I turned 40 today - an audio journey

KeithR

VIP/Donor
May 7, 2010
5,137
2,793
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Encino, CA
So I guess I can't say I'm the youngster at most of the audio shows now :)

It's amazing to reflect on my audio journey to this date - I used to be a gear swapper extraordinaire, but in recent years have focused on doing things right the first time and working with dealers as appropriate.

1. College sophomore - NHT SuperOne and SuperZero 5.1 setup in dorm room with LD player (yes, the THX trailer was played on repeat)

NYC from 1999-2002
1. PSB Image line speakers for HT with Rotel separates
2. nOrh 4.0 marbles/ceramics, Cary Preamp, and Odyssey Stratos - Sim2 projector (480p baby!), my first visits to Sound by Singer and Innovative Audio. this was the age of Audioreview and a bunch of direct-only companies sprouted up
3. Wilson Cub IIs - thanks to a clearance sale, my first reference loudspeaker
4. Dynaudio 1.3SE with full Cary tube setup and 42" plasma - downsized due to upcoming move

Big move to LA in 2002
1. Two systems - M&K 5.1 HT with projector, Dyns in second room
2. Started swapping projectors - JVC DILA and Marantz DLP, SVS subs, etc.
3. Got out of HT all together in 2003 - haven't looked back!
4. Downsized from 5.1 to 2.0 with a simple pair of Avantgarde Solos with Wadia 861SE and BAT preamp

Finally bought a condo in 2004
1. Upgraded to Wilson Sophia (the original) that I chose over W/P 7s (bright!) and full BAT tube separates (51SE/75SE)
2. Due to work change in 2006, downsized to NHT slim towers and tried a pair of Nuforce Ref 9SE digital amps
3. Went back to the Dynaudio well and bought C1 monitors that were great - I wasn't much into audio for several years
4. Rives L1 install in 2009 but I also I heard a pair of Zu loudspeakers and took the plunge (took a big chance vs. Magico V3s)
5. I was paralyzed while the Zu speakers were on order in early 2010 - I came home to a pair of perfectly setup Definitions thanks to a local Zu owner. That audiophile friend and I chat weekly to this date. I owned Zu Defintion IIs and IVs for 6.5 years, cycled through 10+ amps in the time period (McIntosh, SET, SEP, PP, Class A SS, you name it) and really got back into HiFi. Different kind of company, different kind of philosophy - bad@#$ music though.
6. Bought my first TT in 2012 - a VPI Traveler (and a total POS - should have got the Rega)
7. Two major purchases in 2013 when I decided to up my game - DarTZeel 8550 and Brinkmann Bardo. Still own both pieces 4 years later

Sold condo, moved to the beach
1. Upped my digital and analog rigs to big boy status with MSB Analog DAC and 10.5 tonearm - settled on 47 Labs cartridge over Zu, Lyra, etc.
2. Spent 2015-2016 loudspeaker shopping in the sub-30k range, but really didn't like anything until I heard Devore Gibbon Xs - so the Zus were traded and the big apes are now in my listening room
3. EAR 868 preamp and ARC Ref75SE amp are coming in so I have both tube and SS amplification - it will be a fun year.

So where to now? I'm done with sources and don't really care about cables (I have Zu and WyWires cables littered throughout). I've thought about punting my 50lb isolation transformer for a small distributor although the Torus does its job and gives peace of mind. If I upgrade, it would likely be to a super speaker (Avantgarde horns, YG Hailey, etc.) as I transition to a house again hopefully later this year. But I'm a value guy at heart so this may or may not be in the cards - my happiness in this hobby hasn't been defined by dollars spent. In fact, I think the opposite case could be made.

If I had to do it differently, I would have spent a few less years chasing digital (I did the DAC of the month club a decade ago, so continue to chuckle at the various digital threads on this forum) and become an analog guy much sooner. Auditioning speakers at dealers and shows is a much less costly way to setup a system than trying to buy used on Audiogon. Shipping/crating speakers is awful and my Solos got damaged enroute to Washington which took a year to get Fedex to pay (the buyer's wife was an insurance agent which helped). Speaker/amp interface is the most important thing outside the room. Save yourself time and money by using combinations that are known to work and dealers are usually excellent for this. If you say to yourself "this amp *might* have enough power to drive my speakers" then you probably have the wrong amp. I tend to like simple circuits and speakers now - this may be the result of having a full range driver speaker for so long. If there are rows of transistors or tubes, I'm not interested by default.

Finally, so many audiophiles don't know the sound they want - so they run around in circles trying everything under the moon. Find what attributes are most important to you - no speaker or amp or dac is perfect, but you can find things that are optimal for your tastes. For instance, I know that I value dynamics and tone.

So to conclude, its been real and fun - has it been real fun? Of course - and now I have a group of audiophile and dealer friends that make it that much more enjoyable. The wonderful part of this hobby to me is not so much the gear like when I started out, but the people and music that we share it with. Happy Birthday to me :)
 
Last edited:

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
So I guess I can't say I'm the youngster at most of the audio shows now :)

It's amazing to reflect on my audio journey to this date - I used to be a gear swapper extraordinaire, but in recent years have focused on doing things right the first time and working with dealers as appropriate.

1. College sophomore - NHT SuperOne and SuperZero 5.1 setup in dorm room with LD player (yes, the THX trailer was played on repeat)

NYC from 1999-2002
1. PSB Image line speakers for HT with Rotel separates
2. nOrh 4.0 marbles/ceramics, Cary Preamp, and Odyssey Stratos - Sim2 projector (480p baby!), my first visits to Sound by Singer and Innovative Audio. this was the age of Audioreview and a bunch of direct-only companies sprouted up
3. Wilson Cub IIs - thanks to a clearance sale, my first reference loudspeaker
4. Dynaudio 1.3SE with full Cary tube setup and 42" plasma - downsized due to upcoming move

Big move to LA in 2002
1. Two systems - M&K 5.1 HT with projector, Dyns in second room
2. Started swapping projectors - JVC DILA and Marantz DLP, SVS subs, etc.
3. Got out of HT all together in 2003 - haven't looked back!
4. Downsized from 5.1 to 2.0 with a simple pair of Avantgarde Solos with Wadia 861SE and BAT preamp

Finally bought a condo in 2004
1. Upgraded to Wilson Sophia (the original) that I chose over W/P 7s (bright!) and full BAT tube separates (51SE/75SE)
2. Due to work change in 2006, downsized to NHT slim towers and tried a pair of Nuforce Ref 9SE digital amps
3. Went back to the Dynaudio well and bought C1 monitors that were great - I wasn't much into audio for several years
4. Rives L1 install in 2008, but in 2009 I heard a pair of Zu loudspeakers and took the plunge (purchased over Magico V3s due to price)
5. I was paralyzed while the Zu speakers were on order in early 2010 - I came home to a pair of perfectly setup Definitions thanks to a local Zu owner. That audiophile friend and I chat weekly to this date. I owned Zu Defintion IIs and IVs for 6.5 years, cycled through 10+ amps in the time period (McIntosh, SET, SEP, PP, Class A SS, you name it) and really got back into HiFi. Different kind of company, different kind of philosophy - bad@#$ music though.
6. Bought my first TT in 2012 - a VPI Traveler (and a total POS - should have got the Rega)
7. Two major purchases in 2013 when I decided to up my game - DarTZeel 8550 and Brinkmann Bardo. Still own both pieces 4 years later

Sold condo, moved to the beach
1. Upped my digital and analog rigs to big boy status with MSB Analog DAC and 10.5 tonearm - settled on 47 Labs cartridge over Zu, Lyra, etc.
2. Spent 2015-2016 loudspeaker shopping in the sub-30k range, but really didn't like anything until I heard Devore Gibbon Xs - so the Zus were traded and the big apes are now in my listening room
3. EAR 868 preamp and ARC Ref75SE amp are coming in so I have both tube and SS amplification - it will be a fun year.

So where to now? I'm done with sources and don't really care about cables (I have Zu and WyWires cables littered throughout). I've thought about punting my 50lb isolation transformer for a small distributor although the Torus does its job and gives peace of mind. If I upgrade, it would likely be to a super speaker (Avantgarde horns, YG Hailey, etc.) as I transition to a house again hopefully later this year. But I'm a value guy at heart so this may or may not be in the cards - my happiness in this hobby hasn't been defined by dollars spent. In fact, I think the opposite case could be made.

If I had to do it differently, I would have spent a few less years chasing digital (I did the DAC of the month club a decade ago, so continue to chuckle at the various digital threads on this forum) and become an analog guy much sooner. Auditioning speakers at dealers and shows is a much less costly way to setup a system than trying to buy used on Audiogon. Shipping/crating speakers is awful and my Solos got damaged enroute to Washington which took a year to get Fedex to pay (the buyer's wife was an insurance agent which helped). Speaker/amp interface is the most important thing outside the room. Save yourself time and money by using combinations that are known to work and dealers are usually excellent for this. If you say to yourself "this amp *might* have enough power to drive my speakers" then you probably have the wrong amp. I tend to like simple circuits and speakers now - this may be the result of having a full range driver speaker for so long. If there are rows of transistors or tubes, I'm not interested by default.

So to conclude, its been real and fun - has it been real fun? Of course - and now I have a group of audiophile and dealer friends that make it that much more enjoyable. The wonderful part of this hobby to me is not so much the gear like the old days, but the people and the music that we share it with. Happy Birthday to me :)

Keith

I feel I have know you for almost half your life. I recall vividly attending CES with you and Marty and my son about 12 years ago when you pulled the song Duende by Black Light Syndrome out of your bag and played it in all the rooms. That song made its way to Philip O'Hanlon's annual demo disk which is a tribute

Best regards and welcome to the second half of your life. Have a wonderful day and thanks for sharing
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
12,303
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Manila, Philippines
Happy Birthday Keith!
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
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almaaudio.com
Happy birthday, my friend!


cheers,
Alex
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
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Happy Birthday. Asiufy might present you with a YG Hailey, gift wrapped
 

Al M.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
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Greater Boston
Happy Birthday, Keith!

Finally, so many audiophiles don't know the sound they want - so they run around in circles trying everything under the moon. Find what attributes are most important to you - no speaker or amp or dac is perfect, but you can find things that are optimal for your tastes. I know that I value dynamics and tone for instance.

So true! Knowing from the beginning what my priorities were/are has saved me from unnecessarily spending a ton of money and from being unhappy in my audiophile journey.

High-end audio is inherently a compromise -- for starters, just the positioning of even the most advanced speaker is a compromise. Knowing which compromises you can live with, and which ones not, is crucial.
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
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Boston, MA
Happy Birthday Keith! Agree with Al - just a speaker driver's frequency response is the first obvious compromise... and from there on, non-linearities are everywhere.
 

MadFloyd

Member Sponsor
May 30, 2010
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Happy Birthday, Keith!
 

the sound of Tao

Well-Known Member
Jul 18, 2014
3,615
4,833
940
So I guess I can't say I'm the youngster at most of the audio shows now :)

It's amazing to reflect on my audio journey to this date - I used to be a gear swapper extraordinaire, but in recent years have focused on doing things right the first time and working with dealers as appropriate.

1. College sophomore - NHT SuperOne and SuperZero 5.1 setup in dorm room with LD player (yes, the THX trailer was played on repeat)

NYC from 1999-2002
1. PSB Image line speakers for HT with Rotel separates
2. nOrh 4.0 marbles/ceramics, Cary Preamp, and Odyssey Stratos - Sim2 projector (480p baby!), my first visits to Sound by Singer and Innovative Audio. this was the age of Audioreview and a bunch of direct-only companies sprouted up
3. Wilson Cub IIs - thanks to a clearance sale, my first reference loudspeaker
4. Dynaudio 1.3SE with full Cary tube setup and 42" plasma - downsized due to upcoming move

Big move to LA in 2002
1. Two systems - M&K 5.1 HT with projector, Dyns in second room
2. Started swapping projectors - JVC DILA and Marantz DLP, SVS subs, etc.
3. Got out of HT all together in 2003 - haven't looked back!
4. Downsized from 5.1 to 2.0 with a simple pair of Avantgarde Solos with Wadia 861SE and BAT preamp

Finally bought a condo in 2004
1. Upgraded to Wilson Sophia (the original) that I chose over W/P 7s (bright!) and full BAT tube separates (51SE/75SE)
2. Due to work change in 2006, downsized to NHT slim towers and tried a pair of Nuforce Ref 9SE digital amps
3. Went back to the Dynaudio well and bought C1 monitors that were great - I wasn't much into audio for several years
4. Rives L1 install in 2009 but I also I heard a pair of Zu loudspeakers and took the plunge (took a big chance vs. Magico V3s)
5. I was paralyzed while the Zu speakers were on order in early 2010 - I came home to a pair of perfectly setup Definitions thanks to a local Zu owner. That audiophile friend and I chat weekly to this date. I owned Zu Defintion IIs and IVs for 6.5 years, cycled through 10+ amps in the time period (McIntosh, SET, SEP, PP, Class A SS, you name it) and really got back into HiFi. Different kind of company, different kind of philosophy - bad@#$ music though.
6. Bought my first TT in 2012 - a VPI Traveler (and a total POS - should have got the Rega)
7. Two major purchases in 2013 when I decided to up my game - DarTZeel 8550 and Brinkmann Bardo. Still own both pieces 4 years later

Sold condo, moved to the beach
1. Upped my digital and analog rigs to big boy status with MSB Analog DAC and 10.5 tonearm - settled on 47 Labs cartridge over Zu, Lyra, etc.
2. Spent 2015-2016 loudspeaker shopping in the sub-30k range, but really didn't like anything until I heard Devore Gibbon Xs - so the Zus were traded and the big apes are now in my listening room
3. EAR 868 preamp and ARC Ref75SE amp are coming in so I have both tube and SS amplification - it will be a fun year.

So where to now? I'm done with sources and don't really care about cables (I have Zu and WyWires cables littered throughout). I've thought about punting my 50lb isolation transformer for a small distributor although the Torus does its job and gives peace of mind. If I upgrade, it would likely be to a super speaker (Avantgarde horns, YG Hailey, etc.) as I transition to a house again hopefully later this year. But I'm a value guy at heart so this may or may not be in the cards - my happiness in this hobby hasn't been defined by dollars spent. In fact, I think the opposite case could be made.

If I had to do it differently, I would have spent a few less years chasing digital (I did the DAC of the month club a decade ago, so continue to chuckle at the various digital threads on this forum) and become an analog guy much sooner. Auditioning speakers at dealers and shows is a much less costly way to setup a system than trying to buy used on Audiogon. Shipping/crating speakers is awful and my Solos got damaged enroute to Washington which took a year to get Fedex to pay (the buyer's wife was an insurance agent which helped). Speaker/amp interface is the most important thing outside the room. Save yourself time and money by using combinations that are known to work and dealers are usually excellent for this. If you say to yourself "this amp *might* have enough power to drive my speakers" then you probably have the wrong amp. I tend to like simple circuits and speakers now - this may be the result of having a full range driver speaker for so long. If there are rows of transistors or tubes, I'm not interested by default.

Finally, so many audiophiles don't know the sound they want - so they run around in circles trying everything under the moon. Find what attributes are most important to you - no speaker or amp or dac is perfect, but you can find things that are optimal for your tastes. For instance, I know that I value dynamics and tone.

So to conclude, its been real and fun - has it been real fun? Of course - and now I have a group of audiophile and dealer friends that make it that much more enjoyable. The wonderful part of this hobby to me is not so much the gear like when I started out, but the people and music that we share it with. Happy Birthday to me :)

Really lovely reflection on an audiophile journey well lived. Happy birthday Keith... wishing you many, many more and a happy journey ahead.
 

BruceD

VIP/Donor
Dec 13, 2013
1,508
576
540
Indeed! happy Birthday Keith--I met you at Steve's Newport Soiree:D-- enjoy your journey life is just getting better at four Oh:p

BruceD
 

joeinid

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2011
1,543
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Happy Birthday Keith. Enjoy the next 40+


Now I really feel old. :(
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
15,962
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Beverly Hills, CA
Happy birthday, Keith!

I enjoyed reading your audiophile chronology!

It is great that that journey enabled you to decide what sound you want and then to achieve it.
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,374
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Happy birthday, Keith!

I enjoyed reading your audiophile chronology!

It is great that that journey enabled you to decide what sound you want and then to achieve it.

This thread is about his changes of sound over the next 40 :)
 

Folsom

VIP/Donor
Oct 25, 2015
6,020
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Happy Birthday. Nice idea for a thread. Crazy how this hobby can stick with someone through so many phases of life. I believe I'm no different.
 
Last edited:

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,376
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Happy Birthday...here's to another 40 and another 40 after that!
 

KeithR

VIP/Donor
May 7, 2010
5,137
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Encino, CA
Thank you gentlemen!

I am very much looking forward to my next 40 - and my audio journey will continue, but most certainly in slower fashion.
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,374
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London
Thank you gentlemen!

I am very much looking forward to my next 40 - and my audio journey will continue, but most certainly in slower fashion.

Actually, people scale up faster.
 

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