youngho_yoon's Profile

Vessel and Bliss are now virtual stores online, but they closed their actual physical locations.

jchan: any thoughts on using a laptop riser (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/notebook_products/stands/devices/5494&cl=us,en) or stand (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/notebook_products/stands/&cl=us,en) like the ones from Logitech?

alisaan: don't subwoofers usually go on the floor or the desktop, depending on size? And I see a slot running most of the width of the desk, shown in pictures 1-5, 7, and 8. Presumably hot air would rise and escape through this slot. Cooler air could enter through the grommets located at the back corners of the storage compartment.

The speaker setup is really not optimal, especially considering the amount of money that went into the system.

Sonos is having a sale on the ZP-80 and controller for only $600. You can add the Zonebridge for $100.

My advice for PC users? Buy the Zonebridge and the charging from Crutchfield, using a $20 off $100 coupon from www.techbargains.com or other sites. Many Crutchfield purchases will come with a 20% off your next purchase coupon. If you get one and can use it (otherwise, use another $20 off coupon), buy the ZP-80 and controller combo for $600. Total purchase price? $700. You can add additional ZP-80s one at a time, using coupons each time. The nice thing about Sonos is that you can use a NAS like the new Apple Time Capsule instead of having to have a computer on.

Apple users should definitely use the Airport Express if they don't mind the 802.11g.

Laurence Dickie and Simon Ghahary came from B&W, where the former was involved in designing the groundbreaking B&W Nautilus speaker. Dickie's current company is Vivid Audio, one of whose speakers will remind you of the alien singer from the Fifth Element, and Ghahary's current company is sifi, which offers the ceramic Orb speaker.

Croque monsieur!

Classic design.

In terms of the price and the clients' budget, I doubt that the clients were forced at gunpoint to buy the Min bed. Most mature adults will ask about alternatives if they think that something isn't "worth it" to them.

Sure, the bed is a little expensive, but the frame is made of aluminum (not Ikea plastic or fiberboard or particleboard), and the corners are rounded, reducing the risk of abrasions and contusions, which I'd be worried about with that dangerous-looking Sears bed. Because the construction is solid, there are no West Elm-style disasters waiting to happen if the users of the bed are particularly active. The item is made in Italy, so exchange rates are at least partly to blame for the increase in the price. Also there's the matter of shipping. If you don't think it's worth it, that's fine. Disclaimer: I own one, along with the discontinued adjustable split headboard, which is fantastic. I like the design. I also have the Sonna mattress, which we laid on at the store and really liked (I also appreciate the Coolmax feature). And, for what it's worth, I also own a few Eames chairs (two LCWs, also a soft pad chair), which are ridiculously overpriced if you think chairs' only function is to serve as a seat, but I love the design, and that alone makes them "worth it" to me. I often eat out at restaurants where's I'm vastly overcharged relative to the cost of the ingredients, I buy wine than costs more than $2 even if they don't contain more alcohol, and most of my clothes and shoes were purchased at places other than the Salvation Army or yard sales. I try not to buy counterfeit goods, even if they're virtually indistinguishable from the genuine item at a much lower cost, because it's usually unethical and often illegal. Yes, I'm incredibly stupid, and I waste a lot of money, but I'm reasonably content.

I agree with cmcinnyc that almost everyone has differing standards of value. I hope that most of you will stop trying to impose your standards on others unless asked to do so.

Peace, and happy holidays!

If you like the wireless keyboard with trackpad, there's also the Logitech Dinovo Edge (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2166,CONTENTID=10717), although it doesn't have the numeric keypad.

Wow, 12' limits you significantly. Some acousticians suggest having the speakers firing down the length of the room, rather than the width, although this is not likely to represent a realistic option for you. May I suggest the following?

1. Pull the speakers out a few inches from the wall, and push the armchairs towards each other a little. This may help reduce obstructions, although it's hard to tell from the picture for sure.

2. Pull the couch forward a few inches.

3. Consider a product like the MondoTrap from RealTraps for either behind the sofa or the sideboard. Buy perhaps six panels, and mount three vertically side-by-side behind the sofa and another three behind the sideboard. This may help reduce standing wave formation at multiples of around 47 Hz (and 94, etc) between the speakers and the listening position (especially because both are near room boundaries). Alternatively, get three Mondotraps for behind the sideboard, and make your own fiberglass panels behind the cough. The latter should be at least several inches thick. The high- and mid-frequency absorption will likely help tighten up the image significantly, as the effect would be to effectively make the rear wall seems as though it were much further away that it is. You would still be able to mount artwork about the panels at standing eye-level, and the repeating element of several panels may help make it less visually obstrusive. The MondoTraps behind the sideboard will help with low-frequency absorption, as it should help address standing wave formation between the front and real wall (relative to the listening position). Anecdotally, as I recall, Ethan Winer (owner of RealTraps) has found it more helpful to address low frequency absorption at the front wall than the rear wall, although it would be worth consulting him on this point. You might even consider the Diffusors mounted on the rear walls to the sides of the listening position. These could be covered with speaker cloth. Canvas will likely be too reflective at higher frequencies, and you definitely need absorption, which covers a broader range of frequencies as it gets thicker.

In any case, with these suggestions, you'll end up with a near-nearfield setup, which may actually be nearly ideal for your constraints. You'll address standing waves at the listening position, and you'll address problems with first-reflections. You'll enjoy the benefits of the direct response, which may be particularly important with a time- and phase-coherent speaker like the Thiels.

Best of luck, and happy listening,

Young-Ho