Featured Member Raw7145: Pioneer Proponent

Have you ever heard an audiophile member rave over Pioneer equipment?  Nor had we but Featured Member, Raw7145, is not shy about being on his own island of audio nirvana.  I guess the saying “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it ” applies in this story.  Keep an open mind and read about this special member’s audio journey.

Equipment:

• Amp – Sherwood S 6040 CP (Dual MosFet)
• Pre-Amp – NAD 114
• CD Player – Modified PS-1 (Yes…Playstation)
• Dual 606 Turntable w/ Factory Ortonfon ULM 55e
• DBX 224 Noise Reduction/ Range Expander
• Luxman T-102 Tuner w/Garrard FM Indoor Ant.
• Energy 100 Speakers
• Pioneer HPM 100 Speakers
• Klipsch 10″ KSW Subwoofer (not pictured)
• DAC “WOW” w/ iTunes via Windows Vista (23,000 plus library…yeah I’m proud!)
• Morrow Ma-3 Interconnects
• Morrow Ma-1 Interconnects
• Silver Labs Audio Ether-Link
• All protected by Belkin PURE AV Surge Protector
• Grand Being HDMI 4×4 Matrix Switcher
• Yamaha HTR- 6050 AV Receiver
• Sony PS-3 Blu-Ray/Gaming Console
• Motorola Cable Box (Model Unknown)
• Vizio 46in.LCD 3D HDTV w Wifi Apps.
• Bello A/V Stand
• Expresso 3 piece AV Stand w Drawers
• Klipsch Quintet ll Speaker Ensemble
• Sennheiser Momentum Headphones (not pictured)

AUDIOGON: Tell us a little about yourself.

: What is your favorite component?

Raw7145: I love my Sherwood S6040 CP amp a lot.  It is Dual MosFet and sounds absolutely…”TUBED!”  However, I can not justify the Pioneer ranting and have nothing to show for it.  So, I choose my Pioneer HPM 100 Speakers.  Low or high volume, they handle well and always provide that warm sound I like.

: What’s your favorite music to listen to?

Raw7145: Since 1980, these boxes have been satisfying my aural appetite of jazz and contemporary music.  Mostly jazz though – Nancy Wilson, Al Jarreau, Diana Krall Pat Metheny, Spyrogyra is some of what comes through the boxes on any given day.

: Could you explain the process of how you’ve tweaked your system and room to get it to where it is now?

Raw7145: My apartment is small, but the living room is decent enough to enjoy the 46in from about 23-25 feet away.  This also is the sweet spot for the tunes.  I prefer my music warm, being a jazz lover.  However tubes were a hassle for me.  Enter the S6040 CP.  This amp is about as warm as they come regarding sound.  The dual MosFet set up is primo for me.

With the Belkin and the Sherwood amp on the two shelves of the Espresso unit, I had to improvise to go upward with this system.  I took a Bello AV stand and put it on top of the Espresso unit to complete this task.  Fourteen electronic units and 11 speakers in one room.  It was a painstaking job to rid the system of “showing wires,” I am proud of the outcome.

The speakers are arranged on two separate espresso pedestals.  I like the way the three pairs cascade down, each pedestal getting larger in size as they go, (Klipsch, Energy, HPM).

The sound is hearty and spacial – very open and smooth.  The amp handles 2 sets of speakers at 100WPC.  The HPM’s alone handle all aspects well, even at low volumes.  However, I indulge both sets at once using the Energy speakers to boost the highs just a bit.  They pair rather nicely.  I listen mostly to my 23,000 plus library via iTunes.  However Sunday’s are for the vinyl.  Round figure for my sweet sound…$3,200.

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

Raw7145: What matters most is that you like the sound your system puts out for YOU! We know the astronomical prices that can consume our wishes when it comes to the…”perfect system.” More than likely it is unattainable.  So we settle for the systems our REAL budgets can build.  Personally, my system was built to impress no one except myself.

Keys to a good system are knowledge, normal tonal acuity, and some luck.  The first two are self explanatory.  The luck comes in when you find a GREAT piece dirt cheap or free maybe.  Being a so called audiophile definitely leads to trial and error.  However, when you get yours right….ohhh the sweet sound! …and you DO NOT have to break the bank to get that!

Thank you, Raw7145, for your thoughts and pictures.  To become our next Featured Member, click here.