Remember when you were young, you shone like the
sun :-{)+ (Pink Floyd). The single-ended tube "sun" to be exact!
So ya' wanna' know what makes me coo-coo 'bout my music
reproduction huh? Cool. Here's the deal kind cyberspace
readers out there. i got these toys here that sound pretty good.
Some who have heard it even say it's awesome! Now that's in
my opinion and those who have dropped by for a listen too.
And DARN well it should deliver the goods for the money i
parleyed out for 'em! On first base we got a void, a
cipher, a null, a... OK, i'll stop joking here just for a second.
The VOYD is a really cool turntable that i use. i even gots me
all Audio Note silver wired stuff. Yep, even the Io-2 cartridge is by
Audio Note. For speaks i gots me the KEF 104/2s and an M+K
MX 2000 subschnauser (i nickname all my toys by the way.
You'll learn more 'bout THAT later). The phono stage i use is
the Audio Note M2. Now what about my amplifier you ask.
No problemmo, here's the deal.
You see, my oldest brother (Max) died of AIDS last year and
on his death bed he told me to "Enjoy life, you never know when
your time will come." So what was i to do? i cancelled buying
the home i was looking at and parleyed all my stash and then
some and gots me a little "space heater". This space heater has
brought me more joy than i could have ever imagined!!! It
even cooks marshmallows too :-{)+ . All those who have heard
my music reproduction system leave by either saying some VERY
nasty words to me and/or finally realize why i'm nuts 'bout
my junk (i say "junk" in a loving way). They could have a
"space heater" too one day. Ya' know what, everyone should
at least hear this toy too. It literally changed my life for the
better. OK, OK, enough with the suspense, here's the "really
cool night light" i got.
So what's this really cool night light, space heater, and
marshmallow cooker called. Are you sittin' down? Cool. It's an
Audio Note Ongaku. OK, OK, the 'bout $500 a month i pay
for it stinks BIG TIME, but ohhhhhhh the music!!! Enough
'bout the toys, let's get on to what really counts...
T H E M U S I C!!! You see, i put a record on the table, and
my room disappears. LOOK!!!! There's Robert Plant, the
Satchmo, Billie Holiday, the Doors, and even King Crimson
RIGHT THERE a-playin' there hearts out right in my very
own home no less!!! MAN-O-MAN and do they jam out too.
My neighbors hate me though as you will soon see why :-{(+ .
Lookey here at this little ol' Crystal Clear album with pipe organ music
on it (heh heh). The way those 32 foot pedal sounds is a sight, er,
um, i mean a sound to behold. Ahhhhhhh the music :-{)+ .
Then we gots this little record here by Pink Floyd. A Japanese
pressin' no less of "The Wall". After listenin' to it, i HAVE
become comfortably numb :-{)+ . OK, OK, for you who want
specs, i aint got any for ya :-{>)+ . Too bad huh. Then again,
what REALLY matters is the way a system reproduces MUSIC folks.
Ya' know. What i'm trying to tell you 'bout here. OK, OK, here's
the breakdown of my junk in the room i officially named "Room
1". i gots me 2 rooms which are dedicated for music ecstasy.
Life is good. i'm broke, but happy.).
Audio Note Ongaku
Audio Note M2 phono
Audio Note AN-2/s-V silver wired tone arm
Audio Note AN-S6c silver wired step-up transformer
Audio Note Io-2 cartridge
VOYD turntable
KEF 104/2 speakers
M+K MX 2000 subwoofer
Audio Note AN-Vx silver wired interconnect
Monster Cable Sigma Bi-Wire speaker cable
Then i got those precious original RCA Living Stereo's on vinyl.
Here, i'll put it on for ya'. Ya hear that? Yes, it's the theme music
from 2001, "Steve's spaced out on music again" odyssey
%-{)+ . Ya' gotta love it. So why do i love music soooo much?
i mean, what dude would buy an integrated amplifier instead of a
home? Am i nuts? No, well, maybe i'm kinda nuts, yes.
You see, i have been a musician for over 14 years. Studio and
touring has been a part of my life. When i was in high school,
we had live music 'bout 4 days a week every week right in my
home. So you see, it's hard for me to find stuff that meets up
to MY standards. After 10 years of hunting for cool stuff, i have
found me home.
Music has all these cool harmonics and "get down and boogie"
beats. It's hard to get that on most music reproduction systems ya'
know. Let alone if you are like me music wise. i want to
hear EVERYTHING from Billie Holiday to Led Zepplin... AC/DC
you ask, yep, them too. "For those about to rock, we salute you."
Though classical music has a way of makin' me cry ya' know.
The way massed strings sound, full bodied and no shrill either.
Just pure, unadulterated MUSIC. Yes, the sound stage, imaging,
and all that other stuff is there. Also the truth of timbre, the
realism, the majesty of the music. Kinda like i'm there dude um
huh huh um huh. You remember the first time you had that
revelation while enjoying music. Ya' know, that feelin' of,
"WOW". THAT'S what i am always trying to achieve folks.
Kinda like a music addict looking for his next musical high.
Here's the bad part folks (isn't there always a few drawbacks in
life :-{(+ ). Ya' know, all these musicians come over and have
fun playin' in my home like Miles Davis, Frank Zappa,
Robert Plant, Yo Yo Ma, etc. i cook for them,
i clean for them, do their dishes... HECK, i even pay theirs
electricity bills!!! Ya' know what. Not even ONE of them has
even offered to clean my house. Not even once. You'd
think they'd offer to get me a drink at least. DAMN musicians :-{)+ !
All they want to do is play music all night and sleep all day.
Well, i can't say i blame 'em. Gotta go soon, Miles
Davis is comin' over again to jam. He's a cool cat.
So you see, i got past all that equipment stuff FINALLY and
am now enjoying the music. i just wish you were here to hear it.
If you're ever in Peterborough, New Hampshire (USA), please look me up. i
share my joy with all who ask. Just plain ol' friends sittin' around
enjoying the music. Isn't that the way it should be??? Please
don't forget to bring your favorite records with ya' either! i love
to hear new stuff i haven't heard before. Remember when you
were young, you shined like the sun. Shine on you crazy
diamond. What really matters to me is that you...
Enjoy the music,
Steven R. Rochlin
High-Performance Audio Reviews
