Brian and GD.....thanks.

i do have other chairs....but for me comfort is king.

this particular chair does have a high back; but the high back is narrow and not 'cupped' like many high back chairs.....all the surfaces roll away from my ears so don't really reflect, and the headrest keeps my head away from the back. i have compared it to my chair without a high back and the difference is quite marginal (more different than better or worse). my room is large enough that any rear wall reflections are very diffuse and not significant.

furthermore.....it is, by far, the most comfortable chair i have ever encountered. it is the 'zero gravity' chair since it removes the weight of your body from your spine and distributes it over your entire body.....i can (and do) sit in that chair for 10 to 12 straight hours.

life is balance.....and i have balanced comfort and performance.

mikelavigne November 23, 2004 14:55

Mike:

Your setup is totally impressive, showing your love for audio and taste in room setup. Congratulations!

I am currently going through a major change in my own setup. I am building a new house with a dedicated media room. A lot of thoughts have gone into designing and building that room, but with a modest budget. The house is now complete and I am ready to move, naturally my audio stuff will move first. I will start posting some pictures on my system.

Your room gives me some ideas and inspiration as to how to setup the interior. I particularly like your shelves for CDs and records. I will also do extensive acoustic treatment, all in DIY style.

Again, your room is awesome. I do have a humble suggestion though. I would buy a listening chair with its back height lower than your ear level. With your ears free of any obstacle and the sound reflection from the back wall will make tremendous improvements in your sound quality. And of course, such a seat can still be comfortable and exotic in its looks.

GD

gallant_diva November 23, 2004 01:06

Incredible Mike, simply incredible! Congrats.

brainwater November 21, 2004 22:54

Albert, thanks. you know you are always welcome. sometime i'd also enjoy visiting your room and attending one of your 'nights'. hopefully we will both get the chance.

Rgains, thanks. Rives has a few pictures of the room on their site now.

Ron, thanks....i am enjoying it!

mikelavigne November 21, 2004 04:26

Magnificent.

Rives must be beaming. Are they permitted to use images of the room for their own marketing/advertising?

rgairns November 21, 2004 02:19

Mike, I don't know if I should be more envious of the excellent equipment, abundant software collection or the perfect room.

Wish I was traveling there for business, I would impose on you for a round of tunes.

albertporter November 20, 2004 22:31

hi,oh,what a wonderful world
what a beautiful listening room i love it
nice system too
you have lots lots of you're collection of music
all i can say one of the best

enjoy listening
ron

simplicitymusic November 20, 2004 17:21

thanks Gary. my wife enjoys music, but not as an active listener. she does come into the room and linger to talk or listen. occasionally she will lock into some music i'm playing and sit and focus....but that is rare (despite my continual requests).

in the main house we have a whole house Bang & Olufsen music distribution system (which came with the home when we purchased it last year) that my wife will use for background music; which she enjoys on a regular basis (my system is intimidating to her).

i am very happy with my Lamm PL2. that said; if i had the chance to audition the Connoisseur Definitions or the Boulder 2008 i would jump at it.....just to see if they might be better. for now, my budget is shot and new gear is not on my mind.

when budget permits; my top current priority is to catch up on all the new Lp and SACD releases in the last 18 months since i got into this project. i have plenty of Lps (not as many SACD's) but the urge for more great music is always on top of my list.

from all i have read, the Connoisseur Definitions is likely the phono stage that might light my fire over the Lamm. i have listened to it twice at shows and very much enjoyed it.

mikelavigne November 20, 2004 15:52

System edited: more pictures.

mikelavigne November 20, 2004 15:35

Mike

The room does look amazing. Out of curiosity, does your wife share your passion? Have you identified anything you might do differently with the room, now that it is all done? At one point I recall you mentioned changing your phono stage, connoisseur I thought was discussed. All the best, use it in good health

Gary

gajgmusic November 20, 2004 13:36

thanks guys for the kind comments.

Lee, Tim, Slipknot, and Santiago.....you would all be most welcome anytime. Tim....we have talked about a visit from you many times....hopefully soon it will happen.

Lee, when i first learned about the Rives Audio approach i didn't agree with it as my experience had been in my small room where i was trying to keep the SPL's from overwhelming it. as i considered the whole picture i decieded that of all the approaches i had seen it made the most sense. so i had Rives do everything that they felt was necessary and i built it exactly to their specs.

i'm glad i did. it is interesting how my intuition about room acoustics has changed by this process. it was facinating to listen to my system as they finished one acoustical element and then another. it allowed me to really see cause and effect.

mikelavigne November 20, 2004 03:46

Interesting; I had not considered LEDE a function of room size. Makes sense when I reflect upon it (sorry for the pun). Thanks for the link to the article.

I will say your room appears to be a perfect recital hall, which would be my summation of the article you linked me to. Thus, the Kharma's are the performers. It would be interesting to record in your room as well.

Anyway, I would love to hear your room one day with different recording mixes and hear the result.

All the best,

Lee

mprime November 20, 2004 01:15

Mike- Amazing, its the only thing that comes to mind. If I ever make it to the north west I am sure you'll be seeing me with Jonathan in tow :o) Enjoy the music, you've earned it!

tireguy November 19, 2004 23:19

Room for...one! I love it.. Congratulations, pure class!

Best regards,
Santiago

vvrinc November 19, 2004 21:18

OK Mike, That is the best looking room I have ever seen!
You and Rives should be very proud of this all out effort.

Richard did a much more modest workup for my exsisting listening room (Level 1) but I can say that the end results are also wonderful.

I would love the opportunity to see the room in person and hear the results as well.

Truely Spectacular!!!

slipknot1 November 19, 2004 19:28

thanks guys.

Mprime, here is an article written by my room designer that explains why the whole "live-end-dead-end" approach is not ideal. i can tell you that the result of that hardwood behind the speakers is very positive when used with other diffusive surfaces.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue14/rives.htm

i did use the 'live-end/dead-end' approach in my old room......but i had huge speakers in a 12 foot wide room. absorbtion has it's place but is best minimized.

mikelavigne November 19, 2004 18:46

I have been one of the few so far to have had the pleasure of travelling to Seattle to hear Mike's setup and as he said, "hearing is believing".

It delivers in every way. Mike needs to be complimented on this labor of love.

I look forward to the review in Positive Feedback Online and hopefully in TAS

Good work Mike

oneobgyn November 19, 2004 18:04

Again, amazing room.

I do have one observation and question; the area behind the speakers appears quite live (hardwood floor, no signifcant absorption): why did you make that design choice?

(as contrasted against a dead behind-the-speaker-zone)

Thanks,

mprime November 19, 2004 17:40

WOW Mike, nice job. I think that my be the most well designed room I have ever had the pleasure of looking at.

Dave

sogood51 November 19, 2004 16:45

i forgot....the power cords on the amps have been changed from the EPS-3's to the Elrod Statements.

mikelavigne November 19, 2004 15:25

System edited: well.....the room is done....the pictures are updated. the only gear changes are the emmlabs modified Philips SACD 1000 changed to the emmlabs CDSD and the Tenor OTL's to the Tenor Hybrid 300 watt monoblocks. there is much to tell about the room....for now i will say it must be heard to be appreciated.

mikelavigne November 19, 2004 14:44

Most kind of you Mike and if I can ever take a trip to your area I would MORE than love a listen.

Once again, fabulous system and new room.

Dave

sogood51 October 24, 2004 16:22

Dave, i am just a hard working guy with a passion. it has taken 10 years to aquire and pay for my set-up. the room was part of the anticipated home expense when i moved last year.

you would be most welcome to visit. one thing i've really missed in the last year was the frequent listening sessions with fellow music lovers/audiophiles. send me an e-mail and we can set it up.

thanks Skip and Slipknot1 for the kind comments.....the tt is set-up and it sounds glorious (tt pics in the room are on the picture gallery).

Mprime, i loved my CD-12. it is still the most singularly elegant piece of audio gear i've ever seen/owned. when i first recieved the emmlabs gear i slightly preferred the CD-12 on redbook. i had both in my system for about 2 months.

after i had the modified Philips SACD 1000 for about a month i sent it back to Meitner for an upgrade to a chip (evidently the software of the SACD 1000 was only outputing 15 of the 16 bits). after this free mod the DAC6/SACD 1000 went to another level on redbook slightly beyond the CD-12. the Meitner combo now matches the CD-12 on detail, microdynamic snap, and naturalness......but the Meitner exceeds the CD-12 in the areas of dynamic slam, soundstage body, and a lower noise floor that approaches closer to my tt performance.

the CD-12 is still one of the very best Redbook players.

mikelavigne October 24, 2004 14:49

Absolutely spectacular Mike. You should be VERY proud. Kudos to both you and Richard. Get that TT installed, sit back, and enjoy! You've earned it.

slipknot1 October 23, 2004 21:39

Quite a room! Brilliant!

Mike, I know you've had the CD12; how does the emmlabs combo compare?

Thanks,

mprime October 23, 2004 20:23