Cincinnati, OH, any audiophiles?


Any Cincinnati, OH -based audiophiles on this forum? I have found only one truly high end dealer here, and they are leaning more and more towards high end home theater so they tend to be quite busye, and no longer set up truly "reference" systems one can listen to for calibration. Would love to get into touch with other fellow maniacs in the area Hard to know what else you "need" unless you can hear it and covet it in someone else's set up!
128x128alexc
hello hey i got all tube gear ! Top of the line bat preamp and amp >care to give it a listen ? Bring some lps as we dont dig cds at all !
Harvey Kushner
Dayton
9373121009 call any time got lots of audio freaks in dayton
Still some life in the thread! Cool. I'd be up for hosting again in early / mid july. Wife and kid will be gone on vacation..so should be able to do something reasonably extended on the weekend. HAve made a few changes to the system since the last time - now running Avantgarde Trios with Lamm monoblocks, and added another pair of Tact W210 subs stacked on top of the previous pair. If interested, email me a cedeno.alex@gmail.com and I'll add your name to the list when I send out the invite
Guys,

I'm in for a get together. I build SE & PP Tube gear and I would love to get feed back from others so I can improve my designs. I would also like to hear other systems and other music.

Stuben
Duane,

Sort of. I got to meet some of the folks in this thread at Mike Morrows' in Kentucky. AlexC is running an e-mail list and there was talk of getting together again. Waiting for a volunteer with the time and patience to host a get together.

I am one of the newbee's on the thread. I have a pretty mainstream system (Magnepan 1.6's and Arcam amplifiers) and music that is not really going to increase anyones experience or knowledge. Some of these guys have very sophisticated systems. But someday, I can feed everyone and certainly pour them a glass of wine or mix them a drink. Till then.

Dhead1. Gotta be a Deadhead. Yes? Me too.

Jim S.
Is there a club set up yet in Cincinnati? If anyone knows of one let me know.

dhead1 (duane) Cincinnati, Ohio.
Just found this audio club area; great to see there are so many other nuts in cinci!!!

I am right now finishing my dedicated audio room in the basement; it's going to be pretty small, but with the right treatments I think I will have something pretty good.

Right now my system is:
-Audio research pre
-Raysonic CDP (love it)
-Bada CDP
-Belles 350a reference
-(2) TAD 60
-Tyler's Linbrook Sig system
-Some cheap wires and cables :)

I'm currently bi-amping with the TAD's; love them.

I'd love to get together with other music lovers in the area.

Cheers!!!!
Hey TIC,

It's good to hear that there are some other audio maniacs in the Cincy area. I'm currently using an pair of DIY Voight Pipes with FE 207s in a 2-way with Fostex super tweeters. I created a baffle correction that really warmed the FE207s up. I also installed a pair of phase plugs from planet 10.

I have been building my stuff almost in a vacuum. I've been influenced by guys like Steve Deckert at Decware, Eddie Vaughn, Harvey Rosenburg (RIP). My amps to date have been triode strapped pentodes. I have spent a fair amount of time working getting the most out of an EL84. I'm presently using Interstage coupled topologies. I have managed to get a good sound out 2 to 4 watts.

My present project is a pair VT52 (military version of the 45) SE IT coupled mono blocks. This is my first DHT project so I'm hoping to good results.

I have checked out the hemp based drivers. They look really interesting, their Qs,Qt values look very promising.

My e-mail is chris.stewart@jacobs.com

Shoot me a note when before the next gathering. I would like to take part.

PS

I need a new CD source, any suggestions??

Stuben
Stuben,

Absolutely interested. I'd like to hear the amps you are building. What kind of speakers do you use with those?

Currently I have a nice 2A3 tube amp built by a custom builder here in Cincinnati, a pair of Bottlehead 2A3 mono-blocks that I assembled, a Red Wine Audio Reali-T, which is a tri-path based class D amp, passive pre-amp and Scott Nixon DacKit all built into one tiny chassis. The Reali-T is battery powered too. It's really spooky good considering the cost.

I've got a couple of single driver speakers that I'm using at the moment. One is a DIY HempAcoustics unit reviewed here(I bought the review pair):

http://hempacoustics.com/Review.pdf

And the other is a Lowther DX3 in the Commonsense Audio/Lowther USA 2.5 mkI dual port cabinet.

We just had a small get together with several of participants from this thread. Maybe we can do it again soon.

Enjoy,

TIC
(Tom In Cincinnati)
I'm 15 minutes North of Cincinnati. I've been building SE & PP triode based amps for a few years. I would love to participate in some listening sessions to hear other gear and let mine be heard. Any Interest??

Stuben
Dusty,
Welcome to the Queen City. Hope you find happiness and prosperity here. Earlier in the thread, people have listed the local audio shops, and the shops they are willing to drive to in Indy, Columbus, etc. I don't know of anything downtown.

I don't think the cost of your system is the measure of an "Audiophile". It is the love of music and a desire to improve the playback system to enhance your enjoyment (or something like that?).

AlexC,
Thank you for the invitation to join the mailing list. Very kind! I will forward you a private e-mail. It would be an honor to be included.

I do not have an e-mail account set up at home, just at work (the spam filters at work are very good), but will send something first thing Monday.

Hope you have a nice session this weekend!

Best Regards,
Jim S.
Jim, Dusty

Yeah..its been kind of slow to take off..but a couple of us do meet pretty regularly. Send me an email privately and I will add you to my mailing list. I am actually having 3-5 people over this weekend for a bit of listening. I've only met one of them before. Of the others, one is fomr this thread, and the other three are firnads of a friend form Dayton. Let' see who shows up for real...Not sure how many is too many yet. My listening room is large enough...but of course there is only one sweet spot! My selfish plan this weekend is to compare two transports (my old Muse 9 Signature vs the new North Star modified by Aberdeen Components), and to compare a couple of cables (Purist Dominus vs Kimber Orchid) on the North Star. However, I am sure we will end up spinning some vinyl as well...

AlexC
Hey Cincinnati People,

I can't go and call myself a real "audiophile" yet, because I haven't reached the $1000 mark in total investment. That has to be a criterion, right? So I'll say I'm an appreciator of high quality sound with discerning tastes. I don't think I've ever heard a true high-end setup, but I'm really happy with what I have right now. I'm hoping someone on this thread can direct to a place local to downtown Cincy where I can hear some good equipment.

I'm 24 and I moved here about a year ago, so I'm probably not as hardcore about the Bengals, Reds, or Skyline Chili as your average Cincinnatian, but I'm learning.

Anyway, thanks for putting this thread together.

-Dusty
This is typical Cinti. Bunch of well meaning folks who can't quite get on the same wavelength. Can you say the "Banks". :>) It is amazing this thread has gone on this long. The first time I have seen it.

I did e-mail Tom, "Ruebent", to say hello when one of his thread replies included a mention of "Tall Stacks". Nice guy. He mentioned his desire to pull audio lovers together from in the area, but I would imagine Tom is like most of us, fighting to find time to sit and listen for ourselves, never mind organize a club.

I have also been the Audible Elegance route. Lou is more than a little testy, but he hears like I do (old?), so the recommendatios have worked out. Mark is very different and very easy to deal with.

I started with (and still have) a pretty much out of the box system. Arcam Alpha 10 and Castle Towers from one of their scratch and dent sales. Have MG 1.6's (new), another Arcam amp and pre, and Alpha 9 and CD23 players (used from agon).

As you can see, pretty 1 dimensional in experience. It would be fun and educational to hear systems that build on a different concept. If it ever gets started include me in.

Cheers and Happy Holidays from the Queen City.

Jim Still
Hello I live in dayton .I am an ex new yorker that has taken my audiophile addiction to the midwest I own over 7000 lps and my system consists of My lp12 linn sondek with all linn mods including an ekos tonarm.I just purchased a Lyra Skala and love it!
Ky preamp is the top of the line Bat51se tubed the Bat 75se amp all feeding my Virgo 3 speakes Lets get together I have a small group here in dayton you could join us too for a listening session
harvey kushner
937-312-1009
Liberty Township, just north of Cincinnati, is my home. Maggies is my love!! Would love to get a group going!!

Email me if interested!!
arizona. chili is a whole different deal here of course....i will check again, but haven't seen skyline in the stores.
Jaybo, where do you live now? Skyline Chili is available in the canned chili section at a lot of regional grocery stores. If you can't get it where you live, let me know. I'll send you a few.

Enjoy,

TIC
i still get a twinge for skyline....we have a recipe thats pretty close, but those tiny hot dogs can't be beat....and dinners at the montgomery inn.
Wow! It's amazing to see this thread alive after all this time. What is really funny is that I moved away from Cinti in 2002..all the way to Caracas, Venezuela!

Returned to the city in July 2005, but my system was in storage for close to a year while I built a house. We moved into the new house May 2006, and the system is now assembled again (though not yet fully fine tuned). I did meet several audiophiles in the area (including Slowhand and Flethcj)back in 2000, and we still have a small "club" (3-5 people overall) of sorts, going over to each other's houses about once a month to listen.

I actually designed my new house AROUND the listening room, with the best dimensions I could get to using the RPG Room Sizer program, double drywall ceiling and walls, dedicated circuits (3 20 amp lines), and extensive acoustic treatments from Echo Busters. My system has evolved quite a bit since 2000...Front ends are a Basis Debut vacuum with Vector arm and Benz LP cartridge, into a Pass Labs Xono phono pre..and a Muse Model 9 Signature DVD/CD player used as a transport. Preamp is a Tact 2.2X with a few MauiMods mods (more planned at the end of September). Amps are a pair of CJ Premier 8 XS (triode), and a pair of Marantz 200 watt monoblocks to drive the subwoofers. Speakers are now the Kharma 3.2 FE monitors, and a pair of Tact W210 sub-woofers. Still fine tuning the positioning and Tact correction curves/eq...but the sound is pretty decent.

Anyway, still up for a more extended "club". I volunteer to pull together an email distribution list if you email me at cedeno.alex@gmail.com
TIC...couldnt resist poking fun at Cinci.....I grew up on the Ohio River (Portsmouth) and Bogarts in Cinci was THE place for many of the great shows I saw.
Hello Im a tube maniac myself!! Bat 51se bat 75se
all tube system all analog too!Linn sondek ekos helicon soon to have la skala.We could get together in dayton with some of my other tube buddies r u up for it let me know
Harvey
937-312-1009
Hamilton,Ohio here Alexc

Has any thing started with the club?

If so add me to your e-mail list ...
Jaybo,

Cincinnati is like that town in the movie "Citty Chitty Bang Bang". In the town in Vulgaria, children were forbidden by the dutchess. They were there, in hiding, but you didn't see them out on the streets!

There are lots of audiophiles in Cincinnati. You just never see any of them! In fact, there are at least a couple of reviewers for major audiophile magazines that live in The Queen City of the West (well, it was the west in the 1800s!).

Interestingly enough, I know of at least 5 different manufacturer of audiophile products that live in Cincinnati too.

Enjoy,

TIC
(Tom In Cincinnati)
I am located in Independence, KY, 15 min south of Cincinnati, Ohio. I manufacture high end audio products. See this link: www.morrowaudio.com

I am always open for a get together for some audio fun!
Hello,
I live in central ohio and have had a tough time finding grear to audition. I am planning a trip to Louisville, Lexington, Cincy, and Columbus. Louisville is the final destination, so I can audition a few pairs of speakers, a preamp, and hopefully a few other items.
Anyone else interested in a road trip?
Or want to be a pit stop on this trip?
I have talked to 3 guys so far that I hope to be able to meet with, I will make the trip in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks
I live in Lexington, KY. Would be very interested in meeting other audiophiles and hearing other people's systems. A local club would be a great idea.
I live in the Cincinnati area (Northern Kentucky, to be exact). I would be interested in hearing about any local club or other audiophile activities. I have heard that there is a new high end audio store (Red Brick Audio) in the Mt. Adams area, although I have not yet visited the shop personally.
Although not in Cincy. I'm just up the road in Cowtown, but would be willing to take part in something. Keep me in the loop.
Once again, count me in on any Cincy group activities. I've put together quite a mix of equipment that I think works well together in a combined HT/Stereo system anchored with Thiel CS6s up front.
Hey Cinci Audiophiles,

I still like the idea of starting a small club to get together occasionally.

I also have an idea about creating a mailing list to send out "pre-notices" when we are going to sell something on AudiogoN. I've now bought 3 or 4 pieces from local guys, including "slowhand" (Hi Tom!) who replied above.

It's nice buying locally as you can sometime audition the piece and you don't have to worry about the UPS gorillas messing up your hi-end audio pieces.

Anyone know an easy way to create and share a mailing list?

Enjoy,

TIC
(Tom In Cincinnati)
So, I just stumbled onto this thread. Has anyone gotten together? I'd love to hear some different systems and some interesting music. I've also done a fair amount of diy - most of my system is home-built. Good to hear there are others around here; sometimes it feels like a wasteland here in Cincy (especially on the West Side)...
So what kind of music is being enjoyed in Cincinnati? Myself, I would like to get into the classics a bit more deeply. My favorites at the moment are choral pieces from the Renaissance and jazz from the likes of John Coltrane and Miles Davis but I have to say that being 45 classic rock is still close to my heart. Also like some of the jams of mm&w. Well, happy listening. Anyone want to share music finds is welcome.
I'm a musicholic in N.Ky,about 15 min south of Cincy,my name is Bill(Sully)I am also interested in getting something together,I'm in to vinyl,although I lost much music in a flood some years back,always looking to share the experience,the only person in the area into audio is my good friend Lake513.....lets get it on!
I'm in Cincinnati, but I'm a college student and just getting started in the audiophile stuff. The only decent part of my system is a Rega P2, but so far I haven't been able to find anyone in the city that will show me how to align the cartridge, so I still can't listen to it. Does anyone in Cincinnati know someone/someplace that can help me? thanks; kenny
Almost forgot....I also build furniture on a small scale if anyone needs something custom...
Hi- Fi everyone! I'm between cincy and indy and visit a few shops in indy and have also been to audible elegence a couple of times. Getting back into vinyl right now on a small scale. Anyone out there ride motorcycles and/or play music? I play guitar and bass and always looking for that elusive groove.
Hi,
I too, live in Cincinnati, home of the mighty Bengals. (yeah, I'm laughing right now)I have had the pleasure, of knowing a few, of the Cincy philes, but don't get a lot of free time. There are a bunch of us, everywhere.

Fletchj
I live in the middle between Dayton and Cincinnati and have been in the process of upgrading and learning. I would have loved to had someone to bounce all of this information off of. I also have been to Audible Elegance and even purchased a pre-amp from them. While the were friendly and somewhat helpful, I wasn't overwhelmed by them. After that purchase, I bought everything else used on audiogon.
Hi,

I am in the Cincy area as well, and am also interested in a club, get together, what ever.

Best Regards,

Lou
ok so there are a few of us nut's here any body want to get it started? lets meet at a public place for drinks or coffee how about it?
Howdy Gang,

Tom here. I'm another Cincinnati Audiophile. I'm good friends with sbrown who replied earlier. I'm all for forming a small group. There are many people in/around Cincinnati that are into HiFi and several are fans of low-powered SET amps.

Personally, I buy lots of different stuff on AudiogoN. Try it for a while and if it doesn't "float my boat", I re-sell. Consequently, I have a lot of different stuff to listen to.

Current stuff:

Jeff Korneff 6DQ5/EL-84 SE tube amp
BottleHead Paramours 2A3 SET tube amps
Anthem Amp 1 40 watt P-P tube amp
Anthem Integrated 1 25 watt/ch P-P tube integrated

Cary CD-308
Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD/SACD
Birdland Odeon Lite DAC

Reference 3A MM De Capo Monitors
Adire HE10.1 Monitors

HT system too, but not my bag!!!

Enjoy,

TIC (Tom In Cincinnati)
TIC(insert @ here)cinci.rr.com
hello why not call and compare notes ,what are you afraid of 3121009 HarveyKushner
Wow! I never knew there were that many guys into audio in Cincy. It would be great to have a few get togethers for some informal listening. Like alot of the people who already responded, I deal with Progressive in Columbus. I like the relaxed atmosphere up there and the ability to sit around and play music without any hassle. A great place to hang out. As for my system, it's built around a pair of Quad USA monitors. Hope to hear from yall!
Ron,

Progressive has a demo Arcam FMJ CD23 player that sounded excellent for $1700. I would check it out if I were you.
Hello: Do you need an old fart in your club? I'm in the White Oak area. I'm starting a new 2 channel system in the basement and so far I have Vandy 3A sig. Theta Dreadnaught amp and ARC LS25 pre. All I need is CDP and having a hard time deciding.Hope to hear from ya'll. Happy Holidays..Ron
Wow, is right! I started this venture into Hi-Fi a few years ago and it is nice to know that there are other here in Cinci. with the same ailment.

I am interested in a local Audio club. I can be contacted via email. RalphL@aquionics.com
Wow great to here there are other audiophiles in cincy I live in Columbia Tusculum area and would love to here from other audio nuts any time .I have 3 systems in My house the big rig has Basis 2001 TT, Graham 1.5T, arm Benz Ruby, AI mod 3A ,Alon 5's , VTL 125 mono block's ,Theta Jade transport, Theta DS pro basic 3 D/A, e-mail Me at [maneil@fuse.net] yes I would like to form a club or get a informal group going some time
As another fellow Audiophile from Cinci,I too have had experience with Lou and company at Audible Elegance. In all fairness, they have treated me well and have given me advice that I found useful. Don't look for any good deal though, everything is full MSRP. While not my favorite store, I do like having them in town so I buy from them accordingly.

I also visit Progressive in Columbus. I try to purchase from the dealer who helped me with most with each purchase or who has the equipment I need.

If anyone is considering starting a Local Club it please contact me as I would be interested.