Author Archives: Jim Lee

From Great Room to Dedicated Music Room – A Hi-Fi Evolution

Justyn, Erik, and I successfully completed the installation of Dan and Cindy’s new stereo system in Gig Harbor yesterday.

This project was the culmination of Dan’s passion for high-quality stereo sound, which began two years ago when we upgraded his great room with Focal speakers and a JL Audio subwoofer. That initial project led him to design and build a dedicated music room.

Due to permit restrictions, Dan and his wife, Cindy, utilizing her background in commercial construction, meticulously reconfigured a bay in their existing garage to create a room dimensionally engineered for optimal sound.

The System Components

Speakers:
Focal Sopra 3s and JL Audio’s flagship Gotham subwoofer, ensuring full-spectrum coverage.

Amplification/Pre-amplification:
All Aesthetix components, including the Calypso Eclipse preamp and a pair of Atlas amplifiers.

Source:
Tidal music via a Roon Nucleus, feeding into a Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC.

Cabling/Noise Reduction:
Nordost products, including their Network Switch, power supply, shielded Ethernet cabling, and Sort Kones on every audio component.

The final stage will be acoustic treatment. Cindy has chosen beautifully made quilts to manage mid- and high-frequency reflections. Their listening love seat should arrive in the next few weeks.

This system already sounds incredible. I will update you once the final touches are complete.

Thank you two so much for becoming a part of our Nuts About Hi-Fi family.

A Special Visitor: Jazz Pianist Francesco Crosara

This week, we had a very special visitor grace our showroom: Mr. Francesco Crosara. My wife, Angela, and I first met Francesco a few weeks ago at a fundraiser for the Music Discovery Center. He and I talked music and I invited him into our showroom to listen to his most recent CD release. Francesco was so taken by the sound in our listening room he ended up buying a beautiful pair of Focal speakers and Marantz turntable for his listening room.

I was was pretty taken myself. I was surprised by not only the technical quality of the recording, but the music is incredible. Francesco, if you haven’t heard him, is one of the best jazz pianists/composers of our time and just happens to live in our area.

We will soon have this recording available in our store for sale. All proceeds from its sale will be generously donated to the Music Discovery Center, which is dedicated to helping kids who lack the means to acquire musical instruments, providing them with essential support in learning to play and compose.

This foundation is a great group of folks who donate their time and energy to this cause and we at Nuts About Hi-Fi are honored to help.

Maestro Utopia EVO + Atlas Signature: Gary’s Next-Level Upgrade

Last Friday morning, Justyn, Erik, and I had the pleasure of upgrading a truly amazing sounding system that belongs to my good friend and long-time customer, Gary. We have been working on building this system together for over ten years. Music has always been an extremely important part of Gary’s life, and despite unfortunately losing his eyesight a few years ago due to medical issues, he has maintained a keen ear for fidelity.

These recent upgrades included the amazing Focal Maestro Utopia EVO loudspeakers and a pair of Aesthetix Atlas Signature monoblock amplifiers.

Technology now allows Gary to stream high-resolution recordings to these components using Amazon voice commands. While this technology is not yet perfect, it does enable him to access his music collection easily.

Gary is telling me he is loving these upgrades. We plan to return in a few weeks after his Maestro speakers have broken in to tweak the acoustics and install the floor spikes.

Enjoy the Music,
Jim Lee

Scottsdale Upgrade: Focal Sopra N°3 Exceeds Expectations

Hi folks,

I wanted to share some exciting customer feedback we recently received.

One of our valued customers upgraded his speaker system to the Focal Sopra N°3s and included the matching center channel. The customer, who is located in Scottsdale, handled the setup himself with the help of a friend.

I spoke with him last night, and he shared that the sound quality is even better than he had imagined. This is fantastic news and a true testament to the quality of the products we sell.

Enjoy the Music,
Jim Lee

Aesthetix founder in High-End-Audio Hall of Fame

We are thrilled to share some exciting news: Jim White, the founder and designer of Aesthetix, has been inducted into The Absolute Sound High End Audio Hall of Fame!

I have known Jim for over 30 years, going back to his early days at Theta Digital. In my humble opinion, the quality of every Aesthetix product perfectly reflects Jim and his colleagues’ core values. Their meticulous build quality and commitment to creating products that elevate the music experience in our homes, going well beyond simple listening, is truly inspirational.

The dedication to customer satisfaction at Aesthetix is only matched by the exceptional quality of every model they produce.

Learn more: Aesthetix website.

Jim Lee