Who R U?

Bondmanp - Phil Slepian, in central New Jersey. I work in financial services. I also serve as the meetings Chairman of the New Jersey Audio Society - njaudiosociety.com. My focus has always been on bang for the buck gear. I enjoy my modest systems more than many much more expensive ones. That's good, since I have two kids in college and one getting married soon, so I won't be doing any upgrades soon. I am a Jewish American, and observant, so I cannot attend many audio shows and events that take place on Saturdays. However, having the NJAS has made this a much less solitary hobby for me.

High there...oh oh sorry.
Hi there. I am a retired NYC C.O. of 21 years.I Served in the USAF in Germany. It was here that I was introduced to high end audio. I owned every piece in the Pioneer Spec series. (The auto-reverse on the 909 was a primo feature then.)
No less a lover of music today...my HPM100's are still with me. Check my cheap but sweet system in AUDIO Files,
Feature Member April 2013!!!

45 year old with kids still in the house. Don't have too much time to listen to music - have the late at night sessions most of the time. I enjoy both the music and the sounds the gear makes. I have spent about 15 years now building my setup. I have serious slowed down my gear acquisition as my current setup does not have the gaping holes it did 15 years ago and costs for significant improvements are through the roof. MSRP would be about $40K for the setup. But I should really get a newer DAC. I'll start milling through the used stuff tomorrow. ;)

teeball, 61 yr. old. Telecommunication Professional who loves Jazz and buying and selling Audio/Video gear. Old school Tube/Analog guy. MSRP= $80,000
And always trying to climb to the next level. Where does it end. It doesn't.

44 and getting younger. Been in to music since I was 5 years old. Really went over board with the music thing. I at one time owned 5 high end recording studios. And spent millions doing it. I loved the experience of making records and listening to music. I'm retired and I do what I love which is listening to records. I try and look back on the good memories I have of being apart of the record making process. Good times. Ya I spent to much to make my dreams a reality but if I was asked was it worth it. He'll ya. Long live music.

No 2014 posts. 64 yo from UK. Bacholors in Physics but became a CPA working in the 'ol bidnes in Houston till I got real sick in 1989. In early retirement I have grown trees, sub-divided NM mountain land, flipped houses in So Cal and now live on a disused nursery In Bonsall Califonia where I look out over Camp Pendelton with the sea breeze in my face
I have been passionate about music since I was six and played in my convent band. I studied organ when I was young and also play clarinet. I'm married to a girl I met singing folk songs at a party but who put down the guitar after we got wed and now hates my loud music and my big English B&W speakers more.

Just discovered this thread. I'm a 55 year old divorced male. Always had a draw towards music ever since around 5 or 6 when I was at a relatives house and down in their basement, there was this "wall of music", a whole wall loaded with lps!

Later on my relatives would always gift me lps on holidays. Of coarse, through the years of radio & buying 45's my interest grew. ( This was in the late 60's early 70's), I did play coronet in my middle school band (first string). I had some piano lessons early but as time went by and my parents moved, I lost that aspect of my musical history.

I still have every lp I was ever given or bought. During the high school years, I was the one in my group that always had the best sound system in his car/van, yes I had the "cool" van that everyone gravitated to. I still remember going to the hi-fi shops and listening to the latest speakers. My usual choice then was Pioneer. Late at night, on weekends, I'd stay up late listening to the "cool" station in Charlotte, NC. They played, Led Zeppelin, Robin Trower, Pink Floyd... well, you get the picture.

I always would listen to the whole album,tape.... others just wanted to hear the hits. I contantly found the "good" stuff others weren't aware of. I kept it to myself.

After years of reading about the GREAT sound that reviewers were writing about, I finally found it for myself and on my own.

I didn't have any friends that were into it like me. When I finally "found" the sound I had always read about it was like, "Yeah, I couldn't believe it", but I had the faith and it turned out to become reality.

I've tried to let others know, but they usually get scared when they see the high prices. I remember that stage, and now, while I'm very aware, music is so important to my life that it's really not an issue.

I now have that "wall of lps in my home"!

a 52 year old from Edmond Oklahoma. I got the bug when i was a very young boy of 13 DJ'ing at the local roller rink. begun buying equipment in the 80s while serving overseas in the Navy. stopped buying and hobby went dormant while raising family. Now an empty nester back into analog audio and starting to get into digital sound.

Vonschwekert VR4jr
Sim Audio P5
Celeste HT3
Project RM5
Sumiko Blue pt#2
Cambridge Audio DAC Magic
Audioquest interconnects
Signal Power cords

Ok, I'll play here.

I'm a 54yr old, married, getting fat, machinist. My preference for quality sound started in my high school years but since I've never been well off I've never had the opportunity to do anything about it. Back in the day my best stuff was a Nak 420 and CA5, NEC TE6 and Denon DCD-910. Guess what? I still have it all! lol. I've added a NAD seperates group from a garage sale $150 grab, so made out there pretty good.
Just last weekend we picked up some Paradigm Monitor 7's, and the quest to put a good system is on.

Arcamguy inspired me to respond. I am a 50 year old surgeon and I got into this byzantine hobby through my love of music. I am not a guy who listens to sounds, but a music-lover who listens to almost everything. My current system is analogue-based with a SME 30/2 table and SME V arm tricked out by Kevin Scott to include Kondo silver wiring through from the cartridge, outputs, interconnects and bi-wired speaker cabling as well as the internal wiring of my Living Voice speakers being Kondo silver. I am currently using a Transfiguration Orpheus cart, and Whest phono stage. Power comes from a Graaf tube amp as well as a solid state option of a Pass Labs 30W class A integrated. CD player EAR acute. I have a very hectic life, but music provides the grounding, and the serenity required to keep it all going. I am so grateful to all of the Audiogon responders for their thoughtful comments, that keep it alive for me. Sorry to weigh in so late, and I hope that I am not the last responder on this very interesting thread.

Well...I see I am the first response of 2013; wow...this is an old, but very worthwhile thread; I've enjoyed reading it, which is why I'm posting. My name is Jeff, I'm a journalist in Las Vegas, and reintroducing myself to my love of stereos and hi-fi ( I know that's real old-school) that I had in high school. I'm 55; my gear is primarily mid-fi: Arcam Alpha 9 integrated and power amp, which I bi-amp to B&W 805's. I have an Arcam Alpha 9 CD player (wonderful) and MCD (great); my surround system is powered by a Marantz SR 7005; I have a collection of other gear...I have upgrade plans...but so far....enjoying what I have. I love my music...; everyone....here's to a great 2013, and to a thread that lives on.

I'm Sam Arketah 24 from USA.

A musician turned audiophile...

I'm a classically trained musician (cellist) trained in Indiana University (USA). I love pop, jazz, country, and classical music. I got hooked in this gloriously exciting hobby about 18 years ago - I thought it would make me a better artist...

I didn't know what I was doing, so I spent about 10k buying junk - breaks my heart to have to admit that. Now I am a bit smarter and more informed, I would like to share my experience so others don't repeat that mistake.

I always loved gears - the earliest picture there is of me is when I was about 1, I was fiddling with the vol. control of a gigantic radio, when they were that big...

It was Christmas time in South Korea, when I was about 7 or 8, I went to a market place and they were playing X-mas music in a festive mood on big speakers - thinking back, probably they were likes of Klipsch or JBL with Marantz or Sansui amps - spinning vinyl of-course.

I was so taken back and moved by the experience - I was in sonic heaven that I had never known. It was such an important moment in my life, to have realized that one can simply push (buttons) to happiness...

If more people loved audio, perhaps there will be less drugs in the world... Some audiophiles reported on the Audiogon that a liquid and transparent system is more addicting than drugs - I can't say from first hand experience, but it's worth a shot - offering hifi to drug rehab...

Anyway, of-course being 7, I didn't have mullah to get my own audio. I had to wait a quarter century bofore I could get my happiness buttons...

Now I have systems in every corner of my apartment, I am surrounded by music just about every waking moment of my existance... I am obsessed with quality sound, leading me to a more beautiful flower garden...

Since it makes me so happy in a truly profound way, I was shocked to discover that most people are blase about hifi! ...content with all in one home theatre system, or plastic boomboxes many corporations pump out

Since few people have the golden ear, mass audio manufacturers have decided to sell to the eyes, and not to ear, to my disappointment...

Being a musician, I am on a mission to bring good music to living rooms at an affordable prices... hence my love for gears like NAD, Arcam, Rotel, Rega, Parasound, B&K, etc.

I also hope to learn about new mid-fi possibilities - both classics and new (tubes especially). Sorry it got so long, but big ME is my favorite subject, and I get lost in it when I am talking about it

Looking farward to meeting fellow audio lovers around the globe...

__________________
Where so ever you want to go, music will take you there...

I am a music major and fanatic about sound bringing happiness. In fact, you can say music is my life...

I have a nice hifi, but I love finding good mid-fi gears that sound nice. This way, I can have music every corner of my apartment, and also share this glorious hobby with my loved ones.

My love for hifi gears started very young. In Christmas time, I went by stores where they played music, and I was in heaven - and thought that's simply dandy that one can push a button and be in heaven...

Alas, I didn't know how expensive that button can become.
So, I am trying to find good mid-fi gears, so I can share this heaven without breaking their bank account.

I am Doug and thought I answered this years ago... I am 64 and recently retired, widowed for 2 1/2 years. I ramped up my system to hopefully carry me out, in pretty good health so heck, I probably have a few good months left...:>)

I really enjoy reading all the posts and wish you all well.
Douger

I'm just a guy who loves to hit shit w/ a bat!!!!

I an 63 which makes me an old guy I guess. Live in Portland, OR though born & raised in Los Angeles. Grew up in a jazz household where the first stereo my father had was given to him by Shelly Manne and where my parents bought a baby grand piano for guests to play. Loved music for as long as I can remember,skipped most of high school graduation festivities to go to the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and started collecting vinyl at 12y/o but didn't get interested in gear until my partner decided to give me a new turntable in around 1974 and bought an AR clone. Am just retired secondary to illness after thirty years as a family doctor and am very interested in advanced care planning, bioethics and health care reform. I have been with the same woman since 1970 and married for most of those years. She loves music and is totally uninterested in gear though she loves her horses. We have two children, one an artist and one who trained at Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt on clarinet but has now started medical school. I like most kinds of music except very limited in my enjoyment of musicals, and often don't like Top 40 or middle-of-the road but remain foremost a rocker. I have spent a lot more on music than gear over the years though I do like my stereo and am up to about 14,000 pieces of vinyl and 9,000 CDs. Craig

I'm 37 with a wife and two daughters, and I gave up my mancave when we moved. So instead of my functional, but homely, Paradigm HT setup I'm putting together a new system that the wife can actually entertain company around. This will be only my second mid-fi build, as I got a ton of milage out of my first build (8 years and only changed receivers once).

Greetings from Blasted. I just turned 56 so I guess I have been an audiophile for ... 45years... if you count an am radio plastered to my ear. I am on my fourth complete build and they have all given me endless hours of fun and just plain pleasure. Being a pack rat, I still have three of the original four. I am finally all tube mono block too and this was a great choice. I spent 18 months auditioning and rating gear. I am getting much faster. Keep on listening and let that smile emerge.

I'm 20 years old and an ASU sophomore studying economics. I have been involved in music my whole life. My father is a home theater maniac (I was in an audio magazine at 7 watching Austin Powers in our theater), one of my uncles is a recording engineer, and the other 2 are really into audio. I play about 10 instruments and spent much of high school helping in my uncle's studio in Oakland, where I'm from. Now in my college apartment here in Tempe, I'm building up a solid system. For years I've used my family's extra gear, but I got tired of it. Now I'm running a DAC Magic and kenwood turntable (next upgrade) into my uncle's tube preamp, marantz ma 500 monoblocks, and Paradigm studio reference v2 towers and loving em

My name is Daniel, I'm 56 & I live here in the Phoenix area.
Rawsinode, I'm giving my age because I'll soon post my own thread asking members if they have the same concern as me and close (audiophile) friends of mine, my age. My hearing is still quite good, but I know age is going to change that.
I'm going to try to make my system as good as I can afford,
while I still can appreciate it.
I work as a Water Monitor for the City of Phoenix.
My 4/10 schedule gives me 3 day weekends to relax, and I usually spend them listening to music or watching Blu Ray & DVD.
I am really into gear.

I'm Ray and I don't understand why people want to give their age. You are only letting yourselves be typecast. I want to be known for the substance of my contributions, not that I'm too young (haven't really experienced much, therefore don't give much weight to my opinions) or too old (he's way past the point of having reasonable thought processes so just disregard what this old fuddy-duddy is trying to convey. With that said, I am Ray, an audiophile and classical music fan. I like analog and vinyl. I have tube equipment and enjoy collecting originally pressed vinyl records, when and where I can find them. Occasionally, I will sell my duplicates on EBAY. I would really appreciate hearing your comments in reply to the "age-issue".

Great to see such varied persons into audio. I am a 55 year old broadcast technician living in NJ with a wive and two kids in college. Oh, I can not wait for them to graduate and get their lives under way. Maybe I will then have money again for even better gear. Too all. I hope the new year, brings you new gear. Happy listening.

39 year old project manager from georgia living in Trinidad thanks to the construction economy in the states. Wife and three sons are here and they all like my audio fixation. Best part about coming to Trinidad is that it forced me into smaller systems due to shipping and importation tax. Teak here is less than 5 dollars US per board foot so I have been making horns and single driver enclosures (thanks dave from planet 10) that look pretty good and sound amazing with the SET amp I bought here (thanks jayfalvo, I'm having a blast with the amp). Bought my first system from a Canadian here on A'gon a couple of years ago (naim, spendor and rel, awesome set up in my book) and I have been hooked ever since. I hope everyones experience has been like mine on A'gon, I have had no problems buying and every purchase has come with a wealth of knowledge for free. Anyway, thats me. Thanks, Tracy

53 years young, professional chef, still only like 2 channel music but in the process of getting into surround sound.

I'm a new addition to the forum and probably won't be an active regular in the long term, but certain am enjoying being involved at the moment. I'm 32 years old, hold an engineering degree, currently work at a Navy shipyard and live in the Pacific Northwest. I have been happily married for six years.

I've enjoyed audio for a long time, but as with anything else, my paradigm has shifted several times on the meaning of quality audio equipment. In the past few months I've spend a little over $5,000 of hard earned overtime on upgrading everything related to audio. In fact, the only remaining things are speaker wires and some digital cables.

My real interest is rock crawling. I own a 1989 Toyota 4Runner that I've driven to Moab, UT multiple times and also to the Rubicon. I grew up wheeling in the mountains of Colorado where I grew up. I've done the hardest normal trails in Moab and still drive it on the highway so it's about as tuned as my audio system.

Well my real name is Jimmy and I'm a 41 yr old sprinklerfitter. I'm the superintendent of a large fire protection contractor in Ohio. My wife works with me, although on the admin side. She is wonderful with putting up with my ridiculous obsessions, whether it's hot pepper growing, breeding exotic snakes, hackin my bike up every winter, or this new sick obsession I have with REAL audio. Read on you'll know what I mean.I grew up lower middle class I guess. my dad was a drug addict who didn't spend much time with me or my brother. What he did do was have music playing all the time. Tull, Zeppelin, Who etc.The first system I remember was a Marantz 2226, junk turntable, and a set of RTR speakers with the tweeters missing. It ruled. When the old man got his sh!t together and got a real job, got off the dope, and bought a house, there was no room for the stereo, so it went in my room. A couple of years of resentment and my dad and I are now best friends and when he comes over we still listen to good music. He's been clean 25+ yrs now. I got rid of the speakers and saved my money to get some American Acoustic speakers. The saleslady said "people are buying these, they're better than Bose". I said "whats Bose?". When I graduated high school in '87 my parents gave me a Pioneer PDM60 cd player. My best friend still uses it daily. Later that year I went in the Army and got a fat bonus. I rushed out and bought a Yamaha mx 600, a Carver ct7 pre, and a pair of Kenwood mv5 monitors. I had no idea what ohms were, what impedence was, or anything else. I had one speaker on top of the locker and one on the floor. Soundstaging and imaging were lacking, but it was loud as hell!! I blew the Yamaha up and replaced it with a Carver TFM 24. I had no idea what or who Carver was, but it looked cool. When I got out of the Army in '91 the Kenwoods were too big for my apt. so a pair of Infinity ss2004 became my new speakers. Jammed 'em right up against the wall, you know, for better bass! That's around the time I became a sprinklerfitter. I had that rig until last year when I discovered this site. I'm happy with the set-up I have now but I know I can do much better. A 15'x21' room is going into the basement this winter. Thats when, as one agon member told me, the commercial will go and the Cadillac will come in. As far as the Marantz 2226, last year my mom called and told me I still had some stuff in their garage. I went over and bigger than life the Marantz was there in a box. Been there since '87 when I went in the Army. Cleaned up, new parts, and now it resides in my bedroom with a Marantz cd5001.

29 years old, living in Greece working as a mechanical engineer!

That would be a gold mine for the few women who participate here, assuming they would want anything to do with those of us who are single. I'm under contract myself.

i just searched 'Accutronics' and this thread came up. Did Arnie really start Audiogon?? i had no idea. the reason i did the search is because i saw the Ann Arbor club posting and asked if Accutronics was open, and if Arnie was still selling hifi. weird!

anyway, i'm 40 [male] and got my start in hifi about 15 years ago when i bought a pair of old Cornwall IIs from Accutronics in Ann Arbor. i'm an engineer now working overseas at an aerospace company in Berlin, so that means hifi is more expensive for me now than it is for you who live in the USA. not to mention my living space is probably smaller, haha.

since i have decided recently to upgrade my hifi instead of finding a new girlfriend, i have no music loving significant other. perhaps having a big stereo will help me get the chicks?? we'll see, new components are on the way. =)

are there many female audiogon members?
maybe there should be a 'dating' section of audiogon.

47 yo male. Chicago. medical sales. started this spiral 5 years ago.

I am an environmental attorney and also partner in a brownfield consulting company. I live in Chicago (Logan Square neighborhood ... thus my imaginative handle). I'm 43 years old and have been a fan of stereo music reproduction (not necessarily "hi-fi") for almost 30 years. I went through my first real "phase" between 1989-1992, purchasing some decent mid-fi stuff (Denon receiver, Rotel CD player, etc.) I went for 18 years without significantly modifying my system, until I bought an Olive Opus in 2008, and then something apparently really came uncorked this summer (2009) and I started up with a vengeance reading, learning, purchasing equipment, tweaking my listening space, freaking out my wife, etc. I think the internet has been a great facilitator; Audiogon in particular. Thanks! =^)

The interactive nature of the internet is both liberating and terrifying/intimidating, but I will risk humiliation and stay involved in this fun community.

Thank you Gregm!! Yes, I am LUCKY! A very musical household, a kiddo they said would not live and who they told us could not learn foreign languages but, who now is fluent in manderine!! Not just speaking but, writing too!

Thanks, for the warm welcome. I'm enjoying A'gone and dreaming of ALLLL the many ways to spend my money on audio bliss around here!

not ALL audio nuts are men! Do you think I will fit in here?

Most certainly! As a matter of fact, not all A'goners are men. You are lucky to have a musical home and, of course, the female's acute hearing...
Most importantly, you have a son who is healthy again. Welcome.

Well, as I am new around here I might as well go for it and introduce myself. First off I have an issue with HAF *that's husband approval factor* I could never figure out that "WAF" stuff as in our family I am the audio junkie. My husband plays his own music and our home is chock a block with his four guitars, including the dobro, the banjo, the trumpet, the amps, the flute and various and sundry other instruments he plays. Rather than listen which he doesn't give as much a hang about as I do he will reach for his own way to make music happen.

I on the other hand am in constant cajole mode to seek audio listening nirvana. I am usually voted down.

I'm a social worker. I am rebuilding a system after having had to sell my last set up due to an illness my son had. He is FINE now and I am back to square one and have audio equipment lust again much to my better half's consternation.

Nice to meet you all.

P.S. not ALL audio nuts are men! Do you think I will fit in here?

50 Years Old Artist Punker Roadie Event Marketer Grandpa Father Husband World Traveler (3 million air miles and counting) Irish to the Core

Music Lover like my Whiskey: Passionate Vox Fuzzed Guitar and a Smokey Beat

My name is Win, and I am a nineteen year-old trapped inside a fifty-eight year-old body. I build heavy turntables that I cannot possibly lift, and maybe I'll build one for myself one day. My wife is pretty cool...sometimes. ;)

I'm going to be 50 this year. I first became interested in good music when I got turned on to classic rock when I was in the 11th grade. Up to that point I listened to top 40, which looking back did have some great stuff that I still enjoy. But the Grateful Dead took sound reproduction very seriously and I suppose this rubbed off on me. But it wasn't until I was in the military in my early 20's and saw some great equipment in an on-base electronics store in Japan that I really became intrigued with stereo gear. I didn't have the money to buy anything at that time. When I got out in the mid 1980's I bought a Yamaha integrated amp, CD player, and Genesis Physics speakers. I was hooked. My first foray into high-end territory came in the early 1990's, with Magnepan 1.5qr speakers, Arcam Delta 290 integrated, and California Audio Labs delta/alpha transport and processor.

Overall, I credit being a Deadhead for getting me interested in the high end.

I am an obnoxious reclusive Jewish mystic (read kabbalist), visual artist, and sort-of writer. I listen to about 8 hours of music a day. About 2 of those hours I REALLY concentrate on it. When I do that, its vinyl all the way on my Linn LP12.
Some favorites are Cecil Taylor, Arvo Part, JS Bach, Blind Lemon Jefferson, John Cage, John Coltrane, Morton Feldman, Francois Couperin, Orlando Gibbons, The Grateful Dead, Blind Willie Johnson, and Steve Reich.

My given name is Ross and Kabir is all of us whom i wish one day to know.
I'm a 54 year old married, grumpy plumber who spends way too much time for a non drinker to have his head in a toilet. I choose to work for a company rather than for myself because i have never had an employer i liked so why in the hell would i work for me. Yes, i could make a ton of $$$ but then i would not have the time to enjoy the music. Plumbing for yourself is 24/7.
Since 1974 I've been engaged in Sant Mat mysticism through the guidance of a mentor from India whom i've had the good fortune of spending time with over the last 34 years.
My journey as an audiophile has been as long as my journey as a stumbling mystic.
Listening pleasure revolves around 40s to 70s American jazz, Scandinavian ,European folk and jazz, world music and chamber music; don't forget my roots, rock. When it comes right down to it, I'm open to just about anything except... I think I'll stop there before i make any more enemies.
I listen through a Marantz SA11s2, passive pre., Rouge 150s, Galo Ref.3 system.
Thanks for your time and yes I struggle with writing and spelling which brings me asking this question, how do you access spell check when you are on this site?

I've been learning from some of you for the past 5 years so I'll playball as well. I'm a 32 year old physician, internal medicine by training in East Tennessee. Father is my senior partner. Big Vol fan, spent 1/3 of my life there with education. Married to the most wonderful woman in the world and expecting our first child, a daughter, any day now. I got the bug while in college after taking my fathers 25 year old marantz receiver and hooking up Bose towers. My "audio habit" was my counselor through medical school. I find audio lovers are extremely helpful/knowledgable folks and enjoy the forums greatly. Hope to inspire my daughter to love music!!

Hi all, Vernon Miller here. I'm 51 and live in beautiful New Hampshire. I'm a computer engineer by trade but my real love is messing around with analog. I don't get a chance to do much of it because my real job takes so much of my time, but some day...

Though I think analog media are great, I have been in the digital camp to at least some degree since the beginning (I owned a couple of the awful 1st-generation CD players) and have been patiently waiting for the technology to get good enough and affordable. I think that's happening now. So, I'm moving toward the media server/client model and am digitizing my analog media so that I can enjoy it anywhere with no fuss. (I'm using 96KHz 24-bit compressed with FLAC.) I have no intention of getting rid of my analog devices or media though, I just won't use them except to re-digitize as the technology gets even better.

I'm also glad about Class D amplification and the work that's going on there. I plan to integrate it into my system where practical.

I'm a huge fan of pipe organs and I have a large collection of organ vinyl and CDs. In other words, I'm a real party animal and the chicks dig me :-) Well, my wife likes me most of the time anyway!

VAM

I used to press vinyl way back in 73-86 at Record Technology (RTI). We made all of the Sheffield Direct-to-Disc catalog. This was while I was still in High School. Lincoln Mayorga would drive up from LA to Camarillo with a freshly cut D-D lacquer, the Doug Sax stuff. I eventually became the Quality Manager, but left in the mid-eighties when CD's came to be. That was a BIG mistake because RTI is making more money than ever now thanks to the niche audiophile market. Oh well live and learn. You can check out RTI at www.recordtech.com. My weakness in this passion of audio is all things G.A.S., having gotten to know one of their principal designers back then. The Thaedra is still the sweetest preamp money can buy, if you can find one!

and i thought it'd be appropriate to introduce myself.
been lurking around for a while and decided to jump in now.
my name is zach. i am a jazz guitarist/composer living in southern california.
i grew up listening to some great hi-fi gear, thanks to my dad who had been a high-end dealer for over 35 years.
i am married to a violinist and we listen mostly classical and jazz.

I'm Jerry, 51, and have lived in AZ all my life except for four years in Puerto Rico, beautiful island and wonderful people. I am a buyer for R&D missile development for a huge company and have been there for 21 years. My family (married to my sweetheart for 20 years) and my religion are the most important things in my life and music is the funnest thing I do. I have my masters degree and speak Spanish. I got my first crack at music in about fifth grade with Herb Alpert and the Beatles records and have never looked back. I pursue the perfect sound as if there were no tomorrow but am very limited to my reasonable budget. I won’t let this get away from me.

My name is Lou and from my username I guess you can figure out what I think sounds best. I'm 46 years old and live in a Western suburb of Philadelphia and have been in Philly my whole life. I'm a diehard Eagles fan and typical Phrustrated Philly fan. Right now I'm in between jobs but have been in Real Estate and Property Management for the past 15 years. I have been married for 15 years and have a beautiful 13 year old daughter.

My next door neighbor growing up, Uncle Al, was a mfg rep for audio equipment and most likely was the one responsible for getting me into audio. I would be playing ball in the street with my brothers when Uncle Al would pull into his driveway and motion us to come over. He always had DJ Promo copies of albums to give us and other stuff. Some of the albums were junk but some were real gems, like the Doors/Morrison Hotel. He repped some cool gear too but I was pretty young then.

Jumping forward, I've been into this since my late teens/early 20's and have gone through a lot of gear since then. I used to have large collections of TAS, Stereophile, HFN & RR, HiFi Heretic & Listener magazines and would love to read the reviews and even worked for about 2 years selling mid-fi & lower priced hi end gear. All of those magazines are long gone and so is most of the gear. Right now, I'm enjoying Tim Rawson's Gainclone mono blocks thru a Superphon Rev Basic Dual Mono and Omega Grande 8 speakers. Pretty darn good for not a lot of money.

I've met a lot of really nice people thru A'gon but mostly scan the ads rather than read the posts. I love trading gear too and have traded a custom PP6bg6 amp to another a'gon member (Inrit) for his Tannoys and recently traded the Tannoys for the Omegas. Rounding out the current system is a Rega Planar 3, ads CD3, Nakamichi BX125 and a cheap but nice sounding Pioneer T500 tuner. Sorry for being so long-winded, thanks for reading! Louis

Great thread. In our world today peaple have become obsessively estranged from friendship...

My name is William Childress and I am a anesthestist for a small community hospital in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains (bluegrass world capital). I have a wonderful wife whom works tirelessly within our home and as a registered nurse part time at a local nursing home. We have four children (2 girls & 2 boys) who enjoy music (piano, clarinet, violin/fiddle, and guitar) and, of course, driving us crazy.

I enjoy rock-n-roll, jazz, ragtime, swing, blues, bluegrass, celtic, (funk generation) soul, classical, oldies, and 50s 60s 70s pop.

My audiogon login does pay homage to the Grateful Dead - I was and still am a "Dead Head." Though, many may dislike 'the Dead', I employ those folks to take a moment and listen; their music was quite a historical melding of bluegrass + jazz + rock -- the uninitiated may want to stick to studio albums, though.

Cheers

Dewald Visser

23 year old male AUDIO enthusiast. Loves music, music, musiek, muzik... on Vinyl that is...
Plays piano & guitar - loves to sing.
Running a small Graphic Design Studio.
Busy developing a high-end turntable and will hopefully be busy manufacturing soon!

I live is a beautiful small town situated on the foot of the Anderson Gebergtes (mountains) called Lydenburg - in the Mpumalanga provence. South Africa.

Dewald Visser - only audiophile in about 300 kilometer radius!

Hi Everyone,great thread so here goes,my name is tony and i have been reading this site for 5 years and just recently joined.Age....wow,you guys are gonna make me say it..47 ouch!!!Married to the girl of my dreams 9 years younger,high five anyone?Long story on that....2-kids grown and almost gone.We both enjoy all types of music.But what has attracted me to this site for so many years is the quality of the people here,just a great group of wacky music and movie lovers.Not to mention the wealth of knowledge that can be had when everyone chimes in.I also live in the chicago burbs,work as a construction forman and love dogs,my current being a white german shepherd with a personality that still kills me.How much better can you get...love..music...animals?My wife says if you love those things then you are a good,decent,human being.I tend to agree.Looking forward to talking with you wacko"s..have a good day all.