The Evolution and Progression of Members Systems

Well Rob lets see what you have been doing, it's fun to see the progression of growth and what worked out and what didn't.

The following is a tweak from a previous thread/post, I hope you don't mind me cheating by not typing the same thing a different way, but I thought it would help give context to how my audio journey has evolved;

This is a really nice thread, very personable. I am 50 yrs no kids of my own, my partner, Lana, also no kids, lives separately from me (to avoid the chaos) plus it has given us the opportunity to compete on everything from gardening, house decorating, cooking and who is the better 4WDer - for the record (but don't tell Lana I said this ;)) but I win on all counts hands down :naughty:. I stopped full-time work in 2002 and fortunately financially secure, but I still try and do a bit of consulting from home just keep the brain ticking along. I also opened a couple of stores importing unique new and antique furniture and homewares in 2005 to 2009 but the international travelling to keep 2500 sq meters of retail and warehouse space full was not fun and took its toll. My life is now filled with gardening, cooking, interior design, camping & 4WDing, riding the motorbike, I collect old meccano, art, residential property, working with wood - mostly furniture restoration, music & audio gear and I do full-time foster care.

Music and audio are in my DNA, my first transistor radio at 7, first 3 in 1 stereo at 12, first real hifi Sony TA-AX6 amp, Infinity RS7b and a p mount TT from Technics SL-Q 200 (I think) and dedicated audio room at 16 (converted garage). Sometime later a set JBL L15's were mine and my employer gave me as a bonus a SL1200mkII + AT125lc cartridge. Worked Friday nights and Saturdays mornings selling department store hifi while in school (1981) and when I finished school at 18 I was poached by a hifi specialty store and within a year was managing the shop with 3 staff. At 21 my professional life changed and although I maintained a nice hifi I really only kept up with my music collecting till the early nineties when I could no longer find new vinyl to buy.

In 1999, I decided to buy a new sound system; Denon PMA 1500ea, 2 x Sony 400 CD stackers, 2 x Sony 300 CD stackers, Jamo D590 speakers and kept my Technics SL 1200k11 with an Audio Technica AT125lc cartridge at the time - since up-graded to an Ortofon Bronze. All my old hifi gear was still boxed from moving around since 1995 and I just decided to leave it boxed. In 2004, on a whim I bought a pair of B&W804's that when I got them home I never unboxed till 2011. Unfortunately, major depression was and still is from time to time an issue which undermines my life, but fortnightly counselling, strong medication and a busy life with foster caring, my partner and music/audio really making a big difference to keeping the black dog in the kennel as much as possible.

It was not till 2011 when Lana and a friend (John) were helping me get back on my feet again after a long depressive state I re-connected with audio in substantial way. John had brought some photos of us in our youth and in the back ground of one of the photos were these AR94's John had bought from me back in the day when I was retailing. He had long since lost them in a separation, they were a nice speaker which we both missed him owning. We wondered if people actually sold their old audio gear, was there a market for secondhand speakers or even electronics? We sat at the computer and for the first time ever registered with ebay and Lordy Lordy were we surprised. Within a few weeks I owned a pair of AR94's and discovered there were whole online communities dedicated to vintage and modern audio. I lurked around Audiokarma and finally decided to join in 2013, apart from ebay AK is my first and only online participation.

It had never occured to me the notion of collecting audio - I guess well collecting new audio would be cost prohibitive - but collecting a combination of new and vintage well that was definitely do-able. Although I have bought about 20 CD players and around 10 or more amps and receivers; that part of my collection is only just now starting to get interesting. It has been my speaker collecting that has given me the most joy to-date; JBL L15, Infinty RS7b, Wharfedale W30, Wharfedale E70, JBL 80lt, Kef 104ab, Infinity Kappa 7, AR 94, Celestion Ditton 66, Yamaha NS200m and recently sold my B&W804's hoping to upgrade to 801's and also sold a pretty battered pair of NS1000 to replace with either NS1000m or maybe 690II's. Plus on the hunt for some JBL L96, AR9 or 90's, Kef 107, something IMF and set of Maggies would be nice too.

The young fella who has been living with me full-time for 4 years, he's 9 now and just loves audio as well. We regularly rotate source, amp, speakers and cables into his bedroom and he loves my audio sessions of just sitting and listening or pulling things apart to try different combinations and hear the differences/synergy just as much as I do. Every night just before bed we sit at a couple of computers to go through all the audio ebay listings for that day and decide/argue together what will go on the 'watch list' a ritual if I did on my own I would never be forgiven for.


The following photos are from my rental house 2006 to 2014 so before the young fella and audio collecting and everything sorta fitted in. Once the audio addiction took hold in 2011 and the young fella took over the house it was inevitable that I would run out of space fast. In 2014 the owners of the house I rent needed to sell so it was a good time to move on http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-wyndham+vale-115831879 (just a few commercial pics rather my naff ones). A friend was building and asked if I would rent his place which was to be considerably bigger. So everything was boxed and placed into storage for what was supposed to be a few months which dragged out to 20 months and we moved in about 3/4 months ago - ummm when I say we have moved in no paintings on the walls, almost none of the hifi gear is hooked up and much is to still find it place in the house. BUT, I do have a much larger kitchen/dining/family area for my gear/sound to breath better. AND I have a dedicated listening room 4.3m (14.1ft) x 4.5m (14.8ft) still not an ideal configuration but so much better than what I had in the other place which was tiny (you will see in the pics).

New house: I have just finished building a audio wall storage system on castors so I can get behind (photo's to come) as I want everything I own connected for listening. I have also spent the 2 years restoring speakers and amps that are going to be keepers - which is still an ongoing process. At the moment only the bedroom system is going, one in the young fella's room and a Kenwood M1 & C2 + cd player and I rotate speakers as they have been coming back from restoration at more than $500 bucks a pop + amp restorations - financially only so much I can commit and the young fella won't give up pizza Fridays. So at this stage it is an ongoing project to get rooms up to standard/sonic treatments and decorated - and we are still only half way through the boxes in the double garage - still much to do.

I will attach the photos on the next post,

Rob :)
 
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Last house in 2014
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Home sound absorbing panel under the AC
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Home sound absorbing panel above the blue cabinet
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Rob :)
 
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Well, that sounded more better, but then I met my wife, and a year or so later on my birthday she surprised me with:

What a woman! What a birthday!

She sounds like a wonderful woman, your a lucky guy Hal.

After a few more miscellaneous additions, but mostly saving my "disposable" income and selling a few things, I made the recent additions of the Khorns and ST-70 variant, which have been pictured recently in several threads.

Yep great speakers and some nice tubes can make anyone happy. Thanks for posting some history.
 
The young fella who has been living with me full-time for 4 years, he's 9 now and just loves audio as well. We regularly rotate source, amp, speakers and cables into his bedroom and he loves my audio sessions of just sitting and listening or pulling things apart to try different combinations and hear the differences/synergy just as much as I do. Every night just before bed we sit at a couple of computers to go through all the audio ebay listings for that day and decide/argue together what will go on the 'watch list' a ritual if I did on my own I would never be forgiven for.

Rob that was a very nice post and after reading it it's like who cares about the audio. However the audio is a vehicle for some piece of mind for you and and a spark of desirer in the young fella. Good job lovely home and rooms you have and glad you have someone special to share it with.
 
Used this ASL el34pp for 10yrs along with a tt that stoped working so it was mated with a CDP


Then bumped into AK and was anonymous for quite a while, silently doing my research. Almost bought a new tt. After signing up I was swayed towards used. Bought this from another AK'er



And this from another

 
Dang, Brindabella, this looks like something out of my home!

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Looks like my kind of place. You have some nice stuff here.


Keep them coming, this thread rocks.

Oh, and Dan, about those "kabuki" speakers.....I scored a pair of truly mint Sansui SP2500's, and didn't care for the sound - until I spun a record. Whoa! That's a bit better, now isn't it? I thought.

Gave them to my sister, whose kids went apechit on them and ruined them beyond a restoration. Sigh....

I'm still a little miffed about it, but whaddaya gonna do?

They were far better than I had thought, and I wish like heck I had kept and recapped. Absolutely staggering build quality, if an odd, non-typical layout.

I think it's cool you run some Mac goodness thru them. And hey, where's those little tiny Sonys you talked about once?? :)
 
I think it's cool you run some Mac goodness thru them. And hey, where's those little tiny Sonys you talked about once??

Im getting there, hehehe, I don't think most people know what I goof around with when they look at my main system only. I don't feel the need to post about everything I buy or have. When I was into classic cars more I would have fully restored cars, and drag home untouched projects cars that would pull me away from far bigger investments I had going on. You mentioned those little Sony's, well look what is sitting on my floor right now..

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A full system I found the other day at GW and the speakers looked like the other ones, but they are a little different. The stereo is Cassette, CD and tuner, optical outputs and as well as a sub output. I had it playing alone, to the main system, and to my 18" Velodyne sub.

Now you just got me side tracked...;)
 
Im getting there, hehehe, I don't think most people know what I goof around with when they look at my main system only. I don't feel the need to post about everything I buy or have. When I was into classic cars more I would have fully restored cars, and drag home untouched projects cars that would pull me away from far bigger investments I had going on. You mentioned those little Sony's, well look what is sitting on my floor right now...


A full system I found the other day at GW and the speakers looked like the other ones, but they are a little different. The stereo is Cassette, CD and tuner, optical outputs and as well as a sub output. I had it playing alone, to the main system, and to my 18" Velodyne sub.

Now you just got me side tracked...;)

Do you check the thrifts monthly? weekly? daily?
Do you get a tight feeling in the pit of your stomach thinking someone may beat you to something good?
Do your friends and family 'make jokes' about intervention?
If so, lay down your wallet and step away from the thrift... :deal: :D :deal: :music:
 
Do you check the thrifts monthly? weekly? daily?
Do you get a tight feeling in the pit of your stomach thinking someone may beat you to something good?
Do your friends and family 'make jokes' about intervention?
If so, lay down your wallet and step away from the thrift... :deal: :D :deal: :music:
I only pop in once in a while because there is one on the same block as the record store. They never really have much that I'm interested in there, but I garb a few things. When I got this they had a nice turntable not often seen there. It was a Sony PS-LX350H for $29 so I got it to bring to the record store. I traded it for a $35 dollar record and I normally do that as he need tables to sell and I try to help him when I find them.
 
Bit more on the young fella, he loves Pioneer Silver but must have blue fluoroscan - he has been saving up - and yep everything he does in the house now has a $ sign attached to it now; dishwasher unpack $2; dishwasher pack $3 (gotta rinse hence extra & yes I think he is unionized, starts his neg's before any job - "how much?" is what comes out first and then the little extra deals for extra dollars - did you know that washing the car does not include the wheels, that's extra and any change lost inside - including those coins in the coin console are finders keepers) - so we're going 50/50 which means me paying him to do stuff and then paying again :crazy: :D Anyway he wants either a SA 608 or 708 and a pair of AR18's - there are plenty of cd players he choose from my collection.

Rob :)
 
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When my father offered a penny for ten dandelions picked from the yard, he didn't reckon on me finding so many that hadn't yet opened up. I made about $2.00, which isn't much money, but when you think about it, IS a lot of dandelions.
Got them started young, huh, Brindabella??

While not a parent, I think teaching children the value of a dollar by earning it to be one of the most important things a mother/father could do. Kudos.
I think so, too.
 
When my father offered a penny for ten dandelions picked from the yard, he didn't reckon on me finding so many that hadn't yet opened up. I made about $2.00, which isn't much money, but when you think about it, IS a lot of dandelions.

I think so, too.

HAHAHA, my Grandad's thing was the apple orchard in the back yard. Picked apples for 2 hours......I got......a buck. Yayy.. It bought me one very nice Hot Wheel car, and the knowledge that during apple picking time, make myself scarce. :)
 
HAHAHA, my Grandad's thing was the apple orchard in the back yard. Picked apples for 2 hours......I got......a buck. Yayy.. It bought me one very nice Hot Wheel car, and the knowledge that during apple picking time, make myself scarce. :)

I am pretty tight with my 'likes' but that one made me wish I could click twice.

Rob :)
 
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Ok I left off when I brought the Sansui SP-5000 back into the system because I like my MC275s better with them than the JBL L250s. So now that I have the L250 I started looking for a amp that will drive them good. I really wanted mono blocks, specificay the MC501s and a store had a pair local but wanted more than I was willing to spend. The other amp choice was the MC402 stereo amp, and I found one to use, so here's the night putting that in.

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I was indeed a very good move hitting the L250s with 400+ WPC, it totally changed them with head room, speed, and really made the bass tight.

A keen eye will notice a Oki Noki RCM and at this point I was feeling pretty good about my system sound quality. So this is where I was really focusing on records, collecting music and adding a iMac 27" to the system as a server.

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Well on another site a member was selling a C2300 tube preamp, and also had a pair of MC501. He lived 3 hours away but was off work for vacation and said he would deliver them so a deal was made.

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We can also see I kept shopping for SOTA Star Sapphire Turntables, after getting my first one and how well they worked for me, it really was the last table I needed. But that didn't mean I only could have one of them...:D
 
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