Welcome to TAS
Sounds like a good fit to me

I'm into the music with the boxes as a key to hearing more.
If they could be hidden somewhere I'd be happy although I do love tweaking to make get more music

I also confess to being mains and Isobarik centric

Cheers, guys. I'm also an Isobarik lover and still hanker after another pair. Mind you, I'd also have another pair of SBLs and Apogees. And probably Impulses. I still love the amps and speakers associated with the "Flat Earth" but I also get loads of pleasure from the valve amps and high efficiency speakers I've had. And then there is the American kit.

Now thats's just greedy!

I can guess at what some people will hate about Isobariks but I honestly think they capture something very important that's right at the heart of what music is about for me. Sure, there are things that they don't do, but I guess it's about what each of us finds important.

I'm a long time "believer" in NLP and I think it has a bearing on music just as it does other aspects of the way we process "reality". I support the idea that we all have our own internal "Map" which has been forming since our earliest memories. Every interaction and everything we experience is viewed from this perspective and our brain tries to make sense of every experience by trying to fit it into the existing picture and make sense of things. Processing reality in entirety isn't practical, so much of what we see, hear and experience is ignored or "deleted". For me, that's the way it is with sound. There are things I've come to value and look for in a sound which either switch me on or switch me off. I've only my own experiences to draw from but I've sat in rooms with others who have had the opposite experience to me listening to the same music at the same time, so it seems a reasonable assumption.

To me, it's perfectly reasonable for people to have different preferences. Sometimes there will be greater or lesser overlap with others but it's fine to differ. In fact it's what makes us human and it's far more interesting that way. Of course, this is just my perspective, based on my own experiences and "map" but then I would say that, wouldn't I?

I loved the KSA 50. It might still be the best all round power amp I've owned. Pass labs stuff has always sounded good to me and I'm still attracted by Threshold although I'm still waiting for the right deal to come my way. I could definitely do with learning more about American kit.

Cheers, Chris.

I remember the first time I "Got" Isobariks. I'd recently bought a pair and liked them but was still adjusting to their presentation. I put some music on from a local Peruvian band and took a bath in our downstairs bathroom so I could enjoy the music. Taken away from my listening position and somewhat "disarmed" I found they sounded so much like real music and brought out the same emotions as listening. After that I was hooked. Sadly they just don't work in my current house but I don't stay put for long so maybe the next house will be better. Or maybe I just need a bathtub in the lounge.

This house seems to favour free-space speakers. I really liked Apogees here but my wife objected to them far more than Isobariks. She's a flat Earth girl through and through, so she's biased ?

Yes Apogee and Krell go well together although I've only really loved the 50. The 80 and 100 just lacked the sweetness and liveliness, although they were very capable. I've not been able to afford the bigger and newer amps. The styling of Krell has always appealed to me and if I was rich I'd own a set of Krell KAS just for the looks. From what I've been told by a former owner, I reckon I might quite like the sound too ?

My system sounded rubbish when we moved in 2003.

I even bought Saras to replace my beloved

But before I plugged them in we had mains problems

Sparky put in a bank of unswitched sockets for each box and replaced my earth spike with something that worked and was safe !

Revelation in sound quality

A singular welcome from me too ...

Cheers, Chris.

NLP has fascinated me for a number of years now. I qualified as a hypnotherapist but never took it up. NLP was an integral part of the learning process and it gave me a useful set of ideas with which to look at life. I've probably forgotten much more than I've retained but I'll post a thread as you suggest because I feel it is relevant to listening, as it is to any facet of perception.

Personally, I feel that perception is often given little consideration and exploring it can be useful in accepting different views and experiences. I long since tired of people who feel their experience should "trump" others' because they worked in the industry or have a forum reputation etc. I'd like to encourage others to have faith in their own hearing and be brave enough to pursue an sound that suits them rather than one that fits the trend-setters ears. I hope a thread on NLP might at least open up the debate, so thanks for the suggestion.

As for refurbs, I will have to get better at taking the "before" pics. I've restored a lot of speakers; mainly re-veneering/re-spraying cabinets and re-foaming drivers, but also re-wiring internally. I am limited in terms of electronics, but I have re-capped a good few amps, especially Naim. Years ago I used to build LP12s from parts, refurbishing plinths as I went. It was fun but I never really liked the LP12 sonically. I'll have a look on my laptop to see if I've got any pics. If not, there will be something along soon. There always is

I'm just on the downturn into what feels like flu (perfect timing) so it might not be right away. I'll use the time to think a little more deeply about the issues That might be of interest.