Anyone who's looking at these virtual systems is likely a fairly advanced audio nutcase, as I freely admit I am, and it seems we all like to discuss our toy collections with others who share this interest. I've always bought equipment that I liked, simple and aesthetically correct, including the aesthetics of engineering and design philosophy. I've never liked automated goodies such as record changers, automatic turntables, auto-reverse cassette decks, or CD changers. I've never liked lots of buttons and flashing lights. And I've never liked buying features that I won't use.

I tend to assemble a system over a period of about two years and then stick with it for twelve to fifteen years. This is my third such system, completed this summer with the purchase of the Thiel 3.6's, which are my second pair of Thiels. My last system was built around Adcom electronics and Thiel CS2's. This round of upgrades has me owning much nicer equipment than I ever thought I'd be able to afford, thanks to the excellent used marketplaces of eBay and especially AudiogoN.

I've got about $5000 in this system, having bought everything used or drastically on sale. In a way I'm almost grateful that I've never been exposed in person to some of the fantastic systems posted on AudiogoN. I'd like to hear some of them, but can't afford anything beyond brief visits to that rent district. At least after a long day at the office, I can come home, sit in my chair, close my eyes, and lose myself in the music. I must say though that if any of you live in Delaware or Eastern Maryland and would like to invite a guest to hear your system, whether simple or over-the-top, I'd be quite interested. Anyway, click on each item in the system for a little more detail about it.

The most unique thing about my setup is probably the room: my study, music room, and library, which is 16' by 12' with a flat-topped vaulted ceiling about 11' feet high running lengthwise and a dormer 7' x 7' x 7' with my desk, and the equipment in an alcove off to the side. There are lots of books and heavy carpet, so the room is fairly dead acoustically. The audio was planned while the house was being built, so there's a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the system.

There are two really cool custom touches in this room. The equipment cabinet rolls back into a recess set into the dead space under the roof beside the dormer, so no floor space is taken up and everything sits flush with the wall. The cabinet rolls out for access to the cables. Next, the speaker cables are routed through the joists under the floor, and come up right under the speakers, so no cables are visible. It's the cleanest installation I've ever seen, and on a fairly low budget.

The green chair between the speakers is my late night reading station. When I'm reading, I'm not listening critically, and the Thiels are like giant enveloping headphones. At very low volumes they're inaudible in the next room but sitting between them the level is just fine, and I'm happy as a bug in a rug. For serious listening I sit in the highbacked desk comfy chair across the room, within easy reach of the equipment and CD racks. Funny thing I've noticed is that most people have their equipment all the way across the room from where they sit to listen. I like everything close at hand.

The desk chair is about ten feet from the speakers, so the room is right on the edge of being too small for the system, but the high ceiling helps open things up a bit.

The photos I've posted show the equipment rack set into the wall, viewed from the main listening position, the speakers in front of the wall of books viewed from the same spot, and a view of the equipment from from in front of the right speaker.

I've seen some amazingly expensive and impressive systems here on AudiogoN. I'm glad this forum is available to let me see beyond the fairly narrow horizons available here in rural Maryland. I've worked up to this system over thirty years. But no matter how crappy my equipment was, and believe me I had some real junk in the 70's, I always enjoyed the music. I've listened to lots of recordings in lots of places, and try never to lose sight of the fact that the music is what it's all about.