I'm the user formerly known as "Mike in NC." I've been participating on AudioCircle for quite a while, and finally I asked the admins to change my user name, as we moved from North Carolina to Portland, Oregon, about 10 years ago. AC asks for a re-introduction in such cases.
I have an up-to-date equipment profile and such, so I'll just say that I'm happy to continue on AC, home of some great discussions.
My interests include
- Classical music, bluegrass/string band, and jazz, with some favorite composers being Bach, Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak
- I listen also to contemporary composers & new performances of some of the old ones
- Home-network streaming
- Room acoustics
- DSP and subwoofers
- Electrostatic and panel speakers (I owned Apogees and now own Janszens)
Being a longtime concertgoer of classical and other acoustic music, I look for good, full-range timbre reproduction in an audio system.
I have hundreds of hi-res recordings, and IMO excellence in recording and mastering is the most important factor in a great-sounding release, not bit depth nor sample rate (given Redbook as a minimum).
I think it's rare that one component "blows away" another in the same general price class, and equally rare that some special chip or technology has a lock on good sound. More likely, different products appeal to different ears and tastes.
Mike
