jkmcc Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 . . . and all of a sudden, over the course of a few months my wife and I couldn't argue with the sense it made to retire, sell our house in LA County and move across the country. So here we are in a comfortable house, in a cute neighborhood in the historic town of Amherst, MA. (One might say all the towns out here are historic . . . or at the very least, old.) Arrived in the Pioneer Valley last November and moved into this house April of this year. (Amusingly enough, my wife has picked up a part time teaching job down in Springfield. Adult ed. Hey, it's always great to have a wife who works!) Walk out basements are big here, and we ended up with a very nice one. Before we moved in and I was walking around the empty echo filled room, taking measurements and considering speaker placement, I was worried about how the sound would be down here. But once the furniture, rugs, records, etc was loaded in, I was thrilled to discover the room sounds great. I feel certain that the concrete floor beneath the faux vinyl/wood flooring makes an enormous difference for the 5As between this room and the suspended wood floor we had in our living room in Altadena. I can let you know I'm having a great time here. Lots and lots of music to see/hear, mainly at tiny venues. Since we've been here, between Amherst / Northampton and as far east as Boston, and west as Albany we've seen Bill Frisell, The Feelies, Shakti with John McGlaughlin, Nellie McKay, Julian Lage (5 times!), Aimee Mann, Jeff Tweedy, Diana Krall, Cecille Mclorin Salvant, Anat Cohen, Yo La Tengo, Chris Smither, Dave Alvin, and others . . . At some point we'll get into Boston or out to Tanglewood to hear the BSO et al for our classical music fix. So here are some photos of the new room, which you can also see in my profile. It's been quite some time since I've checked in. I hope all is well with all of you. Best, John 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GdnrBob Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 That looks very comfortable. Nice that the sofa fits between the columns, too. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffreybehr Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Can't find your profile; what poweramp(s) are U using? VS Inline filters? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkmcc Posted September 20, 2023 Author Share Posted September 20, 2023 My system - VPI Scout & Hana MH cart, Thorens TD145 & Hana SL Mono cart, VTL 6.5 phono stage, Bluesound Vault 2i, Rega Apollo cdp, Chord Qutest Dac, BAT VK 30 pre, VTL S-200 amp, Vandersteen 5A speakers, Audioquest William Tell speaker cables, mainly Cardas interconnects throughout, Core Audio racks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkmcc Posted September 20, 2023 Author Share Posted September 20, 2023 Oh yeah, and everything except the amp and the speakers are plugged into an Isotek Evo 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Very nice!!! Love the setup. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkeske Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 (edited) Very nice! Congrats on the move and enjoy the new surroundings inside and out 👍🏼 Brian Edited September 21, 2023 by bkeske Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sbank Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 Congrats! Looks awesome. Based on your stated musical appetite, you may want to circle this on your calendar and plan ahead: https://www.carnifest.com/wilcos-solid-sound-festival-2024/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 Congrats. I love it here in New England. I kayak in the Ct River right off I91 where the UMASS crew team get in and out. It’s beautiful. Time to meet Rutan and Richard in Berona on Nov 4th lol. Welcome East. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratocaster Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 Congratulations on the move. Guess walkout basements are the one thing that I miss the most and wish we had them here in San Diego. Your setup looks great and very comfortable. Am sure the acoustics are also favorable… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oregon Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 22 hours ago, jkmcc said: My system - VPI Scout & Hana MH cart, Thorens TD145 & Hana SL Mono cart, VTL 6.5 phono stage, Bluesound Vault 2i, Rega Apollo cdp, Chord Qutest Dac, BAT VK 30 pre, VTL S-200 amp, Vandersteen 5A speakers, Audioquest William Tell speaker cables, mainly Cardas interconnects throughout, Core Audio racks. Vandersteen and VTL. 👍 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkmcc Posted September 23, 2023 Author Share Posted September 23, 2023 Thank you all for your warm comments! I love the generosity of spirit here. Sbank - thanks for the reminder of Wilco's Mass Moca schedule. I've gotten myself on their mailing list to scoop up tickets when they come up. I know those shows sell instantly. Peter - yes, I'm happy to have returned to New England. Believe it or not I am digging the raw and rainy gray Saturday we are having today. And thanks for the heads up about Richard's visit to Audio Connection. It looks like it would be about a three and a half hour drive for me, but I'll think about it. I've heard so much about Johnny and it would be fun to meet you and maybe some others. Finally, on a musical note that might be better placed somewhere else on the forum, but what the heck I'm here now; after reading Geoff Dyer's book about jazz, But Beautiful, a few months ago, I've become besotted with the post prison, post junkie recordings of Art Pepper. Particularly the Live at the Village Vanguard recordings. To me he sounds like he's playing straight from the heart, wide open, with nothing to hide and nothing to lose. If you haven't heard those records; The Trip, No Limit, Straight Life are just a few, maybe something to spin up this weekend. Best, John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAGNI Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 @jkmcc great room ! Congrats ! Thanks for the Geoff Dyer reference and Art Pepper too. Love AP/s sound and a new Contemporary reissue is worth checking out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctsooner Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 Even rainier Sunday. On the bike streaming my work out music. Duran Duran today lol. Throw back Sunday. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkmcc Posted September 24, 2023 Author Share Posted September 24, 2023 17 minutes ago, ctsooner said: Even rainier Sunday. On the bike streaming my work out music. Duran Duran today lol. Throw back Sunday. . . . the reflex is a lonely child . . . 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now