Finally quit lurking in Winnipeg!
Jan 27, 2015 6:29:57 GMT -5
dksosku, frenchyfranky, and 2 more like this
Post by Carlito55 on Jan 27, 2015 6:29:57 GMT -5
Hello all you Emo Blue faithful! Greetings from Winnipeg MB Canada. What a cool place to hang out. It's impossible to get bored here. The closest I came was reading the 156 page thread of waiting for the XMC to come out. Still a good way to waste time though.
I thought I would do it right and introduce myself before leaving my brand of crazy elsewhere! I grew up on Stereo Review and coveting various Technics equipment. Once I had the funds a year after high school I came close to getting a Technics integrated amp but ended up with a Yamaha AX-550 integrated and a pair of Paradigm 9se Mk II's. The paradigms sounded way better than their price would suggest. I see from others here that I'm not alone in that assessment.
Those 2 things and a Technics SL-P300 (1987) CD player kept me going for 20 years while reading reviews and developments about surround sound. Clearly not an early adopter!
During those 20 years life happened to me and I managed to obtain an ex-wife and a bunch of child support so I had to do my best to stay healthy and not catch Upgrade-itus.
I had always dreamed of getting separates (my ears were far more golden than my wallet was!) so when the Marantz AV7005 and matching amp hit the market I caught the disease big-time! Finally an attainable goal and I won't be settling for a "gasp" receiver. After reading several favourable reviews I got the pre/pro on loan from a local audio store and plumbed it into my Yammy's amp section. Full of hope and expectation I threw on various CDs and SACDs (had the Oppo by that time) and became decidedly underwhelmed. The marantz didn't even have a proper soundstage that my integrated came closer to achieving. I tried analog and SPDIF from my sources and I couldn't even get a phantom center image of lead vocals on recordings I knew that had it. Very disappointing! Now what was I gonna do. I had also previously determined that the matching power amp was, in fact, wimpy and needed to find something beefy to satisfy my need for proper SPL.
I went scrounging in several local specialty audio shops and came across a Sherbourn 7-150. It was the last one they had and they were no longer carrying the brand because they had gotten Parasound back. There was a deal to be had but a little homework was prudent. I had never heard of sherbourn and could not find a single review online. That raised some doubt which tried to compete with its specifications and my examination of it in the store. I was very pleased with the fact that it weighed more than a brick outhouse and could draw most of a 15 amp circuit out of the wall. Well! Nothing to do but try it at home. I got it on loan and went through my A/B testing... (Heavenly choir) Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Best sounding outhouse I've ever heard! At the risk of offending those who dislike subjective audiophile terminology, I had finally heard what it sounds like to aurally lift a veil, to tighten up the bass and to effortlessly and accurately apply gain to every frequency given unto it. The short version is: I bought it!
If you're not bored out of your tree yet, please stay tuned for the continuing story of "Piiiiiigs In Spaaaaaace". (a little Muppet Show reference for you (see? I'm dating myself)) Have to go to bed now. Allow me to quote someone else: "I'll be back."
I thought I would do it right and introduce myself before leaving my brand of crazy elsewhere! I grew up on Stereo Review and coveting various Technics equipment. Once I had the funds a year after high school I came close to getting a Technics integrated amp but ended up with a Yamaha AX-550 integrated and a pair of Paradigm 9se Mk II's. The paradigms sounded way better than their price would suggest. I see from others here that I'm not alone in that assessment.
Those 2 things and a Technics SL-P300 (1987) CD player kept me going for 20 years while reading reviews and developments about surround sound. Clearly not an early adopter!
During those 20 years life happened to me and I managed to obtain an ex-wife and a bunch of child support so I had to do my best to stay healthy and not catch Upgrade-itus.I had always dreamed of getting separates (my ears were far more golden than my wallet was!) so when the Marantz AV7005 and matching amp hit the market I caught the disease big-time! Finally an attainable goal and I won't be settling for a "gasp" receiver. After reading several favourable reviews I got the pre/pro on loan from a local audio store and plumbed it into my Yammy's amp section. Full of hope and expectation I threw on various CDs and SACDs (had the Oppo by that time) and became decidedly underwhelmed. The marantz didn't even have a proper soundstage that my integrated came closer to achieving. I tried analog and SPDIF from my sources and I couldn't even get a phantom center image of lead vocals on recordings I knew that had it. Very disappointing! Now what was I gonna do. I had also previously determined that the matching power amp was, in fact, wimpy and needed to find something beefy to satisfy my need for proper SPL.
I went scrounging in several local specialty audio shops and came across a Sherbourn 7-150. It was the last one they had and they were no longer carrying the brand because they had gotten Parasound back. There was a deal to be had but a little homework was prudent. I had never heard of sherbourn and could not find a single review online. That raised some doubt which tried to compete with its specifications and my examination of it in the store. I was very pleased with the fact that it weighed more than a brick outhouse and could draw most of a 15 amp circuit out of the wall. Well! Nothing to do but try it at home. I got it on loan and went through my A/B testing... (Heavenly choir) Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Best sounding outhouse I've ever heard! At the risk of offending those who dislike subjective audiophile terminology, I had finally heard what it sounds like to aurally lift a veil, to tighten up the bass and to effortlessly and accurately apply gain to every frequency given unto it. The short version is: I bought it!
If you're not bored out of your tree yet, please stay tuned for the continuing story of "Piiiiiigs In Spaaaaaace". (a little Muppet Show reference for you (see? I'm dating myself)) Have to go to bed now. Allow me to quote someone else: "I'll be back."
? ,,,,,,he,,,,,he,,,,,,he,,,,,,
