Originally Posted by jzzmusician (Post 975146)

You're killing me! I'd love to hear his system. I'm in Eastern Washington. Only about 250 miles from Mike. Please let me know when you do this again and if invited, I'll bring something very tasty.

- Bob

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving (Post 975145)

That about covers it! The only part you missed is when you came back to my place and heard my new room and proclaimed it better than Mike's.

Kidding!

Originally Posted by 2fastdriving (Post 975147)

Bob, we can definitely try to line something up. I'm always up for company, as is Ed, and I'm pretty sure we can arrange something with Mike if we plan it out.

Originally Posted by Antonmb (Post 975150)

Ooo, same here. What a fantastic system.

Originally Posted by For The Love of Music (Post 975144)

This past weekend, To Fast for Driving, Marc and I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Lavigne at his home about 30 miles east of Seattle in the foothills of the Great Cascade Mountain Range to hear what he has assembled using his experience over several decades.

Upon introduction, it was clear above his system, Mike is a genuine person; selfless in sharing his efforts, his home and his time for people who appreciate this so called crazy hobby of ours.

Mike immediately offered us cold beverages and then took us on an eager tour on what he assembled. Mikes approach to getting the room right is nothing short of spectacular, especially when you realize this once emanated originally as an actual barn housing horses.

As we listened to Mike explain the construction, room tuning, his system choices and the catalog of albums and music, we eagerly awaited the system to warm up. Mikes choices of equipment seemed to come from outside the State and included the amazing dartTZeel’s battery powered preamp and solid state mono blocks (these monos are crafted as things of beauty taking 160 hours of just machining and finishing) along with the complimenting speaker towers by Evolution, there are 3 Studar tape reels, and a heck of lot more - Mikes commitment to both the analog and digital was simply unwavering, no shortcuts.

Attachment 59638

The room acoustics were carefully thought out. Mike’s room was so tuned to support playback, even when you spoke your voice sounded better.

Electrical and passive grounding was paramount that incorporates a massive dedicated panel for power and his use of Tripoint and Entreq devices supporting many, if not, all the components, including the powered speakers. And something I never heard of or seen was “active isolation” platforms. Just the description alone was draw dropping and when Mike had me clap my hands in front of one that supported a mono amp the screen displayed real time vibrational noise emitting from my hands. All these tweaks and efforts purpose is to get to as neutral in sound as possible, and it clearly can be heard.

Attachment 59639

We started out first listening to albums, and it was clearly evident once the needle dropped that the dynamics of sound were at a captivating level. The midrange was so controlled and natural. It was so good that I was afraid of standing up without being embarrassed. The sound emitting from the Evolution speaker system was simply amazing, it easily made me think on several live tracks that I was at the venue and I know this a virtual impossibility, but it did. Nothing in the sound was exaggerated, the amps gripped those towers and allowed them to emit a non-assaulting wave of timbre harmony that was so open, real and pure. The sound literally drew you in probably like a bug light does to insects except, we were only zapped with one hell of a listening afternoon.

Attachment 59640

Interesting enough, Mike’s center chair was located near field, and I must admit it was intimidating at first as the speakers are massive, but you became used to the scale very quickly and undoubtedly it is the best seat in the house leaving you relaxed to enjoy all to be had.

I now better understand curating a music collection one will never fully get to hear is for everyone to enjoy. Collecting is half the fun, and having a collection of this magnitude allows visitors a good chance to hear their specific requests. Mikes album collection is not only extensive, it is cataloged equal to his version of a Dewey system proven by finding our requests lightening fast. To give you an idea, assuming I estimated correctly, there are enough albums to support 24/7 listening for over a year, and forget about how many of hours of playback from the server, and streaming.

Moving on, we got to the digital setup where the MSB Select is serving duty along with its two power supplies; one for the digital and the other for the analog. Feeding the MSB is an over the top Taiko Audio 34tb server that has a catalog of roughly 17tb of music. The MSB allows streaming of Quboz and Tidal which are all controlled by Roon. It clearly showed off how beautiful Mikes efforts were placed on the digital side of things.

While there is so much more to write about, what struck me most was having versatility with analog and digital which allows one to select the best playback of a particular recording.

Mike is a believer in Native playback, and it was easily heard why and it too makes sense to me. I'm taking the position Mike invokes, not as a follower but as a believer; native source first then the quality of recording - it’s all about choices and I also realize despite being native doesn’t guarantee a good recording. IMO, nothing is more discouraging then to have bad recordings playing from these great systems we all assemble, no matter analog or digital. I only want to hear the best, and now this visit begins my analog journey.

We plan on quickly getting back to Mikes home as we have original Led Zeppelin master tapes that need listening to on the R2R systems, and probably a Scotch to add in the sweetness of sound and that’s no joke!

Here is Mike and I

Attachment 59642

And this is Marc and I.

Attachment 59641

Thanks Mike!

Originally Posted by audioguy3107 (Post 975167)

Nice writeup Ed......but seriously, what in the world is up with the state of Washington and all The audiophiles? Not only on AA.....last year at RMAF it seemed like every other person that walked by had a lanyard with some town in Washington printed on it! Heck, metro Atlanta is almost twice the size of Seattle and I know one person....Jim (Weird Cuba). I know there has to be more of us here......wonder where they are? Mark is close in Greenville, SC. Maybe it’s the tech sector careers there? I can promise you it’s not due to a lack of music interest here, that’s for sure..... It’s a mystery to me.

- Buck

Originally Posted by mikel (Post 975171)

Buck, agree that Seattle does have an active audiophile scene more intense and active than typical. we have a pretty active local (inclusive and open-minded) audio club that meets monthly, and large DIY community, and more than our share of local hifi luminaries. part of it is the very large tech based booming economy, plus lots of large research facilities, and lots of retired military (more in surrounding communities than Seattle). then there is Vancouver B.C. and Portland and the whole Pacific Rim effect with lots of even H.K. influence. and the weather here can be cold, wet and gloomy for 8-9 months a year which does push us inside to some degree.

negatively there is the crazy, expensive, cost of living.....equal to California except SF proper.

i likely know 40-50 local audiophiles myself, and have had 30+ people to my room half a dozen times over the last 10 years for meetings. at least 10 people once a year or more. i have visitors to my room a few times a month it seems. so there is a culture of getting together here.

love it and one of the things which has kept my interest in the hobby over the years........the rich culture and friendships i've enjoyed.

Originally Posted by audioguy3107 (Post 975167)

Nice writeup Ed......but seriously, what in the world is up with the state of Washington and all The audiophiles? Not only on AA.....last year at RMAF it seemed like every other person that walked by had a lanyard with some town in Washington printed on it! Heck, metro Atlanta is almost twice the size of Seattle and I know one person....Jim (Weird Cuba). I know there has to be more of us here......wonder where they are? Mark is close in Greenville, SC. Maybe it’s the tech sector careers there? I can promise you it’s not due to a lack of music interest here, that’s for sure..... It’s a mystery to me.

- Buck

Originally Posted by SCAudiophile (Post 975158)

Mike,..welcome to the AA forum, it is great to see you here! As always, beautiful and breathtaking system and room,...some day I would like to make it out there myself.

Mark (Greenville SC)

Originally Posted by bart (Post 975155)

Mike, I've admired your system already on another forum.
Welcome here also!

Bravo for a job so well done! :thumbsup:

Originally Posted by audioguy3107 (Post 975180)

Dan - I bet weather has a lot to do with it I guess....I was really floored by the amount of Washington name tags that I saw last year...I'll see what it's like this year in the new resort. You probably don't get up to Atlanta much but if you do someday you'll have to come on over.

Originally Posted by Weirdcuba (Post 975181)

Hopefully, my room will be done by then and we’ll give you double fun when you visit Atlanta. That said, my room won’t compare to the audio Mecca that is the subject of this thread (although it shouldn’t be too shabby).

Originally Posted by jdandy (Post 975179)

Mike.......Welcome to Audio Aficionado. . :wave:

Your sound system and room are fabulous. It is heartwarming to see you share your home and audio system with new and old friends. No doubt it is exhilarating to have your space and privacy when you want those moments, but it is equally enriching to share. You are most generous to welcome audio friends into your space.

Having lived in Portland, Oregon for ten years ('72 - '82), I understand how the weather keeps people indoors a large part of the time. This is certainly one good reason why home audio is so popular in the Pacific Northwest. I had two systems in my Portland home, one in the living room and one in the remodeled basement. I often had other audio friends over for listening sessions. Most of my friends had good sound systems in their homes. I now live in north central Florida. My home still has multiple sound systems and a home theater, but I have no friends in the area that care about home audio, particularly high-end. It is sunny and warm here most of the year so activities center on being outdoors for most people. A widescreen TV with a soundbar keeps most folks happy. Consequently I do most of my listening alone, although I have hosted a number of Audio Aficionado members through the years for some enjoyable listening sessions. This experience has resulted in meeting some fine people and developing several long term friendships. I have traveled to visit several Audio Aficionado member's homes and enjoy their sound systems. Always lots of fun. That is just one of the reasons being a member of this audio forum has brought me so much joy over the past decade. There are many great people here. It's good to see you join us.

Originally Posted by mikel (Post 975244)

thank you Dan, appreciate the comments. i do really enjoy fellow hifi and music lovers visits. i find that meeting like minded people who relate to me is just so rich and enjoyable. it makes my life better, pure and simple.

like the best of the forums x 100. we get a taste of that sense of community here, and in some other forums too. but face to face is another level of that.

anyway, thanks.