Among the hellos :)
Well, I see there are quite a few new hellos in this section and I may as add my own to the bunch.
I've been into audio now for about 10 years. I started during my undergrad and have continued on gradually upgrading as time and finances permit. I've always loved music and wanted good sound, but given the small city I grew up in and little to no ethusiasm from anyone I knew, I was locked into the "Sony is best" mentality. Certainly a forgiveable offence from teen. Later, while rooming at university, I found myself on opposite schedules with my roommate. He a morning person, I a night owl, we decided that we ought to figure out a solid way of enjoying music while we study without disturbing each other. We agreed that headphones were the best way and thankfully the web was picking up speed by then with a few companies already advertising excellent sound from inexpensive phones (Grado SR60's). At the time, the Canadian dollar was quite a bit lower than the USD and so these phones set me back about $140 CAD. Not an insignificant sum for a poor student but nothing in comparison to starting up a decent speaker rig.
For years I was content with the SR60's and a portable cd player. Eventually I was married and although still a student (and still am actually) my wife was working and we figured we could afford something a bit more luxurious but at the same time maintaining piece and quiet for the, unfortunately similar, opposite scheduling. We upgraded my headphones to the Grado RS-1's and an RA-1 amp and that was my system for about 6 months hooked up to the same portable cd player. The Shanling CD T-100 was announced and both my wife and I were hypnotized by its design. After some negotiations, I managed to convince her that it would be a welcome addition to what was essentially a personal listening station. Still no room or funds for a speaker rig, I was left quite contently with a wonderful headphone setup. The next few years saw me upgrade the cd player a few times and upgrading my headphone amp, adding a few new ones as well as a few new headphones.
Nearly three years ago, I added a tt to the kit and have been in hog heaven ever since. Still, my gear is directed towards solitary listening and the money invested isn't fair for the entire family (we now have a couple of kids). So what next? Despite me finishing off grad school, I've begun the process of acquiring a Wyetech Opal preamp and a pair of Wyetech Sapphire 300b monoblocks. All that is left is to decide on a pair of speakers. I've been thinking about the new Grand Veenas from Reference 3a.
I've got the urge to tinker with DIY but my time at this stage of my life is too limited. But eventually I would like to learn more about what my gear is really made of.
that about covers it for me!
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