Mike, I saw that already.
The really funny part?
I am 100% Greek :)
So I guess I have a reason for my madness.
What excuses do the rest of you have.

mikeduke February 27, 2007 14:56

you gotta watch.....

this......

"i was a normal human being.....and then...."

perfect!

mikelavigne February 27, 2007 14:39

Larry, no, i have not heard the Strativari in my room or anywhere familiar; it was at a show. i've heard it a few times.

i think it was on mid-powered tubes of some sort.....i would be guessing exactly what.....but i liked it.

in any case i think of it as the Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum of speakers....which is high praise. it is has a warm tonal balance, not the last word in ultra-detail, yet still plenty of inner texture and a very full romantic bass.

kind of the opposite of my personal sonic ideal but so nicely executed that it was wonderful. you could listen all day. it did disappear nicely for such a wide speaker.

OTOH there was a slight bit of sameness that would be the 'issue' for me. i like to hear 'everything'.....and that is not what the Strad is about.

maybe the ideal speaker for a beautiful living room with a bit of brightness that cannot be dealt with.

it doesn't hurt that the Strad is an absolute beauty.....as are all the Sonus Faber's.

i completely understand how the Strad could be many a listener's ideal.

it's also possible that with the right amp and room the Strad could be a detail champ....like the dart amp and pre.....that might prove to be very interesting.

mikelavigne February 27, 2007 04:24

.
Mike nice advice for Henry and the rest of us.
.
Have you ever had the Stradaveri in your room and or heard them in a familiar set up ?
.
I would love to hear your comments on them.
.
Rgds,
Larry
.

cello February 27, 2007 01:21

hi Henry; thanks for the comments. as far as 'one of the best sounding' i think 'best' is an improper way to characterize system performance. some whose tastes are simlar to mine might like my sound; others may not care for it as much. interesting how different people will give me opposite feedback on my system balance according to their 'reference'. as long as we are having fun then it's all good.

what matters is i like the way my system performs.

none-the-less i do appreciate the thought.

spousal approval on 'extreme audio' is complicated....and as varied as the people involved. on a relative basis every system connected to a marriage/shared household involves issues which must be worked out. there are many (maybe hundreds) of examples of 'extreme audio' systems that are here on AudiogoN, or Audioasylum, or the AVS Forum....many with as much or more dollars invested as mine. so all these guys have had to go thru the process of 'negotiating' the 'rules' for this activity and investment with their mate.

in your case you have a very nice (and very expensive) system; with a beautiful room, and great gear. i really like your Stradivari speakers; and all your gear is top notch. assuming you are married; i would guess that you had to work it out for the initial investment.....like me or anyone else.

in my case; i started the hobby after my kids were grown and i had been married for 21 years; over 10 years i spent some dollars each year so i eventually built up a nice system and my wife understood what it meant for both of us clearly. she supported it and so when i took the plunge to build the room she supported that too since we had a track record of how it worked. i don't think you can generalize about whether what works in one relationship that is at one point would also work for another that is at a different point.

there are financial aspects to 'extreme audio' that can be a big deal. if someone is spending 'mortgage money' or 'retirement money' on 'extreme audio' then it will put a strain on any relationship. i see that most 'extreme audio' systems involve people with mature relationships and careers. their jobs are/were typically stressful and they want a bit of 'zen' to relax....that's me!

my wife and i are 'best friends' and share interests in many things but the audio is mostly me. OTOH she always knows right where i am. after 33 years we are both happy.

mikelavigne February 27, 2007 01:16

Hi Mike, I've been watching and reading about your audiophile involvements for a while now, impressive journey! First I have to congratulate you on your latest setup, its my understanding that you probably have one of the best sounding systems and room in the US if not on the planet earth. Second, it sounds like you have the "buy-in" from the misses to go to these extreme levels of audiophilism (may just have created a new word :>). I was wondering what advice you can give some of us out there on how to successfully exercise this extreme form of hobby if you can call it that!

Thanks for any advice.
Henry

mtkhl567 February 26, 2007 19:39

Frank.....sorry....my typing (Frabk)

:^)

and no edit function after posting on these threads.

mikelavigne February 26, 2007 17:46

Frabk and Mike; thanks.

Metralla; thanks for the comments. for the last year or so i have been working on starting the decorating process in the room to make it a bit more of a 'warmer' people place. of course; that process takes time and some money.

i had been using a smaller 'Persian' carpet under my chair which i did not really like. after looking around i found the large 'red looking' carpet you see. please exuse my terrible photography.

i wanted something that was vivid to add some energy and color but not too strong that it would be overwhelming. here is a picture from the store i purchased it . even this picture does not show the deep red with black running thru it. it is from India...and likely machine woven and but i think uses natural dyes.

for the last year i have been searching for Navaho carpets to use as art on the wall. to keep from compromising the acoustics i needed to have them be fairly small; and i wanted them to compliment the other carpet but be more vivid and create some contrast on the 'very plain' fabric walls. i had traveled down to Arizona for business in December and looked at quite a few then; but my wife was not with me so i did not buy. then last week my wife and i visited the Grand Canyon and visited a store in Sedona where we purchased those three Navahos. i also got pictures of the Navaho artisans that wove them and stories about them.

until i put them in the room i was not sure they would work; but they did what i was looking for. my room now feels much more now like what i wanted it to.

i'll look forward to your inperson comments when you (hopefully) visit again.

mikelavigne February 26, 2007 17:31

Great new pictures - very refined, Mike. I don't remember seeing those wall hangings on either side of the room when I visited. The big carpet is new as is the little one under the dart. Can you please explain these changes.

Hope you are doing well, mate.

Regards,

metralla February 26, 2007 16:11

Very nice pictures indeed. They look quite cozy in that room. I would be willing to bet that they sound fantastic.

mikeduke February 26, 2007 13:48

Looks fantastic Mike! I bet it sounds pretty good too ;-)

fsarc February 26, 2007 00:52

System edited: updated pictures with MM3's.

mikelavigne February 26, 2007 00:40

Kharma speakers are very special and among my favorites.....i continue to recommend them. Mr. Kharma, Charles von Oostrum, is a brilliant designer and a stand-up guy who has always been gracious to me.

business competition can sometimes create feelings and judgements that are not based in fact. it is easy to say or write something but much harder to un-say it or un-write it. as a target of it i certainly do not want to be a party to it.

i would appreciate it if we could avoid any 'anti-Kharma' or 'anti-anything' talk here (even though i regretfully openned that particular door).

i guess when you deal with shit you always get some on ya.

mikelavigne February 23, 2007 22:49

I agree with Nikki... if this is what is expected for a future Kharma owner, count me out.

Either way, I'm not going to feed the troll and I applaud Mike for his civility.

Mike.. btw, I have been looking at the darT and it's one mighty fine amp!

Joey

joey_v February 23, 2007 21:51

Sorry Mike as I believe you don't want to give this path anymore mileage, but because of the associations with Kharma, is this an indication of the type of behaviour that is expected for all potential Kharma customers?

nikki February 23, 2007 16:51

Lox wants attention and interaction about his ideas.....which is no different than me or anyone else. previously he had expressed an intention to find another place to conduct his agenda; but his system thread has apparently not attracted enough 'action' to please him so here he is. at least his current comments are a 'bit' more civil.

as much as i appreciate the support and agree he should take his direction to a more open forum i would appreciate just leaving his comments alone so as not to stop the flow here. i think he already gets the drift and is just trolling. please don't feed the troll.

that is just my perspective.

mikelavigne February 23, 2007 14:37

For Loxodrome,
This site is for hardware and that's what most people are interested in here. Mike and all his admirers probably work really hard to make the money for these systems and enjoy the diversion of comparing equipment and also the pleasure from hearing music reproduced better and differently as they go up the audio ladder.
Mike has every right to enjoy as he chooses and if you want a discussion of music then go read album covers. Audiogon is about hardware...what else would you expect everyone to talk about here?
I enjoy reading about his evolution even though I am a committed single ended tube head.

khaki8 February 23, 2007 05:01

Loxodrome, Pyshcobabble aside, I'm happy for you that your father lets you drive his sports car. It must be a rush to drive. Howard Hughs for reading material? So cliche'. Age appropiate though. By the way, your father's right speaker is toed in about 5 degrees too much.

talon4 February 23, 2007 03:39

.
Loxodrome,
.
Get off this thread and stay off. We do not need your B.S. here.
.

cello February 23, 2007 01:31

IGNORE list!

sc53 February 22, 2007 20:51

Mr Mike! Lots of posts!

I thought I should contribute to the discussion with a quote from a multi respected
Absolute Sound prophet:

“I have come to think that the audio über alles types get restless after awhile with any component. Once they either get used to its sound or can identify its failings, they require a change of sonic scenery in order to get their “fix.” It’s not the music that counts, it’s the sensation evoked by its sonic architecture.”

Opinions? Loxotoxic

loxodrome February 22, 2007 18:36

Thanks again Mike.
I have looked at getting dedicated lines, but for my room, it would be a pain. I have to make due with what I have at my disposal. The rack is a good first step I think. Then I will get rid of the monster stuff and get something that may be a bit less of a hinderense to my system. Who knew the rack was so important.

mikeduke February 21, 2007 17:24

Mike; the Grand Prix stuff is very good and not hocus pocus. the legs de-couple from the floor and then you can tune each shelf with different sorbothane foam pucks to optimize isolation based on the weight and weight distribution of each piece of gear. i like the fact that it is simple and elegant.

regarding power conditioning (Monster PC's) i would first recommend dedicated circuts and quality dedicated duplex outlets before getting carried away with power conditioning or power cords. it's not cheap but 'cheaper' than many power cords and conditioners. until that is done it's hard to assign cause and effect while trying other A/C products.

cleaning up your power grid is just a good foundation to system refinement.

mikelavigne February 21, 2007 17:14

Mike . The last post do clear my confusion tq

audioblazer February 21, 2007 16:50

The dealer who sells the Dart also sells Grand Prix. When I showed him a picture of my equipment I thought he was going to send over the audio police :). He said that I may want to check out the LeMans rack. I would need 8 shelves so that would be more cost effective for me. He indicated that the difference would NOT be subtle. I admit, I have only thought about it a little. I got SRA platforms to go under my amps because my amps were sitting on my monster power conditioners. Since that seems to be a weak link as well, I should probably consider doing that before the pre. That way when I get the preamp I will be good to go.
Thanks for the reply Mike.

mikeduke February 21, 2007 16:45