Doug Schroeder

I was smitten with two channel audio as a teenager, when I purchased my first component, a Radio Shack receiver, back in 1978. At the time, the $80 unit took all the money I had, so I tore out two full range drivers (one a 10” and the other a 12”) from console units and used lamp cord to wire my first speaker system! Since then I’ve gone through too many components to remember! I have always had a passion for two channel, and in 2004 I built my dedicated listening room/HT in our present home. It is a 23’ x 13’ x 7.5’ acoustically isolated room in the basement. The interior walls are 7.5” thick, utilizing 2x6 staggered stud construction, resilient channel, and two outer layers - ½” Homasote (a pressed paper product used in industrial soundproofing), covered by ½” drywall. The ceiling is also soundproofed by the channels and Homasote and the lights are recessed into soundproof boxes, so that the ceiling is absolutely solid above the dropped ceiling. The flooring is cement, covered with ½” pad and a thick berber carpet. I used 2’ x 4’ sound panels to tune the room by ear for optimum two channel listening. My two channel system consists of a Mac Mini using HQPlayer software from Singalyst to upsample PCM files to double DSD (5.6MHz), the Clarity Cable Organic USB, Eastern Electric Minimax Tube DAC Supreme with discrete opamps from Burson, DEXA and Sparkos Labs rolled in. Cables used have been reviewed: Clarity Cables, Snake River Audio, Silent Source, Silnote and TEO Audio. I have owned a variety of speakers of differing technologies, represented by Legacy Audio Whisper DSW Clarity Edition (hybrid line array-type, customized to be configurable for passive, hybrid passive/active, or fully active use), Kingsound King III (electrostatic), Vapor Audio Nimbus White (dynamic), Kingsound King Tower (omnidirectional). I am a “System Builder” at heart, and I create a lot of audio systems to assess the nature of components, speakers and cables. To assess the quality of a change I developed my Law of Efficacy, which states that in order for any change to an audio system to be accepted it must confer an immediate, permanent, significant or easily heard change. If not, regardless of price and convenience it is rejected. Once the change is deemed efficacious, then assessment begins as to whether it is accepted longer term. I use the Law of Efficacy consistently in reviewing. My tastes in music run toward the Smooth Jazz genre, as well as solo acoustic instrumental, synthesized, and jazz vocals. I hope I will be able to guide you to some wonderful discoveries as we visit together!