Featured Member – mountainpics

An adventure photographer and an Audiogon member, how cool!  Whether Audiogon member-mountainpics, is at his home in New Orleans or in an exotic locale for an extreme shoot, he is always finding ways to crank up the music.  Below we take a look at his magnificent home system, as well as find out what kind of equipment he suggests for an on-the-go lifestyle like his.

Equipment Pictured:

Audiogon: Could you give a little background on what you do and how you got into audio?

mountainpics: I am an adventure travel photographer and an author.  I am also a musician and having been playing instruments since I was 7.  I got my undergrad degree in music, and music has been a central part of my life since I was very young.  My grandfather was in charge of South American operations for General Electric, and RCA was a subsidiary, so he had tons of RCA albums that I heard when we’d visit my grandparents.  My dad went to high school in Rome and had the opportunity to train as an opera singer, so we had great classical music playing in our house most days.  I had a little record player that I played my favorite 45’s on and was really into my collection of records as a kid.  My dad had a good stereo system, and was an early adopter of the CD format, so I’ve been around “hi-fi” for much of my life.  In my 20’s, I purchased an NAD amp and preamp and a good CD player.  I then purchased some Klipsch speakers in 2003, and a Goldring GR2 turntable (my first TT as an adult) in 2006.  That setup served me well, but I knew there was more out there.  I decided in October of 2012 to upgrade my speakers, and that started the ball rolling.  In two months, I had upgraded every component in my system except for the CD transport, and finding great sellers on Audigon was an integral part of this upgrade.

: We visited your website and see that you are a photographer.  Your work is great!  Is that your full time job or just a hobby for you?

mountainpics: I’ve been in business full time as a photographer since January of 2001.  My websites are marcpagani.com and paganiphoto.com.  My first book, “Fearless Photographer:  Travel” came out in early November of 2012 and can be found on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Photographer-Travel-Marc-Pagani/dp/1285063872.  I’ve recently been hired to shoot British Explorer Mark Wood’s expedition to climb Mount Everest this coming spring. It will be my fourth expedition in the Himalayas.

: You must travel a lot for your photography – how often?

: What equipment do you use on-the-go?

: How did you get your room the way it is?

: How much did it cost?

: Explain the process of how you’ve tweaked your system and room to get it to where it is now.

: Do you have any room treatments? If so, what are they and how do they help?

mountainpics: I don’t have any real room treatments except for a piece of audio foam opposite the right side woofer to decrease the bass frequency that hits that wall, since it is a wall that faces an elderly neighbor.  The room has two large carpets from Tibet, a stuffed leather sofa, loveseat and chair, so the reflective surfaces are not many in number.

: What is your favorite component and why?

: What is your favorite music to listen to?

mountainpics: I grew up with classical and my own favorite pop songs, but in late high school, and throughout college, I played in jazz quartets/quintets, and in an alternative rock band.  I also listened to a lot of underground/progressive rap in college and classic R&B stuff like James Brown and Stevie Wonder.  Being a percussionist, most of my adult life has been focused on music that has a great groove.  Since I’ve put this new system together, I’ve rediscovered my love for jazz,  have been purchasing great jazz classics on vinyl, and have been really appreciating the subtleties of recorded music on a system like I’ve never heard before.

: Is there any rule, theory, or advice you abide by with the set up of your system that you’d like to share?