Who R U?

These days I make a living as a 42 year old freelance Photoshop guy. One of my clients is the TV department of a motion picture studio here in Los Angeles. For them I make Ricki Lake look thinNER, retouch and "naturalize" Pam Anderson, make the Dawson's Creek and Just Shoot Me cast members peachy keen, get up close and personal with all those Battledome babes and much more.

My first foray into hifi was as a young boy in the early 60's. My dad acquired an appreciation for music since both his sisters in Japan were musicians. Even as a little kid my dad encouraged me to listen to his record collection on his setup. Doubtful I'll be the same way with my kids the day I become a father. "Hey, get away from those heat sinks you'll burn yourself!"

This continued through the early seventies as well when my dad got his receiver and reel-to-reel setup. I became his "remote control"! When I got into college, one of my passions became car audio. Did I just utter an oxymoron? I remember the days when only Fosgate and Zapco were making outboard power amps for cars. I also bought a set of Hart speakers which I think were one of the first with a separate tweeter and woofer. Ooooohh.

Through the eighties and early-nineties, I continued to experiment with car stereos, crossover construction and subwoofer enclosures. I was exposed to a lot of different gear since I designed and did production of car audio ads for a friend's installation business.

When the computer revolution hit the graphic design profession in the early nineties, I made the changeover, then discovered my true niche. The synergy between art and technology. Now I could really have fun. Around this time I bought my first home music system. An NAD 705 receiver, NAD 502 CD player, NHT Superzeros and an NHT SW2P subwoofer. It was a nice affordable setup, but even with my limited exposure to high end audio [I'd heard a Perreaux preamp/amp setup with KEF 104.2 speakers in the early 80's, remember those?] I knew there was a lot more to offer. My system sounded thin and the soundstage was absolutely tiny.

I hung onto this setup, then three years ago got bitten by the home theater bug. The NAD receiver was shelved and the SuperZeros became my surrounds. I bought a Marantz AV550 pre/pro and an ATI AT1505 amp. I got 3 NHT SuperOnes to run across the front and a Pioneer DVL700 combo player. I gave my NHT SW2P to a friend and upgraded to a SW3P. Through all of this I still clung to the notion of having a nice music setup so I purchased a Musical Fidelity E60 CD player to use with my HT system. During this time Audio Advisor became my best friend. And you know what? I still wasn't happy.

So with this incredibly tall rack stuffed with gear sitting in my house, I pondered what I could do to improve the sound of music only. Early last year I went out and got a pair of Sonus Faber Concertinos. Very nice, but still not there. So last summer I decided I couldn't have a combo HT/music setup and be satisfied, and dedicated myself to building a music only system on a budget.

That revelation lead me to seek out forums like this. The pictures in Stereophile were neat, but I could never get the information I wanted out of their reviews. Now my system consists of a Sim Audio Moon I-5, the Concertinos, with a Bel Canto DAC 1.1 on the way. The big NHT sub is still part os the scene. Cardas Golden Cross and DH Labs Silver Pulse interconnect and Analysis Plus Oval Nine speaker cable make up the connections. Bel Canto? AP Oval 9? Hmmm, have I been listening to the advice of my fellow forum members? However, I did pass up the chance to get a Sony SCD-777ES at the low employee discount. OK, I'm not listening to everyone.

Have I finally joined the ranks of audio enthusiasts?

I am a 50 yo Home Improvement Contractor/ Custom Woodworker. Originally from the Eastern Shore of MD, I now make my home in east Tennessee with my wife of 25 yrs. I have had many hobbies over the years including motorcycles, golf,playing music (drums), woodworking, etc.
Music has been a lifelong passion for me. I started collecting records when I ws 9-10 yrs old. All my $ went for records.(45's) Then somewhere along the way I got enough $ to buy albums. My first album was "The Beach Boys Live". I don't remember what kind of "record player" I had at first but I do remember the music. My parents were not into music or stereo and I don't recall knowing anyone who was though I did get to spin some records at a local dance party which was broadcast on the radio (AM). For me it has always been about the music.
In my teen yrs I learned to play drums. I was a John Bonham protoge. I have always liked hard rock/ heavy metal though I have learned to enjoy many different forms of music from bluegrass to acoustical jazz/ swing to blues and some classical Oh did I mention blues
My first system after leaving home was a "Voice of Music" turntable/radio combo. I remember it had a much lighter tone arm than the one I grew up with. Oh it had a nice cabinet too. That was important in those days. In the early 70's I bought a "Quadrophonic" receiver. At that point I had not heard the word "audiophile" yet so i didn't have any better sense than to believe it sounded good. Especially when you used the discreet quad tapes. Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" sounded awesome. A few yrs back I saw an old friend who reminded me about that quad setup. Twenty five yrs ago but he still remembers. in the late 70's I was introduced to Harmon Kardon. I purchased the HK 730 receiver (their top of the line) along with a Technics turntable, Ortofon cartridge and originsl large Advent speakers. I was in HiFi heaven. I didn't know music could sound so good. In the late eighty's I replaced the HK with a Luxman R115 receiver after the left channel in thge HK went out. What a shock. The Lux which sounded so right at the store turned into a dog at home; very flat and thin compared to the HK. I was advised to ditch the Lux and fix the HK. This I did and took the $ from the Lux and purchased a pair of Infinity RS-5000. This was a definite improvement over the Advents, though they were a good speaker for the $. I added a Mag CDB-650 cdp to the mix afterward. My experience with the Luxman showed me how difficult and disapponting upgrading can be. It also made me appreciate the HK even more. I used the HK up till about 9 mos ago when it began to sound bad. It had been regularly cleaned and serviced by a quality service center but the solder joints were breaking down.
Thanks to the www I went online to find out what was available. I discovered Agon about a year ago. I was shocked by the amount of equipoment available and even more shocked by the prices of some of it. Because of the resources here and elsewhere online, I have been able to start to put together a pretty good system. Most of the people on the forums have been very helpful to me in my quest to put together the best system I can with the budget I have available. Your insights and experiences have been extremely helpful. Many have gone out of their way to be helpful. For this I am grateful. I read the forums almost daily and have enjoyed many posts though I may not interact on that thread. I have gotten much good entertainment out of the banter that takes place among my fellow Agoners. In short I have enjoyed my experience and interaction on the forums. May the music continue to flow and always sound just right.

Hi,
I'm a professional musician, playing principal euponium (the unsung cello of the brass family) for The US Air Force Band in DC. While not touring or recording I enjoy hiking, camping and skiing. Maybe I should start hang gliding? I you'd like CD's of the AF Band you have to have your library or school write us a letter.you can find the address somewhere on our webpage:
http://www.bolling.af.mil/band/index.htm
Unfortunatly Uncle sam won't let us give them away to individual citizens. I started getting into hifi back in school. After Working in my job here, and having second thoughts about my music career, I decided to jump in again and get more stuff before I went to the poor house. Musical fidelity A3 and AP Virgos and I'm still having second thoughts, but now I can't stop buying new toys!!!!

Welcome Wjones!!

Excuse me for mixing hobbies, but if you want info on hang gliding Wjones feel free to ping me. It's my other passion and has been for well over a decade. I'd be more than glad to answer any questions and, just as importantly, guide you past the pitfalls newcomers encounter.