I suppose I began my audiophile life at the age of 8 where I would sit in front of the TV with a tape recorder and make mix tapes of various television show theme music. I’m an only child so I needed something to fill my time. After inheriting my parents’ all-Fisher system at the age of 14, I began getting interested in music. Upon hearing my dad’s friend’s laserdisc home theater set-up at 15, I was hooked. He had 3,000 laserdiscs and piles of boxes and wires that reminded one of mission control.
So, while my 17-year-old friends were getting their driver’s licenses and buying cars, I was out buying audio gear. My first purchase was one of those 6-pack Pioneer CD changers. And so it went for the next few years as I attempted to build a home theater system around a top-of-the-line Pioneer Elite amplifier. None of this really impressed me though for the amount of dollars I was spending, until the day I took home a Bryston 3b. The Bryston completely changed what I thought I knew about audio. Out went the home theater and in came a progression of better integrated amps, CD players, and speakers.
Music Preferences:
I like all musical genres. I am quite happy to spend hours listening to a Beethoven sonata and then turning to Sarah McLachlan, Jackson Browne, Loreena McKennitt, Enya, Dave Brubeck, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, etc. I can flip over to Johnny Cash, Lee Hazelwood, the Dixie Chicks, Lucinda Williams and Allison Krauss and Union Station. When the mood strikes, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Motley Crue, or Aerosmith will find their way onto the table or in the CD player. When the mood changes again, I’ll listen to Acoustic Alchemy, Madonna, Neil Young and even Tupac, Kraftwerk, or Delerium.
I believe that a system needs to play all of these genres equally well. If a system can only play acoustic instruments well and ruins rock or trance, then it is my belief that it probably isn’t playing acoustic instruments as well as you might have thought. A system should not care what is being played. The system should be reproducing each disc with all of the colour, tonality, attack, decay, micro and macro-dynamics as is possible from each source disc. But more importantly, the best systems should have you not think about analyzing the equipment but rather moving you to the experience the artist intended.
How to know what is Good?
That certainly is a loaded question. I often compare film critics to audio equipment critics. No matter how well written or how well argued, you will not always agree with the film critic. You have a gut reaction of liking something or not. You will probably find yourself choosing a film critic with whom you often agree. This also applies to music taste. Two people can listen to the same stereo of rap music, one person will love the sound and will be dancing around the room grooving to the beat, while the second person will run screaming from the room as if his or her ear was punctured by a dentist’s drill.
If I am the second person in this example it would make little sense for me to be reviewing rap music because it would come from a very jaded perspective. The rap lover would be able to better point out the strengths and weaknesses of the differing rap artists. Likewise, a panel speaker lover would be better able to tell you which panel loudspeakers are the best choices than the reviewer who loves horns and dynamic driver speakers and doesn’t truly care for panels. Certainly, the manufacturers deserve to know where a critic stands as the company is responsible for the livelihoods of many of their employees. Thus, reviewers typically review products they already like or products that fit within their established preferences.
Current Room and System:
Room: 15' by 13' by 9' (LxWxH)
The room is fully furnished with carpeting. I was using several room treatment systems but they created too dead of a sound. The Audio Note speakers, from what I gather, do not need room treatments and may in fact hinder the results.
Digital Source: Cambridge Audio CD6.
This CD player is 12 years old and still plugs away as a very nice-sounding upper budget player. It’s showing its age in terms of sound quality – a little on the bloomy side, but the transport is well above average. A new DAC perhaps is in the future.
Analog Source: Audio Note TT2 turntable with AN/Vx phono cable, Arm 3 tonearm and IQ cartridge. Custom Skylan 3-layer turntable base.
Amplification:
Audio Note OTO Phono SE.
This is Audio Note’s entry-level single-ended integrated amplifier. Arguably richer and darker than other Audio Note amplifiers, it is all-day-listenable and draws you in with its rich lush sexy sound that doesn’t go too far as to be veiled. At a mere 10 watts per channel you would be surprised at the drive that is on tap. The OTO is big, rich, and organic but keeps control of pace, so even AC/DC fans can boogy woogy.
Speakers: Audio Note J/Spe
The J is a two-way stand-mount 93db sensitive 8ohm of exceptional music reproduction. The J may be for E Junior. It’s a shame that the E overshadows it because most companies would kill to make a speaker that sounds as good as the J.
Cables and Interconnects: Ultra-Link speaker cables and Tara Labs Prism 11s interconnects.
