New (returning) member lifetime audio enthusiast

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Willy O

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New (returning) member lifetime audio enthusiast
« on: 16 Feb 2026, 07:31 pm »
Willy O here in Minnesota. Back in 1967 my dad built a pair of Altec Voice of the Theater speakers flush mounted in the wall of our living room. He was a Dentist, but also owned a Jazz Nightclub. I was 12 so I did not know this was an unusually awesome audio system. After college I took job in a small stereo retail shop in Salt Lake City. I worked for several retailers (Including a dealer in LA that carried Spectral Audio and Sound Lab electrostatics 1988-89). And then spent 13 years at Sony where I was in the ES Hi-Fi audio division. Along the way I have owned many cool audio systems including my Spectral DMC-12 pre and DMC-90 amp that brought me back here today. (I had signed up back in 2012 when I owned some giant Von Scweikert speakers, but had not been back in a long time). Now retired and I have a pile of amps. Current speakers are Thiel PCS monitors with subs.


FullRangeMan

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Re: New (returning) member lifetime audio enthusiast
« Reply #1 on: 16 Feb 2026, 07:59 pm »
Welcome to AC  :thumb:
How do you would rate this Spectral pre to today standard in sound quality?

Phil A

Re: New (returning) member lifetime audio enthusiast
« Reply #2 on: 16 Feb 2026, 10:46 pm »
Welcome!

rgrlee

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Re: New (returning) member lifetime audio enthusiast
« Reply #3 on: Yesterday at 01:26 pm »
I am the same, have always been interested in audio!

ArthurDent

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Re: New (returning) member lifetime audio enthusiast
« Reply #4 on: Today at 06:12 pm »
Greetings & Welcome to AC Willy O   :thumb:

Willy O

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Re: New (returning) member lifetime audio enthusiast
« Reply #5 on: Today at 06:14 pm »
Welcome!

Oops, I meant to make this a reply to Fullrangeman. But thanks for the Welcome.

Hello, I rate my DMC-12 as Spectacular in comparison to anything. (Spectraltacular?). I mostly use tube pre-amps, but this DMC-12 sounds so good driving my Golden Tube Se-40 I haven't been using my Cary Pre-amp. I have a Spectral DMA90 amp that has had issues for some time, and Spectral would not take it in to repair it. It was built around 1997 and they will not work on older amps. I also have a pair of Cary EL-34 Monoblocs, an Audio Research D-90B, a Pioneer Spec 2 (fully refurbished and sounds surprisingly good with the DMC-12), MacIntosh MC-275 Gordon Gow Edition, and a couple of vintage Phase Linear amps. While the Spec 2 may not be considered high end, it is very pretty.