Hi, my name is Rob, and I'm an alcho er audiophile. I played trumpet for a long time, and for the past year or two have been dabbling in guitar, but I wouldnt call myself a musician. I got my start listening to LPs of Cream or Pink Floyd or Clapton, in a garage with a bunch of other high schoolers. Solder smoke mixed with other smoke, wafted along on air vibrated by the best stereo in town, thanks to my geeky best friend. He was always building some Heathkit thing or another. Later tended equipment and did the mix for a couple of minor recording bands. This got me fascinated with how an amp or PA might have a particular emotional impact and why. Thats what drives me in audio. I think of it as the intersection of the technological with the psychological. It lends itself to a sort of endless noble quest.
Once I got out of college and grad school, I finally had enough money to buy a decent rig: Magnepan II's and Audio Research electronics. Since then I've owned alot of different things. In speakers: Klipsch Cornwalls, Quad 989s, Spendor monitors, Quad ESLs, Martin Logan Sequel IIs, Carver Amazings, a pair of small Maggies, Advent Large, JSE "Infinite Slope", Mordaunt-Short monitors. My current main speakers are a pair of Vandersteen 5As. In electronics I have had a variety as well: Home-built Tripath Digitals, McIntosh both classic and new, Classe, EAR 859, various Audio Research, Conrad-Johnson. When I get back to Montana I will be rotating out McIntosh and putting in Quicksilver mono-blocks. Why am I now involved with Slim Devices? I think its the future. Once you use hard-drive based audio its hard not to think the days of discs are numbered. My philosophy in audio is probably a bit different. I have given up trying to find accuracy or fidelity to live music. I am just in it for the emotional high that a great system playing great music can bring. And over the years, I have come to the conclusion there are many ways to get there. In fact, I often have three systems set up. So when I get back to Montana, I plan on setting up a couple of other rigs in addition to the Vandersteen-Quicksilver system that will be fed via Transporter. Quad ESLs and a pair of ancient tube monos will be fed by an SB3 in the bedroom. In the office I plan on setting up Spendors with a Tripath digital amp fed from the computer via USB DAC. As for the objective-subjective debate. I can remember a time before "Total Harmonic Distortion" was used and before anyone had heard of this thing called "jitter". So I dont think measurements via instruments are anywhere near close to comprehensively describing audio reality. Nor do I think ABX testing is the holy grail. Its my experience that it takes time to really hear and appreciate. I readily embrace the fact that there is a big psychological, perceptual component and I'm not sure how you control for all that without destroying what you are trying to measure. But, being schooled in the social sciences, I know there are ways to tease out objective measures for that which is wholistic and subjective. If and when that happens, we can all live in peace, as the subjective and the objective will have been reconciled. -- atkinsonrr Transporter, Quicksilver V4 Monos, Vandersteen Model 5A speakers. SB3, Quad Tube Pre-Amp, Tube Monos, Quad ESLs. Homemade Tripath Digital amps, Carver ALS (original) Speakers with Outboard Crossovers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ atkinsonrr's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=7214 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=30141 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
