[Letitroll98]

OH. . .  the things we do for love . . .

My Fiance' is moving in with me this month, she going to have to live with something like this:


I shure hope it lasts 

Something is not going to last there.  You have to decide which makes you happier, her or that mess.  But one of the two won't last.

[JLM]

That's a real bachelor setup!

My experience is that as women go from being friend to girl-friend to fiancé to wife they also become less tolerant and more demanding of you.  (The Mars/Venus book says men never want their mate to change but women never stop wanting to fix their mate.)  And even though psychologists suggest that men subconsciously seek a replacement of their mother when picking out a mate, she'll never be your mother (and its only your mother, from the female half of the species, who would really love that system, sorry).  Bill Cosby points out that after the kids leave the house you will no longer need a brain because you'll become a son as she focuses all her mothering instincts on you.

[SwinginSteve]

LOL    I thought you guys would get a kick out of that. 100% true story though. I have cleaned up all my son's toys into a more tolerable cabinet and I put one of the subs behind the listening position, and evenly spaced the speaker positions, so the living room does look a little nicer, but the black boxes aren't going anywhere for a while yet  . We both own our own houses right now, but we want to sell them both and get one really nice house, so for the next year she's going to have to live with me while she sells hers, then we'll look for a new one. I would really like a nice big finished basement to set up the HT, but I've already been told the HT won't be in the living room of the new house    We will just have to be sure there is room for the man cave before we buy anything    My gal is pretty cool though, she is my sound technician #1 for all my live sound gigs I do, she helped me pull that stuff out of the living room and set it up for gigs over 50 times already this year, she gets paid and everything and she loves music and has learned quite a bit about the "hobby" over the last few years, match made in heaven!

Ok I'm done stealing your thread Letitroll, and by the way, it's not a mess, it's Turbosound!

[macrojack]

Here's my take: You realize the need to change and you are seeking advice from the group of people in your life most likely to sympathize with your existing priorities. To some extent your strategy has worked, but a few of us have been trying to hint that you must choose. Will you be hers or will you still be your bachelor self? There is little room for compromise. If you want her more than anything else, you must base your decisions on that premise.

In addition to accommodating your woman's need to organize and design her nest, you face a space limitation that exacerbates the situation. Fortunately for you at this time in history, there are a lot of excellent compact options available. And you had better ditch the sentimentality about audio products and go straight to the compromises that are needed. Her consent to keep the Maggies represents the extreme outer limits of her willingness to compromise. It is in your best interest to pre-empt the impending battle. If you are to keep the Maggies you should see them as your lone victory. Would you rather watch a movie with limited low frequency extension and her on the couch beside you or go to full range by yourself? Just how important is a sub?

So first of all, you must be willing to part with anything you own in the audio stable. Your best bet is to sell all of it. Then let her help you choose some speakers that are very efficient and pretty too. Then get yourself the NAD D3020, take advantage of the Panasonic plasma sell off, and choose the digital sources that suit you, remembering portables and Bluetooth. This is to create a 2 channel home theater option in the LR. It needs to be simple, user friendly and constant.

Next, find an alcove somewhere to set up your computer and your NAD D1050 and your new over the top headphones. If you want to use your table at this station, there are numerous inexpensive phono sections you can acquire, and there will be no acoustic feedback to bedevil you.

I'm considering doing much the same thing right now and I'm under no pressure at all.

BTW, you can use some of that cashola from selling off 6-7 systems to get a 27 inch loaded iMac with a huge Thunderbolt storage bank.

Your path is clear if your mind is clear.

[macrojack]

One more thing - you have received some suggestions that you rejected on the grounds that people were trying to get you to buy more stuff when you already have too much. Not true - what we are suggesting is seeking replacements that better suit your impending lifestyle than anything you now own. Bear in mind that used audio is losing value daily. The longer you hold that stuff, the more you lose on it, and the less you will have to pay to buy it back --- if ever you want to.

Start fresh. It doesn't work to stuff square pegs into round holes just because you have those pegs on hand already. You can't move forward while hanging on to things behind you. Time for a fresh start.

[jarcher]

Would you rather watch a movie with limited low frequency extension and her on the couch beside you or go to full range by yourself? Just how important is a sub?

I'd go full range by myself......she can go knit quietly in some other room. 

Sorry - couldn't resist. Are the two options really mutually exclusive?  REL makes some very attractive glossy piano finish subs if you can't find some other way to hide a sub out of sight. Chics like the boom boom as much as guys as long as they don't have to trip over it. Don't think I'd be happy for home theater with my Maggie's without some kind of sub(s).

[Letitroll98]

Thanks all, mjack, actually have already made many of those decisions.  She approved the sub she liked best, the Maggies are in storage in favor of the PSBs that match the flooring better, and I'll have two small bedroom systems.  One computer based, small speaker/headphones, and a slightly larger system that may or may not include vinyl.  Vinyl may go in the living room now.  Not a direct exchange for the Maggies, but an equivalent one.  Still selling off the excess stuff, we'll pay for the move etc. out of the proceeds and see what's left, however not many new products will be needed to get to where I'm headed.  Again, thanks to all.

[JLM]

macrojack +3!!!

Not giving up on your problem that easy Letitroll98.   

To tolerate (even enjoy) the new gear when downsizing its important that its sins are purely of omission.  In other words it can do little wrong, but can come up short in various attributes (SPL limit, dynamics, bass extension are the first to go for the sake of price and size).  A modest 2.1 living room system for mutual enjoyment in the living room with a really good small system (even headphone based) in the side room could be ideal.

Some ideas:

Def Tech BP 8060ST ($2000/pair) provides 20 - 20k Hz bi-polar performance with built-in subs in svelte floor-standing cabinets, the NAD D3020 should have enough juice to match their 92 dB/w/m efficiency for just the mid/treble drivers.  I've heard them briefly in a local B&M store and they seem livable to me for general audio and are especially well suited for A/V use (without extra channels).

Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 SE (currently $330/pair with shipping included) are 2-way stand-mounts with extreme musical/content value, but wrapped in really cheap vinyl.  They also sell Rythmik subs or pick your own.  Should work just fine with the NAD I've owned and raved about the the CBM-170s for years as I've used them for audio and A/V use.  Very well reviewed.

For a tiny system consider TBI Majestic Diamond MD-1 ($400/pair) and one of their powered subs with the NAD.

All these sport wide sound-staging that would be needed to stay with 2-channels yet satisfy for A/V use.

[Letitroll98]

As it stands now, we no longer need the dedicated amp to run the Maggies, we'll just use the Pioneer HT receiver for the PSBs.  So that amp can now run the Polks in the bedroom.  The turntable now has enough room to go in either location.  At least whenever I get time to take the TV off of it's stand and mount it on the wall.  Other than I'm now selling out of a storage locker instead of a home, looks like all decisions have been made, merely awaiting the time for me to do all of the set ups.  JLM, I like the CMT speakers and many others in the C&C category, but think the Polks are superior in musicality to many speakers out there below their price range.  Surprizing I know, I was surprised, but the mass marketer has done a very nice job on the two higher ends of their range, the Rti and Lsi series are very nice products, much better than their more economical lines and competative with anything in their price range.  And no cheap vinyl wrap, real wood veneers, appearence does count.

[SteveFord]

Are you getting rid of your MMGs?

[Letitroll98]

Are you getting rid of your MMGs?

They're in storage pending sale.  I think I have a for sale in the trading post.  No one has yet come with anything closer than hot air for cash, at this point I can hold out for my price since they don't need to be placed anywhere.