DAVID ROBINSON'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Evolution Audio MM2 loudspeakers; Nova Rendition II loudspeakers outfitted with Walker Audio Reference HDLs on the upper and lower bi-wires, and Townshend Audio Super Tweeters, all contacts treated with Walker Audio Extreme SST Contact Enhancer.

ELECTRONICS
darTZeel NHB-18NS reference preamplifier with dual MC phono sections; darTZeel NHB-108 Model One B reference stereo amplifier; LAMM M1.2 hybrid monoblock amplifiers; Walker Audio Reference Phono Amplifier with all the latest mods (as of 10/25/06).

SOURCES
Digital: Playback Designs MPS-5 SACD/CD player and DAC (latest firmware); Marantz UD9004 Universal Player with Blu Ray; Linn Unidisk 1.1 Universal Player; Panasonic SV-3900 DAT player with Vimak DS-500 A/D converter.
Analog: Continuum Criterion turntable with Copperhead tonearm and Ortofon A-90 MC cartridge, on the Continuum Castelli turntable stand; Walker Audio Proscenium Black Diamond reference turntable system with the Black Diamond Arm, Micromagic 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); 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
Sennheiser HD-650 headphones with Cardas cable; Grado GS1000 headphones; Denon AH-D5000 headphones; Beyer Dynamic DT-990 headphones.

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

ACCESSORIES
Continuum Castelli turntable stand; Walker Audio Prologue Rack; Walker Audio Prologue Turntable Stand; Walker Audio Prologue Amplifier Stands; Critical Mass Systems Grandmaster Black Rack System; Walker Audio Valid Points and Valid Points tuning kits; two Walker Audio Velocitor SS Power Line Enhancers on Velocitor Stands; one Walker Audio Velocitor Power Line Enhancer on a Velocitor Stand (line conditioning for Walker Audio Proscenium turntable system); Furutech DFV-1 LP flattener; AirTight DT-01 Orb Disc (LP) Flattener; Vibraplane turntable isolation platform; Black Diamond Racing "The Shelf" and cones; audiodharma Cable Cooker 2.5; Gryphon Exorcist system demagnetizer; 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 latest Walker Prelude Record Cleaning System (05/2009 edition); Walker Audio Extreme SST Contact Enhancer (2008); Walker Audio Ultra Vivid SACD/DVD/CD enhancer (improved formulation, 06/2009); Walker Audio Talisman LP/disc De-static device; Furutech RD-2 SACD/DVD/CD demagnetizer; Furutech DeMag LP/SACD/DVD/CD degausser; Furutech SK-II Electrostatic Brush; 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 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

• Paradigm SUB 25 reference 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 Furutech, DH Labs, Cardas, Linn, and JENA Labs

• Teac Esoteric DV-60 Universal Player

• Benchmark DAC-1 D/A Converter

• 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 M90 workstation notebook, Core Duo, 2 GB RAM, 100 GB SATA

• HeadRoom Ultra Desktop Amp, Dual Desktop Power Amps, Desktop Power Supply, and Harbeth HL-P3ES-2 speakers wired for bi-amping

• Cary Audio Xciter USB DAC

• Cary Audio Xciter Tube Desktop Amplifier

• Oppo DV-983H Universal Player

• 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 (with Hi-Fi Tuning fuses).

SOURCES
Digital: Playback Design MPS-5 player (with a Furutech fuse) and a Cary Professional 306 SACD/CD (with Hi-Fi Tuning fuse) which has been treated with Marigo VTS dots, Shakti Onlines and Stones, and the Audio Magic Pulse Gen ZX.
Analog: 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.
Computer Based System (main system): MacBook (iTunes 9.1 or Amarra 3189) to an Empirical Audio Off Ramp 3 (with an Ultraclock and Paul Hynes PSU) or the Sonicweld Diverter via either the Locus Design Nucleus and Cynosure, or Furutech USB cables (or direct to the DAC via a van den Hul Optocoupler II Toslink cable). Purist Audio Contego S/PDIF RCA or AES/EBU, von Gaylord Chinchilla AES/EBU, Locus Design Core S/PDIF RCA or AES/EBU, or DH Labs D-75 AES/EBU digital cables feeding the digital inputs on the Cary Professional 306 or Playback MPS-5. Thermaltake Muse NAS-Raid 5 (three 500 GB Hitachi Enterprise drives). Shakti Stones and Onlines. Cat 6 and Netgear gigabit switch. (Read this article for more).

CABLES
Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Purist Audio Proteus Provectus, Audio Magic Clairvoyant 4D, and/or Soundstring interconnects. Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Purist Audio Proteus Provectus, and Audio Magic Clairvoyant 4D speaker cables. Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Dynamic Design Spirit-C Digital (CD players), Audio Magic Clairvoyant 4D (preamp), and JPS Aluminata (amps) AC cords.

ACCESSORIES
Audio Magic Transcendence power conditioner, Nanotec Nespa #1, Furutech RD-2 demagnitizer, Acoustic Revive RR-77 with KingRex DC power supply, 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), and even more BDR cones and Composite discs under everything else. Mondo racks and stands and racks. 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

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, FooBar, JRiver, etc.

• Benchmark DAC 1 and/or DAC 1 Pre (USB).

• Audioengine 2 loudspeakers.

• Thermaltake Muse NAS-Raid 5 (three 500 GB Hitachi Enterprise drives)

• Shakti Stones and Onlines.

• Kimber USB cable.

• DH Labs Power Plus AC cord.

• Cat 6 and Netgear gigabit switch.

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, TEAL 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
Marten Bird Loudspeakers and REL Stadium III subwoofer

ELECTRONICS
E.A.R. 324 phono preamplifier, E.A.R. 890 amplifiers (ran as monos), E.A.R. 534 stereo amplifier, NuForce Reference 9 SE V2 amplifiers, E.A.R. 912 preamplifier, and an E.A.R. 834L Tube Line Stage.

SOURCES
E.A.R. Disk Master Turntable with two Helius Omega Tonearms, 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. Koetsu Rosewood Signature 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 Elation Interconnects, Speaker Cables, and Power Cords. 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.

LARRY COX'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
ATC SCM 20-2A powered (active equalization and amplification is built-in) speakers.

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

SOURCE
CEC TL1 and Denon 2200 DVD players as transports to a Twisted Pear Audio Buffalo 32s DAC. Amazon Model 2 turntable sitting on a Townshend Seismic Sink, with a Moerch DP6 arm and Dynavector XX2MkII cartridge and Audiopath 4 tonearm cable.

CABLES
Interconnects: Ensemble Dynaflux, AudioQuest Emerald, and Silver Audio Silver Bullet 4.0's. Power cords, self made DIY, Supra Lo-Rad Mains. A full complement of Kubala Sosna Emotion power cords for all equipment requiring power, S/PDIF, interconnects, including tonearm cable; Kubala Sosna Anticipation power cords for all equipment requiring, S/PDIF, and interconnects (no phono cable).

ACCESSORIES
Sound Application power conditioner; 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.

WHAT I LISTEN FOR

I listen to music to hear a realistic timbre with a natural scale to music, i.e. uncompressed dynamics are important to me. I listen at medium to louder levels - live music isn't played at the level you go to sleep at; I cannot have an experience of realistic dynamic contrasts when everything is less audible, let alone lacks the visceral impact and scale of live levels of percussion. Imaging is nice, but not important until timbre has been rendered realistically first.

While it is nifty to hear a vivid portrayal of music's attack and decay, it isn't often a part of the original event in my listening seat. Often, what some listeners love about transient attack and decay can occur to these ears as an exaggeration and part and parcel of a lean and/or bright character.

WHY I LISTEN AND WRITE

I like music and pleasure. My reviews will point you to stuff I liked that I think you'll like. I'm not a fly searching for doors with moons on it; if I find one, I turn away and spend time on something I like. People that hunt out problems belong in an asylum. Naturally then, my reviews are more likely to be positive. Every component I've ever listened to was connected to another component—so I've never heard a single component and can only guess what it sounds like; I just know how it performed for me in my system with my tastes. Proclamations that "x" component is "the best" or what have you are delusional for the writer and foolishness for a reader to rely upon. My reviews attempt to describe what I heard and how I felt about its role in my system so that you can get a sense of what it might sound like in your system or that of another's. There are no audio gods, especially the self-proclaimed ones. Use my reviews, and really everyone else's, as a place to start.

MY PREFERENCES

If a component doesn't produce the timbre or tone of the original instrument, everything else is unimportant. If timbre is handled, then I want a dynamic performance so that I think I'm hearing the loud and soft range of the original instrument. Next, I would like frequency extension, down to 40Hz in a medium sized room is important. If I get these three, together, I'll tend to like the component and write enthusiastically. After those three, imaging is nice; the performance on attack and decay are like cloth napkins at a dinner, nice to have but not terribly important.

I've preferred vinyl and the body to music that tubes provide. However, in a perfect world, my system would operate from a remote without tubes (pesky tube failures are a bane) or what the signal is delivered by (analog, CD/SACD/DVD, whatever). I would prefer owning solid state gear so that I could dispense with the NOS tube nonsense, but tubes still sound better to me, and unfortunately, so do some of the NOS tubes, but not enough to give up what tubes and vinyl provide, at least so far. As far as music goes, I want a realistic rendering of the music I would listen to if pressings and format didn't matter, rather than collecting really well recorded versions of listless, vapid music.

WHERE MY SYSTEM IS SHORT

I would love to have a bit deeper bass. My speakers go to 40Hz with no problems, but deeper bass "settles" a system's performance in a way that more resolution won't. My dream speaker would be powered ATC SCM 100s, but they're financially out of reach, especially since we're planning a move to better digs. A subwoofer would be nice to provide what the 100s do that my 20s don't, but I have no present plans for that, either. It's easy to get my system to sound a bit bright or hard, and as I occasionally hunt for more resolution, and I find that brighter sometimes masquerades as more resolution. There are better systems out there, sure, but I'm quite happy with my system and what it does.

My tastes are fairly catholic: I like some roots and pop music. I find movie sound tracks a great source of new music and artists. I enjoy classical music and Spanish (acoustic) guitar. I do not want to get the "nothing but beat" (not rhythm), angry misogynist "sound" with no melody or beauty in it that is so popular now. I'll leave that to the flies above. While I'm open to new experiences, I don't need or want to experience everything.

What I'd wish for you is that you find reviews that allow you to enjoy your system and music and to dispense with finding nits to pick in their performance. Critical listening is an important part of getting your system and you to a condition where music reproduction is good. I remind myself, and you can remind yourself with my comments here, that the point of a high fidelity system is to enjoy music, not to enable a "Where's Waldo" game of finding the hidden error. Of course, it's your system and your hobby so you get to make the rules for yourself and if finding Waldo/problems or critiquing your system is what you love, disregard this note.

DANNY KAEY'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Zu Audio Definition Pro Lautsprecher.

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 6010D preamplifier and Soulution 710 stereo amp. ASR Basis Exclusive phono preamp.

SOURCES
VYGER Baltic M turntable, Shelter Harmony cartridge, mbl 1521A transport, mbl 1511F DAC.

CABLES
Interconnects are Tara Labs The 0.8, Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Audio Note Japan, and Kharma Enigma. Digital cables are Tara Labs The 0.8, Kubala-Sosna Emotion and Audio Note Japan. Speaker wires are TARA Labs The 0.8, Kubala-Sosna Emotion, and Kharma Enigma. AC power cords are Tara Labs The One and Kubala-Sosna Emotion.

ACCESSORIES
TAOC Rack and TITE-35S component footers, Harmonix RFA-78i and Marigo VTS Room Tuning Discs, CORE Designs amp stands, Acoustic System Resonators, Argent Room Lenses, Echo Buster and 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.

BOB NEILL'S SYSTEM

Primary System

LOUDSPEAKERS
Audio Note E/SPe HE's on lead & sand filled Audio Note stands. JM Reynaud Orfeos on Symposium Sveltes.

ELECTRONICS
Audio Note M6/ Phono - tubed, single-ended preamplifier, Audio Note Neiro - 8 watt, SET mono-blocks with parallel 2A3's. Blue Circle BC 30000 II GZpz tubed preamp; BC 204 hybrid 150 watt stereo amplifier.

SOURCES
Audio Note CDT 3 transport and 4.1x Balanced Signature DAC; Audio Note TT3 Half reference turntable, Audio Note AN-1s/Sogon arm, l01 MC cartridge and L4 step-up transformer. Blue Circle BC 703 phonostage.

CABLES
Audio Note Pallas digital interconnect, Audio Note Sootto IC and Audio Note AN-Vx interconnects, Audio Note bi-wired AN-SPx speaker cables on E's; Audio Note bi-wired zSogon on Orfeos.

ACCESSORIES
Blue Circle BC6000 line filter. 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. Orfeos 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 Duets on JMR Magic Stands; Reynaud Offrande Supremes.

ELECTRONICS
Blue Circle FtTH - 95 watt hybrid integrated amplifier. Blue Circle SBT - tubed preamp/SBM 50 watt solid state monoblocks.

SOURCES
Same as Primary System, but with Audio Note CD4.1x planned.

CABLES
Audio Note AN-Vx interconnects, Lexus speaker cable.

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.

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!

JIM MEROD'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
TETRA 606s (also: Apogee Stages, SP TECH Time Piece 1.2s, Vandersteen 2Ce-modified, Acoustic Zen Adagios, van Scweikert VCL-15 monitor reference and sub, Tetra Manhattans),

ELECTRONICS
Z Systems UDP-1, Birdland Odeon-Ag 24-192/SACD Upsampling DAC, Manley Shrimp, Meridian 518 mod plus, Audio Research SP-8 Dahong Seeto version preamplifiers. McCormack 125 Platinum Full-Rev Edition, Nuforce P-9 mono blocks, KR VT600-MK tube mono blocks, McCormack 0.5 "Lady Day" Edition amplifiers.

SOURCES
OPPO DV 970HD, Denon 1650-AR, Pioneer Elite DV-45A , Samsung DVD R135, McCormack CD Drive-plus, Alesis ML 9600 MasterLink 24-96 digital recorder, Tascam RA1000 DSD recorder, Marantz "Professional" Recorder, Tascam RW750 Pro CD Recorder,

CABLES
Nordost Valhalla, Stealth Meta-carbon and Stealth ZERO limited edition, Kubala-Sosna Emotion and Emotion "cryo'd", van den Hull carbon, Acoustic Zen Matrix and Silver Reference "Exact", Magnan Silver Bronze, Silversmith Paladium, Analysis Plus ULTRA PLUS, Wireworld Eclipse III, Audience Conductor, Bogdan Silver Spirit, Silverline "Alan Yun Special Edition" balanced digital, Acoustic Zen MC-Squared, Magnan digital RCA. Kubala-Sosna Emotion, Analysis Plus, Acoustic Zen Absolute. Gargantua, Krakatoa, and Tsunami power cords, VH Audio Flavor 4, Stealth, PS Audio, WireWorld power cords.

ACCESSORIES
Audience AdeptResponse 12 outlet power conditioner and Magnan ultra power strip.

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
Tonian Labs TL-D1 Loudspeakers with custom cabinet with real wood Bamboo finish.

ELECTRONICS
Margules U280SC Class A tube amplifier (new Version), Marantz PM-15S1G Reference Series Integrated amplifier, Antique Sound Labs MG-SPM25DT SE mono block tube amplifiers modified by Response Audio, Monarchy Audio SM-70 Class-A amplifier.

SOURCES
Marantz SA-15S2 Reference Series SACD/CD player, Kuzma Stabi S turntable, Stogi arm, Audioquest 4004i cartridge modified by van den Hul, Sony BDP-S350 Blue Ray Player, Onkyo Model T4 Servo Locked Stereo tuner. Stock MM/MC Phono preamplifier in Marantz SA-15S2.

CABLES
JPS Labs Superconductor Q Series interconnects and speaker cables, Power AC+ , GPA2, and Digital AC power cords, Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval interconnects, Oval 12 speaker cables, Soundstring Tricormaxiel speaker cable, PC 30A and 10A power cords, and Octaphase "Alpha Series and Omega Pro Line" interconnects. Oyaide power cord, PS Audio C-4 power cord., Monster Cable M Series HDMI 1.3 cable, Parts Express HDMI cable.

ACCESSORIES
Can't Live Without's; Gingko Audio Cloud Ten (2), Vibrapod Isolators (various sizes), and Cones, Ultra Systems' Hi-Fi Tuning Fuses, (various sizes peppered throughout my gear), Ultra Systems Cathedral Sound Panels, (4), Custom made gear racks for turntable and gear. Support staff; Balanced Power Technologies BPT 4SE power unit, Brick Wall Series Mode Surge filter (2 outlet), Quiet Line Parallel Power Line Filters, Bybee filters (inside ASL amps), Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine, PS Audio Zero Static record brush, Flitz Metal Polish, Caig ProGold, and Deoxit, Mondial Antenna Ground Isolation Circuit (for incoming Time Warner cable), Walker SST Extreme, Mapleshade Mikro-smooth CD polishing kit and Ionoclast Ion Generator, Bright Star Isonodes, EAT Cool Dampers, Hal O Rings, Cardas, Clearaudio, Hi-Fi News Test LP's, Smoke On The Water, Senor Coconut and his Orchestra used as test LP, generic ferrite rings, ERS paper, Custom made wooden cable lifters by Mr. Clark senior, Ceramic Insulator cable lifters, J&J, EI, Sovtek/Electro Harmonix, Ruby, SED, Jan Phillips, Sylvania Electron Tubes, Amoeba Music Store record bag!

Shamelessly good and cheap music system

Fatman iTube integrated amplifier, Sony Play Station 1, Panasonic DVD S53 DVD Player, PS Audio Digital Link III, (soon to be used with my PC) LAT International digital cable, Supra Line 2.5 speaker wire, Kimber Cable Hero interconnects, Insignia NS-B2111 loudspeakers, Lovan speaker stands, Sony NWZ-E438F Digital Media Player (MP-3, 8Gig), Original Master Headphone Amplifier (not shown), AKG K300 headphones (not shown), Ikea Expedit rack. 

OK there it is and not too soon. I offer a thousand apologies for not updating this sooner. I have lived with the excellent Margules tube amp for over three years and it has never appeared in these pages other than mentioning it in reviews. It is my best amp and my workhorse. Shame on me! It will soon be replaced by the latest version Margules has to offer. Other gear have come and gone sadly without much fanfare. In the past several years I have vowed to pare down my system to a couple of integrated amplifiers and leave it at that. Ever since my review of the excellent Tonian Labs TL-D1 speakers, my attitude towards gear and recordings in general has changed significantly. I'm getting there. But boy does this hardware suck you in like the preverbal black hole! Therefore it would be real hard for me to sit here and go on and on about how much I love music. We are gear heads! We love gear! We review gear! OK we love music too.

Wife's System

Monitor Audio iDeck with a hand me down iPod loaded with R&B.

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.

JEFF DAY'S SYSTEMS

SYSTEM 1

LOUDSPEAKERS
Harbeth Monitor 40.1 loudspeakers, Skylan M40.1 speaker stands.

ELECTRONICS
Leben CS660P KT66 power amplifier, Leben RS28CX preamplifier, Leben RS-30EQ phono equalizer.

SOURCE
KAB Broadcast Standard Technics SL-1200MK5 turntable, Yamamoto HS-1A ebony head shell, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood moving-magnet phono cartridge, Denon 103 moving-coil phono cartridge, Auditorium 23 step-up transformer for Denon 103, Apple iMac, Mhdt Labs Paradisea+ USB DAC.

CABLES
Audio Tekne ARC-500 interconnects (DAC to pre), Audio Tekne ARSP-500 speaker cables, Acoustic Revive PCOCC-A oval single core interconnects (amp to pre), Locus Design Group Polestar USB cable from iMac to USB DAC.

ACCESSORIES
Acoustic Revive RCI-3 Cable Insulators (under speaker cables), Acoustic Revive RGC-24 Ground Conditioner (preamp), Acoustic Revive Shorting Plugs SIP-8F (preamp), Acoustic Revive Pure Smokey Quartz Insulator RIQ-5010 (under equipment footers), Acoustic Revive Pure Quartz Insulator RIQ-5010W (under equipment footers), Acoustic Revive REM-8 EMF Canceller (on DAC), Acoustic Revive RPT-2 Ultimate Power Supply Box (digital components), Acoustic Revive RPT-4 Ultimate Power Supply Box (analog components), Acoustic Revive Power Reference power cables (all electronics), Acoustic Revive CS-2F Outlet Stabilizer (wall outlet), Acoustic Revive CB-1DB Receptacle Base Plate (wall outlet), Acoustic Revive CFRP-1F Carbon Fiber Receptacle Plate (wall outlet), Acoustic Revive Ultra Low-Frequency Pulse Generator R-77 (room), Acoustic Revive Acoustic Conditioner RWL-3 (3 used in room), McKinnon Furniture Bellevue Symphony media cabinet (walnut). 

SYSTEM 2

LOUDSPEAKERS
Harbeth Super HL5 loudspeakers, Skylan SHL5 speaker stands.

ELECTRONICS
Leben CS600 vacuum tube integrated amplifier.

SOURCE
OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, 42-inch Philips 1080P LCD television.

CABLES
White Lightning Moonshine DIY speaker cables, White Lightning Moonshine DIY interconnects.

SYSTEM 3

LOUDSPEAKERS
Omega Super 3 loudspeakers, Skylan Super 3 speaker stands.

ELECTRONICS
Leben CS300X Limited Edition integrated amplifier.

SOURCE
Sony PlayStation SCPH-1001 as Redbook source.

CABLES
Auditorium 23 speaker cables, White Lightning Moonshine DIY interconnects.

MISC EQUIPMENT
Almarro A205A EL84 integrated amplifier, Fi 2A3 mono amplifiers, Fi Y phono amplifier, Leben RS-100 line preamplifier (in for review), Leben RS-100U line preamplifier (in for review), Amarra Computer Player (in for review).

My primary listening room is a 20' L x 17' W x 17' H living room in a rather small and modest nuevo bungalow. Room construction consists of sheet rock walls & cathedral ceiling, and a concrete slab floor (carpeted). The living room opens to a combination kitchen/dining room of roughly similar size on the rear wall, and is also open to an entryway on the right side wall. The local environment is one of a shrub-steppe—the Snake-Columbia shrub-steppe—which is an arid low-rainfall area located along the Columbia River in eastern Washington State. The electrical grid here provides clean and plentifully cheap power, much to the delight of local HiFi buffs.

I think it would be a misnomer to call my smallish 11' L x 11' W x 9' H video room a home theatre room, as it's really just a cozy little place for me to hole up while watching a good movie or television show over a nice little 2-channel system. The construction is sheet rock walls, with a flat ceiling, and a concrete slab floor (carpeted). The room does double duty for reviewing equipment to see how well said equipment can perform in a smaller room context, which is becoming a more important consideration for many people in these days of globalization and rising prices of living spaces.

Travel System

My travel system is an iPhone used with Shure SE530PTH headphones. I like to travel light to make my life easy on the road. With an iPhone I can make telephone calls, text message, surf the web, send and receive emails, get driving directions, and check the weather. Oh yeah, I can also listen to music and watch movies if I'm on a long coast-to-coast flight. The Shure sound isolating in-ear headphones shield me from the baby crying two seats back, are comfy, and provide a rich and expressive window into the music (or movies) that is quite captivating. This is a great way to go for road warriors who want to travel extra-light.

Listening Biases

I thought a thumbnail sketch of my listening biases might be helpful for interpreting and decoding my reviews. Just to alert you, my perspective is somewhat one of a minority alternate opinion in the HiFi community. My hierarchy of importance is aligned more closely to how well a HiFi rig plays the musical content of recordings, rather than how it 'sounds' in the more traditional audiophile 'sonic' sense.

To this end I look for timbral realism at the band level (the band's signature 'sound') and at the individual instrument level (the unique 'voices' of instruments). I want them to sound recognizably like themselves in tone and texture, so that their full tone color can develop, which I think helps lend a feeling of beauty and expressiveness to the music. I like the melody (the tune you 'whistle while you work'), harmony (treble & bass accompaniments to the melody) and rhythm (the steady beat that determines the tempo) to have a life-like flow and connectedness in how the musicians interact—just like in real life. I want dynamics (variations in loudness) to evoke that which I hear in life for an emotional connection to the melody and rhythm. Finally, I want tempo portrayed so that both the mood and speed of the music are conveyed through it, just like with music in real life.

I consider the sonic performance of a HiFi rig on the non-musical artifacts of the recording process to be of value, but of less importance to me than the performance on the musical content of recordings (as above). So things like transparency (being able to 'see' into the recording), soundstage (the three dimensions of the recorded space in width, height and depth), soundspace (the acoustic 'space' of the soundstage), and imaging (the feeling of solidity and localization of instruments & musicians on the soundstage) has some importance to me, but they are not my primary focus. The musical content is.

So I like my cake (the musical content of recordings) with a little frosting (the non-musical artifacts of recordings) for a balanced taste treat. Too much frosting and not enough cake put me off. So that's me, and you might be different, but at least now you know how.

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
Dynamic Design THB Nebula cable. Monster Sigma Retro and Monster Sigma 2000 interconnects and Luminous Synchestra Signatures speaker cables. Tiff, Marigo, Gutwire G-Clef, Gutwire C-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.

ELECTRONICS
Magnum Dynalab MD-209 receiver.

SOURCES
Oppo BDP-83, Apple Mini-Mac 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.

ACCESSORIES
Audio Magic Stealth Power Purifier, Vibrapods, Townshend 3D sink Table, and Echo Busters.

JOHN BRAZIER'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Verity Audio Parsifal Ovations.

ELECTRONICS
NuForce Reference SE monoblocks and Pass Labs X1 preamplifier.

SOURCES
Cary 306 Professional with Sympostium 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.

GEORGE PAPADIMITRIOU'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Thiel CS 7.2 with Cardas CCGG-S binding posts. Energy 22 Connoisseur with Cardas CCBP-L binding posts

ELECTRONICS
Currently in-between linestages. Art Audio Vinyl 1 (long term loan). NAD S200 (2 bridged monoblocks) and Art Audio Diavolo (long term loan).

SOURCES
SOTA Sapphire with Oracle mat and Oracle screw clamp. Audioquest PT-9. Benz Micro Ruby 3. Audio Electronics (Cary) CD-1, Tascam (Teac) CD-RW700. Magnum Dynalab MD-108t (tube output tuner).

CABLES
Interconnect: Audioquest Sky, Jenna Labs (custom made), Vampire Wire (custom made), Cardas (custom made), Acrolink (custom made), Wireworld Eclipse 5-2 (under review), Wireworld Gold Eclipse 5-2 (under review). Phono: Audioquest LeoPard, Cardas Colden Cross, Cardas (custom made). Loudspeaker: Audioquest Everest, Jenna Labs (custom made), Vampire Wire (custom made), Cardas (custom made), Acrolink 6N-S1010-II (custom made), Wireworld Eclipse 5-2 (under review), Audience Au24-e (under review), Power: Audioquest NRG-5, Vampire Wire (custom made), Cardas (custom made), Wireworld Electra 5-2 (under review).

ACCESSORIES
Headphones: Sennheiser HD 580 Jubilee. Demagnetizer: Sumiko Flux Buster FB-1. Stylus Cleaner: Audio Technica AT-637. Anti-Static: Nagaoka Kilovolt N-103.

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 Statement cartridge, Bel canto PL-2 universal digital player, vintage Luxman AM/FM tuner.

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

KARL LOZIER'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Genesis G-6.1 with integral dual Servo controlled 12" subwoofers each cabinet.

ELECTRONICS
Herron VTSP-2 (tubed) preamplifier. Pair of Herron M-150 (solid state) amplifiers. Herron VTPH-1MM phonostage.

SOURCES
Allen Wright's VSEI Modified Sony SACD/CD Players: Model SCD-777SE-level 5+, Model 9000 ES-level 5. Turntable: VPI-MKll with SME IV Tonearm + Grado Reference cartridge.

CABLES
Interconnects: Kimber Select KS-1030, KS-1021, Herron Special. AC Power cords: Audio Purist Design's 20th Anniversary, Kimber PK-10. Loudspeaker cables:Kimber Select KS-3038.

ACCESSORIES
IsoNodes, SSC pucks, Iso-Blocks, Denon CDR-W1500 CD/HDCD player/recorder, Front-end components fed by Shunyata Hydra 8 power conditioner and FIM 880 AC power receptacle. Welborne Labs X1 Gatekeepers.

BACKUP SYSTEM
106 year old mono only system: Edison Home Phonograph cylinder player model CH16002.

The listening room allows only one possible setup arrangement. The area allows use of a 10-foot wall to backup the loudspeakers, though that end of the room is 15 feet wide with 5 feet being the entrance area. The first nine feet of the room therefore is 15 feet wide and then expands to well over 20 feet wide and 34 feet long (total). Therefore the loudspeakers "see" more than 700 square feet. Walls are old time lathe and plaster, concrete floor with Berber type carpeting. The room supports extended deep bass response and the response is electronically limited by manufacturing design to 16 Hertz, and extends fully and solidly to just below 20 Hertz in this room and is adjustable in all-important aspects including phase. They are rather svelte appearing and top off at only 42 inches tall and 11 inches wide with above average sensitivity. They are basically dipole radiators. Later models, such as the 500, 501 and so on contain one less bass driver per side while maintaining the almost unmatched (for its size) bass response and have eliminated the expensive titanium dome midrange driver, going to a more conventional cone. The Herron electronics, together and separately, come very close to being neutral. The solid-state units have no hint of common transistor edginess and the tubed units have seemingly no added bass fullness or bloom. The Cary player correctly decodes the under appreciated HDCD recordings by Reference Recordings and Dorian. I often question if the best SACDs and DVD-As surpass the better HDCDs by Reference Recordings comparing in stereo only, the HDCDs are not multichannel. Because I usually do a great deal of music reviewing, and most truly new recordings are digital, I find myself listening far more to CDs, HDCDs, SACDs and DVD-As than vinyl. I usually agree with those who believe that a great LP played on a fine-tubed system can almost magically envelope the listener with unsurpassed musical enjoyment. The very finest and in general the most recent digital efforts, are quite excellent and I could easily believe that in most measurable ways, are actually more accurately reproducing the microphones' outputs.

As time goes on, I become more convinced that to have an excellent recording and front-end components allows some moderately priced amplifiers and loudspeakers to be surprisingly satisfying. Please, make every effort to support the truly new recording efforts by companies such as RR, Dorian, Telarc, Chesky, AIX, Delos and others. Without them, improvements in source material will become scarce and the huge corporations will not be stimulated to record and release much of any significance for our musical enjoyment.

HOME THEATER SYSTEM (Multi-channel in a separate room)

LOUDSPEAKERS
Nola Minis, Napoleons, and T-Bolt III subwoofer.

ELECTRONICS
Denon AVR 3805 Receiver.

SOURCES
Esoteric DV50 Universal player and Toshiba SD9200 DVD player. JVC HD-52G rear projection and D-ILA (LCoS) 1280x720 pixels.

CABLES
Interconnects by Kimber, Harmonic Technology, and DiMarzio. Loudspeaker cables are mainly Kimber's Monocle X. AC power cords by DiMarzio, Harmonic Technology, and Kimber.

ACCESSORIES
Isolation platform and feet by Bright Star Audio. FM only system: McIntosh MR 77 FM tuner and McIntosh MA 6100 preamplifier plus NHT SuperOne loudspeakers. Welborne Labs Gatekeeper X1 and PS Audio Ultimate Outlet.

BACKUP SYSTEM
Gramaphone Company's 80 year old His Master's Voice record player family model with large horn and crank.

JOHN ACTON'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Joseph Audio RM25si Signature Mk2

ELECTRONICS
Pass Labs INT-150 integrated amplifier.

SOURCES
SimAudio MOON Supernova and SuoerNova CD player.

CABLES
Audience Au24 and Ecosse Symphony interconnects. Audience Au24 and Ecosse SMS 2.4 speaker cables. Custom Power Cord Company HCF Series 2 and HCF Special Series 2 power cords. Ecosse Big Red SC power cords.

ACCESSORIES
ASC Tube Traps and Studio Traps. NuCore Cathedral Sound Dampening Panels. Solidsteel 6.2 Audio Table. Precision Audio Products LLC Cable Elevators.

GREG EWING'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Magnepan 1.6QRs with Magnestand mods, Hsu VTF-2 MK 3 subwoofer.

ELECTRONICS
Dussun DS99 integrated amp, Harmon Kardon HK-3485 tuner, Stax headphone amplifier and phones.

SOURCES
Squeezebox, Monica 2 DAC, Apple iPod Classic.

CABLES
ZenHorizons 14/3 speaker cables, Canare Star Quad interconnects.

ACCESSORIES
Audio Prism QuietLines, ferrite rings.

ED KOBESKY'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Spendor S5e

ELECTRONICS
PrimaLuna ProLogue Two integrated amplifier, Rotel RQ-970 phonostage.

SOURCES
Rega Planar 3 turntable with Linn Basik LVV tonearm and Denon DL-110 cartridge, Rega Planet CD player, Sony DVP-NC875V DVD/SACD player, Pioneer DV-563A universal player.

CABLES
MonsterCable Interlink 400, 250 and 200 interconnects, AudioQuest Alpha Snake interconnects, MonsterCable XP speaker wire, others.

ACCESSORIES
Record Doctor II record cleaning machine with Disc Doctor brushes, Sennheiser HD580 headphones, Rotel RLC-900 line conditioner.

My main listening room is approximately 9' x 9' with 8' ceilings. It occupies a spare bedroom on the second floor of my rented townhouse, which is located in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Shared walls necessitated the placement of my rear-ported speakers nearest an interior wall. By coincidence, it's a load-bearing wall, allowing for unusually stable equipment placement. I can walk around while an LP is playing, leading me to believe above-average construction standards were applied.

Given the square-shaped room layout, setup by the ‘rule of thirds' is impossible. As a compromise, I selected 10' speaker cables to allow plenty of flexibility with on-the-fly speaker placement. Depending on the electronics and music, I may place the speakers closer to the rear walls or farther away, but usually toed in to some degree. (My long, rectangular living room— equipped with an overachieving Denon stereo receiver and DVD player—is also used to audition speakers when they can't be properly accommodated in the main listening room.)

ROGER S. GORDON'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
VMPS RM 30 floor standing speakers (-3dB at 37Hz) with VMPS Large subwoofer upgraded to VSS specifications (-0dB at 20Hz). VMPS Ambiance Tweeters.

ELECTRONICS
deHavilland Aries 845-G single ended triode mono block amplifiers on main speakers with two Dayton Loudspeaker 500 watt plate amps (class AB) with variable crossover and single band parametric equalizer on dual voice coil subwoofer. Herron Audio VTPH-2 phonostage and VTSP-3 preamplifier, VacuumState JLTI phonostage, and H.H. Scott 130 stereo preamp with selectable phono equalization.

SOURCES
Turntables: Nakamichi TX-1000 and Garrard 401 with skeletal plinth. Tonearms: Schroeder Reference, Moerch DP-6 with Teres Audio VTA Adapter and red dot and blue dot 12" armwands, and VPI 12.5 with two armwands. Stereo MC cartridges: Van den Hul Colibri Mk.2 XPW and Condor XGM, Miyajime Shilabe, Nakamichi MC1000, ZYX UNIverse S-SB, and three Audio Technica OC9/II cartridges. Stereo MM cartridges: Empire ERD-9 and Empire 750 LTD. Mono MC cartridges: ZYX R1000 AiryM-X-SB and Denon 102. Sony SCD-1 with Modwright Absolute Truth Mod, plus SuperClock II, Superclock II Power Supply, and Richard Kern's Transport Mod.

CABLES
Bent Audio phono cable that includes terminal box for swapping resistors to change cartridge loading, Purist Audio Venustas and Audio Magic Sorcerer interconnects for connecting equipment to preamp, Harmonic Technology Cyberlight P2A with battery Pack IV for connecting preamp to amps, and Audio Magic Sorcerer bi-wire loudspeaker cables.

LINE CONDITIONERS AND AC
Sound Application XE-12 cryoed with Elrod Power Systems 3 Signature power cord and Audio Magic Stealth Matrix with Audio Magic Illusion 4D power cord. Power cords: Audio Magic Excalibur and Illusion 4D, Coincident, Purist Audio Design Venustas, Silent Source, and Wireworld Electra III+.

ACCESSORIES
Room Treatment: Listening room designed by Rives Audio utilizing materials from RPG, Inc. and self constructed ceiling panels designed by Rives Audio (See PFO Issue 21). Acoustic Science Corporation Tube Traps used to control bass and diffusion (See PFO Issue 32). Acoustic Revive RR-77 with King Rex power supply. Vibration Control: Nakamichi Turntable - Lead Balloon stand with the legs filled with a mixture of kitty litter, sand, and lead shot, with 3" maple butcher-block, and Stillpoints supporting turntable plus Harmonix TU-812Mk2 record weight and TU-800EX turntable mat. Garrard 401 - Polycrystal Rack with Herbies Audio Lab Grunge-Buster platter mat. Electronics - Black Diamond Racing Cones under phonostage and pre-amp; Silent Running Audio 3" VR isolation stands under Sony SCD-1 and deHavilland tube amps. Tubes - Herbies Audio Lab HAL-O tube dampers on all vacuum tubes. EMI and RFI Control: Bybee speaker filters, two pairs.

GREG MALTZ'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
B&W Nautilus 802 (L&R), B&W Nautilus HTM1 (center), B&W Nautilus 805 (rears).

ELECTRONICS
VAC Phi Beta 110i integrated amplifier, YBA Audio Refinement Multi-5 five channel amplifier, Integra DTC-9.8 pre/pro, Pioneer KRP-600M plasma.

SOURCES
VPI Scout with JMW-9 tonearm and Aurum Beta S cartridge, Classe Omega SACD-2, Sony Playstation 3.

CABLES
Alphacore Goertz MI2 bi-wire speaker cables from VAC amp to 802D speakers, Alphacore Goertz MI1 bi-wire speaker cables from YBA amp to center and surround speakers, Alphacore Goertz Silver Sapphire interconnects used between preamplifier, each amplifiers, and front end, Monster Z optical HDMI cable from PS3 to Integra preamplifier, Electraglide State of the Union power cords

ACCESSORIES
PS Audio Premier Power Plant, Black Diamond Racing kit for VPI Scout isolation, Vistek Aurios Media Isolation Bearings under the SACD-2, Bellogetti AVS1000 rack, FS Nautilus 805 stands for side speakers, Svetlana KT-88 tubes for VAC Phi.

Without enough room to adequately indulge my hobbies, the goal with this system is to achieve a home theater that sacrifices as little as possible in terms of my criteria for high quality audio, whether two-channel, 5.1 or 7.1 multichannel. Those criteria are mainly oodles of detail and solid imaging and sound staging, I like a forward, somewhat in-your-face presentation, but with good front-to-back imaging that closely mirrors intimate, live listening experiences. My favorite genre is small-ensemble jazz of the '60s, but I listen to an incredibly wide variety of material, from Bach to the Beastie Boys to Black Sabbath. My favorite composer is probably Mahler. I have a passion for films as well as music—thus the plasma display—and sometimes indulge in video games. So for the time being I'm using a Playstation 3 as a Blu-ray player. Even on this modest source, I can achieve a seamless surround field controlled by the Integra preamp, in which the VAC Phi amp, set to "home theater" mode and decoupled from its internal preamp, drives the front L/R speakers and the YBA five channel amp drives the center and surrounds. This way I can explore multichannel SACD and the high-resolution flavors of PCM afforded by Blu-ray.

LOUDSPEAKERS
Aerial 7B loudspeakers, Ultrasone Edition 8, and HiFI780  Headphones,  All headphones are modified by ALO.

ELECTRONICS
E.A.R. 868 preamplifier. E.A.R. 890 stereo amplifier. Marsh MSD P2000t preamplifier (Modified by Reference Audio Mods). Marsh A-400 amplifier. Anthem Pre 2LSE+ preamplifier, Anthem Pre1P SE+ phonostage and Anthem Amp-1 SE+ tube EL-34 based amplifier (All Anthem gear modified by Parts Connextion).

SOURCES
Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 SE+  CD player (Modified by Parts Connexion),  Electrocompaniet EMC-1 UP SE CD player, VPI Aries II w/JMW 10.i Arm,   Cardas Mytle Heart MC Cartridge, VPI Heavy Acrylic Platter, HRW platter ring, VPI Rim Drive, and clamp, VPI SDS power regenerator, Thorens TD-32O MKIII w/TP-90 arm, and a Sumiko Blackbird MC cartridge.

CABLES
Cardas Golden Reference interconnects (both RCA and XLR). Cardas Golden Reference bi-wire speaker cable. Audience Au-24 RCA interconnects, Au-24 Biwire speaker cables, and Audience PowerChord-e Power Cords.

ACCESSORIES
Townshend Seismic Sinks. Townshend Seismic Sink Stands. IsoTek Sigmas GII line conditioner. Audience adeptResponse 6. Shun Mook Diamond Resonators. Cardas RCA and XLR caps. Omnicron Magic Dream roller ball. Argent Room Lens Hemholtz resonators Bright Star Little Rocks and Big rocks. Sonoflex panels. Wally Tools.

MICHAEL MERCER'S SYSTEM

Main System

ELECTRONICS
Sunfire Theatre Grand III Pre-Amp / Processor (used in direct/bypass for two channel & SACD). Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature Amplifier (5 channel, but only drives ctr & rears). Classe Audio DR-9 Amplifier (w/ upgraded power supply). Nordost THOR power distribution center.

SOURCES
VPI Scout turntable w/ Denon DL-110 cartridge. Pioneer DV-578-A Universal Player (for CD, DVD-A, SACD). EAD T-1000 Transport (w/ Mods, done by ...I don't know actually).

CABLES
Nordost Valhalla speaker and interconnects. Nordost and Wireworld power cords. Eichmann interconnects.

ACCESSORIES
Grado SR-80s. Sennheisser HD-490. Sony MDR-7506 (used for DJing). Bright Star Bases. Nordost Pulsar Points. KAB iso pods. Bill Bags Stands.

Project Studio 2

Technics 1200 MKII w/ Ortofon P-mount cartridges, 1 Pioneer DJM-300 S (2 channel ALL analog DJ Mixer). 20 channel TASCAM console. Melos Rack-mount "Digital Drive Bitstream Processor". Nola Mini monitors. McIntosh MAC 1700 (refurbished—belonged to my grandfather). Bryston 4B amplifier. Eichmann Express 6 speaker cable and interconnects. Headroom Total Bithead. DAC/headphone amplifier. Custom PC running Cubase, Wavelab, Reason, and other software and a bunch of studio gear in a rack.

I do not play the switch-out game too often these days with my stereo and surround sound in the living room. Both playbacks are combined in our main listening system there. We do not have separate/dedicated rooms excluding the studio. I have made acquisitions over the years whenever something grabs me so deeply I know it would sing with my components, but for the most part I have been happy with the music coming from my system for a while now. This was, of course, the result of many searches and trial and error sessions. Once we (my wifey and I) reached a point where we were constantly excited by our system I stopped shopping around all the time. We have come to love the sound of our system, and while I still listen to new stuff all the time as part of the addiction, I'm usually just exploring to see where the art is going. I also do a great deal of listening in the little office space where I write, and that gear changes often. We also do a lot of listening in the studio.

I LOVE doing "jukebox" nights at the house, where we invite friends to bring records and some drinks. We all spend the night getting loose and turning each other onto new music (or old, if we discover something grand).

ELECTRONICS
Krell KAV-250a amplifier and a Balanced Audio Technology VK-3iX (with remote control and MC phono stage options), Black Cube SE phono stage.

SOURCES
Basis Debut Mk. V turntable, Tri-planar VI tonearm (with Discovery cable wired directly to preamp), Lyra Helikon phono cartridge, NAD 4155 AM/FM tuner. Digital sources vary, currently use units by Arcam and Oppo.

CABLES
Various models from Virtual Dynamics and MIT.

ACCESSORIES
PS Audio Power Plant A/C Regenerators: P600 for front end, P300 for turntable, Chang Lightspeed ISO 9300 power conditioner, Arcici Suspense Rack, Winds stylus pressure gauge, StaticMaster photo negative brush, Lyra SPT stylus cleaner, Last stylus cleaner, Last Stylast stylus treatment, Nitty Gritty 3 record cleaning machine, Premier! vinyl pre-cleaner, Audioquest and VPI record brushes to apply record cleaning fluid.

Tom Lyle's associated gear second system:

ELECTRONICS
PrimaLuna ProLogue 6 monoblocs and a Balanced Audio Technology VK-3i/X, Jeff Roland Research Coherence One.

SOURCES
AR FM Tuner.

CABLES
Various models from Cardas, Monster, and Kimber.

ACCESSORIES
Panamax 5510 power conditioner.

MARK KATZ'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
JM Labs Mezzo Utopias and Tannoy 12" Monitor Gold speakers in Lockwood studio cabinets (second system).

ELECTRONICS
Kora Cosmos monoblock amplifiers and Eclipse preamplifier. Custom 300B monoblock SE amplifiers and Loesch-Wiesner line stage preamplifier (second system).

SOURCES
CEC TL-1 transport and Kora Hermes (latest version modified by Audio Magic). McIntosh MR-78 tuner. Cal Audio Icon Powerboss HDCD CD player, Luxman T117 tuner, and a Nakamichi 680 ZX cassette deck (second system).

CABLES
Marigo Reference 3 digital interconnect. Tiff, Yamamura, and Marigo Gen II power cords. Kimber 8TC shotgun and Audioquest CV-6 speaker cables and Goertz Triode interconnects.

ACCESSORIES
API Power Wedge 116 Mk II for sources. Amps are plugged into a dedicated 20 amp line.

ADAM GOLDFINE'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Wilson-Benesch A.C.T. loudspeakers.

ELECTRONICS
Music Reference RM-4+ phono stage, Primare Pre30 line level preamplifier, Reference Line Preeminence One Series II (passive) preamplifier, Music Reference RM-200 amplifier, Dynaco ST-70 (with Welborne Labs mod) amplifier.

SOURCES
DIGITAL: Vacuum State Level 6 modified Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD/CD/SACD Player, Musical Fidelity CR324 up sampling DAC. ANALOG: Music Hall MMF-7 turntable, Pro-ject 9 tonearm, Pro-Ject Speed Box Mk. II, Benz Micro ACE H cartridge, Magnum Dynalab FT-101A Tuner.

CABLES
Vacuum State Electronics Silver Wire interconnects (balanced) Music Reference Pegasus and Majestic interconnects (single ended), Vacuum State Electronics Copper Foil speaker cables (bi-wire), DH Labs Silver Sonic power cord (amplifier).

ACCESSORIES
Gingko Audio Cloud 11 Isolation Platform, Ringmat 330 MKII XLR Anniversary, Radio Shack FM antenna, VPI 16.5 record cleaning machine, Record Research Labs Power Cleaner, Record Research Labs Everyday Cleaner, various LAST record cleaning products, Hunt E.D.A. Mark6 brush, miscellaneous wet cleaning brushes, Zero Dust Stylus Cleaner, DB Systems alignment protractor, PS Audio Noise Harvester, Tone Cones, Tip Toes, RPG BAD Arc diffusers, HiFi News & Record Review Test LP, Cardas Test LP, XLO Test CD, Stereophile Test CD, Chesky Test CD vols. I & II, Craftsman True RMS Multi-Meter, Philips PM3211 Oscilloscope, Panamax Max 5100 Power Center, Stabilant 22, Caig ProGold contact enhancer.

My current room is a 22' x 17' family room backed by a 24' x 10' kitchen, essential making it a 22' x 27' room with plenty of bare walls, hard surfaces and vaulted ceilings that start at 10' and slope upwards to 14' 9". It's not an easy room to love.

The room also does double duty as a two channel home theater as can be clearly seen from the Toshiba 65" HDTV set back from and between the speakers. A heavy blanket tossed over the screen mitigates the effect of the very reflective screen surface during listening sessions. Rotating everything 45 degrees so that the speakers fire diagonally across the room and placing the speakers well into the room with no toe-in provides smooth tonal response and minimizes early reflections to create a well balance, believable and detailed soundstage. Echo Busters in the corners and along the ceilings minimize the horn effect and slap echo.

Still, a room this size without extensive treatment is difficult to tame and its long reverberation time adds a bit of smear and hardness to the sound and slightly diminishes image localization. And while no room is perfect, this one is less perfect than many. Rather than fight the power, I am currently working with Rives Audio to modify another room in the house as a dedicated two channel home theater/audio room. The emphasis will be on two channel audio with an electric projection screen built into the ceiling so it can easily disappear for critical listening. I expect to complete this project by July of 2007 and will provide photos and details when it is complete.

In a sound system, I listen for the sound of music. While it is possible to break what that is down into its components, harmonic structure, sound staging, dynamics, etc. ultimately it's either right or it isn't and like beauty, that can take many forms. (If it didn't how else could different sounding systems all create a believable illusion of music?) That being said one of the easiest ways to destroy that illusion is with poor tonal accuracy and exaggerated or compressed dynamics. To me, if these two elements are well executed, the illusion of instruments and voices in the room is at least possible.

While excellent sound staging is important it's hard to find a product these days that doesn't produce at least a decent soundstage if properly set up. Even the cheap no-name speakers that came as part of the package when I bought a computer recently will create an image. Perhaps that is due to their small size. Of course, they don't come close to matching the precise imaging of the Triangle Zays' but it is a soundstage nonetheless and most of the high end products I have heard in recent years do a pretty decent job in this area. And of course there are varying degrees and expressions of this phenomenon and I will be discussing this in my reviews.

Having played the drums since the age of 8, I'm particularly attuned to the sound of percussion and can easily distinguish an indistinct thump from the sound of a wool beater striking a bass drum head followed by the nearly instantaneous reaction of the outer head. The sound of a drum stick on cymbals is a dead give away as to the overall harmonic structure of a system hence my preference for tubes. And there probably isn't another acoustic instrument with the dynamic range of percussion.

Musically I enjoy most (but not all) genres. Having grown up in what I consider to be the hey day of classic rock, I will always have a soft spot for those bands (Led Zeppelin, The Who, Yes, Pink Floyd, Rush and so many more). I saw Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden when I was 15 and to me the movie Almost Famous captures that time better than any film yet made.

I listen to rock, blues, big-band, jazz, folk, classical, R&B, rap and more. I think Adrian Belew is a genius and in their own way, so are the Beastie Boys. (Just listen to Paul's Boutique.) You probably won't hear any references to country or opera out of me, but I can live with that. Happy listening!

My room is a 22' x 13' dedicated sound room designed by Rives Audio. The vaulted ceiling slopes from 10' to 14' 9". It has three dedicated, isolated ground 20 amp circuits feeding Hubble hospital grade outlets. The first and second sidewall reflection points are treated with absorption panels and RPG BAD Arc diffusion panels hang between them. A series of angled diffusers hang from the ceiling to further scatter reflections and the rear wall consists of angled bookcases to create a diffused surface behind the listening position. Extensive bass trapping above and to the sides of the bookcases helps tame room resonances. A 16:9, 100" diagonal Stewart Filmscreen descends out of the ceiling for watching movies, but the room's main purpose is music reproduction.

In a sound system, I look for sound that is emotionally engaging. While it is possible to break what that is down into its components, harmonic structure, sound staging, dynamics, etc. ultimately it's either right or it isn't and like beauty, that can take many forms. (If it didn't how else could different sounding systems all create a believable illusion of music?) That being said one of the easiest ways to destroy that illusion is with poor tonal accuracy and exaggerated or compressed dynamics. To me, if these two elements are well executed, the illusion of real instruments and voices in the room is at least possible. Having played the drums since the age of 8, I'm particularly attuned to the sound of percussion.

Musically I enjoy most (but not all) genres. Having grown up in what I consider to be the hey day of classic rock, I will always have a soft spot for those bands (Led Zeppelin, The Who, Yes, Pink Floyd, Rush and so many more). I saw Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden when I was 15 and to me the movie Almost Famous captures that time better than any film yet made.

I listen to rock, blues, big-band, jazz, folk, classical, R&B, rap and more. I think Adrian Belew is a genius and in their own way, so are the Beastie Boys. (Just listen to Paul's Boutique.) I will probably never grow to like country and much to my own surprise I can listen to opera in limited doses. Happy listening!

GARY LEA'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Von Schweikert VR4 MKIII, Odeon Elektra Horns, Compact WZSE Collector's Edition, Usher 6311 and AAD Silver Reference 1.

ELECTRONICS
Phone Stages: Goldnote Pamphili, Blue Circle Fon Lo Thingee, Muscal Fidelity V3, Opera Consonance Reference 40, Koetsu Step up transformer.
Amplification: Jolida Music Envoy 211 tube mono block amps and pre-amp, Almarro A205A, Goldnote Demidoff Silver Plus solid state amp.

SOURCES
Digital Front End: Cary Audio DVD 6 used as a CD, Grant Fidelity Reference Tube 1000, Wadia i170 iPod Deck and 160Gig iPod.
Analogue Front End: Nottingham Analogue Hyper Space and Arm with Wave Mechanic, Consonance Droplet 5.2 MKII with ST600 tonearm. Koetsu Azule Platinum, Koetsu Urushi Vermillion, Goldnote Baldinotti, Dynavector 17D3 artridges.

CABLES
XLO Signature 3 interconnects, speaker cables and power cords (main cables currently). Furutech DIY interconnects. Kimber Cable Monocle XL speaker cables and Select Interconnects. And a bunch of cables I am too lazy to list.

ACCESSORIES
Grant Fidelity RPF-120 MKII Reference Power Conditioner. Misc doodads and tweaks and loose parts like all audiophiles.

GUIDO CORONA'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Vienna Mahler V1.5 and Magnepan 3A (inactive)

ELECTRONICS
Jeff Rowland 312 (reference), Bel Canto Ref 1000 Mk.2, Jeff Rowland 7M monoblocks (inactive), Jeff Rowland Capri (reference), Jeff Rowland PC1 PFC device. Audio Research Ref 3 (currently inactive).

SOURCES
TEAC Esoteric X-01 Limited.

CABLES
Purist Anniversary PC, Audioquest Sky XLR ICs, Cardas Golden Ref PC, Cardas Golden Ref speaker wires. Shunyata Anaconda Helix Alpha PC, Audioquest Sky XLR ICs.

JOHN HOFFMAN'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Mordaunt Short Performance 880 speakers.

ELECTRONICS
Jeff Rowland Model 5 amplifier and a Jeff Rowland Consummate preamplifier.

SOURCES
Audio Magic Kukama DAC, Enlightened Audio Designs T-1000 transport, Bolder Cable Company modified Squeezebox. Has the full enthusiast modification package. Also the Ultimate IV power supply, with the Nirvana pre-regulator option.

CABLES
Audio Magic Illusion 4D interconnects, speaker cable, and digital cable and Audio Magic Extreme series power cords.

ACCESSORIES
Audio Magic Mini Reference power conditioner.

PETER DAVEY'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Apogee Scintilla - 1 ohm model with all new ribbons by Graz. New steel stands fabricated by True Sound Works.
Apogee Diva - 4 ohm model with all new ribbons by Graz. The tweeter is the SLW model, for a faster sound.

ELECTRONICS
Plinius SA-250mkIV amplifier and a BAT VK31-SE preamplifier.

SOURCES
Apple iMac 24" running Leopard and Frontrow/iTunes. Pop Pulse Digital conversion device handling the USB to SP/DIF duties. Assemblage D2D-I jitter reducer and up-sampler and an Assemblage DAC-3 fully balanced DAC.

CABLES
Furutech Evolution Series Power Cables, Furutech Evolution Series Speaker Cables (BiWire), Furutech Evolution Series XLR Balanced cables, PAD Contego digital SP/DIF cable, and CyroParts USB cable.

ACCESSORIES
PS Audio Premier power plant in Limited Edition black and PS Audio power ports.

My listening room is about 20' long and 15' wide. My ceilings are cathedral style starting at about 9' tall and about 15' tall at the seating position. The Apogees are known to be amp killers but with the right combination they product music more accurately than any cone based transducer that I've listed to. When I hear traditional cone speakers I hear the driver itself as the music hits it, with ribbons they are as light as air and the music dances around them in a magnetic field.

The Scintillas place the instruments right in your face, and the vocals right down the middle. They are a bit picky with placement, needing to be about 5' from the rear walls, and about 6.5' from each other.

The Divas offer a much taller sound, and are a much more efficient design using Kapton backed foil drivers. You could run these on tube amplifiers if you prefer.

I sit about 10' from my speakers and prefer to have the effect of being in the front row of a live concert. It is generalized that you can not get any deep bass from a true dipole ribbon driver but that is not true, with the Scintillas I've negated the need for any subwoofer.

Home Theatre System

LOUDSPEAKERS
NHT 2.1 3 way front towers with an 8" side loaded sub-woofer. NHT 2.1 2 way surrounds and center channel NHT active 10" subwoofer

ELECTRONCS
Sony DA4-ES processor and 7 channel amplifier, Toshiba DVD player / recorder, Sony DVD player. XBOX 360 HD DVD player, Sharp Aquos 52" 1080P LCD monitor, Apple TV, PURE AV power conditioner, Nintendo Wii, and a Playstation 2

CABLES
Blue Jeans component cables, Monster HDMI, and Belden/Canare StarQuad speaker cables

WILL WRIGHT'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Extensively modified (by me) Carver Amazing dipole loudspeakers. The original four twelve inch woofers per side have been replaced with Adire Audio dual voice coil DP12s. Additional bracing and damping has been added to each panel. The original passive crossovers have been removed and replaced by White Instruments 24 bit digital Paramedic 26 XLR crossovers. All line level connections are balanced. The four twelve inch woofers are augmented with a DIY sub for each channel utilizing a fifteen inch Adire dual voice coil Tempest driver in an eighteen inch ID by three foot sealed sonotube enclosure. The subs are down firing and located in the front corners behind the Carver panels. Each stereo channel is tri-amped. Crossover points are sub to panel woofers @ 40Hz 3^rd order, panel woofers to full range ribbon @ 300Hz 3^rd order.

ELECTRONICS
Subs are powered by Adcom monoblocks @ approximately 500 watts into 4 ohms, Panel woofers are powered by Hypex plate amplifiers built into the base of the Carver panel @ 720 watts into 4 ohms, Carver full range ribbons are powered by one channel each of two Krell KSA 200S. Line level preamp is the Alchemist Tim de Paravicini Signature. The phono pre is the Sutherland PhD.

SOURCES
Analog: Goldmund Studio turntable modified to run on batteries with the T3 servo controlled tangential tracking arm and the Lyra Helikon moving coil cartridge. Digital: Esoteric DV-50 universal disk player. Still on the workbench but soon to be added is a dedicated "Home Theater Computer" built from scratch and featuring dual Xeon CPUs. It is a silent, water-cooled (no fans) design using a separate convection cooling tower. This will house acoustic measurement software, CARA speaker location software, music database software, LP digitizing software, digital crossover control software and double as a music server and home theater controller.

CABLES
Interconnects are all balanced Soundstring cables except for turntable to phono pre and phono pre to line level pre which are single ended Soundstring. Speaker cables are all DIY except for the Carver 60 inch ribbons which use Goertz flat copper. Power cords are all Soundstring.

ACCESSORIES
The turntable and universal player are sitting on Critical Mass Systems Grand Master isolation platforms atop Lovan equipment racks. The preamp and phono pre are sitting on a Halcyonics Micro 40 active isolation platform. All other equipment is on Black Diamond racing shelves and/or cones and pucks, including the speakers. Power filtration is via a Jack Bybee/John Curl Signature purifier. Acoustic treatments are primarily DIY tube traps and diffusers. Acoustic room measurements are done using a DIY computer based Liberty Instruments IMPM MLS system. Parametric EQ, level matching and delay, etc. are programmed into the digital crossovers based on the measurement results.

My listening room is in the basement and is underground to a level of about four feet. Floor is tile over concrete slab. Walls are wood paneling. The room is squarish at approximately 23 feet on a side and ceiling height is 7.5 feet. Considering the room shape it is surprisingly free of standing wave problems and I attribute this at least partially to the way dipole speakers load the room and to the fact that the subs in the front corners are crossed over at a point below the first room mode. CARA software was used to determine the panel speaker positions. They are about six feet from the side walls, seven feet apart, three feet from the wall behind them and toed in toward the listening position.

Power to components in the listening room is via five fully dedicated lines. Front end components have a dedicated 6-gauge line directly from the main panel. Amplifiers are located at the speakers and each channel's amplification is on two separate dedicated lines one utilizing 6-gauge and the other utilizing 10-gauge Romex connected to the basement sub-panel. All dedicated lines use hospital grade or better duplex outlets. All other power to the room is separate.

OLIVER AMNUAYPHOL'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Rethms the Third.

ELECTRONICS
Fi X 2a3 integrated w/ Magnequest OPTs.

SOURCES
Rega P25/RB600/Dynavector DV 10x5 combo and a Sony SCD-333es.

My system resides in a room that is 19' x 12' x 7.5' and the Rethms are 4' out from the one of the short walls and 6' apart. The long wall adjacent to the left speaker has three tall windows covered in blinds and the opposing side opens into the dining room. The listening couch is right up against the other short wall, but through experimentation I've found a spot on the edge of the couch that's almost ideal as far as sweetspots go: the Rethms just seem to 'gel' better if I'm positioned some distance away from them. There's also a wide window that's covered in blinds just above the couch, but the speakers seem far enough away from any wall boundaries to cause any serious interactions. So, not an ideal room, but I think I've made the most of it.

RYAN COLEMAN'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
WIlson Watt Puppies 6

ELECTRONICS
Einstein the Tube mk2 linestage. McIntosh MC501 monoblocks.

SOURCES
EMM Labs CDSA (w/ latest transport). Kenwood KT8300 tuner (with beaucoup self-designed mods; btw, I'm known as a heavy tweaker/modder) w/9ft Yagi directional antenna. Slimdevices Squeezebox 3 (with mods to analog output stage and custom power supply, all my own design).

CABLES
ICs (balanced) by TG Audio, Speaker by Isoclean (Focus), AC by TG Audio & my own design.

ACCESSORIES
Four dedicated lines; three Oyaide R1 outlets; Acoustic Revive RTP-4 AC conditioner for front end; DIY designed passive AC conditioners for amps (using Isoclean AC outlets). Ultrasonic Maple Racks, w/inner tube isolation platform under CD player. 10 tube traps, eight bass panels (all DIY products.

Room size: 15' X 11' X 8' (thus the extensive use of room treatments, and I've a sound that easily resolves sonic differences between AC outlets, connectors, footers, and CD treatments).

MICHAEL WECHSBERG'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Marten Miles II.

ELECTRONICS
E.A..R 890 amplifier and E.A.R. 868 preamplifier.

SOURCES
VPI Scout Turntable with JMW-9 Tonearm, Dynavector Karat 17D3 Moving Coil Cartridge E.A.R. Acute CD Player Music Hall Maverick SACD Player.

CABLES
Harmonic Technology Pro-9 Reference speaker cables Harmonic Technology Magic Link Two and XLO Signature 3 interconnects Harmonic Technology Magic Reference 2 and XLO Signature 3 power cords.

ACCESSORIES
Black Diamond Racing Isolators for VPI, Marigo Labs TXi and VXi Mystery Feet for electronics PS Audio Power Plant Premier Power Conditioner.

SCOTT ROBERTSON'S SYSTEM

Living Room

LOUDSPEAKERS
Magnepan 2.7

ELECTRONICS
Integra DTR 7.1, Accuphase C-3000 preamplifier, Accuphase P-7000 amplifier

SOURCES
Oppo DV981HD, Halcro EC800

Home Theater

LOUDSPEAKERS
B&W 802D mains, B&W HTM2D center, RBH in-wall rears

ELECTRONICS
Rotel RSP-1068 Surround Sound Processor, Rotel RMB-1095 Power Amplifier, Audyssey EQ Sound Equalizer, Accuphase C-3000 preamplifier, Accuphase P-7000 amplifier

SOURCE
Oppo DV981HD, Sony PS3, Halcro EC800

CABLES
Audioquest Diamond interconnects

KENT JOHNSON'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Magneplanar MG10's in a bi-amplified set up using custom bass boxes for frequencies below 80 Hertz.

ELECTRONICS
Dodd Audio Midline tube preamplifier. Rogue 90 Stereo tube amplifier for the MG10s; a Hafler 9270 for the bass boxes. The crossover is a Dahlquist DQ-LP1.

SOURCES
Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD/CD player for SACD. The Sony feeds a Cullen Circuits DL3 Stage III modded PS Audio DAC for CD replay.

CABLES
DH Labs Revelation, Zentara Reference, and Supra Sword 3.0, Zentara Reference. My digital cable is two meters of Belden 1694A video cable terminated with Eichmann Bullet Plugs. It works great. Here is the article that the information for making it came from: PFO Issue 14, "Why longer is generally better for an S/PDIF Digital Cable," by Steve Nugent.

ACCESSORIES
Monster HTS 3600 MKII line conditioner on the source components. I have four dedicated circuits available to me, three twenty amp and one fifteen amp. The Rogue and Hafler are each on their own twenty amp circuits. The front-end equipment is on another. The fifteen amp circuit is not in use at the moment. I have a pair of AKG K240 headphones.

I listen in a room approximately 23 by 28 feet with a 7.5 foot ceiling in my basement. The room was purposely-built as a listening room within the realities of my budget. The room is heavily insulated; resilient channel is used behind the ceiling drywall; metal studs were used in the walls. It works very well.

SECOND SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Quad 21L 2 loudspeakers.

ELECTRONICS
Audio Experience +R tube preamp, Luxman L-480 integrated amp, Rotel RC-1070 preamplifier, VTL 50-50 tube amplifier

SOURCE
Sony SCD-C333ES SACD/CD player.

CABLES
DH Labs Revelations and Alpha Core Goertz Mi2.

ACCESSORIES
Monster HTS 3600 MKII line conditioner. AC current comes from a dedicated 20 amp circuit shared with the home theater set up in the family room. They are never both on at the same time.

This system is in my living room, an approximately twelve by fourteen foot space open to both a foyer and dining room at either end.

MIKE RODMAN'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Usher CP-6311s

ELECTRONICS
Sonic Frontiers Line 1 pre-amp and Monarchy SM-70 monos (run balanced)

TERESA GOODWIN'S SYSTEM

LOUDSPEAKERS
Infinity Reference Standard 7 Kappa, 12 inch woofer, 3 inch midrange, EMIT tweeter. Sennheiser HD 580 and HD 265 Linear headphones.

ELECTRONICS
AMC CVT 1030 Stereo Vacuum Tube preamplifier and an Adcom GFA-555II High Current amplifier.

SOURCES
Yamaha Natural Sound DVD-S1800 DVD Audio/Video SA-CD player, Yamaha Natural Sound DVD-S1700 DVD Audio/Video SA-CD player, and a Sanyo Flat Screen Color TV.

CABLES
Monster Cable Interlink 400MK II and M350i interconnects and Monster Cable Powerline 2 Plus speaker cables.

ACCESSORIES
AudioPrism CD Stoplight by Clear Image Audio™ Compact Disc Edge Treatment.

My listening room is 14' wide x 12' long with a ceiling height of 8'. My speakers are 8½' apart measured by their innermost point toed in slightly to get a more realistic image of an orchestral shell. Even with my speakers placed this far apart the phantom center image is solid and there is no hole in the middle. With the best source material the image is huge expanding beyond the outer boundaries of the speakers with excellent depth and height and ambiance in front of the performers filling up the rest of the room. Visitors have commented that my 2-channel stereo has the spaciousness that surround sound aims for but seldom achieves.