The best State or region for Audiophile

thomask

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Dec 9, 2018
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Washington State, US
I will say "Washington State", especially Northwest of Washington State.

1. The home electricity cost is low so you can play A class power amplifier with less cost.

https://www.electricchoice.com/blog/state-profiles-highestlowest-electric-rates/


2, It is not very hot during summer on West side of Washington State.

Even with occasional hot temperature during daytime, it cool down to around 50 degree during evening.

Thus you can play music without noise of air conditioner.


3. There are some high end shop around Seattle area.

With this respect, I prefer New York or Los Angeles area to Seattle.

It is not that bad around Seattle.


4. The cost to maintain spacious listening room is relatively low.

Since it is not that cold during winter or not too hot during summer on West side of Washington State, it cost less to keep spacious listening room at comfortable temperature.

Property tax is also reasonable unless you live close to downtown of Seattle.


5. No state Income Tax

It is good for retired people.

On the other hand, gas price is pretty high in Washington State.

Thus you tend to spend more time at home rather than driving outside.

Haha!:cool:


I welcome your input on this topic, gentlemen and ladies.
 
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DSkip

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Aug 26, 2013
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Might sound crazy but a small town like Waco, TX could be a gold mine for the gear head. It’s just south of Dallas and a few hours from Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. We have a strong used market and a strong vintage crowd as well. Land is cheap and houses are big.
 
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thomask

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Might sound crazy but a small town like Waco, TX could be a gold mine for the gear head. It’s just south of Dallas and a few hours from Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. We have a strong used market and a strong vintage crowd as well. Land is cheap and houses are big.
But it is too hot there during summer.

Without air conditioning, it is hard to enjoy musics over there.


.
 

thomask

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It’s a way of life. You don’t have to run heaters in the winter though...



My community of 25 houses take more than 2 acres lot each.

Thus I can play music loud even during midnight as long as I close the windows.

I am happy about it.

Unless I develop serious health issues, I will stay put at my current house in Northwest of Washington State.

In addition, my house has a nice 180 degree view to Olympic mountains, Skagit Bay and Sound.

Thus it is hard for me to leave here.
 

NorthStar

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That's a cool subject. Is it reserved only to the USA or is the entire world included?

I think the West Coast of the USA has good weather year round for audiophiles; and up the mountains too...Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, Northern California, Baja California, ...

I listen to music in Canada. I would love to expand outside the Island where I live.
Like Tokyo for example ...
? https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/2724
_____

Extra (leasure and pleasure only):
https://mixmag.net/feature/10-audiophile-friendly-venues-you-need-to-visit
 

NorthStar

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Might sound crazy but a small town like Waco, TX could be a gold mine for the gear head. It’s just south of Dallas and a few hours from Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. We have a strong used market and a strong vintage crowd as well. Land is cheap and houses are big.

Texas has some serious music bands. It's a State that vibrates musically, big time.
If I want to be actively involved with audiophile life I would definitely go to Texas, live.
 
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thomask

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Dec 9, 2018
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Washington State, US
That's a cool subject. Is it reserved only to the USA or is the entire world included?

I think the West Coast of the USA has good weather year round for audiophiles; and up the mountains too...Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, Northern California, Baja California, ...

I listen to music in Canada. I would love to expand outside the Island where I live.
Like Tokyo for example ...
? https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/2724
_____

Extra (leasure and pleasure only):
https://mixmag.net/feature/10-audiophile-friendly-venues-you-need-to-visit
It is easy to do shopping for high end in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.

But the housing cost is so high there that they listen to music in tiny space.
 

thomask

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Washington State, US
Washington is a beautiful State, right next door to me...I can even see across the water in a clear day. And it's just a short ride by speedboat.
I had been to Vancouver Island several times and could have almost ended up living over there about 10 years ago.

If I had settled in Canada, it is the place to live with mild weather.
 
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thomask

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Dec 9, 2018
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And the weather is complete shit for 10 months a year so staying inside and listening to records is great.
Actually weather is shit for 5 months from Nov to March except 4 or 5 days a months, so one can just enjoy music inside home.

But it is not too cold or hot here in Pacific Northwest.
;)
 

NorthStar

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Washington State doesn't get bad weather five months of the year?

But to come back to the best region (State) for an audiophile; isn't it the place where each audiophile lives, in the listening room? :)
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
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Beverly Hills, CA
I think Southern California on and near the coast is a good candidate for best region to be an audiophile.

1) With supernaturally perfect weather about 330 days a year (no snow, no rain from May to October, not cold, not hot (hot for only a few weeks at most in September and October), low humidity, very rarely cloudy) it is typically not too hot to operate high heat generating tube amplifiers.

2) We have a large concentration of extremely experienced and highly respected high-end retail dealers.

3) Walt Disney Concert Hall is nearby and easy to deal with.

4) We have numerous small, medium and large music venues.

5) There is a lot of music history generally in Los Angeles. Many venues boast incredible music history, such as the Troubador where Buffalo Springfield, Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young and James Taylor made their debuts, Elton John and Billy Joel made their LA debuts, and Don Henley met Glenn Frey, and Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks and Jackson Browne would hang out.

5) Many people live in single-family houses, which tend to be more listening room space friendly than apartments in urban areas.

6) We have a nice concentration of WBF members who get together in person frequently.

7) We sometimes have a good high-end audio show.

8) MikeL is only a short airplane ride away.

Overall, this collection of attributes make Southern California an attractive region for audiophiles.
 
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bonzo75

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Feb 26, 2014
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London
I think London is the best:

1. We have the world's largest concentration of concert halls. There is often a clash. For example, in the 30th Julia Fischer is playing Beethoven concerto and Hilary Hahn is playing Bach sonatas a few minutes by tube from her. Three days after that, Nicola Benedetti is playing bruch concerto at one venue while Danil Trifonov is playing the Emperor a few minutes from her. And I am not even discussing the proms and the rock concerts.

2. We have the world's best collection of LPs

3. The General, Pietro's yamamura, and Henk's grands are all near to counter Mike.

4. We have awful weather most of the year. Makes it easier to stay in and listen to audio unlike over there

5. We have fewer of those cones unlike over there

6. Luckily fewer retailers just the most experienced analogphile dealer in 108cy and then the General. Helps cut through the noise.

7. London is the best hub to travel everywhere and listen to other systems instead of being holed up with your own. Best thing to be an audiophile

8. This is the only place which has a big virtual system

9. Marc has left London
 
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spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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E. England
...10. Marc is never returning to London.
 

bonzo75

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11. Music history... I live close to Jimmy Page

Also where do you think most of the Decca recordings were done?

Even today, ERC is a 30 min walk
 

spiritofmusic

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12. Jimmy Page lives next door to an even greater artist than himself, Robbie Williams.
 

the sound of Tao

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Jul 18, 2014
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Australia isn’t a great place to be an audiophile :(

1. The beaches, ocean baths and lake are way too close to where I live. I am constantly being distracted by swimming and sailing. Though all the water around makes an epic drive up to some of the country’s best vineyards to hear live music festivals less than an hours drive through the gentle countryside.

2. Neighbours are all quite away from where my music room is so they can hardly even hear let alone enjoy my tunes... I feel guilty when I’m playing music at 1am and nobody even knows what they are missing.

3. Sometimes in the afternoon the sun’s winter warming reflection off the lake through the gum trees gets so mesmerising (as the sail boats and sea eagles go by) that I sometimes temporarily get distracted from just looking forwards lovingly at my horns... though the music still provides the soundtrack to the water and mountain landscape.

4. Robbie Williams doesn’t live close by, he’s too busy being in London.. and there is even absolutely zero chance of ever bumping into Justin Bieber :( sigh.

5. The highway is a little congested these days so I might even have to start catching a sea plane down the coast to get down for a harbour landing for a bit of Sydney Opera House lunch and concert.

6. There is no six. Everything else is equally cursed down here. The ridiculous sense of personal freedom that makes people smile when they are in the sunshine, lots of renewable energy sources to help ride powerfully into a cheery future with my low wattage DHT SET and high efficiency speakers and soon a good sized back up lifpo4 battery system that will power all my gear come the approaching climate change armageddon... (as in armageddon a good battery system so I can keep my fridge and sound system going if things get tough).
 
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