[Hawkertempest]

This is the first Audio forum I have ever joined so here goes.
I am 62 and have been interested in Hi-Fi for over 40 years now. I got into Hi-Fi in the early 70's with a Lin LP-!2 and SME arm, Perreaux Amp, Nakamichi 600 and 700 tape decks, Revox reel to reel, Pioneer Headphones, Pioneer DD Quartz turntable and Bowers and Wilkins DM6 Speakers.
Kids came along and we purchased a 10 acre lifestyle block so the Hi-Fi went.
Last year I got back into it again and purchased Cary SLP-05 Pre Amp, 2x Cary CAD-211 FE SE Mono Bloc Power Amps, Cary CD306 SACD Pro SACD Player, Rega RP-6 Turntable in Red and Bowers and Wilkins 802D Speakers in Black. All connected with Nordost Tyr2 Cables.
I have had a pair of Bose quiet comfort 2 headphones that I used on overseas trips for business and holidays I started off buying a pair of Sennheiser HD-280 Pro which I had for about 6 months  . I had no intention of getting into headphones but I went a bit berserk this past month.
First a pair of B&W P3's, then I purchased a pair of P5's. I liked what I was hearing and after doing a lot of research I took the plunge and splashed out and purchased a set of Beyerdynamic T1's. Through the SLP-05’s Headphone Amp the T1’s are amazing and I have only listened to them for about 2 hours so far! They haven’t been broken in yet, I can’t wait to hear what they really sound like?
Then I purchased an iPod 160gb classic and a Cypher Labs 720 Theorem and some cables from Moon Audio and Whiplash Audio. I travel a lot in the weekends so I need to take my music and those glorious headphones with me now. That CLT is an amazing DAC/AMP.
I love most genre's of music and have a large collection of LP's, CD's, SHM-CD's XRCD's, SHM-XRCD's, SACD's and SHM-SACD.s. A great majority of my collection are Japanese pressings. (both LP and CD)
I have an iMac with a 1TB hard drive and a 2TB backup drive with all my CD collection ripped to it. I have an ADL-GT-40 connected to a Logitec  3.1 powered speaker system for the iMac that just sounds quite amazing.
For my PC's I have a pair of Bowers & Wilkins MM1's and an Audioquest Dragonfly V1.2.
My Home Theatre System consists of Pioneer SCLX-90 Receiver, PDPLX-50G Plasma, BDPLX-91 BluRay and 7 B&W M1 Speakers with PV1 Sub.

Cheers
John 

 

[davidsh]

Damn, you owe yourself a vintage Stax setup if you haven't ever owned one, considering your history in audio 

 

^That's the Sigma, pretty right? I own a pair from the 80's along with other earspeakers from Stax 

 

[KG Jag]

Welcome fellow senior traveler.  Where in NZ do you live?  My wife and I greatly enjoyed visiting both the north and south islands some years back.  Welcome to Head-Fi.

 

[Hawkertempest]

Hi KG Jag,
                 Thanks for the welcome I was born and worked in Wellington all my life. My father was dragged out of school when he was 13 to work in the family business during the war. We had a large automotive business and they were reconditioning engines for the USMC. One of his brothers had joined the RNZAF and was flying Catalina Flying Boats up in the Pacific.
 
I ended up running Nissan for 30 + years then switched to Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar.
 
Now I live in Marton which is about half way between Wellington and Lake Taupo, just on the edge of the Volcanic Plateau. I can see Mount Ruapeahue from here and if I drive about 5 miles from my home I can see Mount Egmont as well.
 
I also own a few rivets in an ex CANSO Catalina reg "ZK-PBY" that is painted in RNZAF colours from the Pacific. Warbirds, Land Rovers and photography are my other hobbies. I have flown many times in ZK-PBY and I have been lucky enough to have had a flight and aerobatics in the back of a Curtis P-40N Kittyhawk.  

 

[KG Jag]

I appears that we share another interest--World War II aviation.  The Catalina was an icon of the War in the Pacific, especially in the early years.  The P-40 Warhawk, especially with a shark's mouth and eyes is another classic.  I believe that the N model you few in was one of last in general production before the P-40 was phased out for more modern birds.
 
We went to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Center, which at the time was all World War I planes.  It was a great visit.  We loved Picton, where our ship docked for our Omaka adventure over land (and overhead).

 

[Hawkertempest]

Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre is an amazing place to visit. It is owned by Sir Peter Jackson of "Lord Of The Rings" fame. My Brother in Law has worked at Wetta Digital for about 17 odd years now? He was one of the originals. He went to New York to capture some of the original buildings for the CGI graphics of 1930's New York for the "King Kong" Movie.
 
I was at The Omaka Airshow last year where most of the flying WW1 aircraft from the museum take to the air along with his other WW1 aircraft that are based at Masterton.
We are very lucky in New Zealand as we have many WW1 aircraft in flying condition. At Omaka it is common to see 6+ Fokker Dr1 Tri Planes in the Sky along with 2 or 3 Albatros Dv's and 2 DV11's, Halberstats, Sopwith Camel, Sopworth Pup, Sopworth Tr Plane, 2 Be2's 4 or 5 Se5a's, Neuports. Then of course the big heavy metal from WW2 including a Focke Wulf Fw190A.
 
Here in Marton lives Brendon Deere, his Uncle was a famous New Zealand WW2 fighter Ace. He owns a Spitfire Mk9, North American T6 Texan (Harvard) and a TBF Avenger. The 3 of them regularly fly right over the top of my house as they are hangered just down the road from me at RNZAF Base Ohakea.