Tres Amigos Visit The Pacific Northwest For A Weekend Of Listening Bliss

Come to think of it, maybe location should be a mandatory data field.
 
Come to think of it, maybe location should be a mandatory data field.

at one time I would have agreed with you. but after thinking about it I think it's healthy for potential forum participants to be able to dip their toe into registering retaining their relative anonymity. then they add info as they are comfortable doing so. I don't think you want to filter those who want to participate. but it's not my forum, i'm just one voice.

a pre-requisite to putting together a visit or collection of visits is being involved in dialog on the forums and getting to know people and their ideas. or simply asking someone directly if you can come and visit. I don't think there should be a list and you just copy and paste the list, send emails, and then go ahead. it's about the process of back and forth. it's human.

over the years I've been as open to visits as anyone, and really enjoy them. but the process of communication is also important to get a bit of feel for people and be comfortable. I would not simply want to be on a list and not have the human touch and reasonable formalities involved. it's a considerable thing to visit someone or receive that visit. it should be some effort to put together one of these trips.
 
Last edited:
Mike, it's not about copying and pasting lists. What I mean is, if I was visiting New York, I could pull up all New Yorkers. I would immediately notice a few names I am familiar with, and choose whom I want to visit. Likewise, if I wanted to visit you, to make my trip worthwhile, I would be able to pull up 3 or 4 other systems I wanted to look at from your area.

Maybe we can make this list locked in a thread for those who have 100 or more posts?
 
Last edited:
Well, you can obtain the same result, by posting/opening a new thread :)
 
Mike, it's not about copying and pasting lists. What I mean is, if I was visiting New York, I could pull up all New Yorkers. I would immediately notice a few names I am familiar with, and choose whom I want to visit. Likewise, if I wanted to visit you, to make my trip worthwhile, I would be able to pull up 3 or 4 other systems I wanted to look at from your area.

Maybe we can make this list locked in a thread for those who have 100 or more posts?

i did not mean to infer that you viewed this as a 'cut and paste' kind of thing. only that any making of a location list would end up becoming something like that. it would involve differing levels of sensitivity to all related issues. and might end up a mess and a regrettable situation. the degree of openness to visits is personal.

most areas have local audio clubs. that is maybe the better way to access prominent and willing audiophiles who might be open to a visit in a particular area....other than ones from Forums who you already know about.

Mike
 
Gentlemen,

Thank you for regaling us with aspects of your PNW excursion. :cool:
 
After hearing Mike Lavigne’s "Audio Nirvana" system, I wonder which one of the Tres Amigos will try the Entreq signal grounding products.
 
Wow! What fabulous write-ups. Thanks, Tres Amigos for taking the time to come visit with us at Genesis. We do have these parties a couple of times a year - not always with the G1's or Dragons, but we also hold smaller ones when we have the G2.2's. These events are to run-in the speakers before they are delivered, so as long as the visitors understand this, we enjoy having our local audiophiles come over. Mostly, it's just a small invite to the Exco of the local audio society (but still we always provide dinner).

I'll try to remember to put up an invite to WBF - just in case you are in the area, but it is rare that we know the actual date so far in advance. The party should have been this Fri 24th Apr after a week of running-in, but I'm writing this in Hong Kong and on my way to Bangkok and would not have been able to play DJ. So, Tres Amigos heard the Dragon 2 days after all the bits were finally screwed together - hence Steve's comment that it needed more running-in. We are still running the speakers in - and on this pair, I am trusting Carolyn's critical ears for a final listen. I'll still make it to Manila (eventually!) to tweak the system after it settles into it's final home.
 
I'll be waiting Gary :D
 
Surprised no one visited your store, or that you weren't part of the tour
It is not a store :). It is a design center for our custom home and commercial system design and integration business.

But no, I was not there. I wound up stuck at our vacation house and not being able to go there.
 
Absolutely one of the best threads on the forum right now! Fantastic job on letting us in on the personal journeys you guys undertook and what you took away from it. I hope that one day I can make out to the PNW and visit with you all.
 
It’s been a hectic week upon my return from the spectacular Northwest, thus my delay in being the last to chime in about the experiences of the traveling audio nerds. First, it always helps when the weather is kind, and although I know Seattle fairly well and have visited often, I don’t recall being there for three days with more perfect weather. Cloudless skies in Seattle are relatively rare, yet we had three in a row. Being able to look in one direction at the unobscured Olympics and another to catch Rainer and the Cascades is a rare treat anytime in Seattle.

As you all know by now, the first stop was the Shunyata factory and a visit to Caelin Gabriel’s home. I was impressed that he had a formal schedule for us and was both eager to lead a “show and tell” as well as express genuine interest in our feedback and thoughts. I’ve mentioned before that the scientist part of me was very impressed with reading Caelin’s numerous patents. They are actually not that hard to understand, even to a layperson, although there is necessarily some technical language to overcome. Reading them and then meeting the inventor simply reinforced my long held belief that there is genuine substance in what Caelin professes and practices. So much of audio is what we often refer to as snake oil salesmanship. Although I have admittedly drunk the Shunyata Kool-Aid, the trip reinforced for me, my feeling that so many of Shunyata’s products are indeed based on solid engineering for designing and building a better mousetrap for delivering conditioned power and reducing noise to our audio components. Caelin’s persona is easily recognizable among many superb scientists I know and admire. He’s just an obsessed engineer whose creativity and energy is incessant and boundless. In other words, my kind of guy! In particular, I had the most fun in their demo room as we listened to the wonderful Giya 3 loudspeakers with varying numbers of daisy-chained Typhons driving the system. Oh, thanks a lot guys for showing me yet another way to spend my money. Grrrr.... And the trip was just beginning! There is a lot more future new product to come from Shunyata as we were privileged to get a glimpse of, but most importantly, these future products all appear to be based on the same commitment for excellence and continually improved audio performance that is the hallmark of their current product line.

Anytime I visit someone’s system and can learn or hear something I have not heard before, is a treat. So it was with Caelin’s home system. The turntable set-up (ZYX cartridge played through a very modest Ayon amp and the Wave 40 loudspeakers) produced some of the most beautiful top end treble I have heard to date. It’s not a system for power music by any means, but it was also something not to dismiss lightly for what it did do correctly. Kudos, Caelin.

Friday night was, as everyone knows, the big Genesis party. I enjoyed meeting Gary Koh and we had some great discussions such as about timing errors when subs are set back from the main speakers. But in addition, he too, did a great job of helping me spend money I had not planned on, as he introduced me to some spectacular software. Make no mistake, this guy knows music and his taste is impeccable regardless of format or style. The big Dragon’s obviously have tremendous potential, but I can’t for one minute envy the effort of setting these beasts up in a warehouse environment and expecting them to sound flawless. Yet there were some pieces Gary played that were astonishing realistic, even though I’m sure a more refined set-up awaits them in their future home halfway around the world. Finally, how many parties have you been to lately with more great sushi than you can possibly consume. Thank you for your generosity, Gary and Carol.

Saturday morning ‘s first stop was at Bruce Brown’s mastering studio. Impeccably crafted and with more audio toys than you can shake a stick at, our drooling was significant and prolonged. Anchored by the Alexia’s driven by Pass amps, Bruce played a few showpieces for us that left us shaking our heads in admiration for what he has achieved. Yet I was not prepared for the secret wine cellar whose door we were unknowingly staring at for about an hour without seeing it as such. “Hidden in plain sight” as they say. On the way out, I gazed lovingly at the Studer 820 he has for sale and realized that the price of divorce is even higher. Oh well…..

The next stop on the tour was to Ki Choi, renowned King of Studer Tape decks, part mad scientist, part very real scientist (nuclear physicist), part audiophile, part anti-spendthrift and genuinely nice guy. I have heard a lot about Ki, but was totally unprepared for the system he first played for us. Ki is very much from the “spend money only if you have to” school of audiophilia, and for everything else, consider bargain basement and utility options. I think its fair to say he finds spending money on fancy interconnects, speaker cables and speaker stands simply unreasonable. Why spend money on interconnects when some used cable taken from a nuclear reactor will work just fine? Speaker cable- try using some decent copper modestly dressed that you can get on bulk rolls from you local electronics store. As far as speaker stands (and this was my personal favorite)- can you say “plywood”? If you don’t like the way your Maggies are slanted, just shove some unfinished plywood under them until you achieve what you want. The system also featured the raw chassis of a stripped down German tube pre-amp sitting on a piece of Tupperware, and a $300 Crown PA amplifier. Oh yeah, there was a Nagra tape deck playing original and master tapes. My first thought after hearing the result? We’re all crazy, plain and simple. Ki has got it right. Spend money where it counts (i.e. the Nagra) and cobble together everything else as if it were salvation gear.

Of course, we then went upstairs to hear his “big rig” consisting of MBL amps and speakers driven once again by tape, except this time it was the Studer A820. Interconnects and speaker cable were once again things no audiophile in his right mind would ever be caught dead owning, but then again, what audiophile is in his right mind? Nothing made that point more vividly than Ki’s systems, and he did it all without saying some much of a word that would have made us feel foolish for spending money on things where he simply would not. Performance is what counts, and Ki’s systems exemplified that in spades. Very cool indeed.

Ah, but now we journey to the opposite pole of sanity completely. But before I describe Mike Lavigne’s superb system, I’d like to say a few words about Mike. I first heard about this “fringe lunatic" audiophile (meant strictly as a compliment!) from Steve many years ago, and this lead to my first visit to Mike’s magnificent listening room about 8 years ago. I was as impressed then as I am now, with his total dedication and devotion to creating the ideal listening environment for reproduced music. Mike’s approach and thinking is readily apparent on the WBF as well. One can readily see that he is driven by passion and commitment to what is certainly more than an avocation for him. But spending time with him is where his energy and enthusiasm is best seen and appreciated.

To begin, it must be said that if one is lucky, you may some day hear a better audio system than Mike’s (I have not heard every great system on the planet). But one thing I am damn sure of, is that you will never find a host as extraordinary as Mike. From the moment you arrive, his high level of hospitality is on display, with offers of single malt scotches and other refreshments that are all designed to make you feel at home. What a pleasure. Then there is the room. There is an old adage that says there is no substitute for taste. Mike’s room is the living embodiment of that adage. Much has been said elsewhere about the room, but what impressed me is that even though most folks would be happy to call it their own just as was right after it was built, Mike is constantly working to improve it. This is the hallmark of a true perfectionist, and is the basis of the admiration I have for his yeoman and singular efforts. I’ve known about some changes he has described in the forum through the years, but even now, there are some recent fabric additions to deal with reflection points that only serve to make a great room even better. The quest never ceases. And that’s the key to appreciating Mike, the ever-vigilant, obsessed audiophile. It is the appreciation of the drive and passion Mike has to make these seemingly minor but meaningful changes, that can only be admired and appreciated by those of us with a similar affliction. While the quest for perfection is continual in Mike’s case, it is also refreshing to hear him acknowledge what is most important, which is, not the state of your listening environment but rather to accept what you have and simply enjoy the music. Now those are surely the words of a wise audiophile and lover of music and words we often forget when we’re in “equipment critique” mode.

Mike’s collection of music is impeccable, with an obvious focus on analog LP and tape. Yet even when he demo’s, he is so considerate that he will ask you what you wish to hear, rather than pull material out that he has chosen. But honestly, you soon realize the best approach is to sit back and let him play the stuff he knows will float your boat. We went from Jazz to Classical to Rock seamlessly throughout the evening. It should also be noted that while most audiophiles have “the chair” (and Mike is no exception), Mike’s music room was able to accommodate 7 or 8 people easily, all with the ability to enjoy the system simultaneously, which is almost unheard of in my experience for a bonafide stereo lair.

However, there is indeed, “the sweet spot”. And it’s a helluva great one. When sitting in the spot, I was impressed by a midrange that was remarkable for its clarity and realism. Voices in particular, such as Ella’s or Nat King Cole’s, were frighteningly good, as was the midrange register on the piano (a true benchmark test for any system). The system’s macro and microdynamics were as good as I have heard. Even though Mike remains silent during most demonstrations, it was not lost on me that he couldn’t help himself as he leaned over to remind me on a few occasions, “Marty, remember there are no tubes in this system!” I certainly have a new- appreciation for his darTZeel electronics, that’s for sure.

At the end of the evening, I couldn’t help feel for Mike’s wife, who commented aloud that she thought with everything he’s done to put together such a magnificent sound room at Chez Lavigne, that he’s done spending money now. I then thought seriously whether I should put her in touch with my wife to straighten her out, but I declined only because I was convinced that her outburst was just wishful thinking. I am pretty sure that after 41 years of marriage to Mike, she really knows the truth lies elsewhere! Takes one to know one, as they say.

So it was that 3 days of audio merriment came to an end. Upon reflection, I realize now what a great privilege it was to meet and listen to the systems we did. From manufacturers to uber-audiophiles, I found the differences among us to be far less than the bond that unites us in the singular passion which drives our love of this hobby. When you realize that there are almost certainly less than about 100,000 folks worldwide with the same passion as we have for this hobby, it makes occasions like this very special indeed. I’d certainly participate in more trips like this to other cities to meet and listen to audiophile’s systems if such a thing were possible. I’d also volunteer to be a stop on the road show for others who would like to do something similar in the NYC area. Meeting other hobbyists in their listening environment beats the hell out of going to shows to hear good equipment that is often not set up well under show conditions, or which cannot be heard to best effect because of the demo in the room next door is the dinosaur scene from Jurrasic Park that is on terminal “repeat”.

And there you have it. Among the things this trip taught me, one of them is pretty obvious. We audiophiles simply gotta get out more often!!
 
Last edited:
Fascinating read, thanks! Yes, we need to get out more often, it usually is an eye opener
 
Thank you all for your fascinating reports with the great pictures!

Al
 
I must commend my two compadre's on their write-up's. As predicted, we each had our own perspectives. There is not a thing that either Steve or Marty wrote that I would quibble with because all was true, and yet there was so much more that none of us commented on, because it is still being processed deep in our souls about the impact of the experiences and how they will affect us going forward.

It was a wonderful trip in many ways that go beyond audio and should be a template for an annual event. Of course we were lucky to have such a concentration of wonderful experiences within a reasonable geographic radius, but that does not mean that there are not wonderful experiences to be had elsewhere in audioland.

Having heard Marty's system and his room many times and having known him for 4 1/2 decades and the type of host that he is, if you want to get a sense of what a visit to his house would be like, think Mike Lavigne East. Of course most of you know about Steve's room through his images and write-up's and I think that it speaks for itself, although it seems to keep getting better every time he makes a change.

I live somewhat near Marty in a much more humble abode with a much more humble system, that is a bit like Marty's system's little brother due to a lot of similar equipment (Meitner, Spectral, JL, MIT, Shunyata) and some major differences like Martin Logan's instead of Pipedreams. What I do have that is kind of cool is a boat behind my house and a wonderful body of water (Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic) for boat rides and dock and dine. BTW, the boat has a full JL system with a mere 600 watts and 12" subwoofer in a dedicated reinforced cabinet. We are both near NYC and all that it has to offer, so maybe we can entice you to swing by for a visit on the right coast.
myrt boat.jpg
 
No other hobby like this IMO has generated such camaraderie and lasting friendships. I've met people from all over the world. In the next two weeks a few members here who reside down under arrive for a few days in LA and will be traveling to south Orange County to hear my system and Philip O Hanlon's. Then they fly to Seattle to hear Mike and Bruce's systems.

So as Russ said my room too is always open for people to hear so now we have east coast and west coast.
 
No other hobby like this IMO has generated such camaraderie and lasting friendships. I've met people from all over the world. In the next two weeks a few members here who reside down under arrive for a few days in LA and will be traveling to south Orange County to hear my system and Philip O Hanlon's. Then they fly to Seattle to hear Mike and Bruce's system.

So as Russ said my room too is always open for people to hear so now we have east coast and west coast.

Steve, I agree. I have created friendships and met up with people while traveling from Singapore, Hong Kong, France, England, Canada and have plans for some in Belgium later this year. What is amazing is how well the wives get along when they are involved.
 
No other hobby like this IMO has generated such camaraderie and lasting friendships. I've met people from all over the world. In the next two weeks a few members here who reside down under arrive for a few days in LA and will be traveling to south Orange County to hear my system and Philip O Hanlon's. Then they fly to Seattle to hear Mike and Bruce's system.

So as Russ said my room too is always open for people to hear so now we have east coast and west coast.

Could not agree more. And if you lose contact for a period of time and you get together for a visit its like it was yesterday.
Never felt more comfortable with other people than in this insane asylum, I mean hobby of ours.

Auto racing is another close family. We had a part break on our car and did not have a replacement part with us and the competition gave us the part. We beat their ass and they came over and congratulated us, were happy for us and partied with us.

I know I am new here but at some point look forward to being invited to hear some of your kit at some point.

I live in Southern California and have family in Seattle so I spend time in the summer there.

I have met Amir, and wouldn't you know it, on a day when he was cooking! :):D:p

If you have not heard his theater room, its worth the visit, very well done.

So enjoyable to be "In the groove" with others with similar thoughts and views.

Mike
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu