Nrchy, I should add that this is only a suggestion. I don't want to be the one offering your home for the meeting place. I'm glad you picked up on the idea and would be thrilled to get together even if it wasn't a meeting per se. To think I didn't even have a stereo setup during the first meeting! |
Definately informal for now. After attending the first meeting it would be good to get people together just to talk and learn and trade stories. It would be nice to just get something going instead of just talking about it. |
Saturdays are good for me. We can meet late morning or early afternoon. I don't know if there should be a format to the meetings or if it's just sitting and listening to everybodies favorites. Let me know what people want to do. |
Well, if you'd update your system with the new pre maybe more people would show up! Nate, love to hear the new stuff and see Suzy and GD. Next meeting in Green Bay? I see the posts on the Wisconsin thread, why don't we try and start tne next meeting.
Greg |
Suzy I wish we could get something together in Green Bay, but I'm afraid there aren't very many of around anymore. I bought a Counterpoint SA 5.1 Pre-amp from you (actually I think it was Gregs) several years ago.
I have a few other friends and relatives in town who would like to get together and listen and learn. Nothing seems to be going on with the rest of the people who responded to this initially. Would you be interested in trying to get a meeting together here? We could meet at my house which is only about three miles from you. Anyone else is welcome to show up, although when they see what equipment I have they might not be interested! Squidboy will be there, I think. |
I live in Green Bay and write for The Absolute Sound. I also have a very small audio message board at www.audioinsiders.com where myself and a few other friends hang out. You guys are welcome to stop by and say hello. It would really be nice to get to know a few other audiophiles in the area. |
Noel,
Hello, I see you have been very busy. I am Roy Ramsey the guy you purchased the SFL-2 from in Appleton. I hope that you enjoy it! I sometimes second guess parting with it. But isn't that the case with most sound lovers?
I am interested in participaing in something in our state. I look forward to hearing from anyone that wants to chat about this obsession we call audio.
regards,
Roy |
Sorry about dropping the ball on this one some months ago but my attention was redirected to community organizing and foster dogs that were to be put to sleep and now are happy to have loving moms and dads. I will try to get back to this in a few weeks after things settle down. Otherwise if someone can help please email directly.
In the meantime, if you want a smile on your face and you have a hi-speed connection I made a slide video with music (Beatles, Two of Us) dedicated to my fosters I still have and those that found new loving homes ( go to the link below and double click on the thumbnail, turn up your speakers (all the software you need on your computer is a recent copy of the MS Windows Media Player and a recent or most recent MS Internet Explorer) :
http://www.fototime.com/inv/7868B0982A4DC80
Cheers !
And keep your heart open to fosters. They never forget! |
It's time to put another meeting together. Were any plans made at the last meeting to do something again? This is the slow time of year for most of us, so lets do it soon. |
I'm still interested, but never heard back from anyone. |
I'm interested in attending . Let me know the dates |
Successful Launch:
The first ever Wisconsin Audiophile Society (Society) met at the Rathskeller in the Memorial Union,. UW - Madison on Saturday, March 29, 2003. The first meeting lasted about two hours and brought together 8 participants with all but one (Green Bay) coming from Dane County. The group first shared their interests outside of audio equipment to help introduce each other at a personal level. People shared their wide ranging interests that included volunteer community work, dogs, family, and 60s and 70s cars.
Several expressed a desire to get to know the equipment that each had so that feelings about equipment synergy could be discussed at future meetings. Included in this discussion were thoughts about effective tweaks including tuning Dots, vibration dampening devices, sources of tubes, tube rolling experiences, power conditioning, dedicated power lines, and power cords. Many of my earlier thoughts, expressed in the Audiogon Wisconsin Club Thread, on the construction of the society around the idea of friendship, community support of local dealers and repair personal, and sharing of audio perspectives came out. Also the desire of catering to local restaurants/bars, farmers markets, local music scenes, and other local attractions during our meetings in other parts of Wisconsin seemed to ring true for all members. This later point came from the desire not only to help out our fellow Wisconsinites but also to explore the Audiophile lifestyle or for us to learn what exactly that means in its many colors. Whatever that means I am sure it has something to do with connection with the soul.
The Society members spent a good deal of time swapping stories in how all they came to this point in their audiophile lives. Names from the seventies like Dynaco, McIntosh, Advent appeared more than once in members stories of their early years. Of course, I had to break the mold in waxing about my early years in the mid-1960s with thoughts on old Marantx and Mac tube gear driving AR and KLH speakers.
Future Plens: We are tentatively planning on meeting every 2 months and seeing how that works out with everyones schedule. Maybe less often during the winter months when we might spend more time visiting local members homes for local listening sessions. Among the other plans is to have company representatives put on their dog and pony shows for others and us at local dealers. Probably the most ambitious of all the general goals of the society is to spread the word about hi-end audio to our younger people.
Does anyone want to host the next meeting which will occur near the end of May or beginning of June 2003? If so, pass on your thoughts to me and I will get them out to others.
In the meantime, members please continue to send me your current equipment make up, Audiogon Ids, and other thoughts for improving the society. Send to my direct e-mail and not through the Audiogon.com post (here).
Cheers! |
I will try get some minutes up on Sunday about last Saturday's meeting. It was a fun time and I would have got some notes up earlier except I got the flu bug the next day and was wiped out till mid-week. |
I wasn't able to make last weeks meeting. Can someone tell me what happened? Thanks. |
Updates:
1.) I contacted the Rathskeller. The assistant I talked to said they will have someone there by 1pm for our meeting to open up the tap beer bar.
2.) If the UW-Madison, Mens basketball team can manage to knock off #1 Kentucky today (thursday, 3/27) there might be ton of people crowding into the Rathskeller about 3:00p (according the semi-final schedule of 3:30p CST tipoff I saw on www.cnn.com) to watch the game on the big screen TVs. If that happens we'll play it by ear but presumably our meeting will be done by then and some of us can just watch the game.
3.) Weather for Saturday, so far, looks like cloudy with high of 38 low of 17. But there looks like snow and/or rain on Friday. So please plan accordingly.
4.) Come to the meeting having given thought to a Mission Statement of the Audiophile Society. Among things I would like to see are some measures, over time, to get the word out to our younger people about the joys of music heard through hi-end audio. I hope our hobby and dedicated manufacturers of hi-end equipment do not die when we do. Other things to consider is the role of manufacturers and dealers in our society, the nature and protocol for home visits to hear music through our equipment etc.
5.) If you want to make a listing of your equipment or the key components and bring that with you I can compile the information and e-mail it back to the rest of the group. This can serve many purposes including opening dialog among members about their equipment synergy, maybe a power cord or interconnect (for example) could be brought along for insertion in another person's system during a listening session, etc.
6.) Bring your relaxed attitudes and lets have fun with this ! Bring some quarters (think it takes quarters) for the Juke Box. I will be wearing a red T-shirt or red sweatshirt. I am avg ht/weight on the firmer side of average :-), brown hair/blue eyes. Maybe others can wear red if they have it. Assuming others wear red you can look for a much of older guys (like me)and some younger wearing red. I will try to pick up some name tags as well. So look for: name tags, red tops, and faces on the Autumn side of graduate school.
See you at the Rathskeller at 1pm Saturday March 29th !!! |
I'm sorry to have to miss this first meeting, but I hope everyone has a great time. I will be watching for the next!!! |
Any others for tap beer? We need about 10 people wanting tap beer for the Rathskeller to open the bar early. Need to know by March 24 or I will assume we will go with bottled beer or non-alcoholic beverages available at the Rathskeller and Billards Room. |
Tap beer for me, please. I'm a Union member, BTW, and can buy.
-Gene Rankin |
The first meeting of the Wisconsin Audiophile Society, thought an Audio Society might mean Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctor Society to some :-), is just around the corner: March 29th at 1pm Rathskeller in the Memorial Union on Lake Mendota UW-Madison). As such, I would like a read on the number of people who would be fine with bottled beer and those that want tap beer (we have to let them know in advance to get the bar guy to come in earlier than his/her normal 3pm start). If I do not hear back I assume people are not interested in beer or bottled beer will be fine. Thanks! |
Okay, I suppose I can just stop back here every once in awhile to see what's going on. Good luck with your club. |
Updates: Check back here.
I will try to collect e-mail addresses of those that have e-mailed me and let others know of significant updates. But coming back to this post is probably best. Also, since this thread is getting so long it might be an advantage at some point to start another thread. But for now, just pop back here. |
I'm not sure I can make the first meeting, but would appreciate if someone could keep me updated as to future get-togethers. I live in Green Bay and my email is suekraft@new.rr.com Thanks! |
The US Audio Manufacturers Map has attracted considerable interest. This helps me to plug away on it from time to time. It is unforescene if the Map project will go very far but there seems to be an "under-current" of interest when I talk about it to non-audiophiles and audiophiles. With this in mind I have created some template language I am thinking about sending to manufacturers that may manufacture their products in the US. If you visit the map and see a manufacturer that simply has an administrative office in the US and has their equipment made outside of the US please let me know via direct e-mail rather than posting your comments here (more efficient that way).
Here for your comments till March 15, 2003 (just decided to have some sort of deadline) is the template e-mail memo I plan on sending to manufacturers:
"I am producing a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map identifying companies in the US that may or may not be owned by US Entities but none-the-less have their manufacturing facilities in the US and employ US Citizens. At this point this is just a freebie (free in the sense that I am not being paid to work on it) product as part of the about to be formed "Wisconsin Audio Society" (it is a high end audio enthusiast group, we may change our name after our first meeting on March 29, 2003). Since GIS enables data base queries to produce different mapped and quickly intellectually assimilated (because the information is graphic) perspectives about records (in this case the US Audio Companies) I can develop information of almost infinite variety about these companies. These perspectives include starting date of manufacture and of current ownership, number of US citizens employed, and export market countries etc. At this point I am just looking for the most basic of information. Could you tell me where your products are manufactured and where the majority of parts are manufactured? The map at this point uses a US Zip Code database to identify locations. So any information should include full addresses with zip code.
I hope that at some point with more information collected about the related companies I , probably in conjunction with a journalist, can produce very positive article(s) that point to the success of these little known, to the masses, US companies. US Companies that not only compete with the foreign mass market competition but is imported into those counties in Asia, for example, where much of the mass market electronics are made under less rigorously regulated conditions and less than optimum labor conditions. Of course, since this is a freebie on my part I am not sure when this project will be or if it will be "completed" but already there seems to be quite a bit of interest in the concept of celebrating the US companies that compete on world stage while still employing people under favorable working conditions and with respect to the environment. Any thoughts on types of information you think should be included in this project would be greatly appreciated.
Here are some early maps related to the Society: http://www.fototime.com/inv/5F60B09F3573615
Here is the thread that got this thing started and to get updates:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?lclub&995054231&openusid&zzA71spud&4&5#A71spud ".
Lets see what we can do to help spread the word about these US companies that, among other things, have incredible support services (we all have our own near "kindred spirit" level of attention stories these company's support teams have provided us over the years and the reverse sort of "support" from less "interested" companies) and are facing incredibly stiff competition on many fronts. It was once said "Rising waters lift all ships" but the reverse is just as true "Lowering waters lowers all ships". Maybe a few, some, or most of these companies are dead horses coming out of the starting gate of this century but some positive exposure never hurts. But maybe you disagree. So let me know. It is a free country......well mostly anyway. |
Invites:
Some of you have mentioned that you are having one or two people come along. I and all but one of the other members agree we should not be inviting factory representatives or their proxy: Audio Dealers, or at the very least, not have them attend our the first meeting or meetings when the rest of the group did not ask them to attend. I am sure it would be fine for them to know that there is a focused interest in 2-channel hi-end stereo in Wisconsin demonstrated, in part, by our interest in forming a club around that idea. Almost all of them seem like great people and fun to be around. But for now, lets keep the obvious vested interest groups out. In fact, another factory rep from Wisconsin said it would not be appropriate for him or any other rep or dealer attend unless explicitly invited to come present equipment or company viewpoints on technology etc at a meeting (which he for one would be glad to do). |
Rathskeller Update:
The Rathskeller does not serve tap beer till 3pm in March. But they will have bottled domestic beer at the Rathskeller and wider variety of imports in the games room (billards, etc) around the corner in the Memorial Union. However, for about 10 people attending, which we should clearly be at if everyone comes that say they will, we can have him open the tap beer section early. This all according to a conversation I had with the Rathskeller Assistant Manager today. Could everyone get back with me before mid-march and let me know what they prefer. They will certainly have some non-alcoholic drinks available as well.
I wanted to have the meeting by 1pm since that would give us enough time for a couple hour meeting or so and for most people to be back home by dusk or earlier (assuming we only meet for 2 hrs or less and this you never know) and also, hopefully, avoid the potential early morning fog and/or ice problem. The average daily air temperature high on March 29 in Madison should be in the high 30s to low 40s. So that should, hopefully, be warm enough to keep the ice down or off the roads during the afternoon but not the potential snow. However, if we have enough large SUV drivers come we might just be able to warm up the atmosphere enough that we can all go outside and enjoy the wonderful "green house" affect. :-) |
Those that are planning to attend and have not submitted their home zip code to me please e-mail directly so I can update the preliminary club map. Thanks! |
Wisconsin Audio Society Image Web Site Updated with labeled air photo base map of the area around the Memorial Union on Lake Mendota in Madison, WI. The Rathskeller is in the north central portion of the Memorial Union. Shown on the map are options for parking near the Memorial Union.
As before: When you get to the web site below click on "thumbnail" image to explode the image. Then select from various options in the dialog box to Print "photo" and to see it at various image sizes (hint: best viewed at the "original image size" option). Go to:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/5F60B09F3573615 |
For those not familar with the "famous" Rathskeller.
The Rathskeller is in the UW-Madison, Memorial Union at 800 LANGDON ST, MADISON WI 53706. They serve beer to Memorial Union Members (we have some Wisconsin Audio Club/Society members that are members and get pitchers of beer) and burgers, salads etc. They also play host to a variety of bands during different times of the year. A long time hang out for students, profs, and just people who like to let their hair down and relax. It is in the north central part of the Memorial Union looking out to Lake Mendota and famous Memorial Union Terrace. Here is a map of the Memorial Union (you can zoom in, move in four compass directions and select other campus locations for points as reference as well):
http://www.fpm.wisc.edu/map/default.asp?CampusMapNumber=83
Picture of Memorial Union Building and information about the union.
http://www.fpm.wisc.edu/map/building.asp?building=0008&wing= |
I live in Madison, and been an avid Audiophile for years, I would be interested. Nothing like good beer or wine and good music. Keep me posted. If anyone is interested we have a Site that talks about Home Theater and of Course Audio gear at http://www.htoc.net There is a forum there for discussion also.
Gar |
Wisconsin Audio Society Image Web Site Updated with more companies added to the US Map of Audio Equipment Made in America. There are many to add for sure. Thought it might be interesting to color ramp the companies by date started, date under current ownership, and number of employees. But others surely can be added depending on how much time I have for this freebie and if I decide to continue on the project. Thoughts?
As before: When you get to the web site below click on "thumbnail" image to explode the image. Then select from various options in the dialog box to Print "photo" and to see it at various image sizes (hint: best viewed at the "original image size" option). Go to:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/5F60B09F3573615 |
Please e-mail me directly rather than posting your intentions here. After I get a compilation in a 2-3 weeks I can post the results. So far it seems like about a half dozen people are planning on making it. |
I could show up with a friend or too ,thxs John K |
PS:
If you are planning to attend the first meeting please e-mail me your intentions. We certainly do not want to overrun the Rathskeller. I don't think it would be a problem if the weather happens to be warm enough to go outside. But this Wisconsin afterall. |
Wisconsin Audio Society Image Web Site Updated with more printer friendly map of members and the very beginnings of of a US Map of Audio Equipment Made in America.
As before: When you get to the web site below click on "thumbnail" image to explode the image. Then select from various options in the dialog box to Print "photo" and to see it at various image sizes. Go to:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/5F60B09F3573615 |
March 29, 2003 at 1pm. University of Wisconsin - Memorial Union, The Rathskeller is the first tentative date for the first meeting of the Wisconsin Audio Society . More information to follow.
I also updated the map of members on the internet (our numbers are growing). I put a back drop of a gray scale digital elevation model (helps give the impression of relief) along with the usual county and open water reference points. Now new and improved with a scale bar ! :- /
As before: When you get to the web site below click on "thumbnail" image to explode the image. Then select from various options in the dialog box to Print "photo" and to see it at various image sizes. Go to:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/5F60B09F3573615 |
Having come to this a tad late ... I'm in Madison, think this might be interesting. March 29 at the Rat? |
The following Saturday would be better for me. I will be out east the week you suggested. I'm looking forward to being able to attend a meeting one of these weeks! |
Bi-weekly meetings? God no. At best I would think quarterly would be all I can do except for possibly meeting with another member for a beer and listen to some music on a more impromtu basis. For example, someone nearby might want to stop over to my place to watch Brett take the Pack to the Superbowl next year. After the game we could listen to some victory music or somber music whichever the case may be. If this ever stops being fun we should dissolve the society. |
My personal thanks for all the effort you are putting into this, Nanderson. I agree with your thoughts of using our audio interest as a means of leading to other rewarding experiences. Visiting someone who has AvantGarde's in Bayfield or Pipedreams in Door County would be a great excuse to turn it into a weekend vacation.
As far as regular meetings, I personally would not be able to attend on a regular basis. Were you thinking of be-weekly? My own feeling is that quarterly might be more than enough, and perhaps even on an 'as needed' basis, but whatever materializes, I will try to support the effort.
A March 29th meeting would work for me. |
Just to throw out a tentative date to meet. How does March 29th, Saturday at 1pm sound? We can work on exact meeting location. I can only meet every other weekend and having a meeting on April 12th might be difficult for those last minute tax preparers. So the next Saturday would be April 26th which should really bring the warmer weather with it. Which Saturday works best for the rest of you? |
There was not a meeting last Saturday in Madison. I doubt other state's audio societies have generated the interconnected information. At least not in a mapped format. But to me it seems obvious how much stronger and coherent our proposed society will be if we make the mapped connections between the various parts of the electronically reproduced and live music.
In addition, I would love to go to other parts of Wisconsin and enjoy that area's richness in other ways, beyond audio equipment, as well. For example, I came across a number of home spun books discussing Wisconsin's many local treasures (from various shows on Wisconsin Public Radio):
Wisconsin's Hometown Flavors at
http://www.trailsbooks.com/books/bookdes/WIhomeFlav.html
Classic Wisconsin Weekends at
http://www.trailsbooks.com/books/bookdes/ClasWI.html
Great Wisconsin Restaurants at
http://www.trailsbooks.com/books/bookdes/GWIRest.html
Great Wisconsin Taverns at
http://www.trailsbooks.com/books/bookdes/GWITAV.html
etc etc
I am convinced that we can make these meetings a really rich and rewarding introduction to people, places, and music in various areas across Wisconsin. If somebody up in Bayfield, for example, has Avantgard Trios and he is the only audiophile up there (which I truly doubt but for the sake of argument) I would make the trip to listen to the horns, take in Lake Superior and some local recommended attractions (parks, trails, restaurants, funky old world shops, taverns). On the shorter trips, like to Madison for example, a couple hours of listening to music interrupted briefly with testing the affects of swapping power cords or interconnects (just mentioned these components because we can easily bring these with us) on the music ebb and flow can be combined with beer on Lake Mendota (had to get this in). I think we all know how geeky we can become if all we do it stress out over affects of one tube over another and that is all the meeting is about. Music becomes richer as we do. The more diverse and fun/thoughtful our lifes' experiences the more there is of us to connect to our music. We may not be able to hear a 20 Khz tone at age 75 but we can see in our minds eye the setting of the sun on a Lake Michigan august afternoon as we listen to (you put in the musical artist(s))(the movie "The Big Chill" had a bit of this music/life connection, albeit a bit corny at times). In this way, our enjoyment of audio (aka reproduced music) and how it connects us will continue to grow and give much more to us than the cash (within financial reason of course) we invested in it. You know what I am talking about (I am sure)! |
All of these are great ideas. I wonder if any of the other states have this much information available.
Any word on the meeting last Saturday in Madison??? Keep us posted |
Nrchy and others.
I have a national zip code GIS data layer. So we can add several other separate perspectives (places zip code located)to the Wisconsin map including favorite CD/LP/SACD/DVD stores, hi-end audio shops, repair centers, music venues etc. For hi-end audio stores we can create a data base with such things as top two preamp/amp, speaker, digital, and cable lines; phone number with address (for using in web based mapping sites).
I just need some time to put this together. Before I begin e-mail me your ideas regarding types of places you would like mapped. By the way, for those traveling some distance to visit a hi-end store, for example, it would be great to have some suggestions (identified by place name, zip code, address, phone number) near by for food and/or beverage. |
Nice work Nanderson. If we can ever get this off the ground your map will be most helpful. I will contact others locally and have them send their onfo along to you. |
Here is another step.
Member Locations: I thought a web site would be easier for me to update and allow members to decide if they want to download or print images. When you get to the web site below click on "thumbnail" image to explode the image. Then select from various options in the dialog box to Print "photo" and to see it at various image sizes. Go to:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/5F60B09F3573615
I will try to some more on this later this week. I am thinking it would be better to get some of this ice off the roads before having our first meeting. Say late March or Early April? Others thoughts? |
squidboyw@earthlink.net green bay, Wi 54301
Nrchy and I would probaly ride down together |
loki1957@nconnect.net
Bayside(Milw). 53217 |
Bruce Wentler
Email: bwentler@merr.com
Zip: 53901 |
Hello my name is John K, I live very near Madison ,I could probly get a few audio geeks to show up with me .let me know when the meeting will happen .hope you guys like tube gear and horns ,lol. thxs .JK |
nathanaelkern@aol.com
I'm in Green Bay along with several friends who are also interested. |
