DAVID ROBINSON'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  mbl 101E Radialstrahler omni-directional loudspeakers; Nova Rendition II loudspeakers outfitted with Walker Audio Reference HDLs on the upper and lower bi-wires, and Townshend Audio Supertweeters, all contacts treated with Walker Audio Extreme SST Contact Enhancer.

• ELECTRONICS
  mbl 6010D preamplifier with balanced input and phono amp option modules; mbl 9008A stereo/monoblock amplifiers (two units run in bi-wire monoblock mode); LAMM 1.2 hybrid monoblock amplifiers; Accuphase C-3000 stereo amplifier; Accuphase C-2000 preamplifier; Joule Electra LA-150 line stage preamplifier; Clayton Audio M300 monoblock amplifiers; EMM Labs DCC2 SE preamplifier and Digital Converter; deHavilland Mercury II preamplifier; Walker Audio Reference Phono Amplifier with all the latest mods (as of 10/25/06); Lamm LP2 phono amplifier; Joule Electra OPS-2 dual mono phono amplifier; E.A.R. 324 phono amplifier.

• SOURCES
  DIGITAL: EMM Labs CDSD SE SACD/CD Transport; Linn Unidisk 1.1 Universal Player, Marantz SA-7S1 SACD/CD player; Halcro EC800 Universal Player; AudioNemesis DC-1 D/A Converter; EMM Labs Philips SACD 1000 w/optical DSD and PCM output (2/6 channel); Theta Digital Pro Gen Va D/A converter; Panasonic SV-3900 DAT player with Vimak DS-500 A/D converter.
  ANALOG: Continuum Criterion Turntable with Copperhead Tonearm and the Air Tight PC-1 MC cartridge, on a Finite Elemente pagode Master Reference audio rack; Walker Audio Proscenium Black Diamond reference turntable system with the Black Diamond Arm, the Magic Diamond MC cartridge, and direct connection to the Walker Audio Reference Phono Amp (upgraded to the latest version, with the Walker Audio Power Supply, Second Edition, also upgraded to the latest revision, both as of 10/24/06); Linn LP-12 turntable, with the Akiva reference cartridge, Ekos tonearm, the latest Lingo power supply, Cirkus subchassis, and Linn reference silver phono cable; Revox B-77 Mk. II 15 ips half-track reel-to-reel tape recorder; Pioneer RT-707 7.5 ips quarter track reel-to-reel tape recorder; Nakamichi Dragon reference cassette deck; Magnum Dynalab FT-101 tuner with the Audioprism 6500 internal antenna.

• HEADPHONES
  Beyer Dynamic DT-990 headphones.

• CABLES
  Interconnects by JENA Labs, Cardas, Harmonic Technology, Empirical Audio, Stereovox, and Linn. Speaker cables by JENA Labs, Cardas, Silent Source, and Linn. Power cables by JENA Labs, Cardas, First Impression Music, Silent Source, DH Labs, and VansEvers.

• ACCESSORIES
  Grand Prix Audio Monaco Modular Rack, Walker Audio Prologue Rack, Walker Audio Prologue Turntable Stand, Walker Audio Prologue Amplifier Stands, Critical Mass Systems Grandmaster Black Rack, Critical Mass Systems Grandmaster Black Amplifier Stands, Finite Element pagode Master Reference Rack, Walker Audio Valid Points and Valid Points tuning kits, three Walker Audio Velocitors on Velocitor Stands (line conditioning for Walker Audio Proscenium turntable system and its associated deHavilland Mercury II preamp), Furutech DFV-1 LP flattener, AirTight DT-01 Orb Disc (LP) Flattener, Vibraplane turntable isolation platform, Sistrum SP-101 amplifier stands and SP-4 multiple platform rack, Black Diamond Racing "The Shelf" and cones, audiodharma Cable Cooker 2.5, Gryphon Exorcist system demagnetizer, Extremephono VCS Platforms w/Black Diamond Racing cones, Dedicated Audio Cable Tower cable supports, additional equipment racks by Michael Green, Shakti Stones and Shakti Onlines, VansEvers Clean Line, VPI 17F LP cleaning system with the Walker Prelude Record Cleaning System, Walker Audio Extreme SST Contact Enhancer (02/2007), Walker Audio Ultra Vivid SACD/DVD/CD enhancer (improved formulation, 02/2007), Walker Audio Talisman LP/disc De-static device, xtreme av Liquid Resolution CD Cleaner and Enhancer System, Furutech RD-2 SACD/DVD/CD demagnetizer, Furutech DeMag LP/SACD/DVD/CD degausser, Furutech SK-II Electrostatic Brush, Furutech Destat dust and static remover, Cen-Tech Analog Sound Level Meter, KAB Speed Strobe turntable strobe measurement system, hifi4music Digistrobo turntable strobe measurement system, acoustical treatments by ASC, NuCore, VansEvers, and Michael Green.

My listening room is of irregular shape, being 12.5' wide x 13.5' long in the right section, and 18' long in the left (equipment) section, with a ceiling height of 8'. It is cambered left and right, with no perpendicular edge on the sidewalls to ceiling transition. Construction was done with 2" x 6" studs, wall-within-a-wall on the left and right sides (media storage in a room to the left, equipment storage in a room to the right). The room is on the second floor, directly over the garage—no competing sounds! The neighborhood is quiet, being located on top of a hill some 500 feet above the valley below, the listening room faces south, away from the main access road.

Power to components in the listening room is fully dedicated. 10 gauge Romex was pulled directly from the panel, all from the same pole to avoid ground loops. Four 20 amp runs were done, and Hubble hospital-grade plugs were installed. All lights and peripheral components are on separate circuits. Circuits have been tested for proper ground and polarity.

Robinson's Home Theater System

• Linn Unidisk 1.1 SACD/DVD-A/CD/DVD universal player

• Linn Kisto Controller

• Linn 5125 5.1 channel amplifiers (x 2, 5 channel bi-amped configuration)

• Linn Akurate 242 L/R front channel speakers

• Linn Akurate 225 center channel speaker

• Linn Akurate 212 L/R rear channel speakers

• Linn Melodik subwoofer

• Theta Digital Data III Laserdisc transport

• Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-Ray DVD player

• Mitsubishi SD-HD2000U D-VHS/S-VHS digital HD VCR

• Panasonic TH-65PX600U 65" plasma HD TV (1080p)

• VansEvers Cleanlines line conditioner

• Cables by Cardas, Linn, and JENA Labs

• Teac Esoteric DV-60 Universal Player

• Benchmark DAC-1 D/A Converte

• Oppo HM-31 3x1 Advanced HDMI Switch

• Walker Audio E-SST Contact Enhancer

• Walker Audio Ultra Vivid DVD/SACD/CD Enhancer (02/2007 formulation)

The home theater system is housed in our great room. The dimensions are 18' wide by 24' long, with a peaked and vaulted ceiling that's 16' high at the center of the lengthwise room line. The fireplace forces a "shift left" of the High Definition TV and the L/C/R playback, a necessary compromise that skews the sound somewhat, but still allows for a satisfying home theater/surround sound experience.

Robinson’s Computer-/Internet-based Music System

• Dell Precision T7400 workstation, Windows Vista Ultimate, Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic (D), Intel Xeon Quad Core, 4 GB ECC RAM, 300 GB 15K RPM SAS RAID1

• Dell Precision 650N workstation, Windows XP SP2, Sound Blaster Audigy 2, Dual Intel Xeon, 2 GB ECC RAM, 73 GB 10K RPM Ultra 320 RAID1

• AVI ADM9 USB active digital monitors

• Benchmark DAC-1 D/A converter

DAVE AND CAROL CLARK'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Reimer Speaker Systems Tetons (with the Hi-Vi Isodynamic Planar tweeters and series crossovers) heavily treated with Marigo VTS Dots, with Townshend Audio super-tweeters.

• ELECTRONICS
  Clayton Audio M200 monoblock amplifiers (with Hi-Fi Tuning fuses), Sutherland PhD phonostage (treated with Marigo VTS Dots), and a Cary Audio SLP-05 preamplifier w/Pope 6SN7s.

• SOURCES
  EMM CDSA SE and Cary CD-306 SACD/CD players treated with Marigo VTS dots and Shakti Onlines and Stones. Transrotor 25/25/60 Leonardo turntable with a Shelter 901 MC cartridge w/Marigo dot. Sennheiser HD540 headphones and Meier Audio HA-2 headphone amplifier. Magnum Dynalab MD-90 or Polk XM tuners (up-sampled via the Cary 306).

• CABLES
  Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Purist Audio Proteus Provectus, Audio Magic Clairvoyant 4D, Soundstring, and Dual-Connect interconnects. Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Purist Audio Proteus Provectus, Dynamic Design Nebula THD, and Audio Magic Clairvoyant 4D speaker cables. Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Dynamic Design Nebula Digital (CD player), Soundstring, Elrod EPS2 Signatures, Audio Magic Clairvoyant 4D (preamp), and JPS Aluminata (amps) AC cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Audio Magic Transcendence power conditioner, Nanotec Nespa #1, Furutech RD-2 demagnitizer, Bybee XLR Golden Goddess Tails, Golden Goddess Super Effect Speaker Bullets, Blue Circle BC86 Noise Hound (amp circuit) and Audio Prism QuietLines (throughout the house). Dedicated 20 (amplifiers) and 15 amp (everything else) AC circuits. Tons of Shakti Stones and On-Lines, and Original Cable Jackets (frig's AC). Various Marigo VTS Dots used extensively throughout the system and room (window behind listening seat). EchoBuster acoustical treatments and Shakti Hallographs. BDR cones and board (turntable), BDR cones and Jumbos (under speakers). Mondo racks and stands and Townshend Audio 2D (amps) and 3D Seismic Sinks (CD players and preamp). Walker Audio Ultimate High Definition Links, Talisman, and SST, and Furutech Nano Liquid. Clever Little Clock. Various hard woods placed here and there along with numerous Peter Belt treatments. audioexcellence az AudioDharma Cable Cooker for all cables.

Our listening room is about 18' long x 14' wide and has 9' coved ceilings. All walls are lathe and plaster with suspended wood floors (construction is 1928 Spanish) which have been reinforced directly under the speakers with concrete pillars. While this is our living room, it has become dedicated more to audio than to casual conversation. As such we have employed a fair amount of room treatments (EchoBuster, Marigo, and Shakti products), as well as two dedicated AC lines. Speakers and equipment have been painstakingly measured and set up to offer the best presentation possible. Our musical tastes are pretty much all over the map, but we do prefer music that is more slanted and "alternative" to the accepted norm—regardless of the genre. I should add that in my room, the Reimer Tetons are pretty much flat to 25Hz.

When we listen to music, Carol and I prefer a full-range sound that places the performers out into the room. We like a more "in-your-face" sound as opposed one where the soundstage sits well behind the speakers. Additionally, we like our music with a bit more "syrup" than most so our current system is slanted towards the richer and warmer side of things. Another thing we do like is detail and imaging. Yes, a well-defined soundfield that offers a well-lit stage is what we are after—though one that stresses musicality over sterile neutrality. Not lush mind you, but a bit perhaps a touch darker than most.

Secondary System (home office)

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Chario Hyper Reference 2000.

• ELECTRONICS
  Kora Explorer 90 SI integrated.

• SOURCES
  EAD T-1000 transport and DSP-1000 II DAC.

• CABLES
  Interconnects are either Bogdan Audio or DH Labs Revelations. Speaker cables are either JPS Ultraconductors or Bogdan Audio.

• ACCESSORIES
  Audio Magic AC cords, Blue Circle BC86 Noise Hound, dedicated 20 amp circuit, and Vibrapods.

Computer Based System (home office)

• Custom built Windows XP desktop (audio is direct out via USB).

• iTunes.

• Benchmark DAC 1 USB.

• Audioengine 2 loudspeakers.

• Kimber USB cable.

• DH Labs Power Plus AC cord.

Home Theater System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Paradigm LCR350 fronts and center, 250 surrounds, and a Velodyne DSP12 subwoofer.

• ELECTRONICS
  Pioneer VSX-90TXV receiver.

• SOURCES
  Sony Grand Wega 42" LCD HDTV television, Pioneer BDP-94HD Blue-Ray player, an Oppo DV-981HD player, and a Hitachi Hi-Fi VCR.

• CABLES
  Luminous Audio speaker cables, Cardas S-video cable, Cardas component video cables, Silver Sonic HDMI 1.3 cable, and DH Labs Deluxe Toslink cables. Bybee Golden Goddess TV Enhancer AC tail, Kubala-Sosna, DH Labs Red Wave, and JPS AC cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Equi-Tech 1.5Q balanced power, Gingko Cloud 10 platform, Shakti Stones and On-lines, and an Electra-Clear EAU-1 parallel AC unit.

MYLES B. ASTOR'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Martin-Logan Summit.

• ELECTRONICS
  Conrad-Johnson Premier LP 140M amplifiers, ART Series 3 preamplifier, TEA 1b phono section, and PASS Labs Xono phonostage.

• SOURCES
  Altis Audio CDT-III transport and 24/96 Reference DAC, Sony SCD-1 SACD player, VPI Reference Superscoutmaster turntable with 10.5 inch arm and rim drive, Lyra Titan i and Helikon, Air Tight, and Clearaudio Discovery cartridges.

• CABLES
  Audioquest Amazon interconnects (Bill Low Signatures), K2, and Everest speaker cables, Cable Research Labs Gold interconnect, Gold speaker cable and Mk. II AC cords, Phoenix Gold Arx 300 Series Bronze Level interconnects, Transparent Audio Reference XL speaker, interconnect cables, and AES/EBU digital interconnect cable, Siltech Gen 3 interconnect and speaker cables, ESP Reference Essence AC cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Sound Application AC outlets, Goldmund cones, Symposium Platforms and Roller Blocks, Silent Running Audio VPI Turntable Platform, Silent Running Audio Craz equipment stand, Audio Physics cartridge demagnetizer, Thor Audio Phono burn-in, Cartridge Man stylus gauge, MOBIE, Walker Audio damping discs, Shatki Stones, Lyra SPT, Kontak, RRL Super Vinyl wash and RRL Super Deep Cleaner, MF Stylus cleaning fluidOznow Zero Dust stylus cleaner, Marigo Labs Window damping dots, and Cable Elevators.

Special Mention: Sony's 34-inch, 16x9 aspect ratio, Model 910 HDTV—that all too often makes tearing myself away from Law and Order and its spin offs or a good movie and turning on the audio system, extremely difficult!)

Room: Although my new city listening room is similar in size to my long time Bronx digs, (18 x 12 x 8 vs the old 19 x 13 x 8 ft.), the speakers now fire along the long instead of short wall resulting in a significantly different presentation. Instead of the verrrryyy…. wide soundstage and musically rich sound of yesteryear, my new listening room remains musical but significantly less colored and more transparent with a narrower but deeper soundstage. And I'm not finished experimenting with and tuning the room's acoustics, so I expect even better things out of the frequency extremes (not to mention that the new VPI HRX should shore up other areas!).

Software: My musical library currently numbers approximately 8000 LPs (considerably thinned out before last summer's move) and 700 SACDs, DVDs and CDs. Musically this breaks down into roughly 85% classical (Consisting of the original Mercury, RCA, Lyrita, Harmonia Mundi, EMI, Decca/London, Argo and many other wonderful labels), 5% jazz, 5% rock and 5% assorted (world music, soundtracks, country, etc.).

Select Stereo Spectaculars

• Yasukaza Amemiya: Summer Prayer RCA RVC-2154

• Malcolm Arnold: Sarabande and Polka EMI ASD 3823

• Benjamin Britten: Rejoice in the Lamb Argo ZRG 5440

• Kimio Eto: Art of the Koto Elektra EKS-734

• Bill Evans Trio at Shelly's Manne-Hole OJC 263

• Gil Evans: Out of the Cool Impulse Stereo A4 (or Alto Edition)

• Picaflor: Latin American Music for Guitar and Mandolin Titanic Mn-5

• Rashomon Carlton Deluxe Stereo STLPX 5000

• Songs from the Fayrfax Manuscript Musical Heritage Society MHS 4649

• Mel Torme: I Dig the Duke, I Dig the Count Verve V6 8491

• Edgar Varese: Arcana, Integrales, Ionisation Decca SXL 6550

• Sarah Vaughn: Send in the Clowns Pablo 2312-130

• Charles Wuorinen: Percussion Symphony Nonesuch H-71353

Listening habits: In a nutshell, the system must first and foremost, sound musical, not mechanical. The system should in those oh-so-rare rare, but precious moments, transcend the mechanical and recreate the illusion of the real event. At the same time, this musicality shouldn't result from gross colorations or distortions, such as that displayed by bad single-ended amplifier designs.

Though I can appreciate the diversity of approaches and paths to attaining audio nirvana, I absolutely loathe upper midrange aberrations. Specifically, that upper midrange brightness (note that what many think is a rising top end is in actuality traceable to problems in the upper midrange area as defined by HP). This upper midrange brightness results in part from non-linearity, not the frequency domain distortions (for more on this, see the early seminal papers on capacitor design by Curl and Marsh.) Another reason for this upper midrange distortion(s), although far less common in current equipment, is the presence of ferromagnetic leads/material in the signal path.

Other than that, I'm highly partial to systems that create a realistic soundstage (in other words, a quartet sounds like a quartet and not a symphony or vice versa) and imaging (I've never heard an orchestra sound, even in the worst musical venue, err Avery Fisher Hall, sound like amorphous, ill-defined blobs of sound), a wide frequency response, and musically consonant, not over-etched, low-level resolution.

That said, I'm probably a bit more tolerant than some to a slight loss of macrodynamics (the type one might have to sacrifice with the best electrostatic, though not anemic like early Quad speakers, that despite all their attributes, just couldn't overcome one of their most significant weaknesses). Maybe I'd be less tolerant of this flaw if large symphonic works were a listening staple in the Astor musical repertoire. Or possibly it's because I place more value on microdynamics (damn those tradeoffs!), or what musicians term dynamic shadings. Dynamics shading, along with the unspoken element, musical silence, are probably two of the most important components of music that receive little or no attention from many audiophiles.

Listening Panel: Tiger (a 2½ year old, male Tawny Spotted Bengal cat) and Sweet Pea (a 1 year old, female, Snow Bengal cat).

DR. SARDONICUS' SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Piega P-10, VMPS, and ACI Sapphire XL w\subs

• ELECTRONICS
  BAT VK-600-SE power amplifier, BAT VK-P-10 SE tube phonostage and a BAT VK-51-SE (modified) tube line stage.

• SOURCES
  EMM Labs CDSA SE. Custom made Jena Labs/Technics SP-10 turntable with SME-10 arm, and a Cardas Heart MC Cartridge.

• CABLES
  Mostly Jena Labs Pathfinder, Dream Dancer, and Valkyrie level interconnect, speaker, and AC cables.

• ACCESSORIES
  Critical Mass Racks, Critical Mass Grand Master, Reference and Amplifier Filters (update review pending), Billy Bags Pro 23 Amplifier Stands (under review), and Jena Labs Ez One, and The One, power conditioners.

GREG WEAVER'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Von Schweikert Audio VR-5 Anniversary, Escalante Designs Fremont, Acoustic Zen Technologies Adagio, Buggtussel Somu, Buggtussel Circa.

• ELECTRONICS
  ModWright SWL 9.0 SE with Tung-Sol upgrade, Channel Islands Audio VPP-1 (passive) preamplifiers. Channel Islands Audio D●200 Monoblocks (Class D), Channel Islands Audio VMB●1 Monoblocks (gain-clone). DSA Phono ONE, ModWright SWP 9.0SE, Monolithic Sound PS-2 with HC-1 supply, and Channel Islands Audio VPP-1 with VAC-1 Supply phonostages.

• SOURCES
  Redpoint Audio Design Model D, Oracle Delphi Mk III/with Mk V suspension and other mods (including sapphire thrust plate), Tri-Planar Mk VII Precision arm, Origin Live Silver 250 Arm, Transfiguration Temper V, Clearaudio Virtuoso Mk II, Denon 103-D/with vdHul Mods, McCormack UDP-1 Deluxe.

• CABLES
  Von Schweikert Master Built Signature bi-wire speaker cables, Audience Au24-e speaker cables, Stealth Hybrid MLT and Acoustic Zen Hologram II speaker cables. Stealth Indra, Stealth Nanofiber, Stealth PGS, Audience Au24-e interconnects, Acoustic Zen Absolute, and Acoustic Zen Silver Reverence II interconnects. Acoustic Zen Absolute and Gargantua II power cables, Audience powerChords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Grand Prix Audio Monaco Modular Isolation System equipment stand. Formula Shelf, Apex Footers, Audience adeptResponse aR-12-T, Furutech eTP-80, Monster Cable HTS 800, Quantum Products, Inc. Symphony Pro's for power conditioning. Aurios 1.2 MIB, Extreme Phono Solid State Stylus Cleaner, VPI HQ-16.5, Nitty Gritty Mini-Pro, Audio Intelligent Vinyl Solutions, Buggtussel Vinyl-Zime, Disc Dr. Miracle Record Cleaner and Quick Wash, Xtreme AV Quicksilver Gold, KAB phono Tools, AudioQuest DM-100 demagnetizer, CornerTunes, Furutech RD-2 demagnetizer, Digital Systems & Solutions UltraBit Platinum and Gold, Audience Auric Illuminator, and Xtrem AV Liquid Resolution.

Multi channel system

• MONITORS
  Mitsubishi WD-62527 1080p/720p 62" hi-def monitor, Mitsubishi VS-50609 50" monitor.

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Acoustic Zen Adagio, Mirage MC-3 center, Optimus LX-4 rears, Mirage FRx-S10 subwoofer.

• ELECTRONICS
  Emotiva LMC-1 7 channel preamp/processor, Emotiva LPA-1 seven-channel amplifier

• SOURCES
  McCormack UDP-1 Deluxe, Pioneer DV-525 (modified by ModWright), DirecTV R-10 HD receiver, Hughes HDVR2 DirecTV TiVo Digital Receiver, JVC HR-S3600U S-VHS.

• CABLES
  Harmonic Technology Truth-Link Interconnects, Pro-12 Melody speaker cables, Cyber Link Platinum digital cables, Silver Crystal S-Video cables, Monster Cable HDMI cables.

• ACCESSORIES
  DIY Equipment Stands, Monster Cable HTS 800, Quantum Symphony Pro, Aurios 1.2 MIB, Furutech RD-2 demagnetizer, Auric Illuminator, UltraBit Gold, and Liquid Resolution.

CHIP STERN'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Dynaudio Confidence C1. Acoustic Zen Adagio, Joseph Audio RM25si Signature Mk2 & RM7si Signature Mk2, Meadowlark Swallows, Epos ELS-3, Alon/Nola Li'l Rascals

• ELECTRONICS
  VTL 5.5 vacuum tube preamp, Rogue Audio Stealth phono preamp, Manley Massive Passive Vacuum Tube Parametric Equalizer, Rogue Audio Magnum 99 vacuum tube preamp, Mesa Tigris, Rogue Audio M150 Vacuum Tube Monoblocks.

• SOURCES
  Upscale Audio Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 vacuum tube CD player (in 24/192 Super Tjoeb configuration), California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD-CD Player, McCormack UDP1 Deluxe universal disc player, Rega Planar 25 turntable with Rega RB600 tone-arm and Grado Statement Master cartridge.

• CABLES
  Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II interconnects, Audioquest Panther interconnects and CV-6 speaker cables, Monster Cable Sigma Retro Gold interconnects and speaker cables, JPS Labs Superconductor 2 interconnects and speaker cable, JPS Labs Superconductor 3 interconnects and speaker cables, JPS Labs Aluminata, Kaptovator, Digital and Analog AC, Acoustic Zen Gargantua II and Absolute AC.

• ACCESSORIES
  Two PolyCrystal equipment racks, a PolyCrystal amp stand and PolyCrystal speaker stands. Power line conditioning: Equi=Tech Q650 and 2Q Balanced Power Isolation Transformers, Monster Cable AVS 2000 Automatic Voltage Stabilizer. JPS Labs Kaptovator outlet centers, Mondial Magic-Splitter, NEC CT-2070S monitor, Ringmat 330 and Signal Guard II isolation stand (turntable), Shakti Stones (electromagnetic stabilizers), PolyCrystal cones, Argent Room Lens, Echo Busters Bass Busters and absorptive and diffusive panels, Grado RS-1 Stereo Headphones

ROBERT H. LEVI'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Avalon Eidolon and REL Stadium III subwoofer.

• ELECTRONICS
  E.A.R. 324 phono preamplifier, E.A.R. 890 amplifiers (ran as monos), NuForce Reference 9 SE V2 amplifiers, E.A.R. 912 preamplifier, and an E.A.R. 834L Tube Line Stage.

• SOURCES
  VPI Scout/JMW 9 tonearm, VPI SDS Controller, ZYX R-1000 Airy 3-XSB phono cartridge, E.A.R. Acute CD player, ModWright Sony 9100 Player with tube power supply, ModWright Sony 9100ES with Signature Truth Modifications, Mod/Bybee Filters and Revelation Cryo Silver Umbilical. Alesis Masterlink 24/96 Recorder/Playback Deck, and the Benchmark DAC 1 revised. Grado Statement Phono Cartridge. Pioneer DVL 919 LD/DVD Player, and a Marantz DV8400 DVD/SACD/CD player. Magnum Dynalab MD-108 Reference Tuner, Marantz 10B FM Tuner, Day Sequerra Reference FM1 Tuner, and Scott 350B FM Stereo Tuner, AQ 7500 FM Antenna, Stax 7t Electrostatic headphones, Grado Reference 1 headphones, and a Grado headphone amplifier.

• CABLES
  Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Harmonic Technology CyberLight, Harmonic Technology Magic 2, Dual-Connect interconnects, Dynamic Design THB Nebula, Soundstring, Kimber Select balanced, Kimber TAK phono AG, Kimber Hero balanced and single ended interconnects, and Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II balanced interconnects. Kimber D-60 Digital Interconnects. Kimber Select 3038 Silver, Kubala-Sosna Emotion, and Harmonic Technology Magic Reference Silver speaker cables. Kimber Palladian, Tara RSC and Decade, Tice, Soundstring, and Kubala-Sosna Emotion AC power cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Monster Reference 350 Mark II v2 Power Conditioner, World Power Power Wing, Tice Clock, and Audio Prism Quiet Line IIs. Cable Cooker 2.5, Winds Stylus Pressure Gage, Bedini Ultra Clarifier, VPI Record Cleaning Machine 16.5. Audio Magic's Quantum Physics Noise Disrupters.

Secondary System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  JM Labs Cobalt Monitors.

• ELECTRONICS
  Cary AE-1 300B SET amplifier modifed by Dennis Had with EAT 300B tubes, E.A.R. 834L Deluxe preamplifier, and a Dyna Stereo 70 modified by Sam Papadas with RAM KT88s.

• SOURCES
  ModWright Sony 999 CD/CACD/DVD player, Marantz ST6000 FM tuner, Marantz ST 17 FM tuner, and Parasound Broadcast Reference FM tuner. Denon 2200 DVD/SACD/DVDA Player

• CABLES
  Kimber Hero, Harmonic Technology Pro Silway 3 and MagicLink 2 interconnects with Kimber Select Silver speaker cables. Harmonic Technology CyberLight interconnects between preamp and amp. Kimber Palladium AC, Harmonic Technology Magic and Fantasy AC, and Soundstring Pro AC cables used throughout system. Tara Decade power cord used on PS9.0 ModWright Power Supply to CD/SACD player. HT Battery Pack 4 for Cyberlights.

JOHN POTIS' SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Tidal Audio Pianos, Thiel CS 2.4s, Ohm Acoustics Walsh 4.5 mk.2s, Hørning Perikles Ultimates, Genesis Advanced Technologies G-928 subwoofers (2), Bryston 10B-Sub Active Electronic crossover.

• ELECTRONICS
  Bel Canto Pre2P preamplifier. Art Audio Carissa amplifier, Bel Canto e.One REF1000 amplifiers, Canary CA 330 amplifiers, Opera Audio Cyber 211 amplifiers, and a Musical Fidelity A5 integrated.

• SOURCE
  Merrill-Scillia Research MS2 table, Hadcock GH Export arm, Ortofon Kontrapunkt H cartridge; Accustic Arts Drive 1/Audio Aero Prima SE DAC.

• CABLES
  JPS Labs Superconductor 3 speaker cables and analog and digital interconnects, JPS Power AC, Analog AC, Digital AC, Aluminata and Kaptovator power cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  GEM Dandy Hydraulic LP Cleaner, Sound Mechanics Performance Platform, Gingko Audio Mini-Clouds, 2-inch Butcher Block platforms with Quest for Sound Isol-pads, Vibrapod Isolators and Cones, Ultra & Heavy Zsleeves, Viablue QTC spikes, Auric Illuminator. Balanced Power Technology 3.5 Signature Plus with JPS Aluminata Power Cord.

Room is 12' by 16' with 9' ceiling, plaster and wood paneled walls, suspended floor, fully carpeted. Speakers are located on long wall.

Second System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Klipsch LaScala IIs.

• ELECTRONICS
  McCormack MAP-1 preamplifier, Rotel RB 930AX power amplifier.

• SOURCE
  1985 AR Turntable with Merrill mods, Hadcock GH Export Arm, Garrott Bros. Optim FGS Cartridge, Sony DVP-S 5000 DVD playr/ Bel Canto DAC2.

• CABLES
  JPS Labs Superconductor 3 speaker cables and analog and digital interconnects, JPS Power AC, Analog AC, Digital AC, Aluminata and Kaptovator power cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  GEM Dandy Hydraulic LP Cleaner, Sound Mechanics Performance Platform, Gingko Audio Mini-Clouds, 2-inch Butcher Block platforms with Quest for Sound Isol-pads, Vibrapod Isolators and Cones, Ultra & Heavy Zsleeves, Viablue QTC spikes, Auric Illuminator. Balanced Power Technology 3.5 Signature Plus with JPS Aluminata Power Cord.

Home Theater System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Gallo A'Diva Ti (5), Magnepan MC1s (4) and CC2, Outlaw ICBM (Magnepan specific), Velodyne SPL800 subwoofers (2).

• ELECTRONICS
  Outlaw Model 950 pre/processor/ Rotel RMB-1095 5-channel amplifier.

• SOURCE
  Pioneer DV-563 A, CD/DVD/SACD player.

• MONITOR
  ProScan PS36700.

LARRY COX'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  GamuT L-5 speakers and ATC SCM 20-2A powered speakers.

• ELECTRONICS
  E.A.R. 864 preamplifier both with a mix of NOS tubes.

• SOURCE
  Apogee Mini DAC, 24/96 DIY DAC. Amazon Model 2 turntable with a Moerch DP6 arm and a vdH retipped Koetsu Rosewood Standard, and a Audiopath 4 tonearm cable.

• CABLES
  Ensemble Dynaflux interconnects and speaker cables, Oritek X-2, Silver Audio Silver Bullet 4.0's and Audiopath tonearm cable. Supra EFF-i balanced interconnect between preamp and powered speakers, Supra DAC cable with WBT connectors, Supra Lo-Rad Mains power cords as borrowed cables, Kubala Sosna Emotion power cords and interconnects.

• ACCESSORIES
  A Lovan Classic Rack, Townshend Seismic Sink, assorted Vibrapods, Final Labs Daruma III isolation bearings, Black Diamond #3 and #4 cones, with Black Diamond Whatchamacallit's, DH Cones, Discsolution, ASC Tube Trap Bass Trap and assorted other stuff. I hear the differences these items make, but only use them to optimize if the review isn't going well. Too much work to swap out a piece and balance it on Darumas and then take that out and repeat the process. Using all these consistently is a pain as what works with one component isn't a welcome addition for another.

DANNY KAEY'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Zu Audio Definition Pro Lautsprecher.

• ELECTRONICS
  Nomad Audio Niagara amplifier, Yamamoto AS-08 amplifier, Quad II (original) amplifier, Brinkmann Vollverstärker, Brinkmann Fein phono, and a Rane PEQ55.

• SOURCE
  Slimdevices Squeezebox, ZeroOne Ti48 HD Transport/CD player, ZeroOne Ar38 DAC, Technics 1210 M5G, Zu DL-103 cartridge, Denon TU-460 tuner, Lector CDP-6 CD player w/ RCA Blackplates, ReVox H-1 cassette tape deck, Technics RS-1700 reel to reel w/ custom Tim d.P. electronics, Dolby 330 professional Dolby B noise reduction - custom Tim d.P. modification, and an AEG/Telefunken M15A reel to reel.

• CABLES
  Full compliment of Kubala-Sosna Emotion and Fascination cables. Full compliment of Audio-Magic Sorcerer and Clairvoyant cables.

• ACCESSORIES
  Townshend 5 tier seismic rack, Townshend seismic sinks (1x component sink, 2x Lautsprecher sink), Grand Prix Audio 5 tier Monaco Modular rack.

JOHN ZUREK'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Von Schwiekert VR4 jr, Optimus (Linaeum) Pro LX4 Minimonitors.

• ELECTRONICS
  Cary SLP-88 preamplifier with Electro–Harmonix tubes, PS Audio HCA-2 amplifier, and a Aqvox Phono 2ci phonostage.

• SOURCES
  VPI Scoutmaster/JMW9 Tonearm /Shelter 501 Mk II, Cary 303/200 CD player, Sony DVP-NS755 SACD, and a Marantz CDR 630.

• CABLES
  RS Duet Palladium, Phoenix Gold, Dunlavy Reference, Acoustic Zen MC2 PS Audio Xtreme interconnects, PS Audio Xtreme and Acoustic Zen Satori speaker cables, PS Audio Xtreme power cables.

• ACCESSORIES
  Standesign and Boltz racks, Argent Room Lenses, VPI HW-16.5 Record Cleaner, Monster HTS 200 power conditioner, Vibrapods, Sonex panels, and AudioPrism Quiet Line filters, Auric Illuminator, Pandafeet, Herbies Grungebuster CD mat, Superior Carpet Spikes, and Iso-cups, Lionel train trestles as speaker cable elevators.

• OFFICE SYSTEM
  Sennheiser HD 600 headphones, Headroom Supreme headphone amplifier, iriver 450 CD player, Cowon iAudio MP3 player.

MARSHALL NACK'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Kharma Exquisite-Midi.

• ELECTRONICS
  mbl 5011 preamplifier and mbl 8011 AM monoblocks.

• SOURCES
  VYGER Baltic M turntable, Shelter Harmony cartridge, Linn LP12, LINGO, EKOS tonearm, ARKIV II cartridge, AHT Non-Signature phono preamp modified by Walker Audio, and an Extremephono Limited Edition cable. mbl 1521A transport, mbl 1511F DAC.

• CABLES
  Interconnects are TARA Labs the Zero and the 0.8, Kubala-Sosna Emotions, Kondo, and Kharma Enigma. Digital cables are TARA Labs the Zero and the 0.8, Kubala-Sosna Emotions, and Kondo. Speaker wires are TARA Labs 0.8, Kubala-Sosna Emotions, and Harmonix. AC power cords are Tara Labs 0.8, Kubala-Sosna Emotions, and Harmonix.

• ACCESSORIES
  TAOC Rack and TITE-35S component footers, Walker Audio Tuning Discs and Valid Points for LP turntable, Harmonix RFA-78i Room Tuning Discs, RFS-66ZX Tuning Feet, CORE Designs amp stands, Acoustic System Resonators, Marigo VTS Dots, Argent Room Lenses, Echo Buster & Sonex acoustic panels, TARA Labs PM/2 and IDAT power conditioners, and Ensemble Mega PowerPoint outlet strips.

I have a LONG, rectangular listening room—32' long x 12' wide x 8' high—ideally suited for the rule of thirds: speakers are positioned one third into the room and about 24" from the sidewalls, facing straight ahead, the listener sits another third into the room. Two dedicated 15-amp lines power the system.

After years of trial and error, I've pared down room treatment to: Harmonix RFA 78i Room Tuning Discs, 4" Sonex panels at the first reflection points on the sidewalls, an Echo Buster Bass Buster, three Argent Room Lenses and a quartet of Acoustic System Resonators. The speaker placement in tandem with these room treatments gives me an amazing amount of layered depth and good image height, but a somewhat compromised width.

Most often you'll hear Baroque music in our home, followed by other classical repertoire and a bit of jazz. The system is voiced for harmonic richness and musical involvement over accuracy and detail.

My secret weapon is my wife, Lynn, who provides invaluable musical insight. With decades of training as an oboist, and now serving as VP of a community orchestra, she knows what sounds natural and what doesn't. Many are the times she's pulled me back from the brink after a multi-day audio binge.

ARNIS BALGALVIS'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Avalon Eidolon Diamond.

• ELECTRONICS
  Jeff Roland Design Group Synergy IIi with BPS-1 Battery Power Supply preamplifier. Jeff Roland Design Group Model 12 and Mark Levinson ML332 amplifiers.

• SOURCES
  Sony SCD-1, Esoteric P-03 transport (review sample), Esoteric D-03 (review sample), and a MSB Technology Corporation Platinum DAC III.

• CABLES
  Interconnects are TARA Labs ISM OnBoard 0.8 2m XLR, and TARA Labs ISM OnBoard 0.8 1.5m XLRs. Speaker cables are TARA Labs OMEGA 10 foot long. Digital cables are TARA Labs AES/EBU, Cardas Audio AES/EBU, and Acoustic Zen AES/EBU. Power cords are Purist Audio Auctorita (for ML 332).

• ACCESSORIES
  Echo Buster Panels, RSC Tube Traps. Installed dedicated AC power line using 8 GA wiring.

BRAD MORRICAL'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Acoustat Spectra 2200 and Acoustat Spectra 4400.

• ELECTRONICS
  KR Audio VA350i

• SOURCES
  Samsung DVD player as transport, Behringer DEQ 2496, Monarchy DIPs (2 of them), Monarchy Audio M24 DAC Turntable: Voyd "The Voyd TT", Helius Cyalene arm, Benz Micro H2O cartridge.

• CABLES
  Goertz Alpha-Core Sapphire interconnects, Element Cable Silver Serenade interconnect, Kimber Kable 8VS speaker cable, Van den Hul Jubilee Silver interconnects.

• ACCESSORIES
  Behringer UltraCurve 8024 with Digital in/out (this is a new one from a friend and works much better this way so I think I will do that review on it afterall once I have sorted it out completely), Behringer Ultradrive DEX 9624 digital crossover (for the DIY project), Behringer UltraCurve DEQ 9426 (new version of the other Ultracurve and I will soon be putting it through the paces). Sennheiser HD540 headphones.

My listening room is about 16' x 13' x 7 1/2'. There are no special treatments on the walls as of yet but this is in the planning. I have approximately 500 CDs and about 150 LPs at this stage but my buying habits these days lean heavily towards LPs with the purchase of the Gyrodec SE. My musical tastes run from rock and grunge, classic Jazz, modern Jazz, and Classical. About the only thing I cannot stand to listen to is country! I also regularly attend live concerts of both Jazz and Classical music (living in Zürich affords great opportunities for live music), which can be breath taking and also useful for a reviewer as a reference standard.

I am quite involved with making my own recordings (primarily violin and piano but also a friends rock band!) and use these in my evaluations of gear. Being present and even intimately involved with these recordings gives me an inside knowledge to how they should sound when reproduced. I am using only minimalist techiques: 2 condenser microphones (Octava MC012) a microphone preamp (Behringer T1953), directly to DAT (Denon portable). I have found that this combo does a very nice job of capturing what I am hearing live at the event.

I would describe my goal in building the perfect audio system quite simply: to reproduce the sound as close to what is on the recording as possible. Especially when I am using my own recordings the sound must be very close to reality. To this end I have found the Apogee speakers do a wonderful job of music reproduction. Tonally they are not perfectly flat (working on correcting this... see Accessories) but they are so lacking in the colorations present in most box speakers and so low in driver induced color and distortion that the music gets through intact much better than most other speakers I have heard. When I play a recording the sound of my system is one of great resolution but not in the analytic and relentless manner I have heard from other so called high resolution speakers. I would call it liquid (especially with the Sphinx amp) but it is not laidback strictly speaking, rather music is presented in an utterly non-fatiguing manor yet maintains a solid punch and drive. Overall, my system is very good at resolving low level information, superb transient response (bettered only by electrostats and then just barely), natural tonal character (referenced to live unamplified music), low in coloration (I hate gear that puts very much of it's own signature on the sound), and yet can handle fairly large dynamic swings. It is because of these capabilities that I find my taste running more to the relatively uncompressed classical and jazz recordings. For me, the ability for a system to remain linear and full sounding even into low listening levels is much more important than the ability to play loud. Having owned many low efficiency "cones in a box" and dead sounding, high feedback, solid state amps, I now realize that the retrieval of low level information at "realistic" listening levels to me is where the life and realism in reproduced music lives.
 

BOB NEILL'S SYSTEM

Primary System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Audio Note E/SPx SE's on lead & sand filled Audio Note stands. JM Reynaud Offrande Signatures with integral stands.

• ELECTRONICS
  Audio Note M6/ Phono - tubed, single-ended preamplifier, Audio Note Neiro - 8 watt, SET mono-blocks with parallel 2A3's. Blue Circle FtTH - 95 watt hybrid integrated amplifier. Blue Circle Pc 27pi phonostage.

• SOURCES
  Audio Note CDT 3 transport and 4.1x Balanced Signature DAC; Voyd turntable, old Audio Note arm based on Helius with Sogon cable, l01 MC cartridge and L4 step-up transformer.

• CABLES
  Audio Note Sogon digital interconnect, Audio Note Sogon IC, Audio Note AN-Vx interconnects, Audio Note bi-wired AN-SPx speaker cables on E's; Audio Note bi-wired Lexus on Offrandes.

• ACCESSORIES
  Nanotec 8500 disc treatment. Mapleshade Samson equipment rack. Nitty Gritty LP record cleaning machine.

Room: 18 feet x 29 feet. Ceiling slopes from 11 feet at speaker end to 8 feet at the other. Floor is concrete slab covered by oak with an 8 x 10 area rug in front of the speakers. Brick wall on the listener's left, floor to ceiling books on the right. Wall behind speakers is floor to ceiling glass, with (seldom used) drapes. AN Speakers are in corners toed in to meet one meter in front of listener. Trentes sit 3.5 feet from wall behind them, 4.5 feet from side walls, and 8.5 feet apart, pointed directly at listener

Secondary System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  JM Reynaud Cantabile Signatures and Twin Signatures on Magic Stands; Audio Note K/SPe's on sand and & lead filled Audio Note stands; Audio Note J/SPe's on lead & sand filled Audio Note stands.

• ELECTRONICS
  Audio Note OTO - 10 watt single ended tubed integrated amplifier with EL 84's.
  Blue Circle NSCS - 100 watt integrated solid state amplifier.
  Manley Stingray - 40 watt push-pull integrated tubed amp with EL 84's.

• SOURCES
  Audio Note CD2.1 II integrated CD player; Audio Note TT2 with Arm 3/Vx and IQ3 MM cartridge.

• CABLES
  Audio Note Sogon digital interconnect, Audio Note AN-Vx interconnects, Audio Note SPe and Lexus SL speaker cables, bi-wired.

• ACCESSORIES
  Samson equipment rack.

Room: 12 x 12 "study" with 8 foot ceiling. Books floor to ceiling on listener's right, drywall on listener's left. Laminate flooring over concrete slab. Area rugs. Windows behind speakers covered by drapes. AN K's sit in corners, Twins out into the room a bit. Music: 80% classical, 15% jazz, 5% rock/pop/folk/blues, etc.

GRAHAM ABBOTT'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Red Rose Rosebud 1 Reference Monitors atop custom made 70 lb sand filled stands.

• ELECTRONICS
  Holfi Battriaa Signature Edition phono preamp on Final Labs Daruma 3-II ball bearing footers. Cary SLI-80 integrated on Stillpoint footers and Risers. Power in fuse replaced with Isoclean Gold slow blow.

• SOURCES
  Nottingham Spacedeck, Nottingham Space Arm, and Ortofon Jubilee cartridge, with a Living Voice Mystic Mat and clamp. Cary 303/200 on Final Labs Daruma 3-II ball bearing footers.

• CABLES
  PS Audio Extreme Resolution Speaker Reference speaker cables. Harmonic Technology Magic (digital) and Kimber Hero (analogue) interconnects. Harmonic Tech Fantasy (digital and amp) and Yamamura Churchill Series 5000 (analogue) AC cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Furutech ETP80 for all components. Quantum Products Symphony.

BRUCE KINCH'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Amphion Xenon.

• ELECTRONICS
  Herron VTPH-1 tube phono and VTSP-1/166 preamplifier, and a Michael Yee PA-2 amplifier. Aqvox 2 Ci Mk II phono stage , Bent Audio TAP Transformer Volume Control, Bel Canto e.One M300 monoblock amplifiers.

• SOURCES
  Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck, Rega Planar 3, Thorens 121, and Logic turntables. Lyra Lydian Beta, van den Hul MC-10, and Grado Sonata cartridges. Modified Denon 2910 CD/SACD/DVD player.

• CABLES
  JPS, van den Hul, Nordost Heimdahl, and Reality Cable interconnects.  Eichmann Express 6 II, Nordost Red Dawn II speaker cables.

• ACCESSORIES
  An accumulation of the usual bricks, mats, cones and pucks.

GARY L. BEARD'S SYSTEM

Main System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Omega Super HempTone speakers and custom Skylan speakers stands (in for review), and an REL Strata III Subwoofer.

• ELECTRONICS
  Larry Moore 300B Monoblock amps, Updated Eico HF-86 amp, AudioTropic Moebius preamplifier, and a George Wright WPP100C phono-stage.

• SOURCES
  Music Hall MMF-9 Turntable with Project Carbon arm and Maestro MC Cartridge, George Wright Step-up Transformer, and a Marantz CC65SE 5 disk CD player. Squeezebox and Red Wine Audio modified Squeezebox2 music servers.

• CABLES
  Kimber 4TC speaker cables, Kimber Silver Streak and Hero interconnects, Final Labs interconnects, and Shunyata Sidewinder and homebrew Belden/Hubbell/Marinco power cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Richard Gray Power Station 400 power conditioner, Final Labs Daruma 3II isolation, Vibrapods, Lovan Classic equipment rack, DIY points, ceramic cable supports, and various homebrew isolation tweaks.

Multi-channel Computer Room System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Hsu VT-12 Ventriloquist Speaker System, and a Hsu SFT-2 Subwoofer.

• ELECTRONICS
  Panasonic SA-XR50 Digital Receiver.

• SOURCES
  Pioneer 578A UDP.

• CABLES
  Acoustic Research IC's and West Penn commercial speaker cabling. Monster Toslink digital cable.

PC running XP Pro playing Apple Lossless files from a Maxtor 300 gig HDD through a Terratec 6Fire DMX Soundcard via Toslink digital connection to the Panasonic receiver, or streaming wirelessly to a remote Slim Devices Squeezebox connected via Coax to the Yamaha DSP-A1 through a Niles speaker switcher for whole house sound. Pretty cool!

Home Theater and Whole House System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Mix and Match Mini-monitor Speaker systems: Infinity SAT/SUB, PSB, Polk Audio, Mirage Omnisats, Phase Technology SAT/SUB.

• ELECTRONICS
  Yamaha DSP-A1 receiver and a Yamaha TX-950 tuner.

• SOURCES
  Sony DVP-S7700ES DVD player

• CABLES
  Radio Shack IC's and Belden oxygen-free speaker cabling

• ACCESSORIES
  Monster Power Strip

My main system is located on the short wall of a 19' x 11.5' family room. In 2006, I had Vinnie Rossi of Red Wine Audio modify my Squeezebox 2 and it is now my main digital source. Also in 2006, I saw my first serious action with a soldering iron, as I took on the challenge to rebuild a 1959 Eico HF-86 with the help of Jim McShane (http://pages.prodigy.net/jimmcshane/) and Jay Waxler (Harmony Audio of Bloomington, Indiana). The Eico's body is a bit ugly, but it sounds terrific driving my Omega Superhemps!

I am truly excited to now own a pair of Larry Moore 300B amps. Quite unfortunately, they are currently being reworked by yours truly due to a serious mishap with a certain shipping company. They will recover from their injuries soon and be back on the playing field in time for next season. My limited, yet fulfilling entry into DIY really has piqued my interest and I am really looking forward to building an amp from ground up at some point. When I do, you can be sure I will document my journey.

The little multi-channel system that resides in my office has really opened my eyes to the potential of the format, whether it is SACD, DVD-A, or some other high quality form. My three-year experiment with music servers, has shown me the true potential of that method of playback and I believe strongly that most audiophiles will eventually use some form of computer-driven digital playback media in the not-too-distant future.

Listening to music is really my first audio love and I enjoy the majority of musical genres, especially bluegrass, American roots, western swing, jazz, classical, and folk music. However, good old rock and roll is still my first love. I appreciate your support as I endeavor to write entertaining prose about my experiences with audio. Thanks and rock on!

SASHA MATSON'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  PMC FB1+ and Tannoy PBM8.

• ELECTRONICS
  Cary Audio CAD 805 Anniversary Edition Triode monoblock amplifiers, Cary Audio SLP98P preamplifier. Audio Electronic Supply 'Sixpac' monoblock amplifiers.

• SOURCES
  Rega Planar 25 turntable, Heed outboard power supply for Rega, Clearaudio Aurum Beta S Mk.II cartridge, Cary Audio 308T CD Player, Sony DVPNS500V CD/SACD player. Victor Model V/IV internal horn one-spring victrola record player- model year 1914.

• CABLES
  AudioQuest Mont Blanc DBS Speaker cables, AudioQuest Sky DBS interconnects, and Hudson Audio Technology power cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  VPI HW-16.5 record cleaning machine, VPI Magic Brick, Custom equipment racks by Michael Green Audio, Monster Power Reference Center, Gingko Cloud 10 isolation platform, Stillpoint isolation cones. Cable Elevators. Ringmat. Hop Kiln Zinfandel, Hendricks Gin, Knob Creek Bourbon.

ALBERT PORTER'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Dali Megaline

• ELECTRONICS
  Aesthetix Io Signature with dual outboard power supplies and all premium NOS tubes. Aesthetix Callisto Signature with remote control and dual outboard power supplies, all premium NOS tubes. Custom Purist umbilicals for Aesthetix Io and Callisto, these run between the four power supplies and the main units. This was my project from concept to finish. Transition Audio custom tube crossover for Dali Megaline, replaced factory transistor design. Two pair VTL 750 Reference mono blocks, these bi amp the four sections of the Dali Megaline.

• SOURCES
  Walker Proscenium Black Diamond Signature turntable. Custom all black finish, Prologue base plus air suspension and Walker Black Gate motor controller. Koetsu Jade Signature Platinum. I plan to purchase the Dynavector XV1Ss as alternate source. Technics SP10 MK2 turntable. I have plans for a custom plinth and upgrades so this can become my second turntable. Technics 1520 open reel to reel tape machine. Later I will be adding the Tape Project - Bottlehead custom tube electronics. McCormack UDP-1 Deluxe CD, SACD.

• CABLES
  Purist Audio Design Anniversary. All interconnect, speaker and AC cables including new custom Purist umbilical for Aesthetix.

• ACCESSORIES
  Iso Bearing footers under Aesthetix Io. Walker HDL on Dali Megalines, Mod Squad soft shoes under Aesthetix power supplies. Odyssey RCM MK5 record cleaning machine. A German built Keith Monks. Four Grand Prix Audio Monaco Stands with Apex Composite footers for (four) VTL 750's. Custom stands for my Walker Turntable and Technics open reel tape machine, built from my drawings. These are TIG welded 6061 aircraft alloy, filled with Silica and finished in gray Nextel.

Home Theatre System

• Dali Ikon Vocal 2 for dialogue, B&W Signature 7 Nautilus (in wall) for side channels with Sony Grand Wega 55" HDTV moved between Megalines (ONLY) for movies. 

Construction by Advanced Environmental Concepts from plans by Russ Burger Design Group. Acoustical treatment applied to all vertical surfaces, including ceiling where it vaults to second story level. Walls are 5 layers thick, floor is lam beams with double tongue and groove epoxy laminate plus 1" of concrete and then finished with Multicolor Indian Slate. Special wire trays for all cables are under the pier and beam and accessible from panels behind my equipment when swaps are necessary.

I have two utility company electrical transformers feeding my home. I am wired for 3 phase 240 and have 14 dedicated circuits fed from a 750 amp trans-socket commercial meter for the audio system alone. Also have provision for European equipment via three dedicated 240 volt runs at front and amp positions in the room.

There is full floor to ceiling RPG diffusers on the walls behind the speakers. Acoustical fiberglass treatment an all surfaces except rear wall, finished by DesignTex acoustical cloth locked into place with Whisper Walls rail system.

My finished room passes for a traditional (untreated) living room with lightly textured, painted sheetrock walls. Happily, it retains the appearance of a traditional living room rather than an "alter to hi fi" design.

Although my degree's in fine art, the only work I could find after graduation was neither creative nor rewarding. A high end audio store that I visited almost every week seemed like paradise to me. I loved listening to music on their tube electronics and learning about each system they had set up. One day while speaking with the owner I remarked that working there would be a dream job, and to my surprise they offered me a sales position. That high end audio store and the three that followed exposed me to every major product in high end audio. The last store was mine, supported by an investment group with me controlling buying and day to day operation.

Discussion came up from a major rep firm about me representing them in a five state area. I accepted the job calling on high end audio stores, offering technical support for Infinity Systems, ESS, Sennheiser, MB of Germany, Ampex, JBL Commercial, Crown International and Yamaha. I found relief during the long hours on the road experimenting with my camera. I captured images of people, the stores I visited and interesting scenery I discovered along the way.

When calling on a high end audio store in Dallas, a fellow graduate from my university recognized me. He was the creative director for a local advertising agency. After much discussion over the next few weeks, I was offered a position as their in house photographer. This agency and photography received all my devotion for two years, and suddenly my work became recognized. The owner of the best photo studio in Dallas, offered me a position shooting for the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book and Dr. Pepper catalogues.

Soon my freelance work was blooming, including into a multi year contract with Southland Corp., providing people, real estate and annual report images. I spent 11 years doing the in flight magazine for Southwest Airlines, and well as advertising photography for Interstate Battery, Exxon/Mobil, Quest Medical, Bank of America, Redman Industries, GAP, Raytheon, Fidelity Investments and Texas Instruments.

I never lost my passion for audio, soliciting assignments from audio manufacturers at CES . To date, my advertising images have appeared in print and magazines representing Atma-Sphere, Audioquest, Purist Audio, PSE, Versa Dynamics, Sound-Lab, Counterpoint, Aria Audio, Sound-Lab, Essence, Musical Fidelity, Aesthetix, Benz, Basis, Graham, Sound Anchor, McCormack and Maxxhorn. 

My wife and I have been together for thirty five years and have one son, John who is the love of my life. I host a group of music loving friends that meet at my home every Tuesday night to spin LPs and CDs. I've hosted this without fail, for 29 years and I have learned much from visitors that I share music with. Most in my group are audiophiles and all are music lovers. Some are solid state guys, some are tube guys. This leads to diversity in equipment testing and keeps me experimenting with new ideas.

My photography website:

http://www.albertporterphoto.com

FRANCISCO DURAN'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  DALI Euphonia MS4.

• ELECTRONICS
  Antique Sound Labs MG-SPM25DT monoblocks, Canary CA-301Mk-II amplifier, and Reference Line Preeminence lA passive and Canary CA-601Mk-II preamplifiers.

• SOURCES
  NAD T531 and Antique Electronic Supply CD-1 (temporary) CD players, and a Taddeo Digital Antidote Two.

• CABLES
  Either JPS Superconductor+ and FX interconnects and a double run of JPS Ultraconductor speaker cables, or Analysis Plus interconnects and Oval 12 speaker cables, and Monarchy and various DIY AC cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Balanced Power Technologies BPT 4SE, Brick Wall Series Mode Surge Suppressor, Audio Prisim Quiet Lines and Noise Sniffer, Vibrapods, Black Diamond Racing Boards and cones, Final Labs Daruma-3II Isolation Bearings, various ferrite rings, Target rack, Yamaha KX-380 cassette deck, custom made wooden cable lifters by Mr. Clark senior, and all the NOS tubes I can afford!

DAVE GLACKIN'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Eminent Technology Model 8 loudspeakers Cardas-wired and mounted on Sound Anchor stands. Headphone listening can be done with an EarMax tubed triode headphone amp and a pair of Sennheiser HD-580s.

• ELECTRONICS
  Herron HL-1 (with phonostage) preamplifier and a Vacuum Tube Logic Deluxe 300 tubed monoblocks outfitted with 6550 WE Sovtek tubes.

• SOURCES
  VPI TNT with a 10" JMW Memorial arm, a Benz Ruby cartridge, and a Black Diamond Racing (BDR) record clamp. The turntable currently rests on a prototype Platus Platform (rather like a Vibraplane but perhaps better, my BDR "The Shelf for the Source" is waiting in the wings. Sony DVP-NS500V SACD/CD/DVD player and a Shanling CD-T100 tubed 24/96-capable and HDCD-capable CD player. McIntosh MR65B tubed FM tuner. Technics RS 1500 semi-pro 2-track 15 ips tape deck.

• CABLES
  Biwired Cardas Golden Cross speaker cables. Cardas Cross and Cardas Golden Cross interconnects. Cardas Golden Power Cords for the VTLs. Hovland Music Groove tonearm cable.

• ACCESSORIES
  The preamp, amps, SACD/CD/DVD player, and TNT power supply are isolated with various combinations of Black Diamond Racing Pyramid Cones, Pucks, and Shelves. The turntable rests on a VPI TNT stand filled with 200 lbs of lead shot, spiked to a reinforced floor. The equipment before the power amp is isolated in a walk-in closet, while the amp and speakers are in a dedicated listening room treated with RPG Diffusers, Room Tunes, ASC Tube Traps, and a big Navajo rug. The electronics in the closet are on a Target B5 stand. Everything except the amplifier is plugged into two Audio Power Industries Power Wedges. Wall power outlets are Winston Ma's FIM Model 880 Duplex Receptacles. CDs are treated with Torumat CDX-16-3. LPs are cleaned on a VPI HW 17F using Torumat TM-7XH. A Hunt EDA Mark 6 record brush, the best I know, is used for dry cleaning of LPs.

Dave Glackin is a solar astronomer and Earth remote sensing scientist. He has degrees in astronomy from Caltech and in astrogeophysics from U. Colorado. His past employers include Sacramento Peak Observatory, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab. He has been with a federally-funded R&D center in Los Angeles since '86. Dave is an advisor to NASA, NOAA, DOD and other agencies. He lectures internationally, chairs international conference sessions, leads scientific expeditions, performs educational outreach, and has done private consulting. He published his first book in '99.

Dave is a Fellow of The Explorers Club of New York and a member of the Adventurers' Club of Los Angeles. He has explored in Europe and Asia, and has been around the globe. He has done wild caving, ocean kayaking, ski mountaineering, skin and SCUBA diving, remote desert southwest exploration, and sports car club racing, and has worked in the hot pits at Indy Car races. He has stood in the eye of a near-force-5 hurricane, and has been invited to Hopi Indian ceremonies that few outsiders experience. He is an avid chaser of total solar eclipses and large meteor showers, and has traveled as far as Western Australia to see them. His other activities and interests include 3D photography, pro audio, and voiceover work.

His interest in music began in junior high with the tenor sax, and continued in high school with the alto sax and the theremin (the latter in a band best forgotten). His interest in audio started while an undergrad, accelerated while in grad school, and really took off afterward. He listens mostly to analog, on a nearly-all-tube system in a dedicated room. He is a member of the Hollywood Sapphire Group of audio professionals. He listens mainly to classical, jazz, blues and folk music. He has been a writer for Positive Feedback since '93. Dave would like to pass his regards on to our readership, noting that the extremely high demands on his time allow him precious few hours for audio these days, and regrets that he cannot engage in e-mail dialogues for now. Please bear with him, and enjoy his articles.

MIKE PESHKIN'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  I use Infinity P-FRs. I was impressed by their looks, and further impressed by a number of reviews, but when I finally decided to buy a new pair of speakers, the way the Infinities made guitar music sound convinced me they would be mine. When I met the head of sales for MIT Cables at that time, she told me about the development of the speakers (she had worked for Infinity before joining MIT), and reinforced my desire to have them in my home. (Of course, it may have been that she was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever met.) The P-FRs are very efficient (96dB). The manual states they can be driven by as little as 10 watts. I have always driven them with considerably more than that, 100 watts at present

• ELECTRONICS
  My preamp is an Anthem Pre-1 (internally selectable, 61 or 78 dB). When I replaced the original Sovtek 5V4G in the outboard power supply with a Mullard 5AR4, a very good preamp was transformed. Putting Mullard 6922s in the input and output stages and Mullard 12AT7s (CV4024) in the phonostage made it a giant killer! Using Walker Valid Points pumped up the sound quality a few more notches. An MIT power cord feeds the power supply. The amplifiers are 100-watt Monarchy 100SE monoblocks, whose outputs have been modified by Lloyd Walker. These are warm, yet very detailed amps. The combination of the Pre-1 and the 100SEs produces a sound that I'd been reaching for since I got seduced by high fidelity sound—warm, perhaps too warm for many listeners, but not so much as to destroy great recordings or homogenize all recordings. Any equipment change I make is easily discerned. MIT power cords connect the amps to the wall socket.

• SOURCE
  My CD player is an Audio Alchemy CD Pro, a player with a laid back sound, but capable of showing both the details and the defects in any music played through it. The great sound of this player is enhanced—shockingly so!—by the use of Walker Valid Points. Another tweak is the use of an MIT power cord. To play LPs, I have a VPI Mk. IV turntable with a JMW10 arm, sitting on Valid Points. I use a Benz Glider cartridge, now growing hair in its ears, and a new addition, a Dynavector 20XL.

• CABLES
  Interconnects and speaker cables range from home-made "twisties" to MIT and Goertz.

• ACCESSORIES
  I live in farm country. Farmers have need for repair facilities, including welding shops, of which there are plenty. Although my turntable sits on a Target wall stand, all other equipment sits on racks designed by me and welded by a gentleman who does lots of work for the farmers in this area. Many, many techniques are used to control vibration and isolate the components—multi-layer shelving employing the use of hard woods and/or cork, foam rubber, and MDF. I experiment regularly with different combinations of materials, using spikes, Vibrapods, sorbothane, and other things under the shelving and on top of the racks. Bags of lead shot or sand are used on top of the speakers and in other places within the system. I use Monster power conditioners for the sources and the preamp, but no conditioning for the amplifiers. Other conditioners in the house are Adcom. A VPI record cleaner with both homemade and commercial solutions is used to clean LPs.

The equipment is housed in my living room. Others have tried to make me move to my unfinished basement, but I do not wish to divorce myself from my family. The room is on the small side (15.5' x 14'8" x 7'10"). My wife is a spinner/weaver and collects textiles ranging from small rugs to camel blankets, which are hung on the walls. The house is close to 100 years old, and has lathe and plaster walls. The wooden floors are covered with wall to wall carpeting, the ceiling with acoustic tiles that I painted to reduce their absorptiveness. The sound of the room is neither too lively nor dull and lifeless.

ART SHAPIRO'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  ESP Concert Grand and REL Stadium II subwoofer.

• ELECTRONICS
  Convergent Audio SL1 Signature preamplifier and and Manley Labs Neo 250-Classic 250 monoblocks.

• SOURCES
  VPI HW-19 IV turntable, Graham 1.5 arm, and Grado Master Reference cartridge. Wadia WT3200 transport and Kora Hermes II DAC, Revox A77 open reel deck, Nakamichi 480 cassette deck, and a Sansui TU-919 tuner.

• CABLES
  Nordost Silver Shadow digital interconnect. Monster Sigma 2000 Retro interconnects and Cardas Golden Hex 5C bi-wired speaker cables. Tiff, Marigo, Gutwire G-Clef and Gutwire Power Clef AC, and MIT Z II power cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Brickwall PW8R15AUD power filter and dedicated AC lines.

VICTOR CHAVIRA'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Marten Design Miles II (primary system) and B&W DM 302 (secondary system).

• ELECTRONICS
  Magnum Dynalab MD-208 receiver (primary system) and Troll integrated (secondary system).

• SOURCES
  Phillips DVD-963SA player (primary system) and Apple Mini-Mac (secondary system) and a LINN Axiss turntable with the Adikt cartridge.

• CABLES
  Nordost Quattro-Fil interconnects, Analysis Plus Oval 9 speaker cables, and El Dorado power cords (primary system). JPS Ultraconductor speaker cable, Nordost Blue Heaven interconnect (secondary system).

• ACCESSORIES
  Audio Magic Stealth Power Purifier, Vibrapods, Townshend 3D sink Table), and Echo Busters (primary system). Monster Cable HTS1000 power center (secondary system).

JOHN BRAZIER'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Verity Audio Parsifal Ovations.

• ELECTRONICS
  NuForce Reference SE monoblocks and Pass Labs X1 preamplifier.

• SOURCES
  Naim CDX2 and XPSII Power Supply with Symposium Svelte Shelves and Phat Padz.

• CABLES
  Full compliment of Crystal Cables CrystalConnect Reference cables, power cords, interconnects and speaker wire.

• ACCESSORIES
  Wiremold/Naim Power strip.

Secondary System

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Sennhieser HD600 Headphones with Cardas replacement cable.

• ELECTRONICS
  Consonance Cyber-20 Tube Headphone Amplifier.
  SOURCES
  Rega Planet as transport, Perpetual Technologies P-3A DAC.

• CABLES
  Custom Spec'd 75ohm silver digital Cable from Acoustic Zen.
  ACCESSORIES
  Audio Selection Cones under CDT, bag of Maine's Finest Oatmeal on top of CDT.

JOHN MAZUR'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Atelier First Horns used with Fostex T-90A super tweeters, and Atelier B9 subwoofer.

• ELECTRONICS
  First Watt F1 amplifier, Gainclone amp, Trends Audio TA-10.1 amp, Great American Sound (GAS), Ampzilla II, Son of Ampzilla, and Grandson amplifiers, Artemis Labs LA-1 tube linestage preamplifier, GAS Thoebe and Thalia preamplifiers.

• SOURCES
  Burwen Bobcat USB DAC/software plug-in for Windows media player, Sony VAIO laptop hard drive-based digital source, Magnum Dynalabs MD90T FM tuner, analog - 1901 Edison Home Phonograph.

• CABLES
  DNM Reson interconnects and speaker cables, Virtual Dynamics David interconnects, speaker cables, and power cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  PS Audio Humbuster and P300 power regenerator with Multiwave II, VansEvers Cleanline Jr., Room Tune Echo Tunes and Corner Tunes, Godar Model 1 FM antenna, Vintage Tube Services Original Mini Tube Dampers, Xtreme AV Quick Silver GOLD contact enhancer, Xtreme AV Liquid Resolution.

My listening room is "L" shaped, measuring 13' wide x 26' long in the stem of it. My office is located at the bottom and to the left of the stem. With that configuration, my left speaker has no boundary. My equipment rack is located along the wall on the bottom of the "L". The speakers are usually located 7 feet out into the room firing up into the stem of the "L". The listening chair is located halfway up into the stem. My AC power to the system is coming straight from the panel to the system.

What I listen for when I evaluate equipment are the "thrill rides" which transport me into and give me a feel for the venue of the performance. I look for it to be a "portal" in which I can be carried to that event. I value soundstaging, with depth and breadth being the first priorities. Imaging should have dimension, roundness, and density. I look for a sound infused with "Cinerama" and "Technicolor." When that can be achieved with a two-channel system and not by having surround sound, then I am satisfied.

I do not own a home theater system. While it is entertaining in its own right, I like the feeling of using my imagination to complete the "video" portion while listening to music.

JIM GRUDZIEN'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Dali Grands.

• ELECTRONICS
  NuForce IA-7 Integrated amplifier

• SOURCES
  GamuT CD-1 MKIICD player and a Denon 3300 DVD audio/video player.

• CABLES
  JPS Labs Superconductor FX, Dali Wave 5000, Analysis Plus Yellow Copper Oval-In, and DH Labs Revelation interconnects and Dali Silver Wave Four, Analysis Plus Oval 12s bi-wire, and JPS Ultraconductor bi-wire speaker cables. JPS Labs Power AC+ and digital AC cords.

• ACCESSORIES
  Panda Feet vibration devices under amp and CD player.

TOM CAMPBELL'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Harbeth Compact 7-ES, Spendor SP 3/1P (secondary).

• ELECTRONICS
  Coda/Continuum Unison integrated amplifier, EAR 834P tube phone preamplifier.

• SOURCES
  Nottingham Spacedeck turntable and tonearm; Grado Reference Sonata cartridge, Sony DVP-NS999ES SACD/CD player, vintage Luxman AM/FM tuner.

• CABLES
  MAC interconnects, speaker cables and power cords; River Cable FLEXYGY speaker cables (secondary); Element Cable interconnects (secondary).

• ACCESSORIES
  Boston Audio Design TuneBlocks; QS&D 4-shelf component rack; Sonex acoustic panels in listening room.

CLAY SWARTZ'S SYSTEM

• LOUDSPEAKERS
  Main speakers are Eminent Technology LFT-8, center channel speaker are Radio Shack with Linaeum tweeters, side channel speakers are Goodman mini monitors, and the rear speakers are Radio Shack with Linaeum tweeters. Subwoofers are Thorough Bass Magellan VIII SU with outboard amps and crossover. Super-tweeters are Onix ERT.

• ELECTRONICS
  Main amplifier is a modified Crown Macro Reference, center channel amplifier is a Parasound HCA-600 bridged to mono, side channel amplifier is a Sumo, and the rear channel amplifier is an Adcom GFA 565. Preamplifier is a modified by Andy Bartha, and an Outlaw 950.

• SOURCES
  A modified Marantz 8300 omni-player, a Monarchy DT 40A LD-CD player, a modified MSB 196-24 DAC, Oppo DV-970HD player, a JVC HR S5500U SVHS player, a Teac X-2000R reel-to-reel, a Direct TV HDR receiver, Lumagen Vision Pro and a Sony 60 inch XBR-1 TV.

• CABLES
  Cardes Golden Hex speaker and interconnect cables and Jena Labs interconnects, digital, and video cables.

• ACCESSORIES
  Lead bricks, lead sheets, Bright Star Big Feet, Shakti Stones, Sonic Hallographs and On-Lines, Tekna Sonic speaker dampeners, ebony and mpingo feet, 2 dedicated 20 and 30 amp circuits, Bright Star Airbase. The room is 20' x 19'. Room and is treated with custom Tube Traps, wall treatments, panels, and Corner Tunes.