my first visit was at bob bitters' house. i sure enjoyed that day. i would really enjoy getting together to listen to some good music.
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ditto. totally enjoyed meeting you and everyone else and hearing your magnificant system. personally, i feel that i learned a lot as well. tell your wife that the cheese spread was great.
tom collins |
thanks again for part 2. your system is sounding great and the accomodations and company were very enjoyable.
tom collins |
sure. i always like to see new toys.
Tom Collins |
hell yes. name the time. i like all of it. i would very much like to hear some sim.
tom collins |
Report on the gathering at Hanson:
To Andreas, Troy and the gang at Hanson, thanks. It is obvious that you all have worked very hard to make it a great experience to visit your store. Too often, I think we lose the "fun factor" with this hobby, but I imagine that it would be hard not to enjoy oneself at Hanson. From the attitude and knowledge of the staff to the killer coffee maker to the decor, it was all a blast. All of this before I even mention the listening.
First let me say that if you were not able to come to the meeting, you should get up there and visit. We got to listen to Simaudio and Bryston electronics (they are expecting new Conrad-Johnson gear soon); pro-ject turntables and sumiko cartridges; and speakers - how about Sonus Faber, 2 pairs no less as well as the beautiful Focal Utopia Scalas and the recent Thiel 3.7s. Many folks brought their own music to share and we were able to listen to many speakers back to back. Personally, I was really taken by a pair of the smaller Sonus Fabers driven by a simaudio i-7 integrated amp and believe it or not, the phono was a basic model pro-ject and under $100 sumiko oyster cartridge and very basic phono stage, but that baby sure made music.
The Hanson folks were totally cool with my rearranging their furniture and pushing the speakers around as well until it sounded right for me. They are definitely people that you would want to do business with in my humble opinion.
All totalled, we probably had 10 to a dozen folks come buy and I was so into it that someone said it was after 8, I had to check my watch. This was great all around and the drive from NKy wasn't even that bad and I hate to cross the river, but I would go again in a heartbeat.
Thanks again Andreas and feel free to pass on my opinion to your colleagues.
Tom Collins |
i seem to be posting a lot lately.
today i learned that local audio seller, lou hamilton has relocated to utah. i learned this because i went to audible elegance to listen to the wilson speakers they now carry. let me tell you, they should definitely be heard. they have the alexandras that replaced the watt/puppy series and the smaller sophias. in the big room, the alexandras are driven by mac 300watt tube monos with mac front end. the soundstage is huge and deep, the bass is all there and under total control, it makes you wish you had brought your entire music collection. you can tell its right from the very first note and they are not totally broken in yet. the sophias were in a smaller room hooked up to naim which i didn't feel was a great match for them, but i think they are potentially excellent as well.
tom collins |
nstigator: did you listen to the alexandras or sophias or both. i didn't like the sophias with the naim equipment either. as for vinyl, i have bought 2 turntables from them over the course of the last 4 years. not trying to change your mind, just get a little more info. |
forgive my mistake guys, those were not alexandrias, but sashas i was commenting on. i looked at the website and realized my mistake. |
Tim:
Lately, the group seems to be doing more small, impromptu get togethers like the
one you had. The large ones are nice, but you have the chance to get to know a
few folks better in the small setting. I would feel more comfortable calling
any of those guys or yourself now. Also, there is a better chance of getting
what you brought played. Thanks again.
Tom |
thanks for having us marc. i had a great time. good listening. sorry i had to run off like that and miss the dmitri. ed told me it was amazing. that's too bad, one more thing for the list.
see you soon. |
I have some new babies. I brought home a pair of Dali Helicon 800 speakers yesterday. I will be updating the pictures on my system thread shortly. If anyone is interested in hearing these relatively unknown speakers, shoot me an email or call at 859-356-3100 and I would be happy to have folks stop by.
I have also recently upgraded to the Nottingham Space deck with an unusual vintage arm from Mission Acoustics playing with a benz woodbody cart and Lukashek phonostage.
Tom Collins |
Barleby:
That's a beautiful looking setup you have. I'll bet it's great.
I go home for lunch. So I started work on positioning the speakers properly for best sound. These are pretty large. My room just sucks the lower bass right out of the speakers so I am fighting that.
Any other Dali owners in Cinti?
Tom |
Does anyone have a converter from vinyl to digital they might be willing to lend me?
tom collins
859-356-3100 |
tom:
i always look forward to september because it means we have a gathering at your house. you have one of the most unique systems i have heard or seen and it all fits together beautifully. loved the new turntable. a great time as always. thanks again.
tom collins |
sorry it took so long for me to see this, but a-gon does not seem to notify posters anymore when a new post has been entered. i would be happy to give you a listen. contact me at collinslaw@fuse.net. do not trust audiogon to do so.
tom |
Hanson Event:
Guys, you must go and see this place. It looks like a high-end store in NY City, everything is first class. The big difference is no snotty attitude. These guys are having a blast and it shows. The place is crammed full with equipment and speakers. If there is a recession going on, it does not show at Hanson. If for no other reason but that, it is a real pick-me-up to visit.
There are 3 main listening rooms. The big room is about 25x40. A midsize room of about 15x20. A small room about 15x12. Each room has its own setup and a unique sound that suited it well. Last night they had 2 demos at once, Nordost and Sumiko. Sumiko showed several turntables and cartridges for us old-schoolers and DACs and Macminis for the young bloods. Lars, the Nordost guy gave a 3 hour demo and never sat down, nor took a sip of water that I could see. Lars' enthusiasm was matched by his knowledge. I really did not expect to learn anything, but I was wrong about that.
At the end of the evening, we got to listen to a Boulder CD player. If you have never heard one, you should.
These are good guys and they are doing something great in Kettering. Go see the place. |
Guys: Hope the holiday was good to all. I have some interesting bits in my system for a short time. Eggleston Andra 2 (or my Dali Helicon 800) speakers; Spectral amp with MIT wires; Miajima Shilabe cartridge; Nottingham Ace-Space deck with heavy platter (30 lbs); Ypsilon phono pre and stepup ($$$$$), Modwright preamp; several interesting tweaks. I have most of this on loan this week and would be available for an afternoon or evening up until Friday evening if anyone is interested in hearing this unusual setup. I think it sounds pretty good.
859-356-3100.
Happy new year. |
Yes, I plan to be at Hanson. Actually, I was by there last week and heard some killer Dynaudios. They are remodeling again. Their events are 1st class and they are good guys. |
guys: the man i bought my amplifier from has one that he wants to sell. it sounds like it could be a good buy for someone. it is in good working order and sounds great. it seems like this would be enough power for anyone, but he is always looking for more. price is $2,900.00 (i think they were five figures when new). if anyone is interested, contact me.
details: ATMA SPHERE MA1 MII
140wpc.
12 power tubes
4 input tubes
balanced and rca
pure class A
best regards,
Tom Collins |
New toys:
Guys, just got a David Berning 100w triode amp, a VPI SDS for my table and a Zu/Denon cartridge to alternate with the Wilson cartridge. Different sound than before. If anyone is curious to hear this gear, I'm up for some visits. I know that I had wondered about the Zu for years. I also have a Doge 8 preamp that much has been written about. Just contact me.
Tom Collins |
congrats Mark. I am sure you will enjoy those for a long time to come. |
does this thing still work now with the "new and improved" audiogon? will someone send me a reply or are we in the wasteland? if it does work, i have a new and interesting amp. it is a "decware zen tori iii", a unique tube amp. let me know if anyone wants a listen.
tom |
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Thanks to Troy, Andreas and the Theil and Plinnius reps for a terrific gathering last night. It is always a lot of fun to attend these events. |
