The Book of Micah

Right, so: I don't work for Polk Audio anymore.

I did my best for many years. Published the Polk Audio newspaper. Started this forum for all you goons. On the forefront of "social media," we were. I learned a lot and enjoyed working with great people. (Even Paul!)

But, things change. Business changes. Industries and categories change. Media changes.

I admit, I have not "kept up." I plateaued at a certain level of technology, and then the smart young kids passed me by like the wind. I'm probably the last guy who buys CDs and still rents actual old-timey DVDs from Netflix. My tastes have morphed from the Black Sabbath remasters (still awesome) to an astounding recently-acquired German import CD of Beethoven's complete music for cello & piano.

Over the years, since I physically left the building (right behind Elvis), I have tried to keep my toes in the Polk Audio, then Sound United, waters. I worked with Scott, who was fun and excellent (learned a lot from him -- and he's doing fine today, writing for a bicycle business and really into it). I tried to help Them get the stories right, with correct grammar and all that hooey that marketing people forget about; not important. I tried to keep the voice consistent, but that's not what They wanted. I dealt with a revolving door of geniuses. Ultimately, to make the story short, I was booted unceremoniously. ("Cease & desist." There is the off chance that I probably maybe made some people "in charge" uncomfortable or even angry with my instance that, ya know, things be spelled correctly and such like. You can see from the website today how not-important that kind of thing is for Them.)

This is what copywriters get: Fired.

It's strange how seriously in love I was with this job, with this brand. Of all the places I've been canned from over the years, this was the most difficult place to stop working for. There was a sense of family in the building. A local, homegrown THING that was bigger than all of us, and it was DOING THINGS and MAKING THINGS and changing the world for the better. It laid a claim, as "The Speaker Specialists," and it stuck to it. There was little equivocation. Good sound mattered. Reasonable price mattered. Build quality mattered. The customer mattered. STUFF MATTERED. And as goofball and seat-of-the-pants as the whole operation was, it was full of life and love (the logo had a HEART on it!) and real PASSION. The people in the building lived for, and loved, the same things customers loved. You belonged to the family.

Listen: They did a lot of things wrong in that marketing department. They were not a marketing company. They never claimed the hometown advantage. They never went mano-a-mano with the industry leaders, like B**e; the better-marketed garbage. They shied away from using the word "best" in their marketing, something that always drove me batcrap crazy. They were slow to grasp the web and real social media, slow to hire experts, and loathe to listen to them when they did. They aged. At a certain point the innovators of Polk Audio stopped innovating. Maybe the speed of industry change confused them. The demand of the marketplace for low-quality, low-price, earbuds and MP3s, confused the classic audiophiles and engineers. Who uses loudspeakers anymore? How can "wireless streaming" be quality sound? It wasn't 1974 anymore.

Now, who knows?

I'm not here to dissuade you from Polk Audio speakers. No way. If you need earbuds or a sound bar, I'm sure Polk's earbuds and sound bars will work just fine. If you can find enjoyment and happiness, you should grab it. And Polk Audio probably still cares about build quality and stuff, so you're golden. If the shoe fits, wear it. (Plus, look at all the friends you have here! And, if you need help, still the best Customer Service in the industry.)

I love my Polk Audio speakers. I listen to them EVERY SINGLE DAY, in various situations. Office, living room, home theater. I love this brand, and I'm proud to own them. They sound beautiful and bold. But I'm not sophisticated enough for "wireless streaming," and I don't need earbuds, and I'm not a fan of the ubiquitous sound bar. The beauty of this is that we each find our level of involvement and we make the most of it. You should love your Polk Audio speakers, too.

There, I said it. Surely, what They want to hear.

And not a lie.

I don't know what the future of this industry and market and media hold for a company like Polk Audio. It's 10+ years since the things that mattered to the people I knew at Polk Audio have become passe. The future is up to you, MP3-listening, smart-phone focused, Blue-toothed, wireless-streaming young 'uns.

Before this depresses me more, I'm going to go downstairs and blast some freaking WhiteSnake or Boston or Lyle Lovett or... or... OR BEETHOVEN on my Polk Audio loudspeakers. You'd be smart to do the same.

Any questions? (Will this post get me "banned"?)

Micah
ultramicah@yahoo.com

"There's nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." - Lon Chaney
«1

Comments

  • As always, love your insightful ruminations Micah. Hope They don't ban you.
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    Good stuff so the million dollar question was asked in this thread before derailment

    When....
    http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/171403/thoughts-when-did-the-forum-start/p1

    Cheers
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    LOL.....and people think I'M long winded ?

    A tad bit of history, humor....and what Polk Audio was all about back in the day and why some still around today have a hard time letting go of that family feeling everyone enjoyed. Believe it or not, that's exactly what some of us old timers keep fighting to retain. Some don't see it that way though, mostly because they never truly experienced it. We still have a good group of guys around, new and old, who we've imparted that family feel onto....still have some fun though limited in this PC day and age.

    Good post man, and streaming isn't as bad as you might think. ;) Post more often, and....wtf have you been up to all this time ? Join a hippy camp out in Arizona or what ?
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • halo71
    halo71 Posts: 4,567
    Micah, that explains why the forum went down the tubes like it did!
    --Gary--
    Onkyo Integra M504, Bottlehead Foreplay III, Denon SACD, Thiel CS2.3, NHT VT-2, VT-3 and Evolution T6, Infinity RSIIIa, SDA1C and a few dozen other speakers around the house I change in and out.
  • Micah Cohen
    Micah Cohen Posts: 2,022

    Don't be negative. [snicker, snicker!]

    In the years since I have been involved with this forum, I've traveled the world, seen amazing things, poo-poo'd it all and just come home with a shrug and a slump. My new motto is "Me Solum Relinquatis." (Latin: "Leave Me Alone.")

    Now I live in the ether (based in Charlotte NC, a wasteland of people who'd all rather be closer to the coast), and do my thing.

    I write for some companies. Consumer electronics, medical, data, federal gov't, all sorts of nonsense. Less creative these days, because who wants that, and mostly just keeping things within the lines of good grammar or at least readability. Everyone and their dog is "a writer" and "a creative," colleges vomit these people out endlessly, and I just don't have the energy to fight these nudnicks no more.

    We watch movies. Recent viewings included 99 HOMES. Michael Shannon is great, but the movie was garbage, completely fake, with a bad ending. Saw THE MARTIAN just the other day. Cool and all. Ridley's masterpieces are far behind him, but I guess he'll get an oscar for this. Did you catch all the ALIEN references? Read the book, which was much more fun.

    We read books, too. Just completing the second book in a trilogy recounting the history of the war in the Pacific (WWII) by Ian Toll. Excellent. (Where's that spirit today?)

    We listen to music. My current thing is "jazz," even though I don't know anything about it. Been listening to McCoy Tyner, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, tra la. I also just figured out how to, um, "download" stuff (ya dig?), and so I've been listening to those two old "live" Bob Seger albums (memorized in my youth, forgotten until my wife said, "I like Bob Seger").

    Speaking of mah wife, what am I doing here on this sweaty forum? It's V Day, so I better go love up the patient, beautiful, tolerant and fun wife a little bit. So should you.

    Whatdya say boys, should we let em live?

    Micah
    ultramicah@yahoo.com

    "There's nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." - Lon Chaney
  • Strong Bad
    Strong Bad Posts: 4,276
    The "Creator" has made an appearance.

    For those of you who don't know Micah, he is the one that started it all. He pushed for the forum to be created, then we joined, then we drove him crazy. It was a great crazy though.

    I still remember catching up with him in the late '90's at Sound Garden (a used music store in Baltimore) just to say hello in person and browse through tunes. I don't know which one of us was actually stalking the other that day, but we did agree that stalking was too harsh a word. "Watching from a distance" was agreed upon.

    If I recall correctly, he even managed to convince management that it would be a great idea to let us goons enter Polk HQ's one day...and so the Polk Fest was born. The FX500 surround speaker I had Matt Polk sign that day still hangs on the wall and does it's job well.

    I must say, you are sorely missed around here. You ran a great forum and kept that tight corporate feeling away from it, much to our delight.

    As Archie and Edith said..."Those were the days!"
    No excuses!
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,711
    Back in 2004 a few of us were invited to Polk HQ to check out some new speakers and basically hang out for the day. The first to arrive were Chuck (Madmax), a very young Trey (Vr3) and his father, Mark (Doro) and myself. We went back to an office where we were warmly welcomed by this long haired kind of hippie looking guy who was just a bundle of nervous energy, Micah. There were boxes and stuff all over the floor and the desk was a mess, but there was one thing that stood out in the rubble. A half-sized suit of armor in one corner and I remember thinking this guy is out there.....LOL

    Anyway, after introductions Micah grabs a few things to hand out. I got one of the last two new SRT posters, thank you Micah, which I got Matt to sign and still have.

    At some point we end up in the SRT room with Polk Paul cranking up the tunes and having a blast. At the end we got someone to take a group picture of us. So, Micah is kind of kneeling down in front and has this look on his face like he's pinching off a loaf....classic! I have that picture somewhere, if I ever find it I'll post it up.

    Micah is a great guy, an intelligent free spirit with a fantastic sense of humor. Thank you for everything you did for us over the years and sorry for driving you bat **** crazy on the forum, but damn we had fun didn't we!?!
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • mikeyb128
    mikeyb128 Posts: 2,885
    edited February 2016
    Polk is the name that got me into this rabbit hole. There is a reason people keep all the vintage speakers around because it is dam good stuff. If I need a sound bar I will hit up Polk. If I need a nice blue tooth speaker I'm gonna hit up polk.

    Honestly they have lost their way. Someone's head is lost (maybe up someone's you know what). I can attest to the quality control of their top teir speakers going to crap.

    I do understand they need to follow the way of ear buds and Best Buy speakers. But man... Will never forget my first set of real speakers.. RTI 150's. Great speakers! Im a young buck compared to most around here, obviously SDAs have a religious following, need to get my ears on a pair.
    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.

  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,517
    @F1nut

    Is Trey (@VR3) actually Doro's kid or was that said in jest?
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    @F1nut

    Is Trey (@VR3) actually Doro's kid or was that said in jest?

    Nope. Trey is a lot smarter and better looking than Mark. ;)
  • boston1450
    boston1450 Posts: 7,438
    Lots of good history here & laughter to boot. I enjoy reading thread from way back & hear you guys reminisce. Glad you guys are still around. Hats off to ya
    ..
    ..
    ..
    Randy/Maine
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    F1nut wrote: »
    Back in 2004 a few of us were invited to Polk HQ to check out some new speakers and basically hang out for the day. The first to arrive were Chuck (Madmax), a very young Trey (Vr3) and his father, Mark (Doro) and myself. We went back to an office where we were warmly welcomed by this long haired kind of hippie looking guy who was just a bundle of nervous energy, Micah. There were boxes and stuff all over the floor and the desk was a mess, but there was one thing that stood out in the rubble. A half-sized suit of armor in one corner and I remember thinking this guy is out there.....LOL

    Anyway, after introductions Micah grabs a few things to hand out. I got one of the last two new SRT posters, thank you Micah, which I got Matt to sign and still have.

    At some point we end up in the SRT room with Polk Paul cranking up the tunes and having a blast. At the end we got someone to take a group picture of us. So, Micah is kind of kneeling down in front and has this look on his face like he's pinching off a loaf....classic! I have that picture somewhere, if I ever find it I'll post it up.

    Micah is a great guy, an intelligent free spirit with a fantastic sense of humor. Thank you for everything you did for us over the years and sorry for driving you bat **** crazy on the forum, but damn we had fun didn't we!?!

    That is a great story; thank you for sharing it.
    It documents an almost lost era and it humanizes the enterprise (i.e., in this case, Polk Audio). Those of us who mostly knew these companies as customers (consumers) develop, I think, very different perceptions of what the 'back offices' were really like.
  • maximillian
    maximillian Posts: 2,142
    Without an engaged customer base, I would not be a Polk fan. Without this forum, I would not be a Polk fan. This forum has led me to make multiple speaker purchases. Too bad the new powers don't see that importance.

    Thank you for you work, and for the foresight for creating this forum.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    edited February 2016
    I've got to be honest -- I became a Polk fan the first time I heard The David Grisman Quintet LP on a pair of Monitor 7s at Soundscape in Baltimore in 1977.

    The forum is icing on the cake.
    -- but, yes, thank you, Micah (and all of Polk).

  • Strong Bad
    Strong Bad Posts: 4,276
    F1nut wrote: »
    Back in 2004 a few of us were invited to Polk HQ to check out some new speakers and basically hang out for the day. The first to arrive were Chuck (Madmax), a very young Trey (Vr3) and his father, Mark (Doro) and myself. We went back to an office where we were warmly welcomed by this long haired kind of hippie looking guy who was just a bundle of nervous energy, Micah. There were boxes and stuff all over the floor and the desk was a mess, but there was one thing that stood out in the rubble. A half-sized suit of armor in one corner and I remember thinking this guy is out there.....LOL

    Anyway, after introductions Micah grabs a few things to hand out. I got one of the last two new SRT posters, thank you Micah, which I got Matt to sign and still have.

    At some point we end up in the SRT room with Polk Paul cranking up the tunes and having a blast. At the end we got someone to take a group picture of us. So, Micah is kind of kneeling down in front and has this look on his face like he's pinching off a loaf....classic! I have that picture somewhere, if I ever find it I'll post it up.

    Micah is a great guy, an intelligent free spirit with a fantastic sense of humor. Thank you for everything you did for us over the years and sorry for driving you bat **** crazy on the forum, but damn we had fun didn't we!?!

    Hey ya big goon, I was there too!

    Somewhere in my massive archive of photos lies evidence of that day. Even the photo of Trey standing next to a, taller than him, SDA SRS speaker.

    Matt Polk talked to us about how he came up with the idea for the SDA technology. There were laughs at the famous "Lab Coat" photos he modeled for. It was a great day!

    Polk has been assimilated by the collective now. With plans to host another HQ Fest this year, I hope these folks are taking a good hard look at themselves and speaking their mind to the higher ups. I'll be honest, I have been thinking at some point in the next few years to refresh my surround system and i've been looking in other directions. I do love my Polk Woodbournes though (I own two), but what I see currently in their home theater line...ain't gonna happen.

    Sometimes companies need a kick in the pants by it's customer base!
    No excuses!
  • scubalab
    scubalab Posts: 3,101
    This is a great read! Thank you Micah, Strong Bad, and Jesse for sharing your memories.
  • jcaut
    jcaut Posts: 1,849
    edited February 2016
    Seems like every now and then we have one of these threads where we reminisce, and talk about the "good ol' days" when the Polk forum was 18 members.

    I suppose that's what happens as we all get older. It's even better when Micah shows up. The remarkable thing, though, is that many of those same people are still here: Maybe not always visible and posting, but checking and lurking, whatever-- Still keeping up.

    I wasn't "here" from the very beginning and I've never been very vocal, as can be seen by my post count vs. time registered. I joined sometime in the later '90's. RT3's were new then. I bought a pair and I think there was a little "register your product" card with some wording about how to join the "Club Polk" in there, and I thought, "Yeah. That's cool! I'll do that!". I feel like it's something a little bit remarkable. Whether it's because of the "family feel" of Polk Audio - at least back then- or just good fortune that pulled the right people together, I don't know. Maybe the timing was just right. I feel like I got more out of it than just some info about speakers and electronics. And that's why I'm still here, even though "times have changed", so to speak. The "new" members may not see the significance of it all, through no fault of their own. Thanks, Micah, for all you did.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,711
    Strong Bad wrote: »
    Hey ya big goon, I was there too!

    Ah yes, you were there and you're the one who took the photos. DOH! Sorry about that John, I didn't mean to leave you out.
    Somewhere in my massive archive of photos lies evidence of that day. Even the photo of Trey standing next to a, taller than him, SDA SRS speaker.

    A lot of things were taller than him, older too. IIRC, he was 12 maybe 13 at the time.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • I've owned nothing but Polk Audio since 1987 and am glad the forum exists. Been here since 2006 with a long hiatus. Yous guys are a buncha nuts
  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,116
    Enjoying this thread.
    Pio Elete Pro 520
    Panamax 5400-EX
    Sunfire TGP 5
    Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
    PS Audio GCPH phono pre
    Sunfire CG 200 X 5
    Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
    OPPO BDP-83 SE
    SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
    Ctr CS1000p
    Sur - FX1000 x 4
    SUB - SVS PB2-Plus

    Workkout room:
    Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
    Onkyo TX-DS898
    GFA 555
    Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
    Ft - SDA 1C

    Not being used:
    RTi 38's -4
    RT55i's - 2
    RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
    LSI 15's
    CSi40
    PSW 404
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    Micah,
    Do you recall when you launched the forum?
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • Micah Cohen
    Micah Cohen Posts: 2,022
    Very late 90s? 2000?

    Wasn't just me. I was just lucky to be in the right place at that right time. The forum was an offshoot of the pre-internet newspaper. Someone on high made a good decision, I think it was Jim Herd, the president at the time. He spearheaded the operation, and it would not have happened without both Al & Paul (of "The Al & Paul Show"), and Justin the Web Kid (my current favorite ex-Polk employee... but of course he pays me to say that). Later, Patrick really kickstarted the second phase of technical updates. The designers, like Jenny, really put their all into making it look good. Plus, the sales guys really got into it, and the guys in 12volt loved being able to reach tuners. Everything gelled, from the newspaper to the website to the forum.

    How lucky was I to come to work at Polk Audio and be handed the keys to a kingdom of media and entertainment right as DVD was coming out and surround sound became available at home? I got to indulge my love of music and movies in amazing ways.

    And, even more, to meet all these awesome people who also loved music and movies. If I wasn't such a manly man, I'd get all weepy about it, looking back. [*sniffle*] Everyone had something to contribute, share and teach (and learn), and the Polk Audio forum really did become a great little world of entertainment and information. Everyone had fun. That's exactly what we wanted it to be.

    I laughed just now reading about that time everyone showed up at the Baltimore HQ that first time. What a mess! But it was really important for Polk Audio to make those kinds of personal connections. We were changed by it, and I am grateful that you were changed by it, too.

    Lookit: I found a picture of my office...

    rz13g7495m23.jpg

    That's a composite showing both sides of the office. (Sorry it's so teeny.) I had a suit of armor in there (I think Dale has it now) and an electric fireplace that worked. (Shelia took that home when I left.) Matt Polk came into my office once and he was sort of surprised. He said, "I have a corner office with a big window... but you have a fireplace!"

    I haven't glanced at much of the other threads on this forum since I came here. I guess I just thought I'd explode into the door like a whirlwind and shake things up (and get rid of these Monitor 7Bs). I didn't expect to get caught up in it again.

    I thought I was clean. But I guess you're always addicted, huh?


    ultramicah@yahoo.com

    "There's nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." - Lon Chaney
  • @Micah Cohen
    Jew are nuts and Jew need help!

    GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE!!! :)
  • Micah Cohen
    Micah Cohen Posts: 2,022
    I'm Irish.

    ultramicah@yahoo.com

    "There's nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." - Lon Chaney
  • Oy
    My mistake honey
    Have a beeyah on me :D
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,711
    My memory seems to have failed me, I thought the suit of armor was smaller....oh well, you're still a hobbit troll. B)
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    Maybe you were taller back then Jesse :)
    Great Stories!
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
    Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
    Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
    Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

    dhsspeakerservice.com/
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    I didn't expect to get caught up in it again.

    I thought I was clean. But I guess you're always addicted, huh?


    Just when you thought you were out....they sucked you back in. lol
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's