This is a formal invitation (but a casual affair) to a listening session in my home in Green Bay on May 22 at 1:00pm. Anyone in Wisconsin, or who happens to be in Wisconsin at that time is invited to join in.
As far as I know there are four people who are already planning to be there.
Please bring along any music you might want to hear. I have a turntable, CDP/SACD player. Sorry no eight track, reel to reel (it's not working right now) or cassettes.
There will be an assortment of beverages, and there is also the possibility of snacks and dessert.
I hope to see plenty of music lover there! |
If anyone needs directions for next weekend please let me know from where you are coming and I will give you either directions or an address so you can use mapquest or whatever! |
Nate, thank you for the hospitality, what a great time, 6 hours plus of listening pleasure. Great music, great people, it was a wonderful experience for me. GD & Wilbur, thanks for everything. Till next time, Paul |
Nate, I go along with Paul. It was a great time and a good experience to get together and hear your rig and share experiences with other audiofools ;-). To see and hear other musical ideas also will probable hit me in the pocket book since there was some great music that I hadn't heard before. This is an idea that others can do and is alot of fun. Thanks again. Greg aka Wilbur. |
I'm glad people had a good time. There was certainly room for more, but a smaller group allows for more input/choices. Foodman what was the columbia radio cd you had? I didn't write it down, but would like to try finding a copy for myself.
I just got back from Chicago where I had a chance to stop at the Virgin Megastore. I picked up seven or eight LPs including a Fairport Convention LP which I bought because we were talking about them. Next time we can try to spin some of those.
Thanks to everyone who came over 5/22/04! Maybe someone else can plan to do that next month!?! |
We had so much fun last month, but several people who wanted to attended, or did not know about the meeting have expressed interest in getting together so we will be sitting around and listening to music as a group again on June 19th.
Anyone interested is welcome. Again, it is a low-key, casual affair. Bring some music!
There is a good chance that we will be visiting a few homes this time around. Squidboyw said he would be glad to have people come over and listen there too.
I hope to hear from you soon. |
Hi Nate,
Thanks for organizing this, I'll be there on the 19th. Please let me know directions, times etc..
Carl |
I'm open to those hearty souls who don't mind a little dirt and dog hair (OK, a lot of dog hair), coming over to listen, after we are done at Nate's. We had a great time last time, and I am looking forward to more of the same.
In terms of tunes, I can handle LP, CD, & R2R (qtr track), so bring your music on! |
I'm looking for some folks to do a DAC shootout with. I recently built a DDDAC1543 and would love to measure it with the Ack! and other popular gear in use around here.
I'm just outside of Madison minutes off the interstate and 151 (Sun Prairie).
Anyone interested? By the time this comes together I'll also have one of these infamous tweaked Toshiba 3950s to demo ;-)
here's my system as of earlier this year - the DAC is not on the page yet:
http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/audio/
Peter |
Peter, I always wanted to hear your system. You must have over a thousand posts on Audio Asylum and I read all your work.
I have many modified components, tweaks, and isolation too, but they are not DIY. I wanted to hear yours compared to mine. I use electrostats so the boxless sound is similar to your Magnepans and maybe that would interest you. Want to check it out?
I live in Madison. Duke from Wisconsin |
hehe - most of my asylum posts are probably things like "can somebody help me with this darn C4S voltage reading?" ;-)
yeah, definitely, we should get together. I'm busy this week and weekend, but beyond that we could plan a small meeting to get exp[osed to another system and some different components. It becomes difficult to keep a perspective over where your system is going once you simply blow away your best friend's setup. After that you need some A/B on site testing to get a feel for where the next step has to be taken.
I'm very interested in hearing some electrostats.
How do we go about this? I don't see a way to email you directly here, but you can probably find my email on my web site or reach me via Audiogon. I just don't want to post emails and phone #'s here.
check the http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/audio/dddac1543/ directory to get an idea for what's next on my web site and what I want to compare with other DACs. the actual web page for it will go up shortly - I just need to sort out the information I accumulated and write up my experience building the thing.
anyway - contact me with an email I can respond to privately and we can get things rolling. Others in the Madison area are welcome to join - I grill some mean beer brats ;-)
Peter |
There are several of us in Green Bay who have been meeting on a regular basis, sometimes as often as once a week. We just listen to music and swap wives, I mean gear!!! I know most of us would enjoy a road trip, even if it was to Madison. If no one has any objections we'll tag along if anything gets organized.
Let us know what to bring along as far as gear or food and libation. |
I placed a notice in Stereophile, and possibly will do the same in TAS that there will be a meeting of the Northeast Wisconsin Audiophile Society on October 9, 2004 in Green Bay.
This is not limited to people from any particular area. It's just more a means of identification. Everyone is invited, welcome, whatever. We have had several get-togethers over that last five months and met several new friends. Even more importantly we had a good time.
Please let me know if you have any interest (or if you don't have any interest but are still planning to attend) and we will plan accordingly. Beverages and snacks are typically provided.
Last Saturday we had someone new drive up from Milwaukee. It was nice to get to know another audiophile, but if I get enough responses from certain areas I can try to coordinate things so people can carpool if they are interested.
Let me know. |
I'll try to keep that Saturday open. I'd be driving from Madison and have room for a passenger or two with some gear. |
Hey, fellow Wisconsinites-
Just happened by this thread to see what was shaking in WI this fall. Unfortunately, I was out of town in June and missed Nrchy's email. Anyway, I'm fairly new to audiophilia and haven't gotten to hear many different systems yet, so if no one minds a young ragamuffin newbie hanging around in October I will try and keep my schedule clear.
I'd be happy to bring any gear from my system--the JJ243 is rather an enigma in the US and may be of interest; I also have a Furman AR1215 voltage regulator that I can pull out of my recording studio if desired.
Feel free to drop me an email-
Brian, aka Dirty
Oh, P.S. I'm located in Oshkosh =) |
Pburke, I'm pretty sure Boss302 will be coming up from Madison for the get together. I don't want to offer rides for anyone, but it might be easier if the two of you can work something out.
Anyone who wants to come for the October meeting is welcome. I'm still working on a format and possibly someone to speak for a moment or two. Rooze and I have been talking about getting a semi-permanant location for a group to meet, but this seems to be down the road a little still.
If anyone has ideas or suggestions for a meeting please let me know. |
The announcement appeared in Stereophile in the October issue. I haven't seen the October issue of The Absolute Sound, but it should be there too.
I got one response already from a Gentleman who plans to attend for the first time.
Hope to see the rest of you there October 9th, except of course for Boss302 (who is wimping out on us!!! Not really.) |
I don't know if driving 2500 miles with an 83 year old lady is wimping out but man, I wish I was going to be there, Nate. If anyone is thinking of going to Green Bay for this I highly recommend that you do. Great people and great gear all within 10 to 20 minutes. Pburke, sorry I'm not going to make it but we should try getting something like this going in the Madison area. Maybe in Nov. I will give it a try as long as I still have my job. Guys in Green Bay, I will be trying to make it up there within the next 2 weeks. Love to hear the changes in everybody's gear.
Greg |
P.S. That 83 year old lady is my mom and I 'm really looking forward to this trip. New York, here we come!!! |
Can't you get a younger date Greg? Eighty three is old even for you! I wish you were going to be there, but maybe next time. Have fun. |
Sounds great, I plan on being there on the 9th. Nrchy, will there be space for me to bring an interested friend?
-Dirty =) |
Everything seems to be falling into place for the meeting on Saturday the 9th. I have had several responses from people who saw the announcement in Stereophile. TAS did not post the announcement, I'm not sure why, but... what can you do?
Anyone who needs directions, please contact me. I'm looking forward to meeting some new folks on Saturday! |
The meeting went off without a hitch. There were three people that have not attended one of these listening session/meetings before, and it was fun to meet some new people.
There is serious interest in establishing a Wisconsin Audiophile Society. One of the people is working on getting a webpage started. We plan on having several useful features such as links to all the Stereo and music shops in the state, plus reviews and system posts.
We should be meeting again in either November or December. |
To follow on from Uppermidfi's post above, we are now looking at firming up on the November 20th meeting and also December and January. On January 22nd we are being joined by Robert from Ridge Street Audio, who has very generously offered to make the trip to Green Bay and demonstrate his new speakers and also various cables. We need to firm up on a list of people who are going to be at this meeting, since we will almost certainly end up with more people wishing to attend than we can actually accommodate. If you are not registered with NEW Audio Society yet, please click the link and use the Join Us button at the top of the page. We can then get you on the circulation list for the upcoming meetings and hopefully get to meet up with you in the coming weeks. |
Dear Wisconsinite's,
We still have room for a couple of people at the January 22nd meeting in De Pere, WI.
Ridge Street Audio will be attending the meeting and presenting their new Sasson Ltd. Loudspeaker along with various cables from their range.
Please contact me via email if you are interested in attending, or visit our website at www.newaudiosociety.com for more information.
We welcome all new members to the group, so please join us if you can....past meetings have been a lot of fun!
Rooze |
Oh,you poor guys! I hope you all made it up to Green Bay in the snow without mishap.I would still like to attend, but am working in the ER today. Let's try to get a meeting together in the Madison area. Also, Roose, I am impressed with your timber-frame house. I also am in a hardwood timberframe and love it, but wonder how much the hard edges screw-up the sound. I notice major problems with the ceiling fan diffracting the sound. |
Thanks to everyone who made it to the January 22nd meeting in De Pere. The bad weather cut our attendance by a few people, but those who made it seemed to have a good time.
A special thanks to Robert and Steve of Ridge Street Audio Design who made the trip from Indiana with various cables and their new Sason Ltd Loudspeakers. Excellent products, great sounding speakers and great folks to be with.
Reviews are being written and will appear on www.newaudiosociety.com in a few days.
Thanks
Rooze |
I have to 'pile on' Rooze's post. Wow, did we have a good time! Lots of good music, plenty of good company, and too much good food! Thanks Rooze! The ride in the snow was worth it to hear a few real quality products from Ridge Street Audio Design. More info is available at http://www.newaudiosociety.com I hope to see you all next month at the February meeting. |
Steve from SAS Audio Labs will be demonstrating his amps and cables to the North Eastern Wisconsin Audio Society (NEWAS) on the 26th of February 2005. The meeting will be held at Loki's place north of Milwaukee, and will commence at 1pm. Everyone is invited to attend, but please notify us ahead of time so we can cater for the right number of people. To learn more about the meeting and club activity, please visit us at http://www.newaudiosociety.comSteve's web site is http://www.sasaudiolabs.comPlease email with questions and for directions. Thank You! Rooze |
Like many of you, I have wanted to be in an audio group my whole life. Up till now the petition has prevented this possibility. Since the statute of limitations expired about three years ago, this club is now a reality. I have had the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting people since the organization has been established including manufacturers, and other audio lovers. Several of these new acquaintances are even worth knowing. One of the most knowledgeable fellows is the gentleman who established the NEWAS website. I have learned many things from him that the average reader would not care to know. I have learned his friends call him Ol tin ear, but I would never presume to be so informal. To me he will always be known a Mr Tin Ear. I remember a time when we were out for dinner... but I guess this would not be the right time to talk about something like THAT.
Meetings of the Northeast Wisconsin Audiophile Society in many ways remind me of college lectures. A mass of humanity is prepared to attend, others are caught up in the swarm of excitement, and anticipation. A whirlpool exercises less of an impact on the sea around it than the possibility of a meeting of the Society. Then somewhere between the threshold and the door, the mass dissolves, leaving a smaller group of flotsam than one might have preferred. There is the wonder of where everyone else went, but once inside it would be impolite to get up and walk out. I generally show up for the food and beverages. Once the both of them are gone and/or someone starts talking about collecting money to cover the hosts costs, it time for me to make a sudden and secretive exit. Windows are an excellent and often overlooked (other than by burglars) escape route. I include that for your own future reference. My windows are sealed for this very reason.
Steve Sammet is a gentleman in every sense of the word. He is kind, patient, and willing to share his experience with anyone. While he is not much to look at, he does possess a lack of finesse and refinement that immediately endeared him to the entire NEW AS group. In a manner such as a person would have for a brother, or a grandfather, or like the kindly neighbor who just does not know when to go home. Fortunately for us Steve lives in Illinois. He fit in altogether too well.
Steve was kind enough to bring his SAS Audio Labs 10A Active tube linestage and his monoblock tube amplifiers for the NEW AS to audition. Better people than me have reviewed Steves pre-amp, but it would be a waste of time to read their review once this one has been digested and then, well never mind.
This convocation of the NEW ASs was held in Madison at the home of someones wayward child. His own system is in disarray, as is his private life, but I would not mention that in polite company. The hosts Sony CD/SACD/DVD player was used a the single source, as it is the only one he owns. This prevented any confusion as to which source to use. I fact for which I felt a degree of gratitude. His (the host will from this point forward be referred to as: him; his; or he, since as far as I know he does not have a name. There was nothing on the mailbox) Soliloquy speakers were the only speakers used, since they were again, the only speakers he owns. All of this seemed reasonable to me.
Steve had already installed his pre-amp and amplifiers in the system when I arrived. I was actually looking for a girl I met years earlier, and was going door to door when I arrived at the meeting. I had such high hopes for the day, but I stayed anyway.
A few details about the pre-amp are in order, so here they are in no particular order. The unit has five line level inputs, and one tape loop. I dont know how many people still use the tape loop, but it makes the unit look more full featured, so damn the costs! The 10A Active has two sets of output jacks. I did not have access to the tubes, so I cannot comment with accuracy, just let me say the were JJ 6922's. The powercord was not detachable which was a little disappointing since there are so many expensive PCs on which a person can waste their money. I know, I have six different PCs collecting dust in my system. There is a switch on the back of the unit which allows the listener to switch polarity. Oddly enough, this is too often an issue, when it ought not to be, that Steve thinks of everything. While the 10A Active is not as beautiful as some of the ultra-high end gear out there, or even as beautiful as me, for that matter, it doesnt look like something that Steve put together in his garage. He did after all put it together in his workshop, and the distance from the garage is obvious to all who notice it.
I am of the opinion that only bad music should be used to audition gear, and from what I heard, everyone there agreed with my theory. Bad music allows the listener to concentrate on the equipment, and not get caught up in the emotion of the music. Steve had a CD of a trio of women singing that reminded me of grating cheese with the old fashioned wash-board type grater in the sense that hearing them sing was like repeatedly dragging ones knuckles across the grater. Perfect for the situation! The SAS 10A displayed a level of refinement that I had not heard on the hosts system during my previous visits, while he was out of town. The hosts own system consisted of a Krell KBL pre-amp and an older JVC M30/30 class A amp. As anyone with one functional ear will tell you, there is a distinct difference between the sound of a solid state system and a system comprised of mainly tube equipment. Many people with two functional ears will argue this though.
After a litany of bad music, so overwhelming in its width and breath I was able to draw a few conclusions. Unfortunately I do not recall what any of them were, so I will have to rely on my memory. Now what were we talking about? Anyway, the equipment from SAS Audio Labs presented a different aural picture than the Krell/JVC combo. The SAS gear seemed a little more laid back and softer. While a tight, defined soundstage is pleasant to hear, it is not often present in live concerts, not to the degree that some gear presents it. My own preference would be for something somewhere between what the Krell/JVC showed, and what was evident from the SAS Audio gear. The SAS gear provided a little less bass than one might have experienced in the hosts system, both in volume and definition. This is not to say that the SAS combo is weak in bass, just that other will provide it in a fuller degree.
A few of the NEWASs expressed concern over some of the things which appeared to be missing, like their wallets, but thats another issue. I was not aware of it at this point but Steve had replaced the hosts Purist Audio Design interconnect, and speaker cables with something of his own manufacture. It was decided to remove Steves cable and replace the hosts cable. Purist cable is known to be finicky, and does not respond well to being moved. Just like my own children in the morning With the Purist cables in place, many of my own complaints were eliminated. The softness to the midrange was replaced with something closer to the magic that tubeophiles preach about, the bass was stronger, and more detailed. Even the bad music sounded more palatable. The fact of the matter is this...
About this time the Pizza arrived. I dont recall the name of the Pizzeria from which we ordered, but the food was first rate. Probably too good for a bunch of third rate four flushers in attendance. Five of the six drinks I brought along were gone, so I drank the seventh. After we ate... are getting tired of this also?
...the pre-amp was a very good piece of gear. Steve has spent a lot of time upgrading his proven design. He claims that he can make it sound like whatever pre-amp a listener might want to emulate, but that is not his purpose. He wants to make, and maybe even sell a great quality, neutral sounding pre-amp. He doesnt want to run with the big dogs, hed probably rather nap with a small kitten, but he will continue to produce a bargain priced (in my opinion) unit that is bound to please a music lover without a nine figure income. Okay Ill stop.
If I might point out something I did not like about the unit it would be the dual potentiometers. Im not sure I understand the need for them, but I trust that Steve has a reason for using them. Maybe they were on sale. I find it more work than needed, to try to get both adjustments set perfectly. I would also like to see balanced inputs, because I like the way they look. I dont know how much sense that would make since I dont know if the circuitry is truly balanced. It is difficult to find an aspect of the SAS pre-amp to fault. Its not as good as the $15,000 pre-amps, but its better than many cost a few times as much as the 10A. If you want to pretty pre-amp, keep looking, if you want a pre-amp that beautifies the music, check this one out.
Steve will answer questions at: www.sasaudio@bwsys.net |
Great meeting at Doc's in Port Washington WI on Sunday April 17th - Thanks to Doc for hosting us.
Those of you who have not been able to attend a meeting yet, please check-out our past meeting notes here: www.newaudiosociety.com/schedule.htm
You'll see the meetings are friendly and informal gatherings with occasional representation from local manufacturers.
Please keep an eye on our website and schedule and join us at an upcoming meeting if you can.
Cheers
Rooze |
The next NEWAS club meeting is Sunday May 29th at 1pm in De Pere. We hope to have a couple of goodies to play with, the DEQX room correction unit and hopefully a set of gold IC's from new cable manufacturer Pear Cables. (Check out their website, it's very informative). Music will be delivered via SimAudio powered Magnepan 3.6R's, an ARC pre and various front-ends, all digital. YOU are invited so please attend. There will be light refreshments, light beer and the usual light hearted banter. Email me for directions, we hope to see you there! Rooze |
Thanks to all who were able to attend the meeting in De Pere on Memorial Day weekend, it was a fun time! Notes from the meeting are here: http://newaudiosociety.com/meetings/05-29-2005.htmThanks to Adam at Pear Cable for supplying a set of IC's for review at the meet. (www.pearcable.com) The next meeting is at Dan's in Green Bay on June 11th 2005. We hope to see you there - kick off at 1pm. Please email me for directions. Rooze |
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Anyone who agrees with Rooze on everything is welcome to stop by for a listen, otherwise your opinions are marginalized. |
definatley. sign me up. madison resident here. newb audiophile! |
Hi,
I live about 20 miles east of Stevens Point. Anyone near this area? I would be glad to host a get together, or attend other get togethers. G.B. not too far. Look forward to it, thanks.
Matt |
Mrmatt, There's a group of Wisco 'philes in the GB, Fox Valley, MKE and MSN areas communicating and occasionally meeting--some very different system setups and ethos but everyone is respectful and enjoys hearing different rigs. Have a peek at http://newaudiosociety.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl |
