Author Archives: Jim Lee

Why We’re Excited About a Power Supply (Seriously)

I’m excited to share a new addition to our reference listening system that has truly impressed me.

As you may know, Amy Hansen, Nordost’s VP, visits us a few times a year for our customer listening parties. The day before these events, she usually educates me and our staff on Nordost’s latest product advancements. This recent addition is one of those advancements, and it’s frankly amazing.

For the past couple of years, we’ve been using the Nordost QNET Ethernet switch with upgraded Ethernet cables to clarify the signal we stream to our digital?to?analog converters and other digital components. While this wasn’t an inexpensive endeavor, I convinced myself it was worthwhile, as it made sense to try to eliminate some of the EMI or noise from our busy network. Honestly, this by itself wasn’t an exciting sonic upgrade. I compare it to putting a first?aid kit in your car in case of an emergency—a bit boring, but probably a good idea.

During Amy’s last visit, she introduced a companion piece to this EMI cleanup effort: a small box called the QSOURCE linear power supply.

At $2,750.00, plus cabling, I initially had some pretty strong reservations about its potential value. Another challenge, besides the cost, is that demonstrating it to a client takes quite a bit of time. The network has to be shut down and rebooted between listening comparisons to accurately assess its effect.

However, with about two hours left before our event started, we dove into this audio?upgrading journey. What this linear power supply does is eliminate the AC/DC wall warts that often come with network switches, Roon Nucleus units, and even some inexpensive DACs. These wall warts are notoriously noisy, not to mention they take up room on your AC power strip.

We listened to our system as it was, and it sounded fantastic as always. Then, we shut down the network and hooked up this power supply. Being very scientific, we made sure the volume levels were exactly the same as before and went over the same track we had been listening to.

I know this is a long explanation, but I think it’s important to let you know that I want all of you who are interested to call me and allow me to give you this demo. I think you will be blown away. I’m not even going to try to describe what it did for our reference system, because I want you to hear it for yourself.

Amy needed to take her unit back with her, even though I pleaded with her to let me buy it. But I should hopefully have ours in a few days. I never thought I could be excited about a power supply for an Ethernet switch, but I can’t wait to have it back.

Jim Lee

A Wonderful Evening of Listening – Thank You, Everyone

It truly takes a village to make music come alive, and we are so grateful to everyone who attended our Nuts About Hi-Fi Listening Party.

A special thank you to Jim White and Brent Henley from Aesthetix for demonstrating your truly amazing audio components. We also want to thank Amy Hansen from Nordost for her expertise in making these listening parties fun, engaging, and informative, not to mention her talent for putting together some pretty amazing playlists.

Sanjay and Chris from Focal Naim, Dan McMillan from JL Audio, Sam Baum from Marantz, and Walter Bell from Mountain West Distributors, you are all the best home audio ambassadors we could possibly ask for.

The artwork from Cory Anderson and the food from Kevin at the Yacht Club Broiler also helped make this event a fun success.

Most importantly, I want to thank all of our wonderful customers for attending, for understanding how important music is in life, and for allowing us to help you enjoy it.

Best,
Jim Lee

Aesthetix Pallene + Dion Arrive: Immediate Upgrade in Sound

Hi folks,

We have an exciting system update to share!

Yesterday, Justyn installed our first set of the new Aesthetix Pallene and Dion components. Our valued customers, who ordered these a couple of months ago, noted a significant improvement over the Marantz Model 50 integrated amp we were using as a placeholder. I will be meeting with them later this evening and look forward to hearing more about their experience.

Here is a recent review from Absolute Sound Magazine.

Focal Clear MG Headphones

A Nice Testimonial For Us and the Focal Clear MG Headphones

A very thoughtful note from one of our fellow music loving customers…

I am writing to share my experience with Nuts About Hi-Fi and express my sincere gratitude. For a while, my focus on acquiring the perfect audio equipment overshadowed my enjoyment of music, but my visits to your shop helped me rediscover the true essence of Hi-Fi.

I first visited Nuts About Hi-Fi as a college student about five years ago. I was immediately impressed by your store’s selection and your clear passion for Hi-Fi. You kindly allowed me to audition several headphones, and the Focal Clear MGs immediately stood out. Their soundstage, clarity, and rich bass were exceptional, allowing me to get lost in the music. I knew then that I wanted a pair.

My second visit a few years later reaffirmed my desire for the Focal Clear MGs. I appreciated how they allowed me to simply enjoy the music without overthinking technical perfection. Our conversations about music and Hi-Fi further enhanced the experience. My most recent visit this summer was to finally purchase them. This time, I brought my own headphones for comparison, which confirmed that the Focal Clear MGs were the right choice for me.

Beyond the excellent equipment, what I truly value is the experience you provide. During each visit, you engaged with me, shared your insights, and offered recommendations based on my preferences. You created an environment where I could genuinely explore and enjoy the equipment. It felt like chatting with a friend about a shared passion.

Your enthusiasm for Hi-Fi and your commitment to helping customers like me appreciate music have been truly inspiring. Thank you for guiding me back to the joy of high-fidelity music.

High and Mighty: Our Team’s Expert TV Installation

I wanted to share a photo Eli sent me of an impressive installation our team completed yesterday. Eli, Justyn, and Erik successfully installed a 125lb, 100-inch flat screen 25 feet from the floor for a new restaurant opening soon on the Bremerton waterfront.

We often receive requests for challenging installations, and this project was a perfect example of our team’s expertise.

I sometimes forget to mention on this blog that Nuts About Hi Fi sells and installs flat-screen TVs. As a member of ProSource, a premier buying group, we have access to the top three flat-screen brands in the country. This membership also allows us to remain price competitive with big box stores and online sellers.

If you need a TV and want it installed properly, please give us a call.