Hello, Ben Smith here from Seattle. Long time audioholic beginning with a Marantz 2216b in 1979 - yes, budget friendly stuff 🙂 I've been lucky enough to move into Bel Canto DAC and amp, Meridian transport, Sota table and Vienna Acoustics speakers. More to the point of this forum, have built a couple of Bottlehead amps and am trying to design a 101D preamp as well as restore an APT Holman preamp. My other main distractions in life are photography and cycling, road and gravel. I'm also the winemaker, owner and bottlewasher of a small Seattle winery.
Hi Ben, welcome. Just down the road in Olympia. Do you play music to your wine while it's fermenting?
Ben - welcome aboard.
Whereabouts in Seattle? I've lived several places there during my time at UW and also with National Semiconductor (now TI) in their office in Federal Way. For a while I lived in Montlake just across from the Arboretum. That did wonders for my photography skills. 🙂
Tom
Whereabouts in Seattle? I've lived several places there during my time at UW and also with National Semiconductor (now TI) in their office in Federal Way. For a while I lived in Montlake just across from the Arboretum. That did wonders for my photography skills. 🙂
Tom
@tomchr We live right above the Mt. Baker I-90- tunnel, so on the border between Leschi and Mt. Baker neighborhoods. The winery is in South Park west of Boeing Field. I love the Arboretum and its surrounds!
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Nice set up you have there Ben. How many bottles a year are you doing?
Yes, the scenery is nice too but I live near Vancouver so we see the same things as you.
Yes, the scenery is nice too but I live near Vancouver so we see the same things as you.
Welcome Ben!
I drive through Southpark west of KBFI twice a day during the week on my commute.
Happy to to see a fellow Pac NW-er joining up.
I drive through Southpark west of KBFI twice a day during the week on my commute.
Happy to to see a fellow Pac NW-er joining up.
We do about 2000 cases a year exclusively from our estate Red Mountain Vineyard, Cara Mia. Been at it 26 years now. Before that I was a 737/757 flight controls engineer for Boeing - the mechanical/hydraulic side of flight controls. That's why this electricity stuff is a little confusing to me - I can't kick it or see it work :/ I've assembled a CX371a DHT preamp using Moglia gyrator boards with Coleman regulators but it amplifies noise just as effectively as music, and I don't have the troubleshooting chops to figure it out. So that's essentially why I'm here.
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Welcome aboard, Ben! I'm just over in West Seattle! Used to drive through South Park every single day on my way to and from work.
There are a ton of really knowledgeable folks here, I'm sure you'll be able to sort out what's up with that nice looking preamp.
There are a ton of really knowledgeable folks here, I'm sure you'll be able to sort out what's up with that nice looking preamp.
Welcome Ben! You are among good company with the many DIYers from the pacific NW, who seem to gravitate towards indoor hobbies. Wonder why? 
One cannot ride, hike, photograph and climb (and work) 24/7/365...so I have to be indoors at least a couple hours a day 🙂
Welcome Ben. Check out the Pacific NW Audio Society meetings in Kirkland. Usually the first Saturday of each month. This month it's the second Saturday. https://audiosociety.org/ We meet in the basement of the Kirkland Congregational Church. 106 5TH AVENUE, KIRKLAND, WA 98033
Sat 05/11/2024 1PM - 3PM
Phono cartridge shootout. Bring some of your favorite vinyl!
As we have to pay to rent the church, it's $10 at the door for non-members.
Sat 05/11/2024 1PM - 3PM
Phono cartridge shootout. Bring some of your favorite vinyl!
As we have to pay to rent the church, it's $10 at the door for non-members.
Its always nice to have both an indoor hobby and an outdoor one. More sneaking in a joke about the weather, which is the extent of what I know about the NW.
Oh and nice friendly folks from the area active on the forum.
Oh and nice friendly folks from the area active on the forum.
Welcome Ben, from a DIYer in Port Townsend, about 2 hours northwent of you across the Sound. Actually you can do most of the outdoor stuff you love here year round, with the right combination of merino wool and GoreTex. But it’s also great to have some indoor hobbies when the Big Dark is at its depths.
