I like my stereo...it sounds really good...blah blah blah...the only original comments I have to make is about the room...so read on.

In the fall of '05 I remodelled the basement in my oh-so-small 1926 craftsman style bungalow (with pride, I do mean I built it). The added space was designed to provide an office and HT/listening room.

BOY DO I LOVE THIS SPACE!

I got into hi-fi back when I left home for college. My friend's parents bought a stereo from Audio Concepts in Dallas, which is a proper audio specialist dealer, and I went with them to look at all the fancy gear. If it weren't for that chance encounteer, I would most likely have spent years lost in Best Buy (or whatever was around back then). To this day, I still buy everything from the owner, Mark.

In those days, just as CD was getting up to speed, Linn and Naim were very strong in the hi-end segment. I scrimpt and saved my way into a nice but very basic system. I have upgraded VERY infrequently since.

Part of the main problem was space.

After college, I had a series of apartments and then, for the past 10 years, my little home. The house just wasn't stereo friendly for the kind of listening 'experience' I enjoy.

I eventually just gave up, and put the good stuff away, and got by with a few components added next to the TV. So, for about the past 8 years, my listening as been really just background music.

BUT NOW...I have a really comfortable setup that I am just so pleased with! I'd forgotten how much I enjoy having a proper listen, and boy the HT is great fun!.

The listening/HT part of the room is about 10 X 15. The 2 channel is oriented along the long axis, with the 5.1 across the short.

Because I custom built the room from scratch, I designed the HT install to have a very small footprint within the room. Of note on the HT component selections, the small Paradigm Seismic 10 sub is just barely over a 12"X12" cude. Great muscle. And the spherical Gallo Acoustics A'Divas provide terrific sound, and fantasitc installation options. There is nothing small about the sound of this setup in this space.

I just upgraded the 2 channel by getting all new Naim pre/pro separates. The most exciting thing about upgrading so infrequently is that you get the revelatory surprise by how much better sound can be, from what you've grown used to.

A pet peeve of mine is seeing pics of other rigs with $3K CDPs sitting on a rickety side table. Guys, spend some money on racks! The whole hifi thing is kind of an anal-retentive pursuit...so why skimp on the fundementals? And spend some of that cash on an electrician! Proper grounding, dedicated circuits and quality outlets will do more for your system than the same amount spend on a power conditioner.