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Quick question for you audiophiles:

I'm writing a novel. I have a character who is a dot-com multimillionaire, and I want him to have a great audio system in his home. Let's say he has $100k or so to spend on it. What speakers and components might he have? (Don't worry about cables or things like that.) He bought it in maybe 2002, so nothing too new. Brand names that are unfamiliar to non-audiophiles are a plus.

Thanks for your help.

If you want something that would make a visual statement in the movie, Gabe, then $100K may not be a large enough budget. The Wilson Alexandria X-2 speakers are large and have a striking appearance (in Ferrari Red, for example, if your protagonist's interior decoration allows it). They are $135K a pair. If he is into home theater, then he may have six main speakers plus a massive subwoofer. Visually impressive floor standing amplifiers could be either the Mark Levinson 33's which were well over $30K per pair when new, or the current 33H's at about $24K, or the Halcro dm68's are also imposing. If overkill is the theme, then each speaker could be biamplified with a pair of amplifiers (that's a total of 12 amplifiers in a 7.1 multichannel system!). You can see pictures of a stereo example of a system with the X-2's and the Levinson amplifiers at: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1126413612&read&keyw&zzalexandria. The total cost of that stereo system is closer to $300K than $100K.

Cheers, Devon

Ah, add a little irony in the mix and be sure and mention that he prefers analog gear. Tubes, Vinyl, Electrostats and the like.

How can you resist the temptation to have a guy who has made millions developing digital, while spending 100k for analog music reproduction?

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Ah, add a little irony in the mix and be sure and mention that he prefers analog gear. Tubes, Vinyl, Electrostats and the like.

How can you resist the temptation to have a guy who has made millions developing digital, while spending 100k for analog music reproduction?

A "dot-com" millionaire doesn't necessarily develop anything digital in order to make money on a new communications medium that just happens to use digital electronics. There could be irony, though, in the exploitation of the newest technology to make money to spend on older technologies, like analog turntables, sailing yachts, and bicycles. The "older" technologies have only been invented at a more distant time in the past, though. Modern turtntables, yachts, and bicycles use modern technologies to make them work better, unless the character in the novel prefers to use authentic antiques. I can also imagine that our hypotehtical millionaire might like large format photography with a huge 8X10 camera!

Aloha.

Before reading the other replies, I was leaning Monty's way - make the character the equivalent of a wine connoisseur and describe him owning vintage gear that is still held in high esteem.

You could paint him as being interested in the "classics" and not subject to the whims of current fancy.

Each piece of equipment could have a story - rescued from an abandoned theatre, found in the basement shop of an obscure abbey, or inherited from a mysterious and esoteric uncle who personally knew Edison...

__________________________

Who used to have the catalog that described the trek to Kathmandu to buy the exotic fabric of their cargo pants to go with the rare and exquisite button material from Timbuktu that made their pants an adventure instead of a pair of pants?

Kind of like that.

Best wishes!

Let us know what your hero ends up listening to!

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Having a couple of dot com millionaire types as friends I think you are wide of the mark.
They have cheap plastic "stereos" and a suprised look on their faces - They Can't believe their luck and are certain someones going to demand a refund.

The dot-com millionaires I know are lifetime audiophiles. One of these guys I knew in school and as a teenager he had even built (by hand for the cost of materials) a custom room onto his parent's house for the equipment!

How about this? This photo was taken in an old English mansion. A bottle of Johnny Walker, a gorgeous blonde, and a pair of hand built Tannoy Westminster Royals, listening to Chopin.

He drives a Morgan Plus 8 in another photo. Life is good!

I'd vote for a speaker that doesn't make him plug his ear.

Just joshing.

I like the idea. Put the blonde at his feet and a fine bottle of
Burgundy on the table...change what he's holding into a proper wine
glass, then fit a cool turntable into the shot and it'll be a good start!

Those must be the surround speakers, 'cause he ain't nowhere near the sweet spot...both sweet spots!

Took me a while to figure it out, but I think he's such a connoiseur that he's listening in mono!

http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/

The system on the McIntosh front web page should do it. I'll bet they might even come set it up for free!!!!! LOL

Money obviously doesn't equate to I.Q. A kiler woman and he's reading. A killer system and he's turned sideways with a finger in his ear. Yikes!