
System #1: Audiophile Approved
Douglas Acker set up is first stereo system with the help of his dad when he was 14. Although he’s still just as passionate about music, he’s become much more sophisticated in the way he listens to music and demanding of the systems that he uses to play it. He credits his maturation in part to his wife, a concert pianist who “expects nothing more than acoustic greatness” from a home stereo system.

To satisfy their audiophile ears, Acker spent hours auditioning various speaker and amplifier combinations at the showroom of Hanson Audio Video in nearby Kettering, Ohio. “I would spend three to four hours at a time just listening,” says Acker. “I listened to bookshelf and floor standing speakers, and everything in between, with different amps, preamps and sources.” He ultimately decided on Dynaudio Confidence C2 speakers, along with Bryston amps, preamps and CD player, and a turntable from Pro-Ject. In addition to being the most pleasing combination to his ear, Acker felt the design of the speakers would fit nicely with the decor of his living room, deemed by Hanson Audio Video as the best area for music listening due to its size and acoustical characteristics. “They stand out just enough to look interesting, but don’t make us look as if we’re high-tech geeks,” says Acker.

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