By Juan C. Ayllon Christmas and the winter holidays are fast approaching, and with the uncharacteristic decline in social gathering, shopping and other public activities due to COVID concerns, this translates to more time spent at home than usual. Here at Prairie Audio, that means remote teaching, an online Spanish class, lifting weights in the basement, binge-watching with Belle, tying-off some reviews, preparing for others, and shaking things up in the equipment rack. My review of the Torus Power AVR 2 ELITE 20 Isolation Transformer is concluding and, in another week or so, a comparison between Linlai 300B and Psvane ACME 300B vacuum power tubes serving in the output stage of a Lampizator Big 7 DAC will also end (the Linlai pair is currently being burned-in). The Pass Labs XP-12 preamplifier and X250.8 amp continue to impress in their respective reviews and, in several weeks, the Lumin T2 Network Player will begin interning as DAC - streamer.
Now with al fresco dining on ice for the coming months, dining in ambient environs is replaced with takeout served in front of the TV -- which draws more attention to the AV rack. And Belle, who has a modern aesthetic, dislikes clutter; for her, a few well-chosen objects trump larger groupings. Seeing the growing collection of equipment upfront, she's asking me to simplify and to be mindful of my choices from aesthetic, as well as practical considerations -- as well as their placement. "You don't want to be tripping over ... or bending way down to turn on equipment as you get older," she says. She has a point. As I review equipment in the coming year or two, I will do so, in part, with a critical eye on how I might edit my system for maximum utility and aesthetics. It's going to be a fun and intriguing journey. Cheers!
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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