I came in early today to meet one of the crew for a job they had to start early. Once I got them going for the day and because I was already here at 5:30 a.m., I decided to stay and get some work done. Also, because I knew the phone wasn’t going to ring at that hour I could turn up the music and get lost in it.

Since I had just heard the other day that it was celebrating the 22nd anniversary of its release, I opted for the Tragically Hips “Fully Completely” CD. This is a CD I have probably listened to thousands of times.

I sat down to start working, fired up my PC, turned off shuffle and hit play on my J River Media Center software. Then, Wow! I hadn’t really ever had a chance yet to really listen this CD on my current set up and I was amazed. For those unfamiliar with “the Hip” they are a Canadian band, kind of folky, kind of bluesy and a little rocky. I have always found that this CD was recorded and produced extremely well. Though it has somewhat of a rock feel it is a very clean sort of recording. It has not been muddied up like so many of the current over compressed offerings you hear.

My Setup

Currently I am using a PC combined with J Rivers, Media Center 19 ($40) to play high-resolution FLAC files off my Synology media servers ($400 plus the cost of hard drivers). The music files are stored on the network, so the files are streamed by Media Center software. From there the music from the PC out the USB jack to a Peachtree Decco 65 ($999), where the onboard DAC converts the digital to analog music. The Peachtree is an integrated tube amplifier with multiple inputs, I am using the USB input. From the Amplifier section the music goes out over some AudioQuest Rocket 88 speaker cables ($899) with DBS to my Totem Acoustic, Model 1 – Signature speakers ($2,550).

By using the PC as the “transport” it is very easy to see your music and create play lists or quickly get to the music you want at any particular moment. The Totem speakers are placed as close to an equilateral triangle I can get with my desk arrangement. The speakers are placed one each side of my triple video monitor setup. That translates to the speakers being about 70 apart and my head is positioned about 50 from each speaker. The Totem speakers really are great for the acoustic guitars. In fact it was the way they sounded on guitars first that sold me on the brand. Then there is the awesome stereo separation and depth of each instrument.

Everything just sounds great and very accurate, just like you’d expect it to sound. It really is all the little parts that make the song sound different. The production value is what makes a recording really stand out. With this setup you really hear any multiple guitar parts. However because the system sounds so clear and clean you hear them as two distinctly different parts.

The sound staging and imaging on the Totems is also spectacular. With each percussion part you not only hear it from right or left but also hear a different depth from where the speakers are placed. It is as if the speakers are no longer there and you have music from your seating position back 40 feet, 20 feet wide and 10 feet in height. 
Is the setup expensive? Perhaps to some it is. However, if you listen to music more than anything else you spend $5,000 over a period of time that brought you more enjoyment than you’d ever expect, especially from quality audio that helps you get through long days at your desk.