite a historical melding of bluegrass + jazz + rock -- the uninitiated may want to stick to studio albums, though. Cheers |
My name is Lou and from my username I guess you can figure out what I think sounds best. I'm 46 years old and live in a Western suburb of Philadelphia and have been in Philly my whole life. I'm a diehard Eagles fan and typical Phrustrated Philly fan. Right now I'm in between jobs but have been in Real Estate and Property Management for the past 15 years. I have been married for 15 years and have a beautiful 13 year old daughter. My next door neighbor growing up, Uncle Al, was a mfg rep for audio equipment and most likely was the one responsible for getting me into audio. I would be playing ball in the street with my brothers when Uncle Al would pull into his driveway and motion us to come over. He always had DJ Promo copies of albums to give us and other stuff. Some of the albums were junk but some were real gems, like the Doors/Morrison Hotel. He repped some cool gear too but I was pretty young then. Jumping forward, I've been into this since my late teens/early 20's and have gone through a lot of gear since then. I used to have large collections of TAS, Stereophile, HFN & RR, HiFi Heretic & Listener magazines and would love to read the reviews and even worked for about 2 years selling mid-fi & lower priced hi end gear. All of those magazines are long gone and so is most of the gear. Right now, I'm enjoying Tim Rawson's Gainclone mono blocks thru a Superphon Rev Basic Dual Mono and Omega Grande 8 speakers. Pretty darn good for not a lot of money. I've met a lot of really nice people thru A'gon but mostly scan the ads rather than read the posts. I love trading gear too and have traded a custom PP6bg6 amp to another a'gon member (Inrit) for his Tannoys and recently traded the Tannoys for the Omegas. Rounding out the current system is a Rega Planar 3, ads CD3, Nakamichi BX125 and a cheap but nice sounding Pioneer T500 tuner. Sorry for being so long-winded, thanks for reading! Louis |
