As a audiophile I was always searching for the next level of performance in sound in my room. I tried many equipment changes and tweaks over the years and most of the time achieved a higher level of performance but always questioned if the changes were how the sound was recorded and If I was getting the most out of my sound room. It is rather large in size at 33 feet long by 23 feet wide and has ceiling height transitioning from 8 feet to 10 feet. A friend of mine gave me Jim Smith's "Get Better Sound" book to read and I was immediately intrigued with what I read. I then purchased the DVD set from Jim and spoke to him a few times about some of the techniques and theories I read. I decided to schedule Jim to come to my house for one of his ROOM PLAY sessions and it has been the single largest impovement in sound quality that my system has ever experienced and for the first time with Jim's years and years of experience I am confident getting the most out of my room and equipment.
My equipement is as follows:
Vandersteen Model 5A speakers
Balanced Audio Technology VK 600SE amplifier
Audio Research Reference 5 preamplifier
Cary Audio SACD PRO cd player
Mac Book Pro for computer audio using Pure Music software
PS Audio Perfect Wave DAC 2
PS Audio Perfect Wave PWT transport
Audio Quest Diamond USB cable
Mogami interconnects XLR
Alpha Core Goertz speaker cables
BPT power conditioner
Shunyata Power Cords
Following are my impressions of the transformation of the system sound after Jim's visit to the house. I would be remiss first of all if I didn't speak of the experience just meeting Jim and spending 2 days with him. Very classy man and his wealth of knowledge about the audio industry is incredible. I could have spent days asking him questions and learing from his years of experience. BUT we had work to do and we spend most of the time working on the placement of the speakers in the room and getting it just right. From the beginning Jim thought we would be moving the speaker closer together, a little more into the room , and mabye changing the tow in a little. It was amazing to me how Jim could hear the differences of the small changes we made in placement of the Vandersteen's. First of all we determined where my room had the best bass response and then moved my listening seat to that spot ( which ended up being only 7 inches). Next through hours of careful listening and moving the speakers MANY, MANY times Jim suggested the system was now voiced. We ended up moving the speakers closer together, and further into the room. We also verifed toe-in and validated the speakers were still in time alignment using the process outlined in the setup manual for the Vandersteens. In the next few weeks and now months of listening to my music collection I am amazed with the differences I hear on every song I play. The impressions of what I now hear are as follow:
The music now flows with more rhythm and tempo than before. The harmony blend between the treble and bass is improved and sounds more like live music. The variations in loudness is more full range and is more emotionally engaging now. I can now see into the recording more the resolution of detail I now hear is remarkable on every song. The sound is more three dimensional and the height, depth and width seem more right. Finally the imaging is so much better the location of the instruments and singers in the soundstage have added a extra dimension of excitement to the listening experience. I find myself just listening to the music and toe tapping like never before. I truly am just enjoying the music.
I can say with total confidence that there is no bigger improvement you can make to you system than to have it voiced properly to your room. Most of us are not capable of performing this task. Jim has the vast experience and incredible ability to hear the changes and get the most our of your room and system components. Jim's Room Play sessions are worth every penny spent and you too can enjoy the music like never before. And as a added benefit you get to spend a few days with one of the nicest men you will ever come across.
Jeff
My equipement is as follows:
Vandersteen Model 5A speakers
Balanced Audio Technology VK 600SE amplifier
Audio Research Reference 5 preamplifier
Cary Audio SACD PRO cd player
Mac Book Pro for computer audio using Pure Music software
PS Audio Perfect Wave DAC 2
PS Audio Perfect Wave PWT transport
Audio Quest Diamond USB cable
Mogami interconnects XLR
Alpha Core Goertz speaker cables
BPT power conditioner
Shunyata Power Cords
Following are my impressions of the transformation of the system sound after Jim's visit to the house. I would be remiss first of all if I didn't speak of the experience just meeting Jim and spending 2 days with him. Very classy man and his wealth of knowledge about the audio industry is incredible. I could have spent days asking him questions and learing from his years of experience. BUT we had work to do and we spend most of the time working on the placement of the speakers in the room and getting it just right. From the beginning Jim thought we would be moving the speaker closer together, a little more into the room , and mabye changing the tow in a little. It was amazing to me how Jim could hear the differences of the small changes we made in placement of the Vandersteen's. First of all we determined where my room had the best bass response and then moved my listening seat to that spot ( which ended up being only 7 inches). Next through hours of careful listening and moving the speakers MANY, MANY times Jim suggested the system was now voiced. We ended up moving the speakers closer together, and further into the room. We also verifed toe-in and validated the speakers were still in time alignment using the process outlined in the setup manual for the Vandersteens. In the next few weeks and now months of listening to my music collection I am amazed with the differences I hear on every song I play. The impressions of what I now hear are as follow:
The music now flows with more rhythm and tempo than before. The harmony blend between the treble and bass is improved and sounds more like live music. The variations in loudness is more full range and is more emotionally engaging now. I can now see into the recording more the resolution of detail I now hear is remarkable on every song. The sound is more three dimensional and the height, depth and width seem more right. Finally the imaging is so much better the location of the instruments and singers in the soundstage have added a extra dimension of excitement to the listening experience. I find myself just listening to the music and toe tapping like never before. I truly am just enjoying the music.
I can say with total confidence that there is no bigger improvement you can make to you system than to have it voiced properly to your room. Most of us are not capable of performing this task. Jim has the vast experience and incredible ability to hear the changes and get the most our of your room and system components. Jim's Room Play sessions are worth every penny spent and you too can enjoy the music like never before. And as a added benefit you get to spend a few days with one of the nicest men you will ever come across.
Jeff