A little look back may shed some light on today

I have been obsessed with music playback systems since the 1960s. I have 8-track tapes, Akai 4-track reel-to-reel tapes, and Koss Pro–4aa headphones!

It was not until 1985 that I started to understand clean-sounding systems: Thiel CS 3.5 speakers, Bryston 3B power amp, and APT Holman preamp. The system was set up in the basement because it was too big and “ugly” to be part of family life. I started learning about room reflections from the paneling on the walls and the low ceiling.
Fast forward to the ’90s, and the system was allowed in the living room because we had more space. We upped the ante with a better CD player and a Threshold FET–9 Pre-amp! The family could play CDs and records. Then the CD player gave up, and I said, Hey, let’s rip the CDs and play them from the computer! Instantly, the system was too complex to use. iTunes was not like a CD. The machine had to be on, and you had to log in! I do not think that this was or is progress.

Then there was this side trip to Sonos speakers in the living room that nobody listened to because they could not run them! NOTE TO SELF: Never run beta software on something others have to use!

The last five years have been a classic case of “Audiophilia Nervosa.” There has been a constant stream of speakers, amps, pre-amps, cables, DACs, and the like. I settled down on Schiit Yggdrasil DAC, and Ayre AX–5 Twenty integrated with B&W 804S speakers using Transparent Cable throughout.

Then there is the computer side: laptops, MacMini, Sonic Transporter, custom-built buildings, and four-D—four different operating systems! Oh, and do not forget the networking issues! There may be a small light at the end of the tunnel.

Digital Audio playback software is improving at presenting a user interface that almost anyone can understand. For example, Roon Labs software gives you a friendly interface to your local music, Tidal, and Qobuz, as well as a limited internet radio interface. Jriver Media Center is continuously improving and evolving. Audirvana is expanding to new platforms. What a great time to be able to listen to almost any of the music the world has to offer!

There are many rough spots, and accessing content such as Bandcamp or YouTube on your stereo system can be hard. There are still issues around the complexity of managing a local music library.

Today, you can tell “the lady in the can” to play some music, and the “super” computers at Google, Apple, or Amazon will typically present you with what you asked.

Considering all of this knowledge, services, systems, and individual requirements, I have built a set of audio playback systems that will work in virtually any home, can be operated by almost anyone, and provide sit-down performance listening, including virtual assistant integration and around-the-home background information delivery and music.

Enough gazing fondly into the past. Next time, I will write more about the complete redesign of the audio system. We will eliminate a lot of complexity and take the sound quality to another level!