Greetings from Atlanta, Ga

[audioguy3107]

What's up you all? Wanted to introduce myself on WBF, my name is Buck......audiophile from Atlanta, I've been a reader on WBF for a long time but figured I might as well say hello and try and contribute to the forum. I'm somewhat of a "refugee" from the Audio Aficionado forum which I really enjoyed but with them moving to a subscription only model, they seemed to lose many of the long time members over there, so I've been on a bit of a hiatus from audio forums since then. I've gotten to know some you already, as a matter of fact Mark from Greenville (SCAudiophile) is getting together with me at the house next week to see a couple of new additions to the system. I spent a few hours at Mike Lavigne's awesome home last year with Marc (2fastdriving) which was of course an incredible experience (if you read this, hi Mike!). Also had the pleasure of finally meeting Lee Scoggins at Axpona this past year for a moment, surprised I haven't bumped into him in Atlanta at some point.

Anyway, hope to meet some more you all in the future. I've always been a music/hifi audio fan since I was a little kid and got a bit more exposure after undergrad working for Circuit City during the late 90's before the disaster(s) that took that company down. I just so happened to work there with several guys who were really into gear, McIntosh, Levinson, B&W, Rotel.......I still remember meeting the national training manager for C.C. who had a full blown Krell system. Anyway, to make a long story short, my first real personal journey was down at the (old) Hifi Buys in Atlanta. I'll never forget it, they had a pair of Sonus Faber Extremas hooked up to a Classe CP-50 ( I think ) and a massive CA-400 amplifier. The guy sat me down for close to an hour and played me stuff, it was absolutely mind blowing having never heard anything like that and I was hooked. I've gotta run out and take my girls to activities (which I spend more time doing than playing my system) but I'll go through a bit of the audio journey when I get some more time......I need to take some new pics of the room as well and go through a system thread too.

- Buck

 

[Steve Williams]

Great story. Welcome to WBF

 

[Mike Lavigne]

hi Buck,

welcome to What's Best Forum. glad you are here.

thank you for the kind words. that was a fun session with you and i and Marc in February 22'. hope we can do it again sometime. i look forward to seeing your system pics and info about it posted here.

best regards,

Mike

 

[ScottK]

Hi Buck, great story. I’m close by in east TN. I remember those days with my girls. At one point I was a driver to soccer 7 days a week. It’s nuts, in my day we would just hang in the hood or walk to the closest tennis courts.

 

[SCAudiophile]

Hello Buck and welcome to WBF!

You have a great system and room,...cannot wait to hear the new additions next week when I'm working in the Atlanta area...

 

[Woofer and Tweet]

Thanks for being part of the group. Enjoy

 

[Ron Resnick]

Welcome to WBF, Buck!

 

[Long Live Analog]

Welcome to WBF Buck ! Glad to have you here. i definitely remember the Circuit City days in Nashville and a family owned business Nicholson‘s Hifi. Good times indeed. There’s also a HiFi Buys not sure if it’s the same as Atlanta. I’m in the mid south of Tn. not too far from you. I’ve got family in Buckhead.

 

[treitz3]

Good evening, Buck. It is nice to know that someone who shares the same interests and passion for audio lives so close! Well, not so close but we are a worldwide forum and this is a big, blue globe. I am in upstate SC....not too far away.

I am quite sure we will meet and hear each other's system in the near future. Please allow me to offer you a very warm welcome to the What's Best Forum!

Tom

 

[2fastdriving]

Glad to see you here, Buck. You have one of the most inviting and beautiful listening rooms I've seen. I can only imagine how good your new system sounds in there!

 

[exupgh12]

Welcome to WBF Buck.

 

[audioguy3107]

Glad to see you here, Buck. You have one of the most inviting and beautiful listening rooms I've seen. I can only imagine how good your new system sounds in there!

there he is! Thanks for the welcome Ron, Mike and everyone else.....I'll update my sig and try and get a system thread up as soon as I'm done with work this weekend.

- Buck

 

[ihmeyers]

I'm not new to WBF but I will be relocating to a new location in six weeks. My wife and I just bought a house in Metro Atlanta (Cumming to be precise). I'm having it freshened up now including have one small and one large room be configured just for 2-Channel Audio. I'd love to meet fellow Atlanta audiophiles so please introduce yourself through the forum or by DM. I am having my gear shipped up on Sept 25th and will be moving the household contents on 10/18.

Thus ends a 30 month ordeal of looking for a house when there's not much to buy and rates keep climbing.

 

[treitz3]

Please allow me to also offer you a very warm welcome to the WBF, @ihmeyers!

We have a couple of members already down in that area. The Carolina club is starting up, maybe we can get a Hotlanta club starting as well and then merge when time permits!

Congratulations on the new house.

Tom

 

[ihmeyers]

That would be great and I would be happy to have something at my place when it's all ready. It was not easy finding a place with rooms that worked as dedicated music rooms. I know I drove both my realtor and my wife crazy when we would see an otherwise nice house and I would say "I don't see anything that works as a primary music room." in 2+ years of looking in Atlanta, Kentucky, Las Vegas, this was the house that worked best. It took me 90+ day to negotiate a price the seller would accept but all worked out for the best.

First get together, wherever it is, pizza is on me.

 

[treitz3]

Man, and here I thought I was picky about the chair I sit on to listen!

I have gotten so frustrated that I will be building a new room altogether for my (only) main rig. I salute your dedication to the hobby!

Tom

 

[ihmeyers]

Tom,

Music means everything to me. I always wanted to be a recording engineer. My family pushed me to go to business school instead. This hobby i super important to me. I love WBF because I am exposed to so many knowledgeable people. I have been an audiophile for 45 years but I've learned more from people on this forum in the few years I've been a member than in all the years before that combined.

 

[treitz3]

Music means everything to me.

That's all I need to know. Are you my brother from another mother? LOL

The passion for audio started for me when I was 8 years old. Listening to a little tube amp and an LP player play something on a pair of home made Klipschorns, all at the height of maybe 4' tall? That's all it took to get me hooked. That was THE thing that got me started.

In my case? I never wanted my hobby to be my profession....although when I look back on it? Maybe I should have. Hind sight is always 20-20.

Tom

 

[audioguy3107]

@ihmeyers Good to have you here in the ATL! Hope your move goes well. Unless he's moved since I spoke to him last, Jim Smith (of "Get Better Sound") lives over in Cumming in your neck of the woods. That's how I hooked up with him before he voiced my room some years ago.

- Buck

 

[ihmeyers]

Thanks very much Buck. I didn't know that's where Jim Smith was. When I just googled him it came up with UK location.

I will have 2 main 2-channel rooms. One is about 13x14 and will house a pair of Tocaro 42e speakers (& prob Zu subs) and custom 211 amps. Not a huge room but the Tocaros excel at nearfield listening. The other room is 16x21 with 9.5ft ceilings. It is being closed off as we speak (it was formally open to the bar on one side and home theater on the other). I was planning on my Hansen Princes/REL subs on one end of the room, and a pair of Ensemble Ondivas on the other end. The Hansen's driven by a pair of Merrill Element 116s fed by an Esoteric N-05XD. The Ondivas will be driven by a pair of Vinnie Rossi signature amps. I am not bad at setup but was thinking about hiring someone to help/consult if it could be done for a reasonable price. I know GIK Acoustics is in the area as well. I've bought stuff from them in the past. Of course, I completely under-estimated how much $ I'd have to put into what was basically a nicely finished well-kept house (full paint job, refinish floors, repair back deck, etc.) How come those things never turn out to be less than you budget, only more??

Here are a few pictures from the listing. The contractor has already painted the ex-card room and has closed off what was the pool room and will now be my main listening room.