James audiophile journey includes JBL, Klipsch, Harbeth, Luxman, Magnepan, Wilson & more
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- Steve went to meet James in his and his wife's Manhattan apartment, and hear about his audiophile journey. He's definitely a music first audiophile, and enjoyed every stop along the way.
James current system features:
Fleetwood Deville and Piega Coax 711 speakers
REL S/812 sub
MSB Discrete DAC
Luxman PD-171 turntable
Lyra Kleos cartridge
Luxman EQ-500 phono preamp
Zanden 6000 integrated amp
Luxman P750u headphone amp
AudioQuest Niagara power conditioner
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Lucidity, serenity, maturity, balance, elegance.
It is comforting to listen to such a young man with so much sense, so much soul, among millions and millions of stupid kids of this generation who, as he so well describes, want a Tesla with access to social networks and will never understand the essence of a 911 from the 80s.
Get rid of the unhealthy obsession with chasing specs, or worse, flaunting brands, and pursue excellence where it belongs, whether listening to music or driving a car.
This is the true and pure expression of being an audiophile.
Congratulations James for being completely human.
Thanks again Steve.
Greetings from Brazil.
Finally you found a wealthy audiophile who seems like a regular guy, thinks clearly and spends a lot of money on gear. He seems to have a path in his journey and doesn't need to have 8 amplifiers 4 reel-to-real tape transports 3 turntables etc. at the same time.
"A normal audiophile" with normal ideas. And a wife who seems to support his passion.
I lived in Sydney in the 70’s and all my friends had nice cars,I had top end audio and a VW , this interview brings back memories how I was . Enjoyable interview with a guy that has passion !
Enjoyed this interview! In my 40 years as an audiophile, my advice is that it’s all about the sound. Try to ignore looks, technical theories etc. If it sounds great, you’ll be happy; if it doesn’t, you won’t.
Nice looks couldn't hurt!? Personal pride of ownership?? ...
This was an great conversation. I identify myself with many points here.
Level-headed guy until he didn't know Devo. What the? How could a guy his age not know about Devo? Always enjoy these interviews. And Steve, congrats on passing the 150K subscriber mark. You've worked very hard to provide LOADS of interesting content. Happy yo support you on Patreon.
Not that hard to understand. He was born after the heyday of Devo. I doubt that you know of every group that came along before you were born. If you do, you are the exception.
I think he was just puzzled, because of the way Steve framed his question, and sort of felt he should know who DEVO were.-the group were probably well before his time.
he's just too young. So much great music from the 60s 70s and 80s to go back and listen to. He'll spend the rest of his life catching up on what most of us have already heard.
It’s because people like him aren’t passionate about music. He just likes buying expensive luxury to impress others and he has the money. People like this entitled twat have ruined NYC.
Great video a true music lover who likes what he likes a fine story he delivered insightful thank you Steve like always the best to you.
People complaining that James has never heard of Devo, are pretty much exactly what the discussion @ 21.35 is all about. Who gives a crap! James is a young guy, born well after Devo had their greatest years of fame. Yet some of you are like "well, he doesn't know about my favorite quirky 80s band, so he must be a musical illiterate." GET OVER IT!
Thank you 🙏 - I was born in 1988, so I feel no need to apologize about not knowing much about DEVO 😂
Crack That Whip!
@@jamesdowningelliott I am much older than you and also never heard of DEVO.
Thank you. That was a great interview. My favorite point of the interview is the more you spend on audio doesn’t enhance your enjoyment.
What a great interview! Thank you James and Steve for sharing this journey and all the thoughts that went into it.
Thanks Steve, I love these personal interviews. You have some wonderful friends.
Awesome mom! Bonnie Raitt!!!!! And Dad gave you Forte 2s??? Lordy Lordy!
The parents caused this addiction, clearly abuse.
Very fun interview. Please note the wardrobe and interior decorating are Steve’s antimatter twin. And anyone who appreciates a 1980s 911, well yeah.
Indeed wrt the 80's 911 ... there's a particular visceral physicality that accompanies that machine
that truly engages all one's senses ... 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦!
I like this guy. Makes lots of sensible comments and I think we all can relate to his thoughts on audio gear!!!
This is the right video if not the best audiophile journey I've watched so far.
Lots of great take away and advice in this video. Thanks for the upload and thank you so much James for your insight.
I hope to find a demo of James system in the near future if not yet uploaded. Thanks.
I can relate to the “audiophile shaming” thing to a degree, as James put it, but that’s why I come to and love this and other HiFi related channels. I see and talk to many of you in the comments section of them, and have met some great people over the years, some of which I keep in touch with regularly. On that note, it was cool to hear you guys chat. Thanks very much, Steve and James.
Plenty of people doing some audiophile shaming in these comments, just because James isn't familiar with Devo.
Very cool format talking directly to audiophiles. One of many great insights was that being an audiophile is a solitary pursuit. So true.
I liked this interview, this guy is keeping it one hundred and legit
He gets it, its all about enjoyment..be has the exspensce to spend on high end equipment..but it all comes down to the pure enjoyment of listening music period!!!
"take a chill pill" best comment in the interview. I have slowly accepted to enjoy what i have, its fun to get new stuff, but it can get out of control in a hurry. My advice is to spend money in hiring a room set up professional and get your system dialed in to your room and get the best out of your system.
Great interview thanks Steve , James is at the highest level of the audiophile Sickness , buying the finest audio Equipment and still being unsatisfied ... 🤔
Another great 1
This guy is spot on about this ridiculous hobby of ours!
this channel is an absolute goldmine.
Thanks!!
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac no thank you for sharing so much of your knowledge and experience and introducing me to others with more of the same! i love all your videos you're so easy to listen to, keep them coming!
Nice interview. I recommend that people should discuss their interest in music and the level of stereo system they are planning to pursue BEFORE they get married. The same should hold true regarding their interest in having children. These are rather basic, no-brainer discussions, yet I sense MANY people fail to get around to these hot topics leading to inevitable friction or worse. I have been married for 29 years, we're going strong, we have no children, we travel, we hike, we kayak, and we mountain bike at every chance. We both love listening to music. We shopped together to assemble an entry level stereo right after we got married. We listened to it for quite a few years while we built some savings, and enjoyed our many other other outdoor interests that required equipment purchases. Recently, we shopped together for a high end stereo: our last planned system. Every demo outing at a store was a date night, thereafter. A day of equipment demos followed by a dinner out. After about six months of A/B demos, we made our final choices, and we purchased a nice stereo. The stereo plays a LOT while we're making dinner, while we're sitting on the back deck enjoying some down time, and when we are sitting in the living room with more focused listening. Music was a big piece when we dated. It has always been a shared interest, a shared pursuit, and a big part of our relationship.
Totally agree - the good news is that my wife knew all about this before we were engaged, so she entered with open eyes. I just try to be considerate about not going too crazy, and she lets me get away with a little stereo store in the living room. It works :)
It was clear from the interview that the two of you had done it right. I was responding to the number of comments that were congratulating your wife on her part in this adventure: a very common response on many of these audiophile stories you find on line where spousal acceptance is met with surprise and admiration. It speaks volumes to the lack of communication that couples are demonstrating prior to marriage. The two of you clearly had these pre-marriage conversations, and you are enjoying the benefits. Sadly, you are in the minority (as are my wife and I) and it shouldn't be that way. As I type, my wife and I have our CD player spinning an assortment of CD's from Miles Davis, Ella and Louis, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, and Melody Gardot.
@@Tnapvrvideo Great tastes in music. My spouse didn't like much of the music I liked. :(
Sounds like you have a perfect marriage. I'm envious.
Certainly not perfect, however the peaks have been bigger, they have been wonderful, and they have significantly outnumbered the dips. We would not hesitate to do it all over again from "would you" to "yes". That said, it's a big effort. We definitely work at it. It doesn't come easy.
Sometimes slowing down to enjoy the purity of simpler times is the breath of clarity we all need.
Great episode, hope to see more like this!
Very nice episode! Agree with everything. Nice to know I am not the only one suffering this hobby!
Great stuff, let’s have more of these interviews and hearing more feedback from audiophiles!
Great to hear these experiences, its all about the joy , for music , for equipment like we love to drive and enjoy the looks and handling and feeling of the car....just enjoy without judging what is the standard , the purpose is to enjoy it all
Great review and very informative and interesting. I think, we audiophiles try to find on our journey our own personal taste of experiences in different gears to get the best reachable satisfying sound for enjoying the music we like and we think, that's it, that's the end game system that sounds best for me and let me be into the music 👍
It’s like an interview with me.. :) Excellent !!
'I went from listening to albums, to listening to songs. That kind-of pissed me off.' ❤️
I have reached a stage where I just make myself comfortable with early Sansui and early Sony equipment.
Great interview about someone’s typical journey that is filled with enjoyment and feelings of moving forward with a goal, but falling down a few holes along the way. His story is relatable no matter much money you have/don’t have to spend. I think it’s harder to have more resources because that makes many more options available to you, but you still have to shoehorn it into your own living space.
These journeys are very valuable indeed, keep them coming :)! With the Corona/Covid-19 virus and people spending more time at home this hobby is reignited with lot's of people all over the world for sure. I think the best takeaway from this video is to just take a brake from tweaking so once and a while and start a new hobby.
I am an audiophile in the true sense of the word: a lover of sound. I can enjoy music when played on a mono radio or on the television. What thrills me is the beauty of massed strings, hearing the body of the drum resonate after the stick hits the head, hearing the mechanical noise of the organ, or the hall reverberation from the wood block at the back of the orchestra. I have a little snippet that I have learned over my audiophile journey, one that started over 40 years ago. We tend to think of components as separate things. Usually true except for two parts of the system. A cartridge and arm are a symbiotic entity. I discovered this when I replaced the Basic arm on a Linn Axis with an Ittok. When I mounted my Koetsu on it, the Koetsu came alive like it had never done before. The same is true for amp and speakers. The speaker completes the amplifier circuit. Neither one can operate without the other. Assuming you choose speaker first, buying an amp designed for your type of speaker (In my case Mark Levinson ML-2s, designed on and for the Quad ESL mate beautifully with my electrostatics), will serve you well. I would not recommend the ML-2s for low sensitivity dynamic speakers.
Terrific, terrific, terrific interview- James, “hits it out of the ballpark”! Nicely done dude- the ONLY thing that bothered me was, the wife....umm James, “those have to go”. No honey, “YOU have to go”.....I have the same problem.....
Looking forwards to a Fleetwood sound speaker review..... I'm sure Jonathan will oblige :)
Steve and James - great video - some excellent points made...I doubt there would be that many people who don't want good sounding audio. Assuming they're not tone deaf. I am a budget audiophile but am still on that sound "journey" with low end affordable gear. The other day I picked up a vintage denon integrated amp PMA-500V, it's fantastic for stereo but has no digital inputs:) So that's me - vintage. Some vintage gear is amazing. I am going to a listening session at a hi fi shop for a valve amps (an amp listening test), so am not a snob of high end gear...it's really really amazing and expensive. If I could afford hi end equipment I would get my listening room setup for the best acoustics possible, no money spared before buying hi end gear...I have done that a bit in my "movie theatre projector room"...Anyway I ramble..Always the journey..the journey....:)
Very nice interview. He knows how to explain things with few words. Nice analogies.
I always loved music and enjoyed it before I even became an audiophile. I think that's why people are not curious about HiFi. They're not exposed to it. There is no advertisement about HiFi in main stream media.
If you're lucky you get exposed to it by a friend or most likely threw good headphones.
People can say what they want about beats headphones but at least it introduced a lot of people into the idea of superior sound. Tidal too. After that I was on the path of becoming an audiophile.
I like this talk with James. He looks like the type of guys us audiofools with a similar disease could talk to for hours. It's interesting hearing all the expensive gear he has been through. He has been through a lot and when you start to play in this league of gear their is no bad sounding gear. It's just going to be different and if you can make it play well together. All about system synergy to get those toes tapping, and singing along with the music. Interesting to see he arrived a msb desrete dac, zanden 6000 amp, luxman I integrated, luxman headphone amp and turntable and Fleetwood speakers. Some expensive gear for sure but still not crazy. At some poi t you have to just sit back and enjoy what you have put together and quit chasing the next piece of gear or upgrade. Because like he said, at this level changing out one thing will mess up the system synergy leading you to change more than one component. Who h can get expensive and yes frustrating! Thank you Steve. Hope you interview James again!
Yes to the foot tap, when I sold audio a million years ago it was the thing I looked for.
Speaker first and get your room right.👍
Thx for sharing your knowledge and experiences James! Great video Steve.
Music matters and type of music u listen too goes with the type of system u have, they both go hand in hand.
I feel that is a noble quest, perhaps the only one that really matters, to sense that the musicians are in the room with you. And your delivery system disappears from the picture. If you can get close to that experience, you have chosen wisely.
Ok - I went and listened to some DEVO over the past week - it is very 'of the times'. I had heard a lot of their music before on the radio as a little kid, but had no idea who the band was, now I do. I must say, it is not my taste. I love certain 80s music, but it tends to be more along the lines of Dire Straits, Phil Collins and The Police...
You had to be there.
It's a nostalgia thing for us old skatepark kids.
Glad you're out of your "bleeding ears" stage, kid;-)
PS: Did you listen with a flower pot on your head? It's the only way!
My experience is that the degree of restlessness is inversely proportional to the balance of my bank account. I am not ashamed to call myself an audiophile but I am mostly about the music. One of my other hobbies is photography. The price or even the quality of the camera is not nearly as important as the eye and skill of the photographer. Along these same lines, the price of the audio gear often has little to do with how close it brings me to the music. I can think of many "budget" brands that I find much more musical than far more expensive stuff.
I purchase a few weeks ago bic venturi dv84 and I enjoy them 😉👌
Thank you for a great interview (chat). I think a large number of people can relate to alot of what was said. I know I can!
These interviews are a great way to get exposed to “ real” journeys. No reviews ...live and learn
Yes, but it should start with the room and spend some time to adjust the system to the room. That's whx the reviews are important. There are japanesse equimpment that suits japannese way of life - minimalistic. Then european - front image casting speakers that suits placement closer to front wall, and usa for big houses. And absolute high end. Etc...
Easily one of the best interviews you have posted.
Thanks Steve for bringing James to the table. His statement that our hobby/love is quite the solitary pursuit. My wants often compete with a need of the collective i.e. spouse lol. Wouldn't have it any other way. Greg
Really fun conversation to listen to 👍🏼👍🏼
This guy is pure cool
Edit: Just got to the end where he's never heard of Devo. Slightly less cool.
he's less old as well :-)
The fortes are the kings for the money, ive owned roughly 100 sets of speakers, the fortes are my top favorite due to their natural timbre bass is very full and midrange is top notch, they get the win from me at the time.
mr. mayhem class A D A/B?
@@dilbyjones im pretty sure you cant mess them up with anything, i was using a yamaha m4 it had more to give you the punch in the chest, but id say the luxman l85v, sansui au-7900, or even the pioneer sa-8500 wouldve been perfect on them, especially the lux.
My Forte' II's are 30 years old and I play albums when I want to just sit still and songs from Tidal or CD's when not in the sweet spot, just about everyday because I'm happy with the way they sound. Back in 1990 they cost $1100.
I'm glad I didn't buy the Bose 501's. Had a 1980's Carver M-500t power amp, now have a modern Yamaha A-S801 integrated amp.
@@stevemiller9480 good choice on not getting the bose, great choice on the yamaha amp.
I run my forte ii’s with dynaco mono blocks and nos mullard tubes I dont think I’ll ever change.
Really enjoyed this interview. I think I’d have a great time hanging out with James. Cool dude.
In my audiophile journey I had two stark choices settle with my gear have my spouse or upgrade my gear and loose her and went for the first. Lucky James has them both.
James is fellow traveler in love of mechanical things. Motorcycles, cars, audio, cameras, and firearms. Quality things that feel nice to the touch, make interesting noises and make you happy playing with them.
This dude is living the dream, high end kit in a Manhattan apartment, very nice!
Feeling a lot of what this dude says.
My hobby started as a 6 year old and my first 45 record player in 1968, that and my first 8mm movie projector for Xmas in 1972 but....
I like my Robalo 2019 r180 center console, and fishing.
I enjoy playing guitar on my Ibanez artcore hollow body through my Messa Boogie 25 watt mini rectifier and slant cab.
I enjoy my Dobsonian 10 inch telescope and observing the nighttime sky's.
I enjoy my Lassie lookalike 1 year old sheltie Winston, and his 2 year old Blue Merle buddy Sapphire, they give me more happiness than all my hobbies!
I enjoy my hometheatre featuring 4 Pure class A plinius amplifiers and Plinius M8 stereo pre-amp and Conrad Johnson met 1 6 channel pre-amp, Lovan racks, Adona amp stands, Epson 4000 4k projector and DNP Supernova core 2 ambient light rejection screen 120 inch, all Transparent Ultra interconnects and speaker cables, Kora Hermes tubed dac, Magnum Dynalab 102 t tuner, Pioneer elite receiver and Blu-ray, 3APC S Type 15 power conditioner, Technical SL 1200 mk3 turntable and Bellari 129 and Jolida jd9 phonostages.
Mirage OM6 mains, Mirage OM 10 surrounds, Mirage mc2 center, Mirage BPS 400 .1sub and 2 18 inch stereo position Bag End infrasubs.
2nd dedicated stereo
Klipsch Cornwall mk3
Dared VP 845, all nos tubes 1942 RCA 845, 1958 RCA 12ax7, and 1944 RCA 6sn7. 18 watts pure class A
Cary CAD 300b sei with all nos tubes... 8 watts pure class A
Lampizator lite 7 dac, Transparent reference XL rca out, Reference audio labs Silver rj845 cat, wirewolds platinum starlight USB cable.
Innuos Zenith mk3 server/streamer
White VPI prime superscout turntable, Herron mk2 phono, Transparent reference phono,.
I have some variety and balance, objectively of course😁.
I'm done!
And other hobbies to enjoy as well.
YES!!!... Audiophile brain damage! I have experienced that. Even though my wife has rubber stamped my idea of buying new big speakers, what's really holding me back is the TRAUMA of shopping, and changing, and then possibly not being happy. It's happened to me several times, and it takes YEARS to recover.
Steve! You known darn well that I Bought 10 beautiful Class A Lundahl Equipped Oil Cooled MonoTube amps from Audio Power Labs 2,5 years ago ! With my Wifes blessings! Our friend Nelson Pass told us all that we have got the most impressive Tube amp collection in the World! I like these Piegas as well,by the way!,Dr Solheim Norway!
James is the man.
Man needs to get some Devo records.
And a funny hat.
Matthew Fagan funny hat FTW
𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘱
I tried - I cannot say I fell in love...
He's not missing anything.
NEVER HEARD OF DEVO??? WHIP HIM WHIP HIM GOOD!!
That got me too. haha.
Thanks for a great interview, Steve and James. Really enjoyed it. I am going to ask for a T shirt for Christmas with "I'm an audiophile, deal with it!" printed on it. 😄
Dude is really UNDERSELLING the Fleetwood Deville IT IS MIND BLOWING!!
Great video. James is spot on ! Didn't really show his system ? Just like Steve, he hardly ever shows his.
I love these types of videos
I'm back to say that I think today's guest gets it right when he defines "audiophile" as a person who's into gear. I know Steve defines it as someone who can listen without distractions, someone who can listen critically. But I don't think that's the most accurate, most common definition for most English speakers, or for most humans regardless of what language they speak. For most people, "audiophile" means a person who is into audio gear. It may not be what's important to Steve, and I'm not trying to say Steve's priorities are not good. I think they are excellent. But the commonly held understanding of what makes a person an audiophile is that they like audio hardware and technology.
I also really want to thank the guest for stating a major point in the advancement of audio technology. Starting at 11:04 he says that good sound is not new. We've had the ability to make really good sound, pretty close to what we have today, as far back as the early 1950s. What has changed since then it's that we can do it so much less expensively. Or perhaps more appropriately, cheap stuff sounds so much better than it used to, even if the pinnacle is still somewhat expensive.
Really good interview.
I may not have his budget but I really appreciate he buys American and countries with solid national labor practices. Not always able to afford that but I like he cares
Hifi is like many other hobbies ...a quest to find the best performance or solution for the money that we have available.
Therefore naturally the more funds people have at their disposal the more options and choices are open and available to try... yet ironically the same uncertainty and confusion remains ...to some degree...and making mistakes is always annoying no matter what amount of money we spend.
The problem is that we are also unstable emotional beings ...so sometime we really sync and connect to our hobbies, systems and music, and yet at other times we can completely disconnect ( but we then quickly blame the equipment and not ourselves ) which then drives us to look for a new upgrade or change or solution to reconnect us. Which is primarily what keeps the hifi hobby and industry healthy and alive.
Although my interest in music is high, my funds are quite limited so I spend far more time researching and listening to stuff before buying. But I luckily know what sound signature I like.
But the real fun for me is finding those inexpensive gems that offer surprisingly good sound quality and performance for the money. But agree the speakers are probably the most important thing to get right from the beginning if possible.
Although admittedly I would probably go crazy and explore hi-end gear if I had the spare money. But I am happy, smile and tap my toes most days.
Excellent comment!
Well said!
Agree completely. Reminds me of me.
This was a great video man. I hope you bring back James every now and then to give us an update. He should also talk more about cameras.
Great interview. I sometimes stress a little over the sound/music/gear issues too. Excellent discussion!
I realize that I enjoy watching people drive themselves crazy with this stuff. Once upon a time I was like them. Then I realized that nobody would ever make anything I like so I invented and built my own. It was much more fun and I got what I wanted, not what someone else thought I should want.
I want to hear this guy talk, almost as much as Steve! Have him on again...
I think "Manhattan apartment" says it all. This is like seeing all the megabuck gear in the glossies that you can never afford. Reality is wife, kids, college, medical issues, careers cut short by businesses going bankrupt, early retirement that wasn't planned. But still listening to the full albums!
This is HIS reality. Not yours.
@@wildbill3006 That's an un derstastement.
Really cool conversation.
Fantastic interview. I was a little perplexed that James has never heard of Devo. I think he needs to take a deep dive into new wave. He might find something he likes a lot. He may even become a spud boy.
I can so relate to this guy, I have a Mustang GT and I enjoy the mechanical balance of a V8 and the the joy of shifting a 5 speed, I like knives to be super sharp, I like to cook, and am a life long audiophile. I agree that the key is to find speakers you like and work backwards. Great clip. More of this - please. I have 3 systems, 1) a PSB alpha B-1 system, 2) a Klipsch RP600m system, and the system of my dreams, a 3) PSB Stratus Gold i /PS audio system. This video was fascinating to watch.
Absolutely luv this guy! U should do more interviews w/him soon. I could have listened to th 2 of you banter about audio for another hour! I jus wished u would hav showed a wide, full shot of his system as a whole then zoomed in on each piece
You speak of solid wood, done with hand craftsmanship, Klipsch.
Love my La Scalas and my Heresy II's...talk about time proven designs
This guy has a lot of money to play with. I had to build my own to get good sound.
He has money to play and choose. You sure have more fun building your own gear with limited resources. The building journey that many many audiophiles would envy.
I've been building my own speakers for over 40 years, and modding tube amps and repairing turntables for nearly as long. I do it both to save money (I'm rather poor) and because it's fun. It gives me a better understanding of what makes good sound.
he does, but anyone can arrive at that point in life, not everyone will, it's great to see he has the love and it's good to hear him talk about it.
Building your own is much more rewarding than just spending money
I kept nodding my head to everything James said...and then he’s never heard of Devo??!!! Come on man!!!
I found your interview with James to be very interesting to me. Although not one of your best interviews some decent insights backed up by your years of experience.
In the last 10 years or so since I've gotten back into the hobby I really haven't had the chance view and listen to as many systems as I would like. People like different types of sound your videos have kept me somewhat up-to-date on what's going on in the audio world. There's only so much you can get out of your meeting.
Funny, he is selling those speakers on audiomart right now
"upgrades" =D do you have the link? i'm curious, thx
oh I see they have a baby, less time to listen to music. I know what I am talking about...
He must have realised that he should have tried the Harbeth SHL5+, or maybe the 40th anniversary version, as he clearly likes beautiful wood.
Good interview Steve, I relate to much of the discussion re new gear... it’s been a journey, and it’s still going. No substitute for experience.
Especially love ‘our’ perspective on gear (in this case speaking about the the Piega speakers) ... “ ya, they’re pretty compact right?’... well to be honest...
Ha
Cheers
Steve, Related to his journey in audiophile but at a much lower price point. But that's the point we can all enjoy the journey. I have a lot of different combinations over the forty or so years much of what was said in this interview most likely all that are in this hobby have experinced. I could not agree more to find a set of speakers you like and in my case rebuild from there.
I was able to get a set of Zu Omen Def and the beauty is every time I upgraded a component they continue to deliver more. So until they stop they are staying. So I do mix sound of system to overall music enjoyment and I think at this level you need to have both to get what you personally are looking for.
Those little horn speakers are high dollar. Nice
This guy’s awesome!
audiophile visits are great steve, make more like these, better than reviews.
You can build a good system working backwards, but the best possible read you can get at the beginning of the signal path gives you, (at least logically) a more stable starting point.
Enjoyed the interview very much. Looks like a cool, light filled NYC apartment.
I heard affirmation of...disease...merry-go-round.....brain damage......nuts.....chill pill...etc. I also sensed lots of money being wasted over the years chasing rainbows. However, like many, he does not heed his own advice, find the system that satisfies and just enjoy music for years on end. Nonetheless, if he's happy and can afford it, that's all that matters. Just different strokes......
Great interview, but what I REALLY want to see is the reaction video of James hearing DEVO for the first time!! Oh Man.... what should his first Devo song be?? James!... if you're reading these comments... please tell us! Are we not Men??
I think he should be eased into "The Rite of Spring", before subjecting him to Devo 🙃.
great video Steve ,thx
The high end audio stores prey on the insecurities of a typical audiophile. My two trips to Lyric Hi-Fi in the 1980's - 90's helped me save a lot of money, by not drinking the Kool-Aid potions of that era. However, the one thing the dealers are probably good at telling you is what doesn't work together. Just because a speaker costs $50K does not mean it will sound good with a preamp + amp costing $25K or more. I can relate to James' admitting he has experienced buyer's remorse after making a big spending mistake. That's almost like the definition of what it means to be a real life audioholic.
I think what he said about listening to songs rather then an albums, could be a phase that sometimes we all go through, even with a same system, sometimes I go through a phase that I just listen to my system rather then the music, and other times I just forget about my system and listen to music, so I think it's not always your gear that makes you listen to songs rather then albums.