Another fun Forum get together!

[boomac]

Paul (Parrot), Craig (Nos/Valves) have headed east and Jon (double J) is pointed NW. Alls quiet at the Boomacs. Too quiet!

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The Milwaukee Area Get Together was a lot of fun for me. Klipsch Forum Members Damon (damonrpayne) and John (j-malotky) live close by and I always enjoy their company. Both are great guys and wonderful hosts with vast audio experience and knowledge.

I met Jon (double J) at Indy a few years ago and it was great having him around here for a couple days. After the fish fry on Friday we were trying to do the math with regard to the bill and Jon, while grabbing the bill said, lets make it simple and he took care of it. Jon will always be welcome around here. Although we appreciated his generosity, its his company and great personality we really enjoy.

During Saturday breakfast we were joined by new Klipster, Jeff (Classic 240Z) and damn if he doesnt have one. Its a beauty too. At the restaurant and at my place afterwards, we got to know Jeff a little and were impressed with his love for audio and Klipsch Speakers. No doubt he will be an asset to the Forum and hell be a pleasure to have at local and hopefully other Klipsch get togethers.

Not long after Jeff left to take care of family obligations Mark (Mark from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Wisconsin) rolled in on his snazzy BWM motorcycle. Along with wife Michelle, Mark brought several great sounding LPs and CDs for listening. For some reason I experienced a temporary problem with my Well Tempered table so we had switch systems and listen to a new Steely Dan LP on the P3. We also got to listen to a dandy CD recording by Bruce Hornsby. Susan (my wife) enjoyed spending time with Michelle and we were disappointed that they couldnt stay a little longer. It isnt the smartest thing to be riding a cycle after dark in this area, (deer) so we certainly understood their desire to be on the move. Good to meet another, (sort of local) Klipsch fan who will also be an asset to the Forum.

Most of you know Paul, (Parrot) and Craig (Nos/Valves) but for those of you who dont, theyre two really fun and knowledgeable guys that Im happy to consider good friends. Both have figured prominently in my audio enjoyment over the past several years.

Craig rebuilt my Scott 299, built me a pair of VRDs and has always been available to answer any question or solve any audio problem Ive had. I respect his directness, his knowledge and the fact that hes just a great guy thats fun to have around. By the way, I played Craig a jazz CD entitled The Shape of Jazz to Come. He said, I guess Jazz doesnt have much of a future! Sorry Allan..we did enjoy all the other jazz music played as well as several selections form the One Night With Blue Note DVD!

Paul (Parrot) is another good Forum friend that I was happy to spend some time with. He has great knowledge of audio and over the years hes provided us many excellent classical recommendations. I have missed his presence on the Klipsch Forum, (hes been banned) and really wish he could/would come back. Ive always thought his knowledge, wit and ability to provoke debate were assets to the Forum.

One last thing: Susan really enjoyed having Paul and Craig as guests and quite frankly, she's been impressed with every Klipster that has visited our home. Based on that, I've been given the green light to plan future sessions with my Forum Friends!

Anyway! Everyone is out of here and I just though Id comment on what great friends Ive acquired because of the Klipsch Forum. It's certainly a fun and unique place to spend some time. The Klipcsh Company has always gone the extra mile to accommodate the people that own and love their speakers and we all appreciate that. I guess thats why I have eight pair of the damn things! Now its time to put one of them to work!

[oldbuckster]

Sounds like a good time was had by all.................You guys are Lucky there are so many Klipsch Guys around your area, they are few and far between here...........All the get togethers seem to be a good time...........Glad it went well.......the ol' Parrot, that's real good he went, miss him myself, forum kinda' tame without him.................

[Allan Songer]

If I weren't in the middle of negatiations with Local 44 for the new 3-year contract (finished up with local 399 a couplea weeks ago), I'd have found a way to get our there.

Sounds like you all had a ball. I'm jealous.

[boomac]

Yeah, we all wished you could have been here Allan. Kyle did his best imitation of you and the G-Man. Although pretty funny, it wasnt the same as you guys being here in person. We listened to The Jazz Composers Songbook and all thought it was great music and an excellent recording. Herman was sure on his game for that session! Hope the negotiations are going well and well talk to you soon. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

[dtel's wife]

Boomac,

Having met Jmalotky and son, damon and DoubleJ, I can honestly say you WERE in good company. We met all four in Hope in 2006 and again had the opportunity to see Jmalotky and son and Double J while in Indy this year. All super great folks to spend time with. I wish we were closer....I would love to have met up with all of them again and met the other folks you mentioned, as well as you and your wife.

Congratulation on a successful gathering.....a few of us are hoping to have a Down Home Southern Gathering in a couple of months.....just too hot right now.

Glad to hear everything went well and a good time was had by all!!!!

[j-malotky]

Had a great time this year too. Scott's basement turned out great. Thanks to Mr and Mrs Boomac for doing most of the hosting this year.

Damon's new HT seats are very comfortable. Scott would agree as he slept through the bulk of 300.

Did everyone get home OK? I was concerned when that big storm rolled though early Sunday morning. Double J was planning on leaving my place at 3 AM to make the trip home. Hopefully that storm did not delay him too much and he had an uneventful drive home.

JM

[NOSValves]

I had a very enjoyable and relaxing weekend. One of the more laid back audio based events I have attended. Scott and Susan are wonderful hosts. Visiting Damon's and John's place was a real treat also. It's really amazing how many wonderful people I'm able to call friends from my years on this forum. I also learned some really interesting things over the weekend for instance I had no idea what a MILF was ................[]

So far the only disappointment from this trip was reading Allan's post in this thread. He refrained from taking the bait []

Craig

[DoubleJ]

Hi All:

I'll write up more tonight but just wanted to let everyone know that I made it home safe and it was clear sailing and the weather was sunny and clear. Must have just avoided the bad weather because I was on the road by 3:30-4:00.

So, I will have a lot more to report on when I get home from work because there are so many people to thank and a lot of things to report.

JJ

[picky]

boomac: I was thrilled to read your post and learn how successful your weekend Klipsch get together was. After all; how could it not have been wonderful, given the cast of characters who attended? They are all well-liked and respected people here on the forum and I'd like to second the motion to bring back (Paul) Parrot if we can. It was interesting to read that your wife was so impressed with the quality of your Klipsch guests that she's given you the green light to future get togethers. That is exactly the identical experience Verna and I have had regarding the members who have attended our get togthers or just dropped by our house. Each person we've met who is connected with the forum (and the list keeps getting longer) has been a quality individual. Members who have stayed the night at our place have been excellent house guests. What more can I say? The Klipsch folks seem to be top notch, and I feel honored to call many of them my friends. I'm glad that your experience with hosting this get together was an excellent one and now you and may others know why some of us have been hosting events for some time. It's simply a blast! Thanks for sharing your recount of the weekend and congratulations! I wish I could have been there, too! -Glenn

[kaiser SET say]

Ditto to Glen's post Scott[] AWESOME

[Piranha]

Scott, John, Damon,I am truly sorry that I missed it . It sure sounds like you guys had a great time. I would have liked to have been there but family priorities kept me home. My Grandfather passed away last Sunday at 91 after courageously struggling with esophageal cancer since late April. It's been a very rough road for me both mentally and physically. I can certainly empathize with others on the Forum who have either dealt with cancer personally, or had loved ones who were affected by cancer. It's an absolutely horrible disease. My Grandfather and I had always been very close, he was my buddy. I am thankful for the 46 years we had together. It was extremely tough to watch someone I cared deeply about whither away to nothing. His passing is bittersweet for me. Yes, I am glad he's no longer suffering, but I'm sure going to miss him.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. I am glad you guys had fun. I hope to make it next time.

And FWIW, I'd like to see the Parrot back as well.

[garymd]

Sorry I missed the fun. I'll be there for the next one guys. I promise.

Sorry to hear about your grandfather, Tom. That's tough to go through as many of us know. Give me a call when you get a chance.

Scott - Tell Kyle nobody imitates the G-man and gets away with it (unless it was flattering of course). There will be hell to pay

BTW Craig - We here in the big cities are very familiar with MILFs and other common acronyms

[j-malotky]

Craig was convinced that MILF was a Wisconsin saying. I told him it wasn't. Thanks for confirming that Gary. And there are a few good stories behind that which we obviously can not post[6] We also did enlighten him on a few Wisconsin acronyms that only people from WI and IL probably know about. I think Craig needs to get away from his soldering iron from time to time and smell the......... ahhhh never mind.

Tom, sorry to hear about you grandfather and all. You always have friends up north here in WI.

I had a great time visiting with Paul and miss his whit and humor. I also say we should bring back Paul Parrot.

JM

[Klipsched with Yamahas]

It's such a pleasure to here such positive reports from forum member gatherings. I will be somewhat reserve with the upcoming group function here on the east coast, but am extremely excited about the thought of meeting so many experienced and knowledgeable hobbyists.

[boomac]

Tom Im really sorry about your loss. Its never easy. Just never is!

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Next year I hope to coordinate a 4 day event that includes a quick hop down to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Chicago for some blues, jazz or both. It seems we have a few Forum Members who are musically inclined so it might be fun to have a little jam session. I know Artto can lead that deal!

Maybe well try it a little later in the year too.

Kyles got you down Gary!

By the way, thanks for the wine Mark and that hot cheese aint bad Jon! Thanks! I enjoyed a couple sticks while going thorough the classical LPs that Paul was kind enough to bring along. Its like Christmas in August!

Anyway, the place has been pretty quiet. Susan is off on a rare business trip and on an even rarer day off, Kyle went up to Oshkosh to visit friends. Last night Jenna (23 and recent college grad) and I went out to dinner. After we ordered, she told me the Air Force called and said she smoked the Officers Exam, (top 5%) and that shell be taking the pilots exam later today. She then took off to do some night fishing at a local lake. Too bad you guys didnt get a chance to meet her. BTW, the old man can't really get to sleep when the kid is out so at 3AM I learned she caught 2 reasonably nice bass. I'll have to get the rest of the story later!

[LarryC]

I enjoyed a couple sticks while going thorough the classical LPs that Paul was kind enough to bring along. Its like Christmas in August!

What were they? You're building an enjoyable collection.

[picky]

Piranha: I'm very sorry to learn of your loss. Verna and I send our deepest sympathy! -Glenn

[DoubleJ]

The title of the thread says it all. It was not only a fun get together, but is was a very educational and relaxing weekend for me.

The Boomac household was the used as the HQ for the weekend festivities and what a very nice warm and comfortable home Scott and Susan have. Even though I have met Scott only once in person and meeting Susan for the first time, it didn't take long for me to get the feeling like we have known each other for years. They are both great people as well as gracious hosts.

FRIDAY/ Boomac's House: Arrival day. I pulled into the Boomac/Soomac ranch and was greeted promptly by Susan and Scout (correct?) the family dog. Both Craig and Paul already had arrived and after a "re-getting to know each other session" in the screened-in porch John showed up and then it was time to get a tour of the Boomac/Soomac home.

The Boomac/Soomac basement layout is like nothing I have ever seen before. It is a Museum, Game room, Bar, Home theater/Listening and relaxation room.

At the bottom of the stairs is a Movie Theater ticket booth, which includes a mannequin to provide realism. The pool room doubles as a Museum and a full Two-channel system. There are many cool sports memorabilia and family photos all over the wall and shelves. According to Susan, we were only seeing at minuscule of Scott's collection.

Flanking the Pool room is the Home Theater/Listening on one side and on the other side is the Bar area. The bar area is patterned after a real bar. It has the tables and chairs a bar would have, including a fully stocked shelf of liquor and a real authentic Bar mirror. It also has a fireplace on one end. I'm not doing it justice by my description, it has to be seen to be truly appreciated.

The home theater/listening room is set-up very well. Up front is a huge entertainment center that houses all the equipment and speakers as well. Yes, the speakers are recessed in the entertainment center and thus, there isn't any wasted space in this room. The way Scott has his system configured is the cats meow. In a matter of seconds, you can go from two-channel listening to watching a movie. He also has it configured where he can change components that drive the speakers.

I would never see the light of day if I were to have this kind of set-up in my basement. I would be more of a recluse than Howard Hughes ever was. []

After a good sampling of music and good Ole BS'ing it was time to go find some supper so we could make it to Damon's house at a reasonable time. As for paying for supper, it was my pleasure. It was my way of thanking not only the hosts for the weekend, but also a way to say thank you to Paul and Craig. They both have directly and indirectly helped me a lot over the years. Thanks Craig and Paul.

Damon's House: After supper, we made the trek to Damon's house to check out his Home theater and watch the movie 300, Blu Ray edition. Damon has been very busy and the result is a very nice, well layed-out, comfortable home theater. He just recently purchased some HT seats and they must have been very comfortable because there sure was a lot of snoring coming from the front row. [].

There were some key things that I wanted to check out in Damon's system and they were:

1. What this Blu-Ray thing was all about. 300 may not be the best movie to show off this new technology, but when we saw a snip-it of Pirates of the Caribbean, I was sold. Very nice indeed.

2. The Cornwall Vertical Center that Chris (popbumper) made for Damon. I have a single Cornwall that I've been thinking about converting to a vertical and this gave me a chance to see Chris's work in person. Damon did a great job finishing the speaker and the craftsmanship was excellent.

3. The Projector that Damon is using in his HT. I had a chance to purchase one of these at a good price but passed on it. After seeing what this projector can do, I made a mistake not pulling the trigger. It may be too late now to purchase one, but I'm going to try my hardest to find one.

I was also very impressed with the role the Sony Playstation 3 plays in Damon's system. I'm not a console type person, but after seeing one in action, my take on them has truly changed.

Thank You Damon for your hospitality and allowing us to audition your HT set-up. It was greatly appreciated.

By this time it was pretty late and some rest was needed to recharge the batteries for a full day on Saturday. It was kind of hard to sleep because I stayed in John's HT basement and the urge to fire up everything was overwhelming. []

SATURDAY: As Scott already mentioned, we met for breakfast and also met up with Jeff (Classic 240z) We must have looked pretty obvious, because Jeff picked us out right away as the Klipsch nuts.

We spent the whole day listening to a variety of music, DVD's, concert DVD's, and of course a lot of BS'ing. Scott and Susan made sure we were well watered and there was always something to snack on the whole day. Though some of the music wasn't my cup of tea,I did hear some stuff that I have put on my "To Purchase List". A couple of the items are the Boz Scaggs DVD and the surfing movie that Tom (Piranha) recommended Scott to get. I'll need to get those title names from you, Scott!!

I almost forgot about Scott's other Two channel room. In this room he has a pair of Forte II's driven by a Scott 299A and Craig brought one of his amps as well. I've never heard Fortes before and really never gave them a second thought, until now that is. Now I know why people highly regard these speakers.

After a great supper of Burgers, Brats, and all the fixings, we all went to John's house to audition his set-up. I can't forget to mention that Susan also baked cookies and brownies for dessert. I don't know of too many people that would fire up an oven on a hot day to make treats. Thanks Susan!!!

JOHN'S HOUSE: Last, but not least, we ended up at John's house to audition his set-up. What is there not to like..K-Horns, Heresy surrounds and CS Ultra SVS subs, all driven by quality equipment. We listened to a variety of music and concert DVD's in 2 channel and full surround sound. Truly impressive. Sorry to make you all suffer through some Organ music, but you don't know how lucky you really were. I could have brought my favorite Bagpipe music. []

SUNDAY: Travel day. It came early as I was on the road by 3:30am and the drive was painless and uneventful. I didn't get tired at all because all I could think about all the way home is the great time I spent with a great group of people.

I can't thank you all enough for a very enjoyable weekend. This weekend meant a great deal to me and I'm very thankful you let me be a part of it.

JJ

This thread wouldn't be complete without re-iterating what others have already said, I surely do miss Paul as a forum member. As Scott mentioned earlier, his knowledge, wit, and ability to entice a great debate is surely missed..

[boomac]

Jon Thanks for the kind words. Were pleased with the way the lower level turned out but it only really shines when there are good friends around to enjoy it with. Damons new seating was indeed comfortable. Perhaps too comfortable. Johns Klipschorns sounded good. Of course they always sound good!

Here are the two DVDs that gained your interest:

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Boz Scaggs Greatest Hits Live

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6757534&style=movie&BAB=E

Step Into Liquid Great Surf DVD recommended by Piranha

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6678640&style=movie&BAB=M

Larry Paul brought along and left for me:

Beethoven: Violin Concerto (Christian Ferris / Herbert von Karajan) Berlin Philharmonic

Brahms: Violin Concerto (Itzhak Perlman / Carlo Maria Giulini) <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Chicago Symphony

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E Minor

(Issac Stern / Eugene Ormandy) The Philadelphia Orchestra

Theme and Variations by: Schubert, Faure, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikowsky

(Ramon Coll Piano)

Dvorak: String Quartet in F Major American

Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 in D Major

(The Concord String Quartet)

Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Ballet Suite (Mitropoulos) New York Philharmonic

Debussy: Lamer ( Boulez) New Philharmonia Orchestra

Alfred Cortot Concert: Saint-Saens, Faure, Albeniz, Liszt, Chopin, Schubert

Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C, The Great (Eugen Jochum) The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Andre Watts Live in Tokyo (Ravel, Brahms, Haydn)

Sylvia Zaremba plays Liszt

Holst: The Planets (Leonard Bernstein) New York Philharmonic

Mussorgsky: Bilder einer Ausstellung & Pictures at an Exhibition

Prokofieff: Symphonie Classique

(Carlo Maria Giulini) Chicago Symphony Orchestra

J.S. Bach: The Brandenburg Concertos (complete)

Franzjosef Maier Concertmaster / Collegium Aureum

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Nights Dream (Peter Maag) The London Symphony

[LarryC]

Scott, thanks for going to the trouble to list them. All those look good to me (I'm trying to remember, isn't the slow mov't of the Borodin SQ a famous work?). I don't know why Peter Maag didn't record more, but that MSND should be really good. The Romeo and Juliet ballet is a surprisingly powerful work imo. Very good!

Larry