Sorry this has taken so long. A few unexpected things took priority the last couple of days.
I arrived at the Seanachie at about 4:45 and spent about 15 minutes trying to get wireless access. I found that the Seanachie had one heck of a wicked wireless password and finally I succeeded at about 5 and managed to get a half hour's worth of billable time in. Then I went on a hunt for a power receptacle and gave up just in time to find that Alan and Amie had arrived. After a couple of hugs and some exchange of pleasantries we got down to business...that being beer and dinner of course
. Amie ended up with french onion soup and water, Alan with wild boar burger and a Rickard's Red and me...
<<<< slight diversion...doesn't Amie have gorgeous, silky hair
? And it must be a treat for Alan to even have hair
. >>>>
...with a classic pub favourite and Rickard's white since I had already imbibbed a red.
Amie, Alan and I chatted up a storm over the next hour or so and then Amie went on a hunt and found a receptacle which I so skillfully mated with the audiobyte amp's power cord. Actually, before I did that, I was completely taken by the ValSallo burled walnut audiobyte. Even though this was Alan's beat up demo unit, the fit and finish were absolutely astounding. Some have told me that photos cannot do justice to this finish and now I believe them. I'm now considering changing my decor to fit them in
.
BTW, the audiobytes have an FMB mounting on the back (not shown). The magnetic grills work exceptionally well by the way and are quite sturdy. These are hefty little speakers too. I don't think anyone will find another computer speaker that is as heavy or robust.
I was so surprised to see the fit and finish of the amp! From the photos I saw on the site, the volume knob could have been mistaken for a part from my son's K'nex set only painted silver. I was really pleased to see that the knob had a wonderfully solid feel to it with just the right amount of tension. And the "power on" indicator is no idiot light as it adds just the right accent to the slightly convex faceplate. White audiobytes are shown below.
By this time PaulM came all the way from Edmonton! There's a loyal Axiom fan if I ever saw one. Paul actually wowed me with his deep knowledge of all things biological. I'm not going to gross everyone out on this particular thread but let's just say that I could have mistaken him for an exobiologist.
The set comes with an IEC-style, removable power cord that is about 6 feet long and quality cables for the speakers and I think the source as well. The amp has a jack for each speaker and the EP0 as well as an RCA jack for a powered sub. A voltage selection switch prepares the amp for off-shore locales. And of course there's a USB and mini-jack in the back for the source. The amp feels VERY solid and is weighted in the front by a transformer. There's a good chance that this is a toroid given the slight but very suitable hump on the amp's top cover. Alan connected his portable CD player and although we could certainly hear the audiobytes, this pub, with what sounded like an important hockey game on screen, was not the place for an audio audition. I did however crank the gain and didn't hear any breaking up and was pleasantly surprised by the bass that I heard. The speakers by the way do come with pads to provide some isolation and prevent scratches. From what I heard, the audiobytes don't sound like an M22 or an M3 but rather like a cross between the two but I could be wrong because like I said, there was a ton of background noise. Besides, I wanted to spend more time talking with Alan, Amie and Paul rather than listening to a piece of aluminum flapping in the breeze
.
Amie was so kind and generous to bring out Axiom jerseys and caps. Now I can be a Brent Tombari look-alike
.
By now Alan was having a great time telling us all about audio history. I was thinking to myself that he was one beer shy of spilling all of Axiom's secrets but then I quickly convinced myself that it wouldn't be fair to take advantage of him like that. I'd hate to see him fired
.
I was so disappointed with how my photos of Amie turned out. In my excitement, I kept cutting off her head. I am a female connoisseur
so I am qualifed to say that she is exceptionally attractive, poised, intelligent and has a bright smile that can melt away a man's pain
. Ian is indeed very fortunate and they make an absolutely wonderful couple.
By this time it was almost 10:30 and Amie and Alan had an hour's drive so we parted ways with a couple of more hugs. It was a real pleasure to meet Alan and I could have listened to his stories all night long. He's very, very easy to listen to
. And it was of course mon plaisir to see Amie again and I hope that I get to see Alan, Amie and Ian again soon. A trip to the factory may be in the works for me in the very near future. And Paul, you have to tell me your secret to eternal youth
. Actually, the big surprise that evening was Paul's knowledge. I never thought I'd meet anyone who could identify the alien that I...oops...that's the subject of another post.
