Who R U?

I am 43 .... writer, and owner of a Canadian mail order Mac dealership. 4 kids, 3 pets, 2 jobs ... 1 wife.

Lornecherry, that post deserves at least an OS 9 or maybe even an OS X.

First of all I'd like to thank david99 for starting this thread.
It's a great idea, and it gives us all the oportunity to get to know each other a little and maybe create lasting friendships beyond our shared obsession / hobby.
My name is George and I live in Austin, Texas with my black Lab / chow mix named Pepper.....the source of my user name Pepperdog.
I am educated in the field of Finance and Management, but I work for myself doing whatever gives me energy or brings me fulfillment and knowledge.
I have owned several businesses of varying sizes and I manage my tiny real estate empire.
I have a very strong environmental conscience and I have strong ties with a group trying desperately to save our Aquifer and river recharge zones from developers.
I enjoy audio gear and have grown to appreciate the aural differences in the good stuff, but it keeps me searching for the next new and different sonic experience.
Mind you, I'm not complaining...it truly is the journey, and not the destination, that is important.
I do have a reference system for most listening, and I set up 2 or more other systems and rotate equipment in and out; listening to the differences and the similarities.
I love the music first and foremost and my interests range from acid jazz ( Bob James, Fourplay,) to acoustic guitar ( Willie and Lobo, Strunz, Acoustic Alchemy, Sephir etc.)to female vocals ( Loreena McKinnett, Eliza, Lucinda etc.) to Rock and "real" Jazz of all kinds.
Fortunately, living in Austin (the "live music capital of the world") provides me with the opportunity to see and hear my favorites all year 'round.
Live music, in my opinion, can't be beat.
I traveled extensively when I was younger and I still make forays into New Mexico and Colorado to the mountains every year for a recharge of the 40 year old batteries.
I ride a Harley when I can, but am currently mending a broken arm from a meeting with the side of a truck that pulled across the lane I was in and stopped 6 feet in front of me while I was traveling at 30 miles an hour.....on said Harley.
I enjoy buying and selling equipment on the web, and have always felt that Audiogon was the class act for this kind of commerce.
Now that I have had a chance to read a little personal stuff about some of you contributing members, it's easy to see why Audiogon is the great site that it is.
Happy trading to everyone!

It's my turn...I'm Arsenio living in San Jose, CA. I am a communication tech and just been "out of the a-phile closet". I built my amp, preamp and phono amp from Welborne and AES kits, bought my cdplayer from Audiogon and my TT from Ebay.(I know, I know I'm cheap). My system sounds good but no one appreciated it(except me) since all my friends are not that "crazy"- like me. So, I would like to know some of you "crazy people" here in San Jose or the bay area.

Guess I'll step up. I'm a 32-year-old police officer with the Seattle Police Department. I'm married with three wonderful children. The youngest was just born this month. I graduated from BYU with a degree in Spanish Translation, believe it or not. After my wife got a job offer in Seattle, we moved here, and I started my current career.

I guess my first taste of hifi came as a teenager listening to rock LP's on my dad's modest system. Later, while in college, I got a pair of JBL Control 5 speakers for Christmas. I hooked them up to a JVC boombox and Pioneer CD player and thought I was in heaven. I gradually came to realize that it got better. A LOT better. But being a poor college kid meant having to forego most nonessentials.

Years later, after my wife and I had bought a house, I finally had the wherewithal to upgrade. I began my search for a new pair of speakers by consulting (what else?) Consumer Reports. I decided I'd shell out the 700 bills for a pair of I think it was Phase Technology 7T's (CR's top choice!). I never bought them. Somehow I got turned on to NHT 3.3's and decided I had to have those instead. By happenstance, I learned that the local audio club was selling their reference 3.3's. After some serious arm-twisting, my wife relented. I drove the 3.3's for over a year with a $400 Technics receiver. Yeah. I know. "You've come a long way, Baby."

A coworker overheard me talking audio one day and turned me on to the used equipment market on the internet. We became good friends and, with his assistance, I became a regular wheeler-dealer of used gear. The internet has been a godsend for my system. Without it, I'd still be in the audio Dark Ages. Component by component, I slowly pieced together the toy collection I have today. Eventually, I realized finding great deals on gear was even more time consuming than watching the stock market. I'm happy with my current system, so I'm taking a hiatus from all the buying and selling. I'm now turning my attention to the "fine tunes" that bring out the best in a system.

I'm also a home theater enthusiast, and I've combined my audio and HT systems into one. Lately, my gear has been playing far more Toy Story than music. I'm doing my best to raise my kids to be good audiophiles, but I worry they'll cringe if they ever hear Buzz Lightyear on a friend's TV.

It's been a lot of fun visiting this site and talking audio with all of you. Best wishes in your pursuit of the ultimate sound.