Is this question a little bit like asking which celebrities enjoy model railroading?
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Peter Gabriel and Pete Townshend |
Lenny Kravitz...my local dealer did his French Quarter dwelling. |
James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano)owns Focal Grand Utopias |
Fabio's whole house system:
MAIN SYSTEM
AmPro HD4600 video projector
Stewart custom 12-foot ElectriMask perforated screen
Faroudja VP 400 line quadrupler
Runco LJR 11 laserdisc player
Pioneer Elite LD-52 laserdisc player
Lexicon CP-3 surround processor
Krell KIS Reference A power amps (4)
Krell MDA-600S power arnps (2)
Krell KSA-100S power amps (2)
Krell KSA-300S power amps (2)
Krell KPS 20t CD player
Krell DT-10 CD player
Krell KRC-HR preamp
Krell Reference 64 digital processor/power supply
Martin Logan Statement speaker system (front left & right) w/custom Krell KBX crossovers (2)
Martin Logan Logos speaker (center)
Martin Logan Sequel II speakers (sides) (2)
Infinity IRS V speaker system (surrounds) w/custom Krell KBX crossovers (2)
Velodyne ULD18 powered subwoofers (2)
Grado HP 1000 headphones
Stax SR Lambda Pro headphones (2 pair)
Transparent Audio MusicLink Reference interconnects, MusicWave Reference speaker cables
Transparent PowerLink power cords and power-conditioning equipment
Transparent Audio video cables
DINING ROOM
Pioneer Elite PRO91 rear-projection TV
Martin Logan Quest speakers (2)
Krell KSA-200 power amp
KITCHEN
Mitsubishi CS-35803 direct-view TV
Panasonic AG-WI multi-format VCR
BEDROOM
Pioneer Elite PRO107 rear-projection TV
Sony KP-61XBR28 rear-projection TV
Pioneer Elite CLD-97 LD player
RCA DSS satellite system
Mitsubishi U80 S-VHS VCR
Sony SLV-R1000 S-VHS VCR
Krell CD-DSP CD player
Krell KRC preamp
Wadia 15 Digital Decoding Computer
Harman/Kardon AVP1 surround processor
Martin Logan Monolith III speakers (front right & left) (2)
Martin Logan Quest speakers (surround) (2)
Martin Logan Logos speaker (center)
Krell KMA-200 power amps
(2) Krell KAS-200 power amps (2)
Denon POA-6600 power amp
AND THAT IS BACK IN MID-90's
Mariusz |
Randy Johnson (argueably the best southpaw of the the last 30 years) is an audiophile. back in 1997 when i traded in my Wilson WP 3/2's for 5.1's; he purchased them for his home in Arizona. i met him at the local dealer here when he picked the WP's up and he seemed to know his audio stuff pretty well.
i know his musical tastes at the time was a bit too heavy metal for my sensibilities. i think he also plays the drums.
no telling what he may have now but no doubt he can afford whatever he wants.
BTW; i think Fabio is mostly famous 'for being famous'. |
Clint is indeed serious about his music. I know for a fact he has a Rockport TT. Not sure about the rest of his rig, but with that front end....you can imagine. |
I remember that article about Fabio. It had pictures, too. I got the impression he subjects all his dates to his system (been there, done that). He was swapping out some cables for a couple of girls in the article. Huge Martin Logans! Don't think they were even available for consumers at the time. Tons of wattage. He's serious about our hobby alright.
I wouldn't be surprised if Clint Eastwood has some serious gear. He is an avid jazz fan and has been all of his adult life. Cheers. |
Who is Fabio?
Use to be a popular "Macho" model..... but he had some serious gear for sure,custom Krell's amps made specially by Dan the Man himself. Up to 1000 watts of class "A" power and much much more.
http://www.transparentcable.com/images/products/reviews/fabio.jpg |
Hi Des -
It's true about the mirrored pair. Go figure :)
See you at CES? Mail me.
Brian |
Hi,
When I worked in LA in the late 70's I went to Santa Barbara to hear the Model2's at Harold Beveridges house--he told me they had just made a pair
in Mirrored Glass panels (!) for Julie Andrews.
Christopher Hansen had some Celeb clients around that time I recall also.
Glory days
Des |
Someday I hope to be a celebrity.
However, I'm not a lunatic audiophile (is that redundant?). |
I believe Gary Shandling is or was a licensed amateur radio operator which means he has at least a basic understanding of electronics. |
LA hi end dealer Brooks Berdan has numerous celebrity customers...I met comedian Gary Shandling at his store several months ago. He ended up with Wilson Alexandrias. |
Me. I'm rich, famous and extremely sexy. |
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Henry Rollins is an audiophile I believe. |
I think I see TWO celebrities in the TARA LABS listings?
Fremer and... some other real player. |
Jacob Heilbrunn formerly of the LA Times who currently writes for the NY Times, The Atlantic Monthly and assorted other political publications. He is also the author of "They Knew They Were Right: The Rise of the Neocons" and happens to write for The Absolute Sound.
Four time Emmy award winner Arthur Tinn. |
Dylan Ratigan of CNBC loves his vinyl. |
the greatest celebrity of all time is an avowed audiophile:
his name?
Fabio. |
If Anthony Cordesman is a "celebrity" than Hugh Laurie is a global mega superstar.
Celebrities probably enjoy audio at the same rate as the general population, say, less than 0.01%. Like the general population, a high percentage probably prefers to watch TV and/or owns and enjoys a Bose product of some kind.
My understanding is that Hugh Laurie does like audio - he is much smarter than the average "celebrity".
Mariksa Hargity enjoys music and has a nice system. She is also very smart.
Fabio - if you want to count romance novel "beefcake" cover models as "celebrities" - was a major audiophile.
Rick Rubin - at least comparted to Anthony Cordesman - is a celebrity and he is an audiophile.
I would think high end dealers and/or custom install guys in LA and NY could best answer this question.
Of course, most custom install guys dont know what high end is and therefore might not know an audiophile when they see one.
Cheers, |
I heard James Gandolfini aka/Tony Soprano is very into high-end! |
Hugh Laurie rides a motorcycle on the show which is one of his personal hobbies, and plays music so I bet it was his input. But who knows? BTW I have been a fan of his since the Blackadder days, but I don't really know a lot about him (not an obsession)! |
Carl Bernstein from the Washington Post is an audiophie. I read a bio of him a few years ago that said that was a passion of his. Not sure about his gear. |
I notice some high end gear on the "House" TV show. Is Hugh Laurie an audiophile or is it staging for his persona? |
You will see a SOTA turntable and I think maybe Piega SA speakers on "House". Hugh Laurie plays guitar and piano so my guess it was his call.
Stereophile did a story on Fabio's megasystem years ago, so I guess he listens when hes not preaning or scraping birds off his face.
I think Kim Katrall from Sex and the City used to be married to Mark Levenson, so she might have nice sound at home? |
Anthony Cordesman currently writes for The Absolute Sound. He doesn't have a review in the current issue so maybe somone else can chime in as to what his current set-up is. (I don't save my issues.) From memory I recall that he currently has Pass electronics in his reference system. He has been a fan of Thiel speakers for some time, but I don't recall if that's his current speaker. Before the Thiels he was a big fan of Apogee speakers, IIRC.
I didn't realize his "day job" until the first Gulf War back in 1990-91. This military analyst was on tv, with maps and a pointer, and a name flashes on the screen, Anthony Cordesman, and my jaw dropped. |
Anthony Cordesman also wrote for the TAS many a moon ago. While the mag was in it's golden years. |
Mike Piazza, the former all-star NY Mets catcher. I recall reading that his NYC apartment had a dedicated sound-proofed listening/home theater room, with Krell electronics. This apartment (he no longer lives there) was a few blocks from Sound By Singer, so I don't know if he's an audiophile or just some rich guy who passed by the store one day. |
Anthony Cordesman, a military analyst for ABC, and who used to, or still does write for Stereophile, is an audiophile. I used to love reading his articles. I don't know exactly what his system consists of, however. |
