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Secondary listening systems

I't seems that many audio hobbyists have, besides their main listening room, other places in their homes set up for music also. Most of these seem to have small systems in their bedrooms or spare rooms. I'm one of these but my favorite second listening spot is in my garage and I like this little setup, at least for some music, as much as my living room system.

This setup consists of a laptop playing lossless files through iTunes. It is also the sync source to the Apple TV. The amp is a repurposed B&K AVR 307 that I used when I was into surround and at one time served as a power amp for a Rogue Audio preamp. The speakers are the tiny but very capable Monitor Audio Radius 90's. For light jazz and solo guitar this system is very easy to listen to.

My main system is Shanling CD player, Peachtree Nova as preamp, DBX graphic equalizer and Martin Logan Ethos speakers.

BTW, I'm sitting in my garage listening to an old Bob James CD and am so much enjoying what some might consider a minimalist system, that I just wanted to share.
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kjweisner's avatar
kjweisner
293 posts
 
I work from home and my office system gets the most use these days--5 to 6 hours in between phone calls and meetings. ALAC files to Apple Airport Express > Meridian 565 dac/pre > Meridian 555 power amp pushing an old pair of B&W 601s. A bit overkill for a desktop system, but it's all gear I had laying about so why not!

Weekends it's the garage via another Airport Express > Yamaha integrated from the 80s and another pair of 601s. Good enough for garage work!
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,838 posts
 
There is no rule that says you can only have one really good system. Once
you set the bar it's fun to try to match it in different ways. Helps one better
deal with upgradeitis as well. Headphone rigs count as well. The Internet
and digital streaming means you can listen to your music anywhere, not
just at home.
pgawan2b
122 posts
 
Add me to the list. I have come to enjoy my secondary system much more than my main system. I have a rather large office in the basement which has become my "play room". My office system is mostly 90's vintage: Monarchy Audio DIP > Monarchy Audio M33 > Coda Model 10. Depending on the day, I use a pair of Boston Acoustics A400's or a pair of Maggie SMGa's. My source is a Magnavox DVD player that I had laying around unused.

I've found that my office system is where I experiment. I've played around with interconnects and power cords. I've compared the balanced sections of my equipment to the single ended section. I've compared a couple different file types when using my MacBook Pro as the source. I've also compared iTunes with VLC. I'm currently using a pair of PSB Imagine B's which I took from my HT setup. I think my next play date will be focused on speaker cables.

I think I'm having more fun in this hobby than I ever have.
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tonykay
1,298 posts
 
I believe that the simple reality is that most audiophiles are collectors who accumulate a lot of equipment. The easy thing to do then is set up a second system in a bedroom or spare room. It helps justify the expense, much like the rationale that you need a backup system in case the other two fail. The next logical step is a system in the garage...and one for the treehouse...and another one for (you get the idea).
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,368 posts
 
My secondary system is a Denon AVR X3100W with 5.1NHT speakers and then speakers in every room and around the pool. Although this system is no match for my big system (all Ayre, Vandersteen speakers, Benz LPS) it brings me great pleasure from Spotify, Pandora, etc.
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