A new friend and his setup
Clipdat
Posts: 12,934
Back when I attended the California Audio Show in July of last year, a gentlemen started a conversation with me in the hallway near the end of day 2. He had heard the record I brought with being played on our favorite setup at the show, the Margules room.
We seemed to have a lot to talk about, and ended up exchanging numbers the next day when we ran into each other on the final day of the show. We'd been texting and keeping in touch for a while, mostly talking about music and gear but also life in general.
He seemed to be getting more into the audiophile side of things after the show, going to a few local meetups, as well as a demo of the Wilson Sasha put on by a dealer!
He invited me over to check out his system and I took him up on the offer last weekend. It turned out to be a great experience and it was incredibly insightful to hear another setup after only listening to my own for months! Talk about changing your perspective! Very cool.
Afterward, he mentioned he was apprehensive of what I would think of his setup, since he knows I am way more into the gear side of things than he is. His setup is B&W Nautilus 803 towers, powered by a Bryston 5B ST, and also a 18" powered Bag End subwoofer. An oldschool Lexicon preamp acted as the control center. I took a look and saw 12ga zip cord and Monster Cable interconnects. I held my tongue, although of course with someone like me who's deep into the "cables matter" mentality, I was squirming a bit on the inside.
I let my preconceived notions go, and sat down in the sweet spot with an open mind to take a listen - through a circa 1990s Toshiba DVD player! I just wanted to hear the system as it was, before I swapped in the Rotel RCD-1072 that I brought over for him to try out.
And guess what? It sounded great! Giant banana plant blocking the left speaker and everything! Just goes to show that you can't judge a book by it's cover. I liked what I heard and quickly realized this was going to be a fun day of listening. The B&W speakers were authoritative and presented a seamless wall of sound. In no way were they shrill or bright, as B&W speakers tend to get a bad rap for. The midrange was thick and palpable, voices and percussion sounded excellent.
Later on we played Tidal through his Elac Discovery music server and then switched over to vinyl which sounded the best to us. He played a few great albums that I hadn't previously heard, including Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, and Boston (self titled).
I left him the Rotel RCD-1072 with a pair of Audioquest Black Mamba II ICs, a Schiit Bifrost with Douglas Connection Bravo digital coax, and a Cambridge Audio 640p phono preamp to try out. And also a copy of the latest Stereophile for good measure.
He seemed slightly apprehensive and told me that he's "not a tweaker". I guess he doesn't get that excitement out of trying out new pieces of gear, and just likes what he likes. In a way this was refreshing to hear, as he really puts the music first, and the gear second. Something I'm sure that some of us wish we could do more often.
Anyway, what a great day of listening to new music and hanging out with a new friend! I highly encourage you to go hear a friend's setup if you've only been listening to yours for a while. It could be an enjoyable and ear-opening experience.
Also, his animals seemed to really like me!
We seemed to have a lot to talk about, and ended up exchanging numbers the next day when we ran into each other on the final day of the show. We'd been texting and keeping in touch for a while, mostly talking about music and gear but also life in general.
He seemed to be getting more into the audiophile side of things after the show, going to a few local meetups, as well as a demo of the Wilson Sasha put on by a dealer!
He invited me over to check out his system and I took him up on the offer last weekend. It turned out to be a great experience and it was incredibly insightful to hear another setup after only listening to my own for months! Talk about changing your perspective! Very cool.
Afterward, he mentioned he was apprehensive of what I would think of his setup, since he knows I am way more into the gear side of things than he is. His setup is B&W Nautilus 803 towers, powered by a Bryston 5B ST, and also a 18" powered Bag End subwoofer. An oldschool Lexicon preamp acted as the control center. I took a look and saw 12ga zip cord and Monster Cable interconnects. I held my tongue, although of course with someone like me who's deep into the "cables matter" mentality, I was squirming a bit on the inside.
I let my preconceived notions go, and sat down in the sweet spot with an open mind to take a listen - through a circa 1990s Toshiba DVD player! I just wanted to hear the system as it was, before I swapped in the Rotel RCD-1072 that I brought over for him to try out.
And guess what? It sounded great! Giant banana plant blocking the left speaker and everything! Just goes to show that you can't judge a book by it's cover. I liked what I heard and quickly realized this was going to be a fun day of listening. The B&W speakers were authoritative and presented a seamless wall of sound. In no way were they shrill or bright, as B&W speakers tend to get a bad rap for. The midrange was thick and palpable, voices and percussion sounded excellent.
Later on we played Tidal through his Elac Discovery music server and then switched over to vinyl which sounded the best to us. He played a few great albums that I hadn't previously heard, including Fleetwood Mac - Rumours, and Boston (self titled).
I left him the Rotel RCD-1072 with a pair of Audioquest Black Mamba II ICs, a Schiit Bifrost with Douglas Connection Bravo digital coax, and a Cambridge Audio 640p phono preamp to try out. And also a copy of the latest Stereophile for good measure.
He seemed slightly apprehensive and told me that he's "not a tweaker". I guess he doesn't get that excitement out of trying out new pieces of gear, and just likes what he likes. In a way this was refreshing to hear, as he really puts the music first, and the gear second. Something I'm sure that some of us wish we could do more often.
Anyway, what a great day of listening to new music and hanging out with a new friend! I highly encourage you to go hear a friend's setup if you've only been listening to yours for a while. It could be an enjoyable and ear-opening experience.
Also, his animals seemed to really like me!
Comments
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Bro-mance!
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You’d never heard Rumours? Or Boston? Dude.....😳
Seriously though - nice that you got to spend an afternoon with another audio enthusiast, that’s something I never get to do."Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow
“Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -
Great write up of your visit.
That dog and cat can tell if a person is cool or not. They sense those things.
I think the oxygen level in that room is high due to that plant, therefore your listening experience was heightened. Well those speakers and amp helped a little too I guess.
I think I've heard the B&W speakers get really good starting with that model. Way above the 600 series I've read.
I use to test speakers sound with that Boston album. A lot!
I've heard great things about that "Rumours" album.Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
Rumours is a great album.Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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Rumours is a great album.
I've heard a lot of people say that, but I thought it was just a....nope....I'm not gonna..... -
Lot o' rumours about how much Peruvian marching powder was gone thru during the recording of some of their albums.
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Great review of your visit.
Remember when I first heard the full Rumours album in 1977 going on a ski trip by car to Taos NM with some friends. I have loved Fleetwood Mac since then and they are great in concert.Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables. -
I love Stevie Nicks' voice!!! A lot.
"Edge of seventeen" is awesome.
This is nice to read the words along with her voice!!!
https://youtu.be/J48L9lVFfFY Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
They certainly were a different band after the Peter Green era.
I often wish there was somebody close by that would like to audition their gear or even swap to go for a test drive.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
Seriously though - nice that you got to spend an afternoon with another audio enthusiast, that’s something I never get to do.
You're welcome to drive down and help me clean out this ol gal! But my Polks aren't as big as yours, so no making fun...
Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩 -
Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10 -
Great recap of your visit Drew!
Yes, indeed, hearing another person's setup is a great idea. I used to check out @SCompRacer setup and it was really eye-opening. Seemed like every time he made a change, things got better and better.
The first setup of his that I heard featured the SDA SRS 2's and the bass on that setup was unreal. Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" was the first track he played. The initial thump from the machine was wicked.
Not many people around here, unfortunately, for me to demo my gear or go hear their gear.
Glad you got to hear the ELAC Discovery music server. I've tried pairing it with many DACs but, to me, the analog outs sound the best on their own.
Thanks for sharing Drew! Love that beautiful black cat! Reminds me of my little buddy
Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10 -
They certainly were a different band after the Peter Green era.
I saw Fleetwood Mac in 1974 during the Bob Welch era, really good show. He replaced Peter Green, and right after I saw him he left to be replaced by Nicks and Buckingham. I liked the Bob Welch era Fleetwood Mac. He wrote "Hypnotized" from the "Mystery To Me" album in '73 IIRC, among many other songs. I also liked his solo work following Fleetwood Mac. Bob Welch's father was a Hollywood producer. -
If you guys love Ms Stephanie Nicks, well, you might enjoy this anecdote.
From the late, lamented Larry Rogers @ audioasylum.
https://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=mgeneral&n=215222&highlight=stevie+lwr&search_url=/cgi/search.mpl?searchtext=The+PreAmp+%2B+Bridged+Typhoon%27s&b=AND&topic=&topics_only=N&author=&date1=&date2=&slowmessage=&sort=score&sortOrder=DESC&forum=ALL
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I am chagrined! I cannot recognize this receiver
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Awesome story!
I started an audiophile club locally where we get to experience each others’ systems.
It’s a great hobby indeed.
We have about 20+ members now.Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R -
Didn’t mean to thread-jack but it’s amhardy6647 wrote: »
I am chagrined! I cannot recognize this receiver
Pioneer SX-737. Needs lots of love!Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩 -
Didn’t mean to thread-jack but it’s amhardy6647 wrote: »
I am chagrined! I cannot recognize this receiver
Pioneer SX-737. Needs lots of love!
Well, that is extra embarrassing -- There's one of those upstairs here...
no, check that, it's an SX-727 (previous generation).
DSC_0322 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr -
Awesome story!
I started an audiophile club locally where we get to experience each others’ systems.
It’s a great hobby indeed.
We have about 20+ members now.
That was in Texas, right? Are you still there or have you relocated to Cincinnati?Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10 -
I would love to do this is GA
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Still in Dallas area. YepMagico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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Had I moved I would’ve also tried to do it in CinciMagico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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I guess he doesn't get that excitement out of trying out new pieces of gear, and just likes what he likes. In a way this was refreshing to hear, as he really puts the music first, and the gear second. Something I'm sure that some of us wish we could do more often. I often wish I were like this.
I highly encourage you to go hear a friend's setup if you've only been listening to yours for a while. It could be an enjoyable and ear-opening experience. Agreed
Sounds like a great time. Enjoyed the write up.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
Why do Americans wear shoes in the house? So weird!2 channel:
Bryston 4B3, Bryston BDA3, Cary SLP05, Shanling CDT1000SE with parts conneXion level 2 mods, Nottingham analogue ace space 294, soundsmith Carmen MKii, Zu DL103 MKii, Ortofon MC 20 MKii, Dynavector XX2 MKii, Rogue Audio Ares, Core power technologies balanced power conditioner, Akiko Corelli power conditioner with Akiko Audio HQ power cable, Nordost heimdall 2, Frey 2, interconnects, speaker and power cables, Focal Electra 1028 BE 2, Auralic Aries Femto, Black diamond racing cones, ingress audio level 1 roller blocks, JL Audio E110 with Auralic subdude, Primacoustics room treatments.
Theater:
Focal Aria 926,905,CC900, SVS PB ultra x2. Pioneer Elite SC85, Oppo BDP93, Panamax M5400PM, Minix neox6, Nordost Blue heaven LS power cables. -
Lmao!! ^
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Speaking of the wiring, I like the clean install. I'm trying to visualize exactly how the right speaker wiring goes around the doorway. I'm guessing it's a closet door, and so it doesn't matter if it's exposed on the other side. He just needs a wire cover for the tv cables.Denon X7200WA
LSiM 705 703 704c
Denon DP 400
Yamaha CDC 775 -
Lot o' rumours about how much Peruvian marching powder was gone thru during the recording of some of their albums.
Rumour confirmed. I know I've seen the Behind the Music interview when Stevie talks about introducing it to the band. Before that it was just her habit. Then they basically lived in the studio, hardly ever sleeping. Their budget was being eaten up by non-stop mountains flake. That's how they did Rumours.Denon X7200WA
LSiM 705 703 704c
Denon DP 400
Yamaha CDC 775 -
Why do Americans wear shoes in the house? So weird!
Because my plantar fasciitis hurts like hell if I go barefoot! -
Speaking of the wiring, I like the clean install. I'm trying to visualize exactly how the right speaker wiring goes around the doorway. I'm guessing it's a closet door, and so it doesn't matter if it's exposed on the other side. He just needs a wire cover for the tv cables.
The speaker cable for the right channel actually goes under the floor before it feeds back to the amp. -
I love Stevie Nicks' voice!!! A lot.
"Edge of seventeen" is awesome.
This is nice to read the words along with her voice!!!https://youtu.be/J48L9lVFfFY
This song was developed when Stevie asked Tom Petty's wife when they met - her answer was at the age of seventeen.
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