Audio Asylum - Inmate Systems

BillyBuck's The Old Franks N Beans System
IP Address: 63.195.16.225	Last Update: December 01, 2009 at 17:20:23
Amplifier:	Denon AVR-3805
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Speakers:	Vandersteen 2CE Velodyne CT-100 subwoofer
Sources:
CD Player/DAC:	Roku M1000 music server, digital out Samsung HD-841 universal player
Turntable/Phono Stage:	Heybrook TT2 / Rega RB300 / Shure V15vxMR or Technics SL-1200 or Lenco L75
Other Source(s):	Computer system: Media Monkey --> M-Audio Firewire Audiophile --> Marantz 2230 --> KEF Corelli's Bedroom System: Roku M500 --> Tivoli Model 3 --> Shure E3C headphones
Other Accessories/Room/Misc.:
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:	stock IC's, lamp cord
Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.):	Mr. Clean Magic Eraser as stylus cleaner; Nitty Gritty 1.0 RCM
Tweaks:	Single-malt scotch makes an excellent noise-reduction component; a little Hippie Hay will expand your soundstage by several yards.
Room Size (LxWxH):	20 x 20 x 8.5
Room Comments/Treatments:	extremely live room w/laminate floor
Music Preferences and Comments:
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	As Ray Charles has said, every music has its soul--it's just a matter of finding it. I've taken the time and--sometimes--effort to find the soul in everything from chanting Tibetan monks to howling Appalachian hillbillies and the sweet loneliness of Miles' horn. Strong emphasis on American roots, especially blues, jazz, and early country. Also building an impressive classical LP collection due to their ready availability in the thrifts. Buying such works of art is like running around snatching up Van Goghs at 50 cents a pop. I have over 10,000 LP's, 45's and 78's; I've been collecting since high school days in the '80s, though it's only been the last year that I've started to concern myself with what they're played on.
System Goals/Comments:	I'm in an area with no hi-fi hut for miles and no audiophile community to speak of, so my ability to preview gear is next to nil. For this reason, I usually stick with the classics and work in the lower end of the $ spectrum so it's not as painful to shelve gear that doesn't pan out. The up side of this has been a greater reliance on DIY, with some amazing results. My overall goal is to recreate the roller-coaster ride I experienced in 1986 when an audiophile friend played me a crappy Doobie Brothers album (I did and do despise them) on a tube system of his own design. Back then I wouldn't have known Shakti from Shinola, but I was floored by the sense of immediacy and emotion coming from this stack of homebrew gear (assuming the Doobs can be said to possess emotion).
System Strengths:	On a good day, the modified Lenco is the most incredible source unit I've ever heard. There's just something about that idler-wheel drive. The Heybrook/Rega combo is no slouch either.
System Weaknesses:	Listening room makes speaker placement a challenge. Gripe #2: The system and the record collection have proven themselves highly susceptible to tampering by cats; definitely a weakness. In a perfect world all this stuff would be made of a stone substance that gives cat claws no purchase.
Video/HT System: Integrated
TV/Projector:	Some big-ass Toshiba TV circa 2001
Sources (DVD/VCR):	Zensonic Z500 Network Media Player
Other Interests/Hobbies/Occupation:	working musician in a variety of settings from high-class to low-class, book and magazine author (non-audio), record producer/engineer (primarily "outsider" music on small labels)