Bob’s System Evolution

With the idea of new speakers taking hold, then came the question “what new speakers?” Certainly I wanted to hear the Diesis again. Wilson was due to upgrade the Alexia, v2 was reaching the end of the typical 5 year life cycle, and Alexx V was introduced. AvantGarde, which I’d heard at RMAF were on the list, Evolution Acoustics, Magico, Kharma. So many to choose from. I started to see chatter about Alsyvox, and the crazy new Bayz caught my attention. Ugh, choosing a new speaker was a seeming daunting task that was going to require some time and some travel. Then the damn Covids came calling, f’ing up the world on a scale we’d never have imagined.

So it was late February I told my wife “the pandemic seems to be good for some in the audio business” with folks staying home making home more comfortable was driving home improvement businesses. I told my wife “Bob in Manhattan seems to be thriving, he’s opening remote listening rooms across the county.” She looks at me and says “you should do that.” “WHAT,” I asked, “are you kidding?” She said she noticed the outgo last year with the cartridge, phono stage, and cable purchases, maybe I should find a way to fund my hobby.

I had already made a habit of inviting audio geeks over to listen to music. Most members of the Portland Audio Club had visited multiple times to hear system changes/additions. I greatly enjoy snacks and maybe a glass of wine then spinning some of the black vinyl, so I decided to learn what was involved in this “remote listening room” venture. The upside was buying a bunch of new gear and multiple pairs of speakers. The downside was buying a bunch of new gear, and multiple pairs of speakers — and selling off the old gear.

The result… I now have a significantly upgraded system consisting of Pilium electronics from Greece, and speakers from Alsyvox, Bayz, and Diesis. All European brands that would be very hard to hear outside an audio show or visit to NYC. Everything is finally getting run-in. I feel the electronics still have some changes to go through, but the Pilium kit is exceptional and a huge upgrade vs. my prior Audio Research. I would never have imagined having three different, unique speakers to get to know, in my own room. So far, all are exceptional, and yet each presents the music in their own way. I’m a long way from being able to say if I have a favorite.

Granted, I have vested interest. But I’m still an audiophile who enjoys wagging my tongue a little about what I’m hearing adding new pieces to my system. I just never imagined such a wholesale change or having multiple speakers to choose from. I hope as I describe this adventure it isn’t taken as unabashed promotion, but rather my unabashed enthusiasm and joy of discovery. I’m sure y’all will make your own judgements.

Bobvin said:

maybe I should find a way to fund my hobby.

Click to expand...

So, you’re getting a piece of the pie? Are you a formal business partner? An official dealer now? I thought it was far more informal as it was never really spelled out clearly. It’s all very confusing, if not a bit odd. Is the plan to sell/push the distribution products rather than the retail products? Bigger pie I guess….

The home based dealer is very difficult for many reasons…but I won’t get into them here. Some folks have to learn this on their own.

Glad you’re enjoying your new venture.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Mike said:

So, you’re getting a piece of the pie? Are you a formal business partner? An official dealer now? I thought it was far more informal as it was never really spelled out clearly. It’s all very confusing, if not a bit odd. Is the plan to sell/push the distribution products rather than the retail products? Bigger pie I guess….

Glad you’re enjoying your new venture.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

To answer, yes, there is a profit motive. With my having purchased all this new kit there is a hope that, over time, I have a chance to recoup some of the investment. Anyone who comes to listen and has an interest in purchasing will deal with Rhapsody in NYC. Should they buy something I will receive a small percentage of profits.

But as my wife suggested — “you’re already doing it”, hosting listening sessions is pretty common for me. It is one of the joys of this hobby, for me at least. I would feel very selfish having all these spanky audio toys and not sharing the joy of music with friends.

I am not a dealer, nor a distributor. Just a place on the west coast for audiophiles to hear unique kit they’d not have access to.

Bobvin said:

Hi Mike,

To answer, yes, there is a profit motive. With my having purchased all this new kit there is a hope that, over time, I have a chance to recoup some of the investment. Anyone who comes to listen and has an interest in purchasing will deal with Rhapsody in NYC. Should they buy something I will receive a small percentage of profits.

But as my wife suggested — “you’re already doing it”, hosting listening sessions is pretty common for me. It is one of the joys of this hobby, for me at least. I would feel very selfish having all these spanky audio toys and not sharing the joy of music with friends.

I am not a dealer, nor a distributor. Just a place on the west coast for audiophiles to hear unique kit they’d not have access to.

Click to expand...

Thank you for clarifying. It’s not uncommon for a client to tell their dealer “if you ever have someone in my area who wants to hear….”

I’ve taken a few up on their offer and no, I would not pay any a commission, they love to do it, love to show off their system and never once asked for anything. Most recently, a customer with a pair of Trio’s did a demo for a customer of mine since we don’t have them on the floor. I know of several other dealers who do this all the time. Without compensation, I feel things will be more authentic.

So pardon me, if I say, it’s all very confusing.

I’ve been around long enough to know manufacturers, especially Euro manufacturers, flip distributors with rapid regularity. In your circumstance, that might be awkward, to say the least.

Food for thought.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Congtrats, Bob!

Are you demo'ing all of them as if the prospective client did not have a dedicated room?

I'm just in love with that room and the view out the windows.

chops said:

I'm just in love with that room and the view out the windows.

Click to expand...

i agree!! i would love to visit that room ...and, bob wouldn't even have to switch on the gear although that would be a definite bonus.

Hi Jim, I’m hoping to dial in placement for each speaker to sound its best (in this room). If someone visiting wants me to move things about I am happy to do so. I can only work with what I have, and in this case I’m happy to have done the acoustic remodel several years back and the sound of all of these speakers in-room, so far, is remarkable. I probably have the Alsyvox dialed in, still tinkering with Bayz, and Diesis too. I’m sure Bob, when he visits, will have some thoughts on placement if he thinks it can be improved. I didn’t know you and Bob go way back until recently.

I’ve considered having you make a visit, I am a novice at setup. I have a small circle of audio buddies who have great ears and who’ve been in the business before. Its as much for me as visitors — I get to listen to these terrific speakers and I want to hear all they can offer.

My room is unique, it isn’t a sealed rectangle but all that was considered in the algorithm Bonnie used when modeling the room. The back of the room opens to stairs on one side, a hallway to the other. Curtains with acoustic fabric can be closed across those openings.

Mike said:

Thank you for clarifying. It’s not uncommon for a client to tell their dealer “if you ever have someone in my area who wants to hear….”

I’ve taken a few up on their offer and no, I would not pay any a commission, they love to do it, love to show off their system and never once asked for anything. Most recently, a customer with a pair of Trio’s did a demo for a customer of mine since we don’t have them on the floor. I know of several other dealers who do this all the time. Without compensation, I feel things will be more authentic.

So pardon me, if I say, it’s all very confusing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Click to expand...

I hear you Mike. I’d have been happy to host anyone to hear new kit. But, in this case the difference is I have paid for three pairs of speakers, not one. It is an interesting model we are exploring. I guess we’ll all see how it turns out. My wife is a commercial banker, she thinks its a brilliant idea.

Still, for me its an opportunity to do what I love as a retirement gig. She hopes it’ll keep me out of the pool halls.

Love the room and the setting.
But baffled about the thought of your using somebody else’s site to promote sales that benefit you.
Shouldn’t you create your own website to promote your new venture instead of piggy banking on somebody else’s site?
[emoji848]

The Alsyvox “Botticelli X” (the X is for the external crossovers you can see beside each panel) is a truly world class speaker. A panel that can do bass , in this case down to 22hz. And with grip, drive, and authority!

I have a reference track for bass… Stevie Ray Vaughn’s version of “Tin Pan Alley” from the 45 rpm vinyl. There is a low, growling, almost groaning bass line throughout the song. My Wilson Alexia could not resolve it. I thought maybe my room was to blame. I heard it up at Mike Lavigne’s place on his remarkable system and learned what it can sound like with capable speakers and electronics. (Yeah, those big Evolution Acoustics with DartZeel are something every audiophile should hear. Outstanding! Mike’s system really showed me the view from the top of the mountain.)

The Alsyvox handle that cut without flinching — its remarkable a panel can do that. That bass line is rendered perfectly, everything I heard on MikeL’s big system was present. I had the same goosebumps after the song was over as I did hearing it at MikeL’s place. And I’ve heard it now on quite a few systems. That a panel would deliver that isn’t something I expected. When I played that cut for some friends I heard a lot of “thuds” I didn’t recognize before, then i looked over to see a lot of chins on the floor!

Bobvin said:

Hi Jim, I’m hoping to dial in placement for each speaker to sound its best (in this room). If someone visiting wants me to move things about I am happy to do so. I can only work with what I have, and in this case I’m happy to have done the acoustic remodel several years back and the sound of all of these speakers in-room, so far, is remarkable. I probably have the Alsyvox dialed in, still tinkering with Bayz, and Diesis too. I’m sure Bob, when he visits, will have some thoughts on placement if he thinks it can be improved. I didn’t know you and Bob go way back until recently.

I’ve considered having you make a visit, I am a novice at setup. I have a small circle of audio buddies who have great ears and who’ve been in the business before. Its as much for me as visitors — I get to listen to these terrific speakers and I want to hear all they can offer.

My room is unique, it isn’t a sealed rectangle but all that was considered in the algorithm Bonnie used when modeling the room. The back of the room opens to stairs on one side, a hallway to the other. Curtains with acoustic fabric can be closed across those openings.

Click to expand...

Now that's a great room!

nicoff said:

Love the room and the setting.
But baffled about the thought of your using somebody else’s site to promote sales that benefit you.
Shouldn’t you create your own website to promote your new venture instead of piggy banking on somebody else’s site?
[emoji848]

Click to expand...

I respect your comments Nicoff. I have been a “Shark” from the time before Mike went commercial. I am not aware the site had become something related only to Mike’s brands. As an audiophile first, I love talking about, reading about, and exploring new gear. Not very often an opportunity comes along to own three pairs of unique speakers. And… I expose my interests, nothing is being hidden.

There’s lots of gear in the world Mike doesn’t carry, and the Sharks website invites all, to my knowledge, as long as they are respectful. I’ve never dissed Mike in any way, in fact I respect the hell out of him opening brick & mortar store in today’s world. I watched as he cycled tons of gear through his place learning and deciding what brand’s he’d carry. That takes a lot of balls, and his business acumen is obvious as he appears to be thriving. I’ve watched a couple other stores open and close, so I know its not just a matter of becoming a dealer and opening the doors. Mike is sincere and offers great service to his customers.

I chose embark on this new adventure as much to learn as anything else. I’m 64, and our retirement is secure, so if I don’t make a dime I really don’t care. For me its about having fun and sharing awesome sounding kit with fellow audio geeks. If I am able to fund adding a few new toys that’ll be great. I’ll still get those things even if I don’t get anything from this venture—just at a slower pace. And if I don’t like it, or it turns out to be something less than I envision—I’ll pick what I like best and sell the rest.

Additionally, if I were to buy new kit and only one pair of speakers, and talk about it on the forum, then move on to another pair of speakers, then another that would be like, oh, maybe Jay and his YouTube videos. You don’t think for a minute Jay isn’t setting himself up the way Mike did originally, gaining street cred having cycled lots of gear through his place? I might have a wrong take on Jay, but I seem to recall him mentioning something like that in one of his videos. I could be mistaken. His YouTube site is most likely monetized, yet I’ve not heard anyone make any mention that he’s profiting from posting on the AudioSharks. Why else would he ask for “likes” and “subscriptions” to his channel? He’s cool though, I get the impression he has a lot of fun with it and is sincere.

And here in the Pacific NW, there simply are not many brick & mortar stores that don’t carry the commonly available US brands. I sort of grew out those offerings and wanted to expand my horizons—this opportunity came along so I jumped at it. And I don't see myself cutting into Mike's business at Suncoast—we're on opposite sides of a very large continent. The number of folks who'd travel to visit me isn't likely to be huge which is fine, I'm not trying to act as a brick and mortar store or even a home based dealer.

Bobvin said:

The Alsyvox “Botticelli X” (the X is for the external crossovers you can see beside each panel) is a truly world class speaker. A panel that can do bass , in this case down to 22hz. And with grip, drive, and authority!

I have a reference track for bass… Stevie Ray Vaughn’s version of “Tin Pan Alley” from the 45 rpm vinyl. There is a low, growling, almost groaning bass line throughout the song. My Wilson Alexia could not resolve it. I thought maybe my room was to blame. I heard it up at Mike Lavigne’s place on his remarkable system and learned what it can sound like with capable speakers and electronics. (Yeah, those big Evolution Acoustics with DartZeel are something every audiophile should hear. Outstanding! Mike’s system really showed me the view from the top of the mountain.)

The Alsyvox handle that cut without flinching — its remarkable a panel can do that. That bass line is rendered perfectly, everything I heard on MikeL’s big system was present. I had the same goosebumps after the song was over as I did hearing it at MikeL’s place. And I’ve heard it now on quite a few systems. That a panel would deliver that isn’t something I expected. When I played that cut for some friends I heard a lot of “thuds” I didn’t recognize before, then i looked over to see a lot of chins on the floor!

Click to expand...

This is my favorite! Love the room, pretty awesome Bob!

nicoff said:

Love the room and the setting.
But baffled about the thought of your using somebody else’s site to promote sales that benefit you.
Shouldn’t you create your own website to promote your new venture instead of piggy banking on somebody else’s site?
[emoji848]

Click to expand...

if there is a problem with what Bob is doing, then Mike should clarify what that might be. it's fair game to ask Bob about his intentions, but lots of semi-business happens on hifi forums including this one. and mostly if it's done low key we are all better for it. others here have related hifi business too. Bob's pictures are well done, so it's more high profile......i get that, but he is not covering new ground. his relationship with Rhapsody is 'different' and maybe that touches a nerve.

for myself; i don't see this as exclusively the Suncoast Audio website. when/if it is i will view it differently than i currently do.

whatever Mike says goes, but also determines what sort of forum it is.

Mike Lavigne said:

if there is a problem with what Bob is doing, then Mike should clarify what that might be. it's fair game to ask Bob about his intentions, but lots of semi-business happens on hifi forums including this one. and mostly if it's done low key we are all better for it. others here have related hifi business too. Bob's pictures are well done, so it's more high profile......i get that, but he is not covering new ground. his relationship with Rhapsody is 'different' and maybe that touches a nerve.

for myself; i don't see this as exclusively the Suncoast Audio website. when/if it is i will view it differently than i currently do.

whatever Mike says goes, but also determines what sort of forum it is.

Click to expand...

You’re correct Mike. His boss/partner/whatever was banned from the forum for breaking forum rules and therefore from promoting his products/store/business.

Therein lies the dilemma.

I enjoy Bobvin’s pictures of his room and Bobvin is a nice guy we all like and enjoy his participation. But guilty by association is at play here and I need to think about it carefully.

This is definitely a new one.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Mike Lavigne said:

if there is a problem with what Bob is doing, then Mike should clarify what that might be. it's fair game to ask Bob about his intentions, but lots of semi-business happens on hifi forums including this one. and mostly if it's done low key we are all better for it. others here have related hifi business too. Bob's pictures are well done, so it's more high profile......i get that, but he is not covering new ground. his relationship with Rhapsody is 'different' and maybe that touches a nerve.

Click to expand...

The reality is that Bob is covering new ground with his "different" relationship with Rhapsody along with the other "remote listening room" owners who took the plunge. The other reality is that Bob is using audio forums as his marketing tool. He doesn't even have his own website to drive potential "customers" to when he makes his posts on audio forums about his new business venture. This can certainly be viewed as parasitic behavior.

Mike Lavigne said:

for myself; i don't see this as exclusively the Suncoast Audio website. when/if it is i will view it differently than i currently do.

whatever Mike says goes, but also determines what sort of forum it is.

Click to expand...

Mike actually has a Suncoast Audio website in addition to the Audio Shark forum so it's not fair to call Audio Shark a Suncoast Audio website. Maybe Bob should start his own audio forum and develop a website to market the products he is potentially helping Rhapsody sell. I find his current parasitic marketing plan to be a bit unseemly.

mep said:

The reality is that Bob is covering new ground with his "different" relationship with Rhapsody along with the other "remote listening room" owners who took the plunge. The other reality is that Bob is using audio forums as his marketing tool. He doesn't even have his own website to drive potential "customers" to when he makes his posts on audio forums about his new business venture. This can certainly be viewed as parasitic behavior.



Mike actually has a Suncoast Audio website in addition to the Audio Shark forum so it's not fair to call Audio Shark a Suncoast Audio website. Maybe Bob should start his own audio forum and develop a website to market the products he is potentially helping Rhapsody sell. I find his current parasitic marketing plan to be a bit unseemly.

Click to expand...

With due respect, I am happy to abide by Mike’s constraints should he suggest them, and I have — my signature clearly states my affiliation with Rhapsody. I have not driven people to or mentioned Rhapsody’s website unless I have been asked, out of respect for Mike and Suncoast.

But, when a new visitor lands on the AudioShark web page he is presented with a blurb describing the site and the intentions of the site. Some of the language in that blurb includes:

The AudioShark forum was created for sharing the passion of high-end Audio. We have Audiophiles from all over the world participating and sharing their knowledge. From novice to experts, you will find a friendly environment for discussing about High End Audio…

and

At AudioShark, we also have incorporated an exciting Marketplace where members can peruse terrific buys on used gear, as well as meet dealers and discuss the purchase of new gear.

and

Audioshark is a community of like minded individuals. Audioshark welcomes participation from all manufacturers and owners of all brands and products. It is our belief that online forums provide a community of like minded audiophiles and music lovers to encourage the growth of this wonderful hobby.

I have tried to be consistent with those intentions.