A bit of history...
I figured it might be a good plan for me to tell you a bit about my audio history. I find that it is helpful when discussing something as subjective as "what sounds good" it is useful to know where someone is coming from.
It really all started when I was in high school, and I was talking to a friend of a friend about audio gear. This person asked me what I thought the quality brands in audio equipment were. I said, "Oh, I dunno, Sony?" He laughed quite a bit at that. Not to disparage Sony, some of their ES stuff is great. He said I should look into Denon, and for speakers I should listen to Klipsch. I asked him how to spell that.
So I did, and a year or so later I purchased a Denon surround sound receiver and a 5.1 Klipsch setup. (Along with a Sony VCR, this was pre DVD). I was on top of the world, in audio heaven, because my speakers had horn tweeters!!
I continued that way for a while. I bought a DVD player, upgraded to a different Denon receiver a couple times, bought another DVD player (this one could play DVD-Audio discs!) and generally felt I had it pretty darn good. And I was enjoying my music, so I guess I did.
But then I went to a friends house, and he had just completed his surround sound setup. His main speakers were an older pair he had inherited from his mother (they were old, but sound quite good. He still has them.) but his center and surround speakers were made by a company I had never heard of called Paradigm. Ooooh! Something new! These speakers were small, but sounded quite good! I was intrigued! I had to learn more! I asked him where he got them, and he told me, and I went to investigate.
I then took my first trip to a specialty audio store, instead of the big box retailers. It was a whole new world! Not only did they have stuff that sounded much better than what was at the big box stores, the staff was very knowledgeable and loved to just talk about audio. I ordered a set of Paradigm titans on the spot. I got them home and hooked them up and I was blown away. These little speakers had presence! And bass! And a great soundstage! Again, I was in audio heaven.
Then, last year, another friend of mine told me he had purchased a pair of Anthony Gallo Reference 3s, and that they were fantastic. I had to hear them. I did. Wow. These speakers have been reviewed up and down the Internet, so I will not spend much time on them here, suffice it to say they were the best speakers I had heard at that point. I had to learn more! I dove into audio websites and searched my town for higher end audio dealers. I found names like Vandersteen, Wilson Audio, Von Schweikert, Spendor, Meadowlark, and many many others. I felt like my eyes and ears had been opened to another whole new world.
And my exploration of that world continues today, hence this blog. I have found that one of the best parts of the high-end audio world is just talking about it with other like minded individuals, and I hope to continue this discussion online in order to include as many people as possible. I hope I can share what I find and learn from my audience at the same time. I do not claim to know what is best, or what is better, and can only give my opinion. And in the world of "what sounds good" that is all we can really do.
It really all started when I was in high school, and I was talking to a friend of a friend about audio gear. This person asked me what I thought the quality brands in audio equipment were. I said, "Oh, I dunno, Sony?" He laughed quite a bit at that. Not to disparage Sony, some of their ES stuff is great. He said I should look into Denon, and for speakers I should listen to Klipsch. I asked him how to spell that.
So I did, and a year or so later I purchased a Denon surround sound receiver and a 5.1 Klipsch setup. (Along with a Sony VCR, this was pre DVD). I was on top of the world, in audio heaven, because my speakers had horn tweeters!!
I continued that way for a while. I bought a DVD player, upgraded to a different Denon receiver a couple times, bought another DVD player (this one could play DVD-Audio discs!) and generally felt I had it pretty darn good. And I was enjoying my music, so I guess I did.
But then I went to a friends house, and he had just completed his surround sound setup. His main speakers were an older pair he had inherited from his mother (they were old, but sound quite good. He still has them.) but his center and surround speakers were made by a company I had never heard of called Paradigm. Ooooh! Something new! These speakers were small, but sounded quite good! I was intrigued! I had to learn more! I asked him where he got them, and he told me, and I went to investigate.
I then took my first trip to a specialty audio store, instead of the big box retailers. It was a whole new world! Not only did they have stuff that sounded much better than what was at the big box stores, the staff was very knowledgeable and loved to just talk about audio. I ordered a set of Paradigm titans on the spot. I got them home and hooked them up and I was blown away. These little speakers had presence! And bass! And a great soundstage! Again, I was in audio heaven.
Then, last year, another friend of mine told me he had purchased a pair of Anthony Gallo Reference 3s, and that they were fantastic. I had to hear them. I did. Wow. These speakers have been reviewed up and down the Internet, so I will not spend much time on them here, suffice it to say they were the best speakers I had heard at that point. I had to learn more! I dove into audio websites and searched my town for higher end audio dealers. I found names like Vandersteen, Wilson Audio, Von Schweikert, Spendor, Meadowlark, and many many others. I felt like my eyes and ears had been opened to another whole new world.
And my exploration of that world continues today, hence this blog. I have found that one of the best parts of the high-end audio world is just talking about it with other like minded individuals, and I hope to continue this discussion online in order to include as many people as possible. I hope I can share what I find and learn from my audience at the same time. I do not claim to know what is best, or what is better, and can only give my opinion. And in the world of "what sounds good" that is all we can really do.
posted by Erik at 9:23 PM
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