Thanks to Aaron for hosting. Multiple systems in different areas worked pretty well. We got by with more sun than rain, which was a surprise. Also, thankfully Aaron has some great equipment of his own, so when we wanted to listen to an amp or receiver, we just put things in line of Aaron's existing gear.
-I gotta say, I was impressed with the quality of what showed up. I met a few guys I didn't know. Chuck in particular from the Audio Society, impressed the hell out of me not only with his knowledge, but also the beautiful custom 845 push-pull monoblocks he had cobbled (when you see these, you'll see why the word 'cobble' is an insult). They were incredible. :drool: Like Jeff and I are already thinking if we can pull this build off (and afford it); kind of incredible. You'll see (sadly, you won't hear).
-OTL ALERT!!! The custom reworked Atma-shpere M60's of Scott's, were works of art, as was his custom pre. They sounded as good as they looked. When you see the pics, you'll understand how great they sounded. This guy is amazing with not only the electronic/guts parts, but the custom CNC mill aluminum chassis are killer!:tresbon:
-Ron's (Doucanoe) AfterBurners (my name, not his. You'll understand when you see pics) were great when I heard them early, and got better and better throughout the day, as they spent hours tweaking with white noise sweeps and calibrated freq response software and mics. Wowzers. WAF was maybe a 2 (being generous here folks), but musically a 10. The judicious use of medical tape to mount the tweeters (I'm guessing there may have been bailing wire somewhere as well) was pure Cobble!
-I got a chance to hear Nate's (Redboy) new super-duper tweeters. Well...in truth I didn't hear them, or couldn't. Nate's much younger than I am, and I have no doubts he can hear them (I'm still working on selling him some magic beans). What they don't bring to the table in audibility, they somehow manage to tweak the upper register harmonics of any given tweeter, and add some airiness.
-Lance's (westend) big-gun system in the garage, did not disappoint. Lots of amps, eqs, cables, 10 cubic foot bass bins, subs, more amps, more cables, horns, Heils, and more cables. I was wondering if we should cross the street and put ear protection on the cows. I think they'll be fine.
-Dave (avionic) brought his custom mosfet gear again, and we used that, and Mark's Audio Research preamp, to run through a few different setups in the garage.
-Toby (who I've never met) brought the T-Rex/King Kong/MOAR (mother-of-all-receivers). A Sansui G33000 (I think. Correct me if I'm wrong). I'm not a receiver guy. Well, I wasn't before I saw/heard this monster. I didn't know such a thing existed. It's like a caricature of a receiver. Think microwave-oven sized. I think it pushes about 80Gazillion watts per channel or something. It comes with its own 3-phase 480v transformer (or it should).
-Jack, Mark, Bob: You guys rock the grills! Thank you! I missed Bob's food this year. I had to leave around 6:30pm for a party at my house. I'm guessing the steak and burgers are already gone.
-I 'spose the guys that leave early aren't in the pool for the doorprizes. Bummer. The tube holders and speaker wire elevators that Mark made for the event were awesome craftsmanship and just freakin' cool. I guess I did get a door prize of my own though; I was able to have a pour (or two), of Mark's 18yr Laphroig. It's a big peaty Islay scotch and one of my favorites.
-It was great seeing everyone else, that I forgot to mention here too!
-One more thing:
Scott. You gotta start feeling better about your manhood. Those power cables of yours? Ummm...you don't need to compensate for anything. You're among friends here.
Yes, I know:worthless