Jeff Green's
System
Date of "Visit":
01 December 2002


the living room system


with Carver AL-3 Ribbons


the living room electronics


Music Reference amp


Dedicated Room System


DIY speakers


Music Hall turntable

  

e-mail to:
Jeff Green


I'm currently 45 years young, but the roots of my audio addiction can be traced back to my early youth. My mother, a schoolteacher by day and professional singer at night planted the seed. She practiced on the weekends with her partner, a piano player. The unamplified sound of her voice and the baby grand together gave me a taste of live music. She would record the set on an Ampex reel-to-reel and play it back on her Fisher 500c receiver and JBL full range speakers. I was amazed by this process and since then I have been engrossed in everything related to audio and the art of sound reproduction.

In my teens, I mowed lawns and bagged groceries so I could afford some of the good stuff. Over time I was able to put together a very respectable system. A Marantz 2270 receiver, JBL L-100 speakers, Marantz 6300 table and Akai reel-to-reel capable of 15ips. I thought that was 'da bomb

In my late twenties, I moved up to Luxman separates and ESS AMT monitor speakers. I never sold the Lux equipment because this was good stuff. The preamp and amp are still working perfectly and currently sell on ebay for impressive sums of money. In my mid 30's serendipity struck and my audiophile addiction came into full bloom. A gentleman whose house I had recently purchased, had left behind a Dynaco stereo 70 tube amp and a co-worker had given me a copy of Stereophile. I read the magazine with amazement as I had not experienced the things the reviewers described. Soundstaging, midrange liquidity, palpable presence were all terms I had never experienced or had heard of before. I had to learn a whole new vocabulary. I thought these guys were way out there but decided I wanted to hear what they did. Unknowingly at the time, the Dynaco would turn out to be the gateway drug into the enchanting world of tubes. After reading the magazine cover to cover, I pulled the speakers out from the front wall in the prescribed fashion. I hooked up the Dynakit and hit play on my CD player. I know you've heard this a thousand times, but my jaw hit the floor. Instant musicality, lush midrange and that sense of palpability that was mentioned. I couldn't believe my ears. From then on, tubes would be my preferred means of amplification from 100hz. on up. Transistors on the other hand would rule the roost below that point.

Fast forward to the present. I currently have two audiophile approved systems plus a pretty decent home theatre which give me great pleasure. Luckily, I married a great woman who has put up with all of this craziness and even encouraged me throughout all my audio up and downs. Things seem to be settling down from my earlier Stereophile induced bouts of "upgraditus". I have learned to trust my ears and not the reviewer's latest and greatest picks. I recently made a return to analog after a very long hiatus. I was very surprised to find out that given the proper care and feeding, analog can indeed sound excellent. My other current interests involve the DIY aspect of the hobby. Through the Internet, I have been able to vastly increase my understanding and perspective of audio reproduction. I have met many other virtual friends online and this has been one of the most exciting aspects of this hobby. Looking back, I have greatly enjoyed the past 35 years in this hobby. I can only imagine what the next 35 will bring.

Reference Material: I basically listen to music that has good vocals and a driving beat. These genres's include Jazz, Pop, R&B, Rock&Roll and New Age.

CD's include:
Josh Groban
Norah Jones "Come Away With Me"
Fourplay "Elixir"
Andreas Vollenweider "Book of Roses"
Peter Ulrich "Pathways and Dawns"

LP's include:
Billy Paul "War of the Gods"
Loggins & Messina "Mother Lode"
Rickie Lee Jones "Girl at Her Volcano"
Gino Vanelli "Powerful People"
Glen Campbell "Wichita Lineman"

Living Room System's Components

CD player:

Anthem CD-1

Preamp:

Melos SHA Gold

Power Amps:

Music Reference RM-9mk2 on top, Carver M500T & Onkyo M-501 on bottom

Speakers:

Modded Von Schweikert VR-4 Gen2 or Carver AL-3 Ribbons

Subwoofers:

Infinity based DIY towers with Audiocontrol lowpass crossover

Speaker cables:

Analysis Plus Oval 9

Interconnects:

Wireworld Gold Eclipse, Lightstar silver, Stealth silver, Kimber PBJ

Power Cords:

Harmonic Technology AC-11, Audio Power and Stealth

Power Conditioner:

Monster HTS 2000

Tweaks:

Daruma 3 roller balls, Townsend CD sink, Vibrapods, NOS tube stash

Jeff's comments about his Living Room System:
(This listening "room" is really not a room at all. It is approximately 20 by 30 feet but opens into two other rooms which are also open spaces, i.e. the dining room and the great room. )

AA: "Jeff, how would you describe your Living Room System's sound?"

JG: "The soundstage with either set of speakers is very wide and deep. The system has very good dynamics and the speakers completely disappear as a source of sound. As this is a living room setup, concessions have been made for the sake of domestic tranquility."

AA: "Do you think there is room for improvement?"

JG: "Sure, there is always room for improvement. These days, I usually wait for the opportunity to present itself."  

AA: "Have you got plans for upgrading?"

JG: "Not at the current time."

Dedicated Room System's Components

Turntable:

Music Hall MMF-7 w/Goldring Eroica

Phono Preamp:

EAR 834P

Preamp:

Sonic Frontiers Line One

Amps:

2 Golden Tube SE-40 in monoblock configuration Luxman M-12 on woofer

Digital:

Pioneer PD-65 as transport, Audio Alchemy 3.0 DA with DTI Pro

Speakers:

Custom DIY speakers with crossover design by Rick Craig and cabinets by Dave Ellis. Uses Scanspeak 8545 and Seas Excel T-25

Woofers:

HSU VTF-2 and DIY with JBL driver

Speaker cables:

Alpha -Core Goertz and DIY CAT 5

Interconnects:

Stealth silver and DIY

Power Cords:

Stealth, Music & Sound and DIY

Power Conditioner:

Audio Power 116 and Power Enhancer

Tweaks:

Room treatments by Auralex, DIY room lenses and Tunepak also slabs of granite under amps and turntable

Jeff's comments about his Dedicated Room System:

AA: "Jeff, how would you describe your Dedicated Room System's sound?"

JG: "Due to the nearfield listening position, there is a sense of intimacy and feeling of being in the front row. This room is basically a box of 15 by 16 feet. The speakers disappear really well. I find this setup very musical and detailed, without a bit of sibilance."

AA: "Do you think there is room for improvement?"

JG: "Yes, I would like to smooth out the bass some and improve the image solidity."  

AA: "Have you got plans for upgrading?"

JG: "Well the sky is pretty much the limit in this room but for now I will be concentrating on maximizing the analog playback and fine tuning the speaker positioning."

Home