[Merle]

Merle Scruggs [no, really ]. Middle age male, audio weenie since 1973. From Virginia, now call Baltimore home. Understanding wife [very important in this hobby], work in the Aerospace industry. I change gear too much to remember but my current favorite toy is a pair of Focal / JM Lab 816S Signatures. Now if I could only find an amp...

[Chris_B]

Thanks for starting the thread Merle.  I am going to leave this as a "non-sticky" so that whenever new members add to it, it will pop up when looking at "topics since last visit" searches.

Eveyone, please take a moment and tell us about yourself and a little about your system.  This may help others know who to go to for advice on particular gear.

I live in Arlington, VA with my wife and two sons - one 4 and the other 5 months.  Needless to say, most of my free time is spoken for but I hope to meet many of you guys at local events.

My biggest goal for this circle is for us to have local meets pretty regularly and for use to get to know our neighbor AC members.  I always looked at the NC and NYC guys and thought that it would be cool if we could have similar get togethers around here.  I am somewhat new to the audiophile hobby having been at it for around 2 years.  I have been into home theater for about 10 years.  I really look forward to learning from you guys and listening to a lot of great music from lots of different equipment.  

The thing I most want to hear is a good turntable setup.  Everyone talks about how much better vinyl is compared to CDs.  I would really like to experience it myself to see what everyone is talking about.  One day when my kids are older, I may go in that direction so hearing a few good systems would help me figure out what I am currently missing.

My current system has evolved a fair amount since starting.  I originally had decent bookshelves Green Mountain Audio Europas.  Very nice speakers but I wanted something more full range.  I also played around with a few tube amps (Conrad Johnson integrated) and quickly learned that dynamics will suffer if you don't have the proper speakers when using tube amps.  I still like the tube sound however which helped me reach my current system which sounds pretty good.  The Pre and CD player both have similar circuits and run the same tubes which give my system a very organic tube like sound without sacrificing dynamics.

Speakers - Odyssey Loreleis
Amps - Odyssey Khartago monoblocks
Pre - Modwright SWL 9.0SE
Source - Modwright Signature 999ES CD/SACD

[DTB300]

Hi Everyone...I live in the Rockville, MD area.  I have been sucked into the audiophile vortex since the late 70’s upgrading, selling, and upgrading many times over the years.  I have been married for 22 years (an accomplishment these days) and I have two children 17 and 14, so audio purchases have been subsided for the need to save for college years.  Like Merle, I too have a very understanding wife as she knows I have the deadly Audiophile Disease, and the need to upgrade is always right around the next page of Audiogon.  

Barring family schedules and “honey-do” items, I hope to be able to attend the get-togethers to see what people have for their systems and what they enjoy as compared to my likes and tastes, along with learning about new and exciting music.  

My source of choice is digital as I sold off all my old college-days vinyl & setup many years ago.  Right now, I do not want to spend the $$$ on a nice vinyl setup (what I consider nice), nor do I want to have to search, dig, & pay for the vinyl that I would want to have.  I know that I have “some” limitations (very minor IMHO) with the sound of digital compared to some of the vinyl setups I have heard, but I am very happy with the sound and reproduction that I get.  Some of the newer SACD releases (independent of the recording date), are very very well done in their sonic reproduction.  While our systems will NEVER sound like live, I have a system that sounds very good for me, and gives me many hours of listening pleasures – the bottom line.

My main choice for digital is SACD and then of course Redbook as my player does not play DVD-A discs.  I did have a universal before that played all formats, but I sold that recently for a modified Sony SACD player that I now use.  For Redbook playback I use an external DAC to help improve the sound there.  I listen primarily to modern Jazz, Adult Contemporary, Celtic, some Rock (most Rock CD’s are terrible sonically), and some Classical – mostly Baroque and Classical era.

My system is prioritized toward two-channel playback, but I also have the ability for MCH audio playback and HT 7.1 through the use of a main stream HT receiver.  The HT receiver is not the greatest sounding unit by far, but it is adequate for the primary use of watching movies in Dolby 5.1 and DTS modes.

My current system consists of Martin Logan CLSIIZ’s as the mains, Martin Logan Sequel II’s as my Surrounds, KEF C-30 for the rears, B&W HMT-1 for the Center, and a Sumo Samson for the Subwoofer.  My amplification is a Plinius SA-102 for the mains, Luxman M-117 for the Surrounds, and either an Amber or Sumo Polaris for the Sub Amp.  I use a Yamaha HT Receiver for the HT Movie Mode – the Yamaha powers the Center Channel and the KEF rears only – everything else is run Pre-Out to dedicated amps.  For the Pre Amp, I have an ARC SP-16L, the source player is a Sony DVP-NS999ES modified player, and I use an external DAC - a Channel Islands VDA-1, with the VAC-1 Power Supply.  The Sub is a passive Sumo Samson 15” sub, powered by either a Sumo Polaris amp (modified to be able to run Stereo or Mono by the flick of a switch) or an Amber Series 70 amp running in Mono, and finally a Paradigm X-30 X-Over soon to be replaced with a Velodyne SMS-1 unit.  I use a combination of Straightwire, Audioquest, and DIY for my speaker and IC cables.

My system is pretty well set in terms of the sound I am looking for and the components I have - I truly enjoy sitting down and listening to music for many hours on end.  The only new addition will be the Velodyne SMS-1.  It is a sub-woofer EQ system for any subwoofer, and not just Velodyne.  It is the same system as built into the DD line of subs.  Low frequency room EQ is something I am excited to add to my system.

While it would be nice to host a session, I have a very small room for my setup, hence I could not have many people over, or listening at a time. Hey I am glad I have a room at all for the system, as my stereo also has to share a family living space.  The “Stereo Room” as it is called is the room used most by the family, except for the bathrooms!!  So I have to make compromises for the sound to accommodate TV’s and furniture, but it still sounds really good even with those items.

If you have any questions about my setup or would like to stop by for a listen, please do not hesitate to ask.

Later…Dan

[wje]

Greetings!

I currently reside in Northern Va - actually, have since 1986 after leaving the military.

Currently married - nearly 20 years and have 12 y.o. daughter and a few adopted cats.  I'm an  Information Technology consultant doing contract work after leaving my previous corporation of 17 years.

As far as audio goes, my roots go all the way back to 1976 or so.  I subscribed to High Fidelity magazine.  I remember one cover when the Nakamichi "Dragon" cassette deck was covered in the issue.  I think that beast was nearly $2K - or, about 4 months of income for my family since my father only worked seasonal construction.  I would build my speaker cabinets out of leftover lumber that my father had laying around.  Never really got into crossovers at the time - and, mainly just used full range drivers.  The foray into crossovers was only using 1st order designs.

During much of the 90s, education, work and all that fun stuff kept me mainly occupied and my audio hobby moved to the back burner.  Over the past 5 years, I've gotten back into things.  My current system is modest by most standards and consists of:

- Panny XR55 receiver
- Onix XCD-88 player
- Panny S27 DVD player
- Infinity Beta speakers
- (2) 15" IB subs driven by a Nady pro audio amp

Next upgrades: I'm currently working on "zone 2" setup where I've already installed my 2-way in-wall speakers which will deliver sound to the living room area.  However, being a bit weak on bass, I'm going for a 2nd IB setup in my house.  I should be picking up the goods this evening - a used 10" subwoofer with a 120 watt amp.  I feel that this should be more than adequate at providing lower bass when it comes to music listening - and since the zone 2 would not be used for movies, I'm fine with it rolling off at 25 - 30 Hz.

That's about all I have going at the moment.  Just a final word to those of you out there that are in to buying and upgrading your gear - don't forget about the music.  After all, it's about how you enjoy your system when it's together - well, that and building it.  Just don't spend too much time building it and not enjoying it.

[bunky]

Hello, i am William C Waldecker III and i live in Md and i am a Pipefitter/ Mechanical Forman by trade. my current gear is by "Audio by Klaus" better known as Odyssey Audio. my Source is a Symphonic Line Vibrato CD player, i have the Odyssey Tempest preamplifier and i also use an Anthem Pre 1L  tube preamplifier, i use a pair of Odyssey mono Extreme monoblock amplifiers powering a Lovely pair of dark cherry Odyssey Lorelei loudspeakers my ic cables are Groneberg TS premiums and i am using the Quattro reference speaker cables while waiting for a 10' pair of TS premium speaker cables. i am the father of a 10 year old girl and a 23 year old woman. i would like to thank Chris B for all the hard work that he did to help make the Mid Atlantic Audiocircle a reality. thanks man!

[bunky]

Merle Scruggs [no, really ]. Middle age male, audio weenie since 1973. From Virginia, now call Baltimore home. Understanding wife [very important in this hobby], work in the Aerospace industry. I change gear too much to remember but my current favorite toy is a pair of Focal / JM Lab 816S Signatures. Now if I could only find an amp...

i used to work with this guy!

[woodsyi]

I am new to the whole audiophile stuff.  I was happy wallowing in my ignorance growing up and living with midfi stuff like Yamaha, Adcom, Nakamichi gear with Allison, Polk and Boston Acoustics speakers.  Then this internet regretfully exposed me to upscale audio.  I know what good music sounds like since I was exposed to live concerts at an early age and still attend concerts and operas regularly.  I just didn't think too much about trying to reproduce that at home.  Then we had a baby.  From the time my wife got uncomfortable sitting through a whole concert, it became clear that we had to cut back on attending live events.  It started with a Google search on HTIB.  Then it snowballed.  Curse the sites like this.  I got my value home theather system in Outlaw and Aperion speakers.  But it wasn't enough.  I kept reading up on the whole new world of audiophilism.  Then I heard a top of the line B & W speakers on all ARC gear playing an opera I was familiar with at the home of my wife's then boss.  I heard the voices like they were singing on the stage right in front of me.  Actually, it was better in some ways because the recording was with great singers, which you don't always get on every production.  I was hooked.  I had to have it.  The rest of the story is that I found AC and started asking questions.  I checked Audiogon religiously, checked out local shops, read up more and more on the internet.  I got my feet wet with a pair of used VMPS RM40s passively biamped with ARC VT 100 and an existing Adcom GFA 555 II run through ARC SP9 II with Sony XA777ES as source and the rest is history.  I have come a long way in a short time but I am sure I  have much to learn.  That is why meeting and learning at a regional circle events with like-minded music lovers who have been at this much longer than I will be great for a novice like me.  I hope this circle will be friendly to all who love music and afford a great oppotunity to learn from each other in assembling the best system for each one of us within each person's budget.

[Nick B]

I got into this seriously in the late 80's. A dealer in so. California set up an appt for me and explained his methodology. With a new client, he had the client audition each part of the audio chain. We listened to numerous speakers, amps, cd players etc. My first time there took 6 hours. He wanted to get an idea on the "type of sound" that I liked. He tailored the new system for me accordingly. Since then, I've replaced all the various components numerous times, especially the cd players. I had my Shahinian Diapasons for 10 years. That was a unique and fun speaker to listen to. I was troubled for 3-4 years with lots of sibilance and noise in my system. I had to use A/C conditioning and shielded cables to solve that problem. I used to buy/sell a lot when Audiomart was in business and then I found Audiogon. I probably found out about AC as a result of an Audiogon posting. I read Bound for Sound and Stereophile. It's fun to read about those overpriced products, but I'm much more cost conscious now. I am going to upgrade my system after being static for 6 years because gear like CIA, NuForce, Straley cables etc is so good and affordable. I have a Basis t/table, modded Pioneer CV 503 cd player, Audience Cabledriver passive preamp, modded Metaxis Solitaire amp, Zalytron Aria 7 speakers and JPS I/C and S/C's. I am relying on the comments here at AC to narrow my audition choices for the amp, cables and cd player I'll soon be buying. Thanks to all who have answered my posts so far so I can continue to educate myself more about audio and get more info about some of these great manufacturers.

[SWG255]

Greetings:

I've been into audio since the mid-1960's when I got my first reel-to-reel tape recorder. I've been listening to "high-end" gear since I was introduced to Klipsch, JBL, Altec-Lansing and McIntosh in 1969, although of course, being a high school student at the time, I couldn't afford any of it.

In the middle-1970's to early 1980's I sold audio here in the Washington D.C. area, working for Atlantis Sound and then Audio Associates. During these years I acquired a lot of different gear, from McIntosh, Van Alstine, Luxman, Klipsch,  KEF, IMF, Denon, Grace, SME Grado, Threshold and Conrad-Johnson.  

I now write mainframe software for a living, there is still a need for us old computer dinosaurs.

I've been married to my loving wife for over 26 years, and sometimes she's a bit exasperated with my "audiophilia". I have a 14-year-old daughter who is into the music too, although she'd just assume listen to her I-pod as my system.

My last system was static from around 1989 until 2001, when i bought my Sony SCD-1 SACD player. Since then I've purchased the VMPS RM40s, based on advice from folks here on AC. I've upgraded the SCD-1 with the Allen Wright VSE mods, and upgraded my preamp to a Conrad-Johnson Premier 18LS.

The weakest link in my componentry is my amp, I have an Eighth nerve modified Carver ZR-1600 class T unit, which I plan to change in the next year as funds allow. I also have a less-than ideal listening room, half of it being an office space and the front being both audio and TV room. I can't really get far enough away from the RM40s for best results. Still, I'm happy with the sound.

One reason i have trouble upgrading gear is that i continually buy new music. I am really into this hobby for the music first, so when we have our MAAC meets, i'll be looking out for new tunes even more than listening to the new equipment. I like almost every kind of music, with the exception of rap and what some call "head-banging" music. I prefer acoustic to electric generally, meaning symphonic, chamber music, jazz from trios to big band, folk, and "Americana".

I also do some live recording, and i was the recording engineer on Magpie's first album for Folkways Records back in 1977. I think this gives me a slightly different perspective on this hobby. I've found good sound can come from vinyl, CD, SACD or DVD-, as long as the original recording and mastering was good. To me, the ultimate goal of the sound system is to capture what was recorded, whether the venue was in the studio or in a concert hall. We are not yet able to claim the ability to capture the sound of a live acoustic performance in our homes, but I've heard some systems that in limited ways, come pretty close.

My thanks to Chris for starting this circle, and i'm looking forward to meeting everyone in the coming months at our various meets.

[Dave G]

I'm not new to audio, having bought my first system in 1970 with summer job earnings.  I still have the speakers -- KLH Model 17s.  I am quite new to audiophile stuff, however.  I happily subsisted for the next 30 years on whatever decent and not so decent midfi gear I had lying around and only got interested in higher end gear in the last 18 months.

I've lived in the DC area for over 25 years and now live in McLean, Virginia  with my wife of 19 years and three kids (16, thirteen, and eight).  I work in the Federal government doing legal work in the environmental area.

My system is quite new and quite simple:  an NAD CD player, a Red Wine Audio Clari T amp, and Bob Brines FT-1600 II speakers.  It is easily the best system I've ever had in my house, and I love the music it produces,   but I'm well aware it can be improved.

My goals for the MAAC are to meet some good people who care about music (and good beer!   ) and to gain knowledge and experience as I try to improve my system.   After yesterday's first MAAC meeting, I know I'm going to succeed.

See you all at the next meeting.

Dave