Jana Dagdagan

Reviewer Video Profile: Michael Lavorgna

Jana Dagdagan  |  Sep 2, 2017

Who is Michael Lavorgna?
What is AudioStream.com?

This video is the answer to all of your questions.

COMMENTS
Herb Reichert's picture
Submitted by Herb Reichert on September 2, 2017 - 7:15am

Michael, you are way beyond coolness - The Boss of All Ferns and "10,000 Art Dudleys" Love it !

Ortofan's picture
Submitted by Ortofan on September 2, 2017 - 10:04am

... an Emenee toy organ, such as this one:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/fuzztone65/photo%20dump/6c8b_3.jpg
Tuck in your shirt, check for ticks and, yes, we get the reference to Bill Irwin.

dburna's picture
Submitted by dburna on September 2, 2017 - 11:20am

Hey, the heck with the stereo......what are all the guitars in your barn? I recognize by sight the Fender Strat and the Princeton Reverb amp (good taste!), but what are the remaining instruments? I try not to be judgmental, but when I "go" to someone's house I always peruse their book collection and any instruments they have (if any). Tells me a lot about a person.

Sooooooo, give with the instrument list already..... :-)))))

-dB

michaelavorgna's picture
Submitted by michaelavorgna on September 2, 2017 - 1:24pm

'80s Sunburst Fender Japanese Strat
'67 Blackface Princeton Reverb
Effects Pedals include Fulltone CLYDE wah, "Red Brick" version of the Love Pedal COT50, SolidGoldFX If 6 Was 9 fuzz, Analog Man Ibanez Tube Screamer
'70s Guild Madeira (my first guitar)
Vintage Harmony Baritone Uke
Unknown Parlor Acoustic Guitar (pictured to my right in the still photo. it's my favorite)
'50s Farfisa Pianorgan I
'60s Schylling Child's Accordion
Misc.: Student violin, vintage slide whistle, trumpet, harmonicas, talking drum, Cajon

The books are more interesting ;-)

dburna's picture
Submitted by dburna on September 2, 2017 - 2:36pm

.....I had a sense that you were much more about music than gear. The instrument collection confirms it.

Thanks, -dB (a unit measure of -- musical -- noise)

ok's picture
Submitted by ok on September 2, 2017 - 4:49pm

Books eh..? Is this Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time I can see? Must be the Mcqarrie/Robinson translation, since my Stambaugh/Schmidt edition looks somewhat different from that specific angle..

michaelavorgna's picture
Submitted by michaelavorgna on September 2, 2017 - 4:59pm

The Heidegger section stretches on a bit and includes "Poetry, Language, Thought" which contains my favorite bit of his writing, "The Origin of the Work of Art".

ok's picture
Submitted by ok on September 2, 2017 - 5:31pm

Art meditations rank among his very best pages, hands down – unfortunately not much music oriented..

michaelavorgna's picture
Submitted by michaelavorgna on September 2, 2017 - 2:02pm

The green monster - '70s Aria greenburst semi-hollow body. It's so wrong, it's right ;-)

johnnythunder's picture
Submitted by johnnythunder on September 2, 2017 - 1:22pm

audio expert by becoming a more interesting person! Love his eclectic tastes and influences. Love that his visual and philosophical knowledge became the foundation for his expert opinion on audio. It's just so much more meaningful. This is a man who will judge a piece of equipment without listening to a Diana Krall recording !

Corsentino's picture
Submitted by Corsentino on September 2, 2017 - 9:50pm

#Love

Corsentino's picture
Submitted by Corsentino on September 3, 2017 - 6:19pm

and ask about what looks like the sonicTransporter i5. This seems like a interesting solution. A few questions: why not use your nearby computer as your Roon core (this is what I'm doing now), is there any reason to consider the i7 model, and how are you interfacing with the Roon core via a software front end if its not residing on a computer? I'm guessing the software recognizes the sonicTransporter i5 and settings are preformed on a computer/ipad? Thanks Michael!

michaelavorgna's picture
Submitted by michaelavorgna on September 5, 2017 - 6:57am

...reading my review of the sonicTransporter (https://www.audiostream.com/content/intel-nuc-sonictransporter-tale-two-mini-computers-running-roon-core) but the simple answer to your question is - it sounds better. The i5 works very well for me. The i7 makes sense if you have a very larger library or plan to run dsp software on the same computer.

I control playback with my iPad or my iMac and everything, including the sT, is connected to same network so Roon takes care of the 'communication'. For example, when I add another Roon Ready hardware device to my network, Roon (the software) automatically finds it and makes it available as an end point.

Corsentino's picture
Submitted by Corsentino on September 5, 2017 - 8:47am

Michael! I reached out to Andrew at Small Green Computer, great guy and great products. Didn't try and up sell me once, now that was refreshing!! Doing my research but thinking the i5, Microrendu, IFI bundle with a built in 1 TB SSD seems like a potentially good solution for my needs. Thanks again for all you do!

Kal Rubinson's picture
Submitted by Kal Rubinson on September 5, 2017 - 9:23am
Quote:

The i7 makes sense if you have a very larger library or plan to run dsp software on the same computer.

...and/or play multichannel. :-)

Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on September 4, 2017 - 5:58pm

Thank you!

Now that I have seen AD's, as well, I am thinking there is a preference for more acoustically lively rooms than I anticipated. The vocals in those two videos really make me wish I could hear the systems. Something for future technology to accomplish!

Cheers, and thanks for taking the time to make that.

On a sad note, I somehow lost my "audio man" print somewhere along the way - I was pleased to see yours!

Corsentino's picture
Submitted by Corsentino on September 5, 2017 - 6:38am

Time to geek out a bit and ask about what looks like the sonicTransporter i5. This seems like a interesting solution. A few questions: why not use your nearby computer as your Roon core (this is what I'm doing now), is there any reason to consider the i7 model, and how are you interfacing with the Roon core via a software front end if its not residing on a computer? I'm guessing the software recognizes the sonicTransporter i5 and settings are preformed on a computer/ipad? Thanks Michael!

Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on September 5, 2017 - 8:41am

I am a digital Luddite, I fear.

I have a disc player plugged into my Hi Fi, and a laptop streaming through a DAC.

It seems it takes alot of other boxes to be doing whatever it is we are doing!

I gotta get with the times.

Slowly but surely.

I also confess to liking a piece of 'software hardware' to hold in my hands, like a CD or SACD, I don't trust those ephemeral seeming files to stay put!

Now, pardon me while I go walk uphill, both ways, to work. :-D

michaelavorgna's picture
Submitted by michaelavorgna on September 5, 2017 - 10:45am

...how many boxes is up to you. You can have one box do everything, two boxes, three, etc.

finbacksounding's picture
Submitted by finbacksounding on September 11, 2017 - 9:59am

I liked your comment about the time necessary to understand what a new component is doing in your music system. It is like meeting a stranger and trying to understand her or his unique personality. It takes time ... and tea.

spacehound's picture
Submitted by spacehound on October 11, 2017 - 9:03pm

He is the man who, when disagreed with on 'Computer Audiophile', sent the private message "Go f*** your mother" to the person who disagreed with him.

I wonder if John Atkinson, or the sponsors of Stereophile and AudioStream, are aware of this, and if so, think it wise to continue employing Mr Lavorgna?

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on October 12, 2017 - 4:34am
spacehound wrote:
I wonder if John Atkinson, or the sponsors of Stereophile and AudioStream, are aware of this...

Yes we are aware of this. But I feel it should be pointed out that Michael's ill-judged comment was in a private message and it was Chris Connacker of 'Computer Audiophile,' for reasons best known to himself, who made it public.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

spacehound's picture
Submitted by spacehound on October 12, 2017 - 8:03am

...one of the few who valued Michael Lavorgna's presence on that site.

However, his PM was a step too far, particularly as he is a 'professional' in this business.
As for Connaker making it public, it is his usual procedure to inform the members of his reasons for banning someone, particularly so when the reasons for a ban are not obvious to all the members, as was true in this case. Connaker, far more than most audio site operators, very much allows disagreement.

And of course Michael has made his dislike of audio forums and their members very obvious on several occasions, two of them recently.

You appear to think that Connaker making Michael's disgusting behaviour 'public' somehow lessens the offence. I assure you it doesn't. However, I am sure your sponsors/advertisers will have noticed the occurrence and will individually act or not act as they see fit.

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