Hey all:

My first post here and wanted to get some feedback from the auricular veterans out there. This is my first true system where I've been able to play with it and see what I can get out of it.

About my system, first thing I must say, though is that I honestly think that I've fallen in love with planar speakers. Between the sound staging and the speed of the speakers, it really is amazing what these vibrating sheets of plastic can do.

So here's the story (and I'm sure that all of you have one similar to mine. Many years ago when I was a wee lad (about 14 y/o), I was bitten by the audiophile bug when my uncle and I would audition CDs together on his ProAc Signature Reference Tablette 3s and Cary 300Bi amp. There was no bottom there whatsoever, but the mids and highs were completely magical. One time, he had on loan the Sonic Frontiers SFT-1 and the SFD-1 to audition, and that sounded just sweet and amazing. One thing he said in passing had stuck with me. "You think this sounds good, the 2 in 1 actually sounds even better than the separates." I made nothing of it then when he said it.

On occasion we would head over to the local Audiophile store in NJ and listen to speakers. This is where I was introduced to the world of Magnepans and B&Ws. And nothing left bigger impressions on me that a 1 inch thick speaker and a shiny yellow kevlar cone.

Then around that time, I read the article about the KAV-300i, pretty much Krell's first attempt at the A/V budget market. All this time I was finding out that Class A power would always several thousands of dollars, if not containing 5 digits. I had auditioned the KAV-300i with a pair of Dunlavys and the tightness and clarity of the sound amazed me. (Although I should give Dunlavy some credit here also, haha.) But again, I made nothing of this observation other than, "Oh, that sounds nice."

Fast forward 12 years, where I start making a lil income now. I stumble across a-gon and I see the speakers that I listened to 12 years back (at a more modest, reasonable price of course.) So I pick up the pair of 1.6QR and hook them up to my current Onkyo SR-702 receiver (that supposedly puts out 200W)and got a HUGE disappointment. Poor porjection, poor control overall.

So like any good audiophile addict, you start looking at the AMPs section, and seeing what great deals might pop up. I was debating between the Krell KAV-300i and the Classe CAP-151 (based on the reviews I've read) for weeks and I just decided to let the price be the determining factor. When I came across a KAV-300r for the price of an KAV-300i, I jumped on the chance and that made me decide on that one. No regrets.

So I listened and listened. All the music I listened to was tight and fast... BOY was it fast. But the instruments and vocals just sounded raspy somewhat harsh. So what to do when something sounds harsh and you want to soften it up? Throw some little glowing tubes in the mix, and everything softens up. Recalling back twelve years ago, I listened to the Sonic Frontiers. I immediately hopped onto a-gon again and did a search and found one! And he was local also! So I hopped onto that chance and that really did wonders for my system.

So there you have it, folks. My first audiophile system, 12 years in the making, and each piece is just as sweet and musical as I remember. It's like reuniting with an old crush many years later. You know you were meant to be with them. It just took you some time to get there. It's a modest set up... but it's MY modest set up. :)

So, one might ask, what more needs to be done? Well I will post up pictures later, but right now I'm working on home made sound traps based on pine wood and carpet cushioning. Conditioning this room is the next step I will take before any significant purchases will be made again. And any help/advice/warnings on DIY sound traps would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you all for looking.

~W.