Hello!

[Dan Giovanni]

Hi, My name actually is Dan ... but not Giovanni - that's a nickname from an opera singing friend. :)

I started into DIY maybe 20 years ago, with the idea of getting a good sounding music system on the cheap. That's right, I said cheap! Now I shudder to think what I've spent on this addictive money-pit hobby. If only I knew then what I know now ...:stalks:

My system usually consists of a highly modified Buffalo DAC with battery power supplies, a home built SKA150 amplifier designed by Greg Ball and also DIY Statement Monitor ribbon speakers, plus various ancillaries, such as some homebrew silver speaker cables in cotton sleeving, a mains isolation transformer and what-not. My source is a PC.

It's all in a constant state of flux, hopefully moving forward, but sometimes ..... well, you know. Currently on my To-Do list is fitting some very pretty Jantzen caps into my speakers, upgrading one of the PSUs in my DAC with a shunt regulator, getting synchronous clocking working between my DAC and PC, and fixing one channel of the amp which started blowing fuses last week.

Look forward to chatting with you all.

Kind regards,
Dan

[Alex_UK]

hopefully moving forward, but sometimes ..... well, you know.

Welcome to the forum Dan. Great introduction, I especially like your honesty with the above quote - very rarely see people admitting that sometimes an "improvement" actually doesn't materialise. What sort of music do you like to listen to on your interesting home-brew system? Be great for you to post some pictures in the Gallery sometime, too. (We rarely seem to get treated to peoples system piccies it seems these days? :scratch:)

Enjoy AoS, good to have you here, I am sure you will have lots to add. :)

[Dan Giovanni]

Thanks for the warm welcome Alex. Yeah building one's own stuff does sometimes feel like two steps forward, one back .... or is it the other way round?!

What about you - you afflicted with the DIY curse too? AS for music, since finding out about internet radio, my tastes have really diversified. At the moment I'm listening to a lot of ambient electronica, particularly as much of my listening is done late at night. Apart from that, classical (early to mid 20th century stuff) and the rock bands I grew up listening to in the '80s - Simple Minds was my childhood sweetheart. Funnily for a Hifi buff, I don't listen to much of the Audiophile staples - tried getting into Jazz, but failed. What about you?

Will post some pictures of my speakers, as they are worth looking at. The DAC/amp are nests of wire/components that would have a health + safety inspector in therapy for months!

Thanks again for the welcome,
Dan

[Marco]

Hi Dan,

Welcome to AOS. You seem to have settled in nicely... Where are you from? :)

Marco.

[Alex_UK]

Thanks for the warm welcome Alex. Yeah building one's own stuff does sometimes feel like two steps forward, one back .... or is it the other way round?!

What about you - you afflicted with the DIY curse too? AS for music, since finding out about internet radio, my tastes have really diversified. At the moment I'm listening to a lot of ambient electronica, particularly as much of my listening is done late at night. Apart from that, classical (early to mid 20th century stuff) and the rock bands I grew up listening to in the '80s - Simple Minds was my childhood sweetheart. Funnily for a Hifi buff, I don't listen to much of the Audiophile staples - tried getting into Jazz, but failed. What about you?

Will post some pictures of my speakers, as they are worth looking at. The DAC/amp are nests of wire/components that would have a health + safety inspector in therapy for months!

Thanks again for the welcome,
Dan

Hi Dan,

Not yet afflicted by the DIY bug, but I suspect it is only a matter of time! Time being the problem at the moment, and an inquisitive Avatar who wants to "help" with everything. Ditto the late night listening, BTW - my wife usually is in bed by 10, and I generally sneak 2 or 3 albums before I shuffle off. "Chillout" is my big thing, which definitely includes (is?) "Ambient Electronica", but there is a broad church of musical tastes for me (currently listening to Jimmy Cliff, for example) but also extends from Britney Spears (really!) to Marilyn Mansun and anything in between - I always say, if I like it, I like it - I've no time for music snobbery, and anything and everything is equally valid if it is "good". Only you (or me, or him) can decide what "good" equates too!

That said, I was/am a massive Simple Minds fan, seen them live 5 or 6 times back in the day, and have all of their albums on vinyl, CD, SACD (or in some cases more than one format) and count "Theme from Great Cities" (Sister Feelings Call) as one of the great musical inspirations in my life - just a fabulous track (despite being instrumental and not including Jim's dulcet tones.) "Belfast Child" used to bring a tear to my eye (I'm more cynical these days!) and "Don't You" still makes me cringe at my dance-floor antics in the clubs when I was young, dumb, and full of... enthusiasm! - but what a great feel-good track that is.

Some jazz I've taken too (Davis, Coltrane, Hancock etc.) but generally I agree with my mate's description of jazz - "a load of musicians in a race - nobody wins!" :)

Anyway, enough of my waffle, good to "meet" you and look forward to more of your contributions. :cool:

[Dan Giovanni]

Hi Marco, thanks foir the welcome. I from Cheltenham, UK.

Alex, Just gotta say your little one is a real sweety, you're a lucky man!

Dan

[Alex_UK]

Thanks Dan, very nice of you to say so. I just adore her, of course, (well, most of the time!) but I am biased!