Hello all!
I'm not a big audio forum poster, but found some interesting posts on your site, and figured I would join.
I became "audio afflicted" the day my father brought home an old tubed Magnavox console that just sounded "right". It had that "something" that was just.....satisfying.
Unfortunately, little did I know, that was only a seed being planted.......
I started building my own speakers at 16. My dad had taught me to solder when I was about 10 years old. Speaker building was interest by necessity, I didn't have the $$ for "real" speakers, and besides, I found "why" things sounded different interesting.
I would read Stereo Review, High Fidelity, Audio, etc, and try to absorb the info.
I actually parlayed that interest into something of a career. I was a Heavy Equipment mechanic at a National Laboratory. When Vibration Analysis became popular, I was "pre-trained" by my own interests. Frequency, amplitude, and phase, were all to common terms and concepts. It was an easy transition.
For 25 years, I worked in the vibration analysis of rotating equipment. Bearing analysis, failure trends, modal analysis, dynamic balancing, plus was exposed to some incredible technology. Hey, it was a National research Laboratory, cutting edge to say the least.
Anyway, my interest/obsession audio grew over the years.
I retired about a year ago. Then moved (kind of stupid..lol).
When we were signing some documents, I was talking to the mortgage broker, and describing how the acoustics of the "great room" at the new place was a BIG attraction to this floorplan. She literally said, "wait a minute, tou are buying this ad a $$$,$$$.$$ "stereo component"???
I sheepishly turned a bit red, she wasn't wrong.....LOL.
I did have the builder add dedicated circuits for amps and digital (obviously...
)
My current setup
Sony X7esd as transport
AMR DP-777se DAC
Rogue Audio 99 "Super Magnum" pre
Rogue Audio ST-90 "Super Magnum" main feeding
Tyler Acoustics Highland H3's (ports sealed)
Bass augmentation handled by a DSpeaker 2.0 to a
Rotel RB-991 feeding 2 DIY bass cabinets
2x Peerless 830500 12" per cab
Restored/upgraded AR EB101 turntable, rewired Rega arm, 301 mkII cartridge
Budgie tube phono pre and SUT