Mike, It is great to see that you are able to have the Exquisite Midi's in your room. If you let me know when you are going to be less busy then I will call you and get some initial impressions. It would be great if you can compare them to the VR's with the focus that we like. Best Regards, Bob

stenersr February 01, 2005 03:48

Mike, I've enjoyed seeing the evolution of your room and reading the attendant commentary. Your room is wonderfully fantastic and I would love to have the opportunity to sit and listen to your system someday. I have had the pleasure to sit in and listen to another reviewer's room here in the Puget Sound area (who shall remain anonymous) and really appreciated the work he had put into room construction/attenuation. Both of you have provided a lot of useful information that will be implemented - finances allowing - into my music room/office. I appreciate that you have shared this experience with us.

islandear January 31, 2005 18:32

Mike, I think you have unfortunately misunderstood me. Let's face it, many of us are in this hobby becasue we love music. Some because they love the gear. Me, I must be totally honest and forthright here - I have a love of music that is paramount to every other "hobby" Ive had and it is a true passion. As you may know, I was a professional musician until my career was abruptly ended by an accident.

However, very soon after I fell in love with music, I became enthralled with the equipment that conveyed it. I still remember the first time I saw a Dual turntable, Mac amps and Walsh speakers - I was totally infatuated! I also must admit, unfortunately, at times my two loves have been paradoxically at odds. For example, in chasing that Audio Holy Grail of better sound, when I have bought more and more expensive and, hopefully, but not all the time, better and better gear, my level of expectation also goes up because I am expecting that extra cost to justify itself (taking into consideration, the diminishing returns inherent in this hobby, and most others). The problem is that I then listen more critically - listening more to the "system" or the "gear" or for "audiophile tricks" than for the emotional content of the music - and THAT is not a good thing for me - at least not when I listen that way for too long.

Why the long dissertation? Because when all the dust settles at the end of the day, the only thing that REALLY counts in this hobby, is ARE YOU HAPPY? Was the money you spent worth it and did you acheive your goal? I saw a post on AA where someone listed a website where a bunch of small-minded people are taking cheap pot shots at you, your system and your room. Fools!! If they don't like what you spent your money on, what harm is it to them? Most of those childish comments are likely based in envy, some just negative people who are narrow minded because THEY think they can build a better mouse trap. But in the end, YOU earned the money and YOU choose how and where to spend it to increase YOUR enjoyment based on YOUR priorities.

Hell, if you use their childish and critical approach, ask them why they bought a Seiko or Rolex when a Timex tells time or why buy a Honda or Lexus or Mercedes when a Yugo or Ford Escort gets you from point A to B. We all prioritize our spending based on our own experiences, values and preferences.

So Mike, no need to ever apologize to me. My only disappointment was that you didn't seem to want to respond. You have the most visible system on the Net and a logical by-product of that visibility is that people will ask questions.

The bottom line? If YOU are happy with the VR-9s, THAT is all that matters! During my short time in the Von Schweikert room at CES (while you were there), I didn't like the VR-11s at all. However, I am not sure it wasn't the demo that was the problem. To me when I heard the Pink Panther theme, I honestly felt like I was listening to music at an IMAX theater. I, personally, did not like hearing a sax that sounded 28 feet high - to me it didn't sound like real music but a testosterone competition. BUT, that was the VR-11s driven at loud volumes so the VR-9s in your room may be a totally different story. Just because I prefer the Kharmas doesn't make either of us right or wrong, just 2 people with different tastes. And it certainly doesn't upset me that you have changed speakers as I have no loyalty to any manufacturer, just loyalty to music. That is why I always tell people who compliment my system: "Don't compliment me, compliment the designers, all I did was buy it!"

Enjoy!

fmpnd January 31, 2005 17:05

Mike,

Very,very nice. I wish you the best with the switch to the VR9's. We actually have similar systems....I also have those nice cablelifters!!. :) Seriously, you've done very well!-- Ken

kehut January 31, 2005 00:25

Mike,

I auditioned those Exquisite Midis for about 4 hours this summer, probably the exact same pair and they helped sell me onto Kharma (albeit much lower in the Kharma line). In combination with the Tenor hybrid, I could hardly find fault with them. Perhaps, I could have used more bass dynamics, when I listened to the last White Stripes CD and wondered where the kick drum had gone. (Perhaps, I wasn't surprised to see Valin add the Kharma sub with them in his review in TAS). Nonetheless, musically I have never heard anything that compares, in my limited experience. Few systems have actually had me as engaged, closing my eyes not able to believe what I was hearing. It will be interesting if you get to compare to the VR-9's, specifically commenting upon the Kharma disappearing act, it's luscious midrange. Listening to one my favorite female vocalists, Lucinda Williams (American Dream from World without tears) was spine tingling on those Midis.

Good luck with the new equipment. Will the Tenors stick around ?
Also, sorry to see all the arrows flying on the internet. Please stick with your postings though !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have taught me (and others I'm sure) quite a lot.

thom_y January 30, 2005 00:20

Guys; thanks for all the nice comments. sorry i'm behind in my responses here.....i've been extremely busy at work.

Hifimaniac; i do enjoy my Lp's. for the last 2 years i have had an agreement with my wife to be revenue neutral (to allow for the room project).....as a result i have not been able to buy many new Lp's.....and it has really bummed me out.

Joesy; i have not heard the Strativarious but did read the Stereophile review. my total guess would be that the two speakers might have much in common......the Kharma Exquisite's might disappear better....the Strad likely is more extended top and bottom. my experience with Sonus Fabre compared to Kharma would be that the Kharma is the more refined speaker.....say if you compare the Amati with the CRM 3.2.....at similar prices. to my ears...refinement is most important and most ellusive to attain (by refinement i mean more nuanced and less veiled but still natural).

Frankpiet; i have heard Micro-Seiki's but mostly at shows and i'm not sure which model is which. i think they are very fine tt's.....possibly not as quiet as a few more recent designs but at the SOTA none-the-less.

i know some consider them the very best.

Mark; no, i don't mind you asking.....

George; initially....i was skeptical when my acoustical designer suggested hardwood at the speaker end. he then explained that most rooms over-damp the sound and lose all the musical energy. he added that as long as any adjacent wall was either absobtive or diffusive there would be no reflection that would be a problem since the 'bouce' would be eliminated. when you consider a concert hall the floor is typically hardwood....with diffuse and angled walls behind and to the side of the stage.....exactly like my room.

it turns out my designer was correct.

in my quite small previous room it was necessary to dampen things considerably to keep the system from overwhelming the room as i raised SPL's......sometimes absobtion is necessary......but it is better to retain and control energy for the top performance when you can.

Sammie; yes....God is good.

Fmpnd; sorry for my non-response. since i've been in the new room i've been struggleing with my speaker issues. the lack of low bass under 40hz has been troubleing to me......and i have preferred to keep my thinking to myself regarding this. rather than mislead anyone i choose not to respond......and don't blame you if you are upset about it.

i have sold my Kharma Exquisite 1D's......i still love them and would recommend them to anyone.....but they did not support low bass (under 40hz) in my room. in my previous room they went flat to 30hz and pretty good to the mid 20hz range.

at this moment i have a loaner pair of Kharma Midi Exquiste's with the Diamond Tweeter's and Enigma wireing in my room. these speakers were designed recently whereas the Exqusites were designed back in 1997. the Midi's are fantastic in my room.....matching all the pluses of the 1D's but adding a much more extended treble, greater dynamics, more clarity in the mids, and deep bass into the 20hz range. this is the best sound i have ever heard in my room (or, in an overall sense, any other).

i spent 8 to 10 hours at CES listening to the Von Schweikert speakers.....both the VR9's and VR11's. i was really blown away by the performance of these speakers. the room was set up for multi-channel and due to the challenge of set-up at a show......combined with the considerable adjustability of the Von Schweikert's .......many times these speakers were not optimized at CES. but when they were right they were as good a speaker as i have heard......and with their dynamic capability.....the VR9's are ideal for my 29' x 21' room.

so i ordered the VR9's.

i hope that i still have the Midi Exquiste's when the VR9's arrive. the Midi's can't compete on a dynamic basis with the VR9's but i'm truely curious how they might compare in my room.

Frank.....i hope you forgive me my delay in response. i had such a connection to the Exquisite's that i really wasn't sure what to do.....but i wanted to take my own time to figure it out on my own.

mikelavigne January 29, 2005 23:36

Good god man!

sammie January 28, 2005 23:45

Good lord.

A question if I may - what is the reasoning regarding the hardwood floor in the front segment (about 1/3 I'm guessing of your room). I assume there is a sonic benefit?

Congratulations, I'm drooling.

George

esoxhntr January 27, 2005 21:51

I have only seen one other room that was of this quality in my 15 years of being involved in audio.. absolutely 1st class - I'm still looking at the pictures in disbelief - stunning !!!

[email protected] January 27, 2005 14:38

your system is beautiful !! if you dont mind me asking. how much do you have in it.

thanks,
mark

martin06 January 25, 2005 01:56

wow - incredible system. congratulations!!! It will take me a very long way to get there.. have you ever experienced a Micro Seiki SZ 1 T Ultimate turntable?

Best regards, Frank

frankpiet January 24, 2005 20:54

Hello, Mike : Your room is the absolute top best I have ever seen. Congratulations !!! I have a question for you : I like the Stradivarius from Sonus Faber very much, but I will like to know how will you compare them to the Kharmas Exquisite ID , if you don`t mind? When a person owns a room like yours , with that kind of gear, his opinion carries weight, and wisdom . Thanks so much Josey

josey January 14, 2005 05:40

Wow! You have the best room and system ever seen on this website! Congratulations! I especially love the album collection.

hifimaniac January 12, 2005 02:42

Gee Mike, if I didn't know you better, I'd think I was being treated like the proverbial "red headed step-child!" LOL! If you are somehow offended that I asked about what speaker you are considering, then I apologize. I asked because the last time we spoke you were asking me about a sub-woofer and then a short time later I saw your speakers listed on A-Gon so I assumed you found a suitable alternative and I was curious what a guy with the best room on the planet would be using - simple as that.

fmpnd January 01, 2005 19:38

Mike: Thank you for your response. Appreciated it.

ryder January 01, 2005 17:39

Audiobugged; i have never tried any omni-directional speakers in this or my previous room. they seem to answer a question i'm not asking.....since i'm a 'sweet-spot' kinda guy. i have enjoyed listening to the big MBL's at shows......but somehow i prefer the presentation of better traditional dynamic speaker designs.....maybe slightly better image focus and overall coherence.....i dunno. the visuals of the Duevels would be (for me) an aquired taste.

i would agree that the Duevels might sound spectacular in my room.....as my room really excells at doing 'space'....a clear strength of the Duevels.

Ryder; thanks for the comments. the rear Lp racks and side CD racks are used as diffusers.....with the Lp racks actually slightly absorbant when full. i had tall bookshelves behind my seating position in my old (much smaller) room and i really liked that.

there are some cautions i would list. if stuffed full....a cd rack can be reflective.....there needs to be some variance in the face.....either space between the top of the cd's on a lower rack and the shelf above....or.....space between the cds. also, if the cd rack has a backing it can resonate. so you need to consider those issues if you want acoustical benefits.

i think it is best to keep media shelves toward the rear of a room.....those shelves are not ideal ways to control first reflections......especially since they are constantly changing as you use the media.

overall; i think you are on the right track with your ideas.

mikelavigne January 01, 2005 16:25

I've read that book racks or CD racks behind the listening chair will help improve sound quality. Since you have them at the rear and side walls, what is your comment? I'm going to emulate your idea of the CD racks by getting a couple of mount-on Ikea Lack shelves and stick them on the rear wall. The cheapest idea that I can steal from your room.

Agreed with all that your room is mighty impressive, and can see that you are extremely passionate about it!

ryder January 01, 2005 09:10

Mike, Yes enough with the bodily fluids, as you wouldn't want someone getting overly excited in your room upon visiting.

Have you tried any Omni-polar design type speakers? Just wondering what a pair of Duevel Bella Luna Diamante, or their larger full-ranger sibling the Jupiter would sound like in a room that was fully acoustically tuned from day one?

audiobugged December 30, 2004 19:37

Mike, I see your speakers are for sale. What have you decided on for the new room?

fmpnd December 30, 2004 19:02

guys, thanks for the comments......i do expect visitors to control their bodily fluids.

.....and that is all i have to say on that subject (i don't want to encourage this line of discussion).

mikelavigne December 30, 2004 17:04

Mike, You should have a drool Dribble Cup dispenser mounted outside the door w/ cups to grap as you enter. The Styrofoam cups should come with a chin strap of some sort? You might also want to keep your local Hazmat teams phone number on speed dial should things get overly messy?

audiobugged December 30, 2004 15:28

gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous

ellery911 December 30, 2004 04:44

A long while back, I inquired about the cost of building custom bookshelves to fill up my alcove area. I ended up buying Ikea. Material cost is one thing, labour cost is another. Estimate the minimum number of hours it takes to finish the job and multiply it by $100 and you've pretty much got the minimum price, materials not included.

Jtinn, are you sure Mike didn't need a mop? Well he'll need one when I go visit. ;D

howie December 30, 2004 04:22

Thanx Jtinn, Ouch..... I best keep saving my pennies!

audiobugged December 29, 2004 21:03

Audiobugged: I understand your curiosity, but Mike will probably be embarrased by that question.

The answer would be very difficult as he converted a barn to a complete living area. The audio room is the main focuse, but it really was a total build out. Imagine you were building a 1500 - 1800 sq. foot house and you have your answer.

Mike followed me around with a towel cleaning up after me as I drooled all over his room. :)

jtinn December 28, 2004 05:33