I've been lurking here for awhile, but finally decided to officially join. And I guess I have to introduce myself.
I'm Greg, and I've been an audiophile for as long as I can remember. I grew up listening to my father's Dual turntable, Kenwood receiver, and AR 2-ax speakers. I eventually inherited that system when my father upgraded, though he got me new AR bookshelf speakers and kept the 2-axs. I've made modest upgrades over the years, but I'm extremely picky, and I've been looking for new speakers for 15ish years. I didn't find anything I really liked until I heard the NX-Oticas earlier this year, and knew they were the real deal. Hence, I'm here.
While I'm waiting for the drivers to be back in stock, I'm working on several DIY projects to keep me occupied:
- I'm rebuilding my father's AR-2ax by replacing the pots, the capacitors, and the driver seals. They were long ago replaced by a pair of Polk Audio VR-40s in his system - handpicked by me - but they've been stored and well cared for all these years. I've finished one, have three to go (he had two pairs for surround).
- I'm building an Elekit TU-8800 tube amp to pair with the NX-Oticas.
- I'm building a pair of the Folsom EC7293 chip amps. These are the successor to the EC7297 chip amp he designed several years ago (and I believe Danny may still be using). Jeremy claims they are even better, though I admit I don't really have a reference point. If anything, it's a cheaper starter project before I tackle the TU-8800.
In addition to DIY, I'm also a huge music fan (and taper), and I run professional sound on the side. You can find a few recordings of mine on the Live Music Archive, including one of Danny's favorites, Vienna Teng, who he still uses as one of his demo tracks. When I visited GR Research, I gave Danny a few new live Vienna tracks to compare to the material he had. I think it went over well.
So that's me in a nutshell. Happy to join the community, and can't wait to build my own pair of NX-Oticas.