Personal Introductions: Please Make This a Sticky!

[Eric Seaberg]

My turn... my name is above. I've been in the recording business for 35+ years spending a lot of time in the late 70s/early 80s cutting master lacquers (LPs) in Hollywood and Burbank. I also spent thousands of hours behind recording consoles recording every possible type of music recordable. I've worked on all types of classic analog gear in my career and navigated to mostly digital in the late 80s.

I quit doing music sessions in the late 80s and began focusing on post-production for Radio/TV & Film. The clients were much nicer and the hours were a lot easier on the marriage.

I'm also a musician/composer/arranger where I used to score music for Radio/TV & Film projects that would come into our facility... mostly using MIDI, but with GREAT sounding samples.

So, my listening environment at home is a little different than what we have at our current studios, but I do have Tannoy controlroom monitors in a 5.1 config. I've had a Transporter for almost two years in the livingroom, and an SB3 (a bit longer than the TP) in the master bedroom feeding a pair of Genelec 8020 powered monitors.

I've got a good selection of DVD-Audio and SACD discs and have digital and surround inputs available on my system to 'verify' surround mixes I'm currently working on.

My current Slim server is a refurbished Mac MINI 1.83GHz Core Duo (Intel) with 2GB RAM and an external 500GB FW drive. It sits on a shelf in the guest bedroom with nothing but power and an ethernet cable going into it. I access it remotely using TimbuktuPro and rip files to it by mounting the 500GB drive via the network on my G5. Once the tunes are ripped (I use Apple Lossless), Slim rescans the iTunes library files and I'm ready to stream.

I initially had big issues with syncing and hiccups between the TP and SB3, but replaced my router about a year ago and can now run the SB3 wireless unlimited without any problems!

Because of my profession, I'd rather not comment on the effects of BLIND TESTING. Music is such a personal, subjective thing. No one else can tell you what's good or what's bad because you have the option of making your own choice!!


Thanks, SlimDevices, for an incredible option to re-familiarize myself with my huge music library!!

[tomsi42]

... the DynaDel speakers are made here in Norway .... (price: around 1250 euro). ...

Oops! wrong currency rate - the price is about 1500 euro.

Still sounds good, though

[ob_kook]

My name is Peter. The furry white dude is Duke. I have never considered myself an audiophile, but I think in relation to my peers, have always had a reasonably good system. (yes, I know, denial is one of the prominent signs...) I'm a longtime lurker on these forums and in particular spend a lot of time reading the threads of the Audiophile section.

Born in Alaska, grew up in Minnesota, and spent part of my university days in Osaka, I now live in San Francisco, but keep an apartment in Tokyo where I run Asia Ops for a software company specializing in Storage management and I/O performance.

I discovered music in junior high school when my friend's sister came home from college with her boyfried (he had a BEARD and LONG HAIR and wore a TIE DYE!) and he turned us on to Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and the Stones. In high school, we made the foray into motown and traditional blues thanks to a local music fan who was kind enough to take us to a live concert of Savoy Brown, Mountain, and Iron Butterfly (triple header). I pulled out a joint during the show and in appreciation, he gave us access to his sizable vinyl collection. Marvin Gaye, Al Green, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Magic Slim...they all blew my mind. (My high school friends were all listening to Van Halen and Ratt at the time...)

Got my first hifi around that time (Yamaha Integrated amp, Nakamichi 4-head deack, technics turntable with Infinity speakers - hey, I was still in high school!). In college, I realized I needed a more serious system and got a Luxman L-430 and KG4 speakers. I think it had the distinction of being the loudest stereo in the dorm. I also played harmonica in a blues band around that time and played the trumpet for 15 years.

I don't think I ever had golden ears, and it certainly didn't help matters when I blew out both eardrums in a cave diving incident. Nevertheless, I can hear what I like and what sounds good to me, and I get a rush when things all come together.

Since I spend so much time in Japan, I ripped my entire collection, gradually moving from 128K to 160K to full VBR, and now of course FLAC. I picked up some Dynaudio Speakers in Tokyo, and shipped my since retired Lux over, playing my collection through a decent sound card using Winamp. That hooked me on the ease of digital music, and when I started looking into something for the SF home, all the research pointed to SD as they were serious when it came to sound quality. These very forums are what pushed me over the edge.

Recently we bought a house here and I needed a second system in my living room. The media room is centered around a Denon AVR-4800 with the KG4's as mains, and SC-1, SR-1 as center and rears and a Klipsch 15" sub. Great for movies, but I wanted something simple that sounded detailed and warm. Finally, about 2 months ago, I decided to ship my Dyns back to SF, and picked up a pair of Portal Paladin monoblocks. I am now in the process of trying to find the sound that gives me the rush on this system through the help of this forum: speaker placement, room treatment, and DRC. After that I am intrigued to try and see if I can hear differences of power supplies and interconnects.

Compared to many others on this forum, I really don't know much about audio and I have no idea whether I am a subjectivist or an objectivist, I just want to listen to good music on a good system.

[cliveb]

I'm not one of the regulars, but tend to post here occasionally, so I guess an introduction is in order.

My name is Clive, 49 years old. I live in the UK, about 15 miles north of London. My day job is in IT: relational databases, client-server applications, database-aware web sites.

1. You post about your music experience, your audio experience, what drives you in this hobby, what brings you to Slim Devices, etc.

I used to play drums (so I'm not a musician, although I do have a music O-level), but gave up as a teenager when I heard Bill Bruford and realised I had nothing to contribute to the art. My musical tastes are fairly wide-ranging, but the core of my collection is the stuff I grew up with: 70's rock - mainly that extremely unfashionable prog-rock stuff (Crimson, Yes, Canterbury bands, etc).

Most of my in-depth audio experience came courtesy of the fact that one of my closest friends worked in HiFi retail (Studio 99) for many years, so I got to hear quite a lot of gear.

I am also a very enthusiastic LP to digital transfer hobbyist. It started out in about 1994, using a Tascam DAT recorder and a 486DX4 PC with a 1.2GB disk (which was about the biggest you could get in those days) with a Zefiro ZA1 SPDIF I/O card, running Windows 3.11. Software for restoration was a bit thin on the ground in those days, so I wrote my own (which is available as shareware - but here is not the place for advertisements). Having finished my own LP collection (well, those albums which I hadn't replaced on CD), I can now be found visiting record fairs looking for albums to feed the habit. Current PC is an Athlon XP2400+, 512MB RAM, 600GB of disk, and M-Audio Audiophile 2496 soundcard.

What brings me to Slim Devices? Well, I bought a Rio Karma DAP, which required ripping (some) CDs to disk. So then I started thinking about perhaps playing music from the hard disk into the stereo, and bought a SB2 on impulse to see how it performed. The "paradigm shift" (what a dreadful phrase) was a revelation, and after ripping the entire CD collection into FLAC, I quickly - albeit reluctantly - made the decision to sell my preamp and much-loved Micro-Seiki CD-M100 CD player. They were simply redundant.

2. You post about your current, past, and future (hopefully!) rigs. Discuss your room, speaker placement, cables, whatever.

My audio history is fairly long and chequered (about 35 years). I've been through the inevitable Linn/Naim phase, which ended around 1993. The Naim 135s and passive Isobariks were sold and replaced with a pair of ATC SCM100As, which I have to this day. I still have the Linn LP12 and Naim preamp, which are used in my LP transfer setup.

The current rig is minimal in the extreme: SB2(wired) analogue output feeding the ATC speakers via a balanced line driver that incorporates about 12dB of attenuation. There's a Transporter on order which will replace the SB2 and balanced line driver. Cables? Just basic decent quality home-built stuff: nothing exotic.

Room is about 12 by 30 feet, ceiling is 8 feet high. Typical lounge furnishings, so the room is not too lively or dead. Unfortunately domestic considerations mean that the speakers have to fire down the length of the room. There are some noticable dips and peaks in the bass response when playing a sweep tone, but nothing too horrendous. I'm interested in DRC, but at the moment Slimserver is running on a 533MHz PC, so there isn't enough CPU power to even think about it.

3. Say something about your audio philosophy. For example, do you believe in blind testing or not? Why?

I'm strictly a stereo guy. Friends who have surround sound seem to be constantly fiddling with it rather than just sitting down to enjoy some music.

I do believe in blind testing as a means of discovering what physical noise a system makes. I also believe that what the listener actually hears when not doing a blind test is psychologically affected by lots of other factors, such as how they're feeling, the look and tactile feel of the equipment, probably even the badge on it. And I have no problem with someone hearing a difference between two items even though ABX testing establishes that they make the same physical noise. My old Micro-Seiki CD player was probably no better than a host of other players in terms of aural performance, but it was such an exquisite piece of furniture that it sounded better to me than it had any right to. Self-delusion in these matters is human nature; it's not a character flaw.

4. Say something about what brings you to the forum and what you hope to get out of it.

I first came to the forum to get information and advice. In return, I would like to offer advice to others where I feel able to do so. And I might make the odd flippant comment now and then.

5. No one -- absolutely NO ONE -- is allowed to flame, diss, nag, or anything of this sort in this thread.

Spoilsport. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

[jonheal]

1. You post about your music experience, your audio experience, what drives you in this hobby, what brings you to Slim Devices, etc.

I hope I'm allowed to post here even if my stereo is uh...well, somewhat less than high end. I guess I take the word audiophile at face value: lover of sound, and if I had more to spend on equipment I would, but I don't, so I can't. I do love listening to music. I have varied tastes. I liked a lot of college/alternative rock when I was younger, but now that I am geezing at 48, much of that sort of music, I now find either immature or negative. I don't need any extra negativity right now. So lately, I've been expanding my jazz and classical collections. I've ripped about 450 CDs to FLACs. I use EAC, AccurateRip and a Plextor CD drive that I sought out on eBay that supports overreads on the first and last tracks. I tag with Tag&Rename. SlimServer is running on a home-built PC. AMD XP2400, I think. 512MB RAM. XP Professional. I keep the FLACs on a network drive connected to a Linksys NSLU2.

2. You post about your current, past, and future (hopefully!) rigs. Discuss your room, speaker placement, cables, whatever.

Before I learned about the Squeezebox, I had my own custom streaming system that consisted of:
- A serial device called a Slink-e that routed control messages to and from two Sony 300-disc jukeboxes and the computer.
- Two M-Audio Audiophile 2496 sound cards (one for each jukebox)
- A VB6 ActiveX EXE that I wrote that ran in IIS and processed messages to and from the Slink-e.
- An Access database containing the disc metadata.
- An ASP front-end for interfacing the database and the ActiveX EXE
- Windows Media Encoder broadcasting a 760kbps stream through the network

99% of the time, it worked great, but it had limitations. First, I needed a computer near the stereo to pick and play stuff. Second, it played real CDs, so my mp3s were out of the loop. Third, it relied on mechanical devices, the CD jukeboxes, which I knew one day would fail, and then I'd be screwed.

After I learned about the Squeezebox, I hemmed and hawed. I had put hundreds and hundreds of hours into my custom system, and it was very difficult to let go, but finally, I did, and so far, I haven't looked back!

I've always been interested in hi-fi, but I've been restricted by a lack of serious cash to blow on really nice stuff. I build several speaker sets in college, but my first "decent" speakers were a pair of Spica TC-50s I bought about 17 years ago. 8 years ago, I traded up to a pair of PSB Status Bronzes. A few months ago, I added an Outlaw Audio LFM-2 subwoofer. I also built custom bases for the PSBs.

When I bought the Spicas, I also bought an ADCOM GFA-535 amp and a GTP-400 preamp/tuner. Recently, I "downgraded" by selling the amp and buying a DENON DRA-535 receiver. I'm afraid that the ADCOM amp sounded better, but I needed a low-level subwoofer output and I wanted a remote to control volume.

I made my speaker cables with Carol Cable wire from Parts Express and MonsterCable overpriced, but nice, banana plugs. I'm using Dayton Audio interconnects from Parts Express.

I would like a better amp/receiver, but that will have to wait a while.

3. Say something about your audio philosophy. For example, do you believe in blind testing or not? Why?

Lately, I've been wondering if there's really that much special about an "audiophile"'s ear. I mean obviously, on an objective level, some people hear better than others and a hearing test can determine that. But I'm wondering if it's not so much that one person hears something that someone else doesn't, but that the other person simply doesn't care.

I think I am a pretty discerning listener, and I want things to sound a certain way. Little bits of distortion, boominess, etc. grate on me and drive me nuts. But I'll notice something objectionable and play it for my wife a few times and finally she'll say, "Yeah, okay, I hear it ... so what."

4. Say something about what brings you to the forum and what you hope to get out of it.

Mostly, I get a vicarious thrill out of hearing about and seeing pictures of others' much nicer systems. Reading the banter on some of the tweaks can be entertaining.

5. No one -- absolutely NO ONE -- is allowed to flame, diss, nag, or anything of this sort in this thread. This is NEUTRAL GROUND. Okay? If you don't like what somebody says, that is fine; feel free to take it up on ANOTHER thread. We will ask SD to make this a sticky.

I can be a bit of a smartass, but I don't like hurting other people's feelings.

[Bob Bressler]

Next up here. I am also on the amateur side, not professionally connected to music.

My first career was in computer networking and I have had my home wired (or wireless) with high bandwidth since the 80s. I must have tried out 2 dozen different audio streaming products and technologies over the years, and the Slim Devices technology is by far the best.

Over the years I have tried out many different types and makes of gear, and still have a lot of it in one room or another. My preference is for tube gear, so that is what has settled into my most frequent listening areas. I am partial to the Audio Note gear, which I think sounds terrific (although I know that some posters here have the opposite opinion). But there are also Quicksilver mono blocks, as well as amps by Audiomat and Spectral in use. Speakers range from Mutine Équations to 1980 vintage Klipschorns to Shahinians. Mixing and matching is fun.

I am currently a vintner in California’s Napa Valley. I actually find many parallels between high end audio producers and high end wineries. They tend to be small, stressing quality over quantity. Differences tend to be subjective and often are a matter of style (leaving our flawed products in either space, of course). Price and quality are sometimes linked and sometimes not. The people crafting the products tend to have strong opinions.

[tomsi42]

Spoilsport. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

"I fart in your general direction."

I award you the quotation of the year award

[notanatheist]

I want to play! So due to the variety of sites I visit and post on (mostly with this name) I typically sign my email and such as "Mr O." In the Eugene linux users group I'm known as the same. Googling me can be scary as I'm mostly on tech sites. My occupation is in computer retail, sales, technician, asst manager, co-owner, and any other titles I want. If you want to know what's the most reliable computer hardware to purchase I'm the guy to ask. As for an OS? Well, linux for me. 8 hours of Microsoft victim support a day is more than enough Windows for me.

I wouldn't call myself an audiophile but I am an audio nut. I like good clean sound at any volume. I have a preference for good acoustics be it guitar, drums, or any other instrument for that matter. Instruments are an important part so a little classical here and there doesn't hurt. Some of my favorite acoustics are from Jars of Clay.

My audio is part of my home theater as I have a small house and income. Definitive Technology sub/sat all around with only the sub and front L/R playing audio. People are typically floored when they here what these speakers can do for their size. I can really drive home the fact that size doesn't matter if you have the right equipment. 12 & 14 gauge OFHC speaker cables, Monster banana plugs on the ends (the two part twist ons that are near impossible to yank off), Yamaha receiver driving everything, 42" Hitachi plasma, Samsung HD931 & Philips DVP642 DVD players, the Wii, and my SB3. The poor old Sony CDP CA9ES has been collecting dust. Most of my interconnects I've been making myself using RG6 and F-type to RCA adapters. Amazing how well they work compared to any of the Monster cables I've used. Even the sub has more oomph.

The bedroom has my SB2, Sonic T-amp, and the speakers that went to my plasma. I'd like to replace them at some point with something small like the Anthony Gallo spheres but not until I have a chance to mod the T-amp. The server sits in the garage and everything is hardwired.

Is that satisfactory enough? Forgot something, yes I encode to MP3 but!! with Lame 3.97b at q0 VBR so up to 320Kbps. No audible difference from the source with my equipment.

[jhm731]

"I fart in your general direction."

I award you the quotation of the year award

Will there be a webcast of the award ceremony?

[probedb]

Right where to start I love music, that's pretty much where it stops. I like music such that if I went deaf or couldn't hear music again I may as well shoot myself. I listen for at least 2 hrs a day, usually much more. The Squeezebox brought me here. Basically I wanted something to stream my music around the house (which I don't have yet ) and the SB3 proved the best thing for my budget. I originally had a HTPC but that proved too much hassle to do nicely.

My current setup is hardly what most people would call hi-fi but it's fine for me and that's what counts. I'm currently crammed in a bedroom but have a Denon AVR-2805 as the amp with KEF Coda 9 speakers, Cable Talk cable and Straightwire Chrorus interconnects. One day I'll have a dedicated hi-fi amp but for now doing things like buying a house and rebuilding my car's engine take priority. I actually listen to most of my music on the go from my iPod nano. This has rockbox installed and the MP3s are ripped with LAME and connected to a pair of Westone UM-2s and I love it.

What do I believe? Not in audiophiles that's for sure. I'm from the hydrogenaudio.org school of thought. If you can't hear a difference between something that costs £20 and something that costs £20k then why are you paying £20k just because someone said it's better and they're an 'audiophile'? Doesn't make sense in any way to me. The only reason my server has everything ripped as FLAC is because I have the disc space and it makes converting to any lossy formats much easier as there's no need to rerip. I also don't have the time to care about subtle differences between components if I'm not going to hear them in general use, I have better things to do with my time

I came to the forum because I bought a SB3. I like helping people out where possible and discussing music/audio related matters. One day I'll have a really good setup for stereo listening but only if it's worth it and I can tell the difference.

Other stuff, I go to gigs quite a lot (nothing quite like live music) and the last one was Tool/Mastodon at Nottingham Arena on Friday night. I also play bass guitar too. Mostly into metal and current favourite is Opeth. You can see what I listen to by clicking my last.fm link in my sig.