ForrestC
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This looks like to great place to learn how to get more enjoyment through listening to the music. For me, at this point is all about the setup and the room. I'm more or less done with buying more and better stuff, but in reality, you know how that actually goes. I think I have my speaker placement pretty good, but next week I may just move that left speaker an inch or two little to the toward the side wall and give that a try.
This is what I'm working with now:
A good friend and I completed building this listening/family room addition back in November and I must say the it turned out well. My father and grandfather owned an Architectural/Engineering Firm in Newport News, Virginia, and I guess you could say a little of that rubbed off on me. My friend is great carpenter with lots of experience as a contractor in South Florida back in his younger days. We're both still feeling the aches and pains of construction work. BTW, this is the second large listening room addition that I built. The first was 22' x 29 x 8' and it housed a pair of Apogee Duetta Signatures. That room sounded great but the wife got the bug to move . . . so we moved.
I've been enjoying music since I was a kid. I bought my first pair of (real) speakers from Jim Smith back when he ran the Sound Shop in Norfolk, Virginia. If I told you what year that was, I would be giving away all our ages! Let just say that it was a long time ago. Also, for those who are wondering which Jim Smith I'm talking about, I'm talking about THE Jim Smith.
Since then I learned a little about electronics. I bought a bunch of test equipment and a solder station and set up shop on my dining-room table which, by the way, I found is very low on the WAF. Back then you could find deals on great power amps, pre-amps, CD players, electronic crossovers, etc, that were broken or suffering from age related issues. I would fully rebuild and upgrade them with the best and latest parts, then use the upgraded pieces in my own system and eventually sell one and do it all over again. I still have all my test equipment, but I haven't worked on anything major in the last few years.
Anyway, I could go on but I'll spare you.
I do look forward reading most everyone's post and making a few posts myself.
Forrest
This is what I'm working with now:
- Room: 25' x 30' x 9 minimally acoustically treated. Off-grade 3/4" red oak hardwood floor over 3/4" TG plywood sub-floor. This room doubles as a family room and has sufficient furnishings.
- Speakers: Original Apogee Full Range fully rebuilt a few years back by Bill Thalmann, I upgraded the mid-range to tweeter ribbon passive-crossover caps with Gen 1 Sonicaps. (great upgrade)
- Amps: 2x Henry Ho's H2O S250 Signatures. These amps were recently built by Tri Tran Ho. They are arranged in a vertical bi-amp configuration, and yes it takes many hours for them to brake in.
- Line level pre-amp/DAC/Electronic Crossover/Speaker Correction/Sub Integration DEQX Express II / Earthworks M23 calibration mic
- Subs 2x GR Research 12" in sealed DYI enclosures with Rythmik A370 PEQ Servo Amps. (crossover at 80Hz 36db/oct overlap with main speakers full range bass)
- Streaming Logitech Transporter (there are a few of us still around using these things)
- Phono VPI HW-19 MK4 with lead filled TNT platter and bearing/SDS/SAMA. Eminent Technology (buy local!) ET-2 tone arm with a recent Audio-Technica ART9XI cartridge.
- Phono Preamp Jeff Rowland Consonance fully recapped
- Speaker Cables Vintage Polk Audio Cobra (very short length due to vertical bi-amping)
- Interconnects[/B ]RCA-RCA from DEQX to Amps: Aural Thrills Audio Self Powered Active Shield Cable. Balanced from Jeff Rowland phono preamp to DEQX:Vintage Audio Truth Emerald x3. Phono: vintage Mark Levinson sliver.
[*]Power Conditioning Equi=Tech 3KVa (240VAC input) Balanced Power.
[*]Power Cables Synergistic Research A/C Master Coupler X2 and a few assorted others that I can't remember what they are.
A good friend and I completed building this listening/family room addition back in November and I must say the it turned out well. My father and grandfather owned an Architectural/Engineering Firm in Newport News, Virginia, and I guess you could say a little of that rubbed off on me. My friend is great carpenter with lots of experience as a contractor in South Florida back in his younger days. We're both still feeling the aches and pains of construction work. BTW, this is the second large listening room addition that I built. The first was 22' x 29 x 8' and it housed a pair of Apogee Duetta Signatures. That room sounded great but the wife got the bug to move . . . so we moved.
I've been enjoying music since I was a kid. I bought my first pair of (real) speakers from Jim Smith back when he ran the Sound Shop in Norfolk, Virginia. If I told you what year that was, I would be giving away all our ages! Let just say that it was a long time ago. Also, for those who are wondering which Jim Smith I'm talking about, I'm talking about THE Jim Smith.
Since then I learned a little about electronics. I bought a bunch of test equipment and a solder station and set up shop on my dining-room table which, by the way, I found is very low on the WAF. Back then you could find deals on great power amps, pre-amps, CD players, electronic crossovers, etc, that were broken or suffering from age related issues. I would fully rebuild and upgrade them with the best and latest parts, then use the upgraded pieces in my own system and eventually sell one and do it all over again. I still have all my test equipment, but I haven't worked on anything major in the last few years.
Anyway, I could go on but I'll spare you.
I do look forward reading most everyone's post and making a few posts myself.
Forrest
I've read elsewhere that folks who have lots of big tubes in the South, just stop listening in the summer months. I can see why, but I'm trying to avoid that. 
