New hifi, Spotify, and how cool this forum is

[Diapason]

I've been holding out on you: I got a new hifi recently. Well, not really, but I finally bought a pair of B&W 685 S2 for a small seating area in the kitchen at home. I'm driving them with a Wadia 151 Powerdac and the source is one of the lowest-spec Intel NUC models. It's not a state of the art system in any way, but it's enjoyable to listen to, even-handed, and the really good thing about it is that it's in an area of the house where it will actually get a lot of use. Given that I'm laid up with a broken ankle, I've been listening to it a lot!

Which leads me on to Spotify. At the moment (and how's this for a seriously non-audiophile solution?!) I'm streaming Spotify at 320 kbps from an iPad to the NUC and it sounds great. What's more, being able to just browse with a nice interface from my seat and listen to virtually everything ever is utterly amazing. The rest of the world has known this for years, of course, but I'm only appreciating it now.

And finally, the various "What are you listening to" threads have given me great fodder for stuff to explore while I'm sitting here. I'm genuinely amazed at the breadth of availability on Spotify, especially in the jazz and classical arenas, and those threads are fantastic guidance. I'll be reluctant to return to work at this rate!

Anyway, in case you think that you're talking into a vacuum when you share your listening habits, rest assured that they're providing the soundtrack to my days at the moment. Thanks everyone!

[Derek]

Hi Si
Sorry to read you're laid up, glad to read you're enjoying your time being laid up!

[Diapason]

Thanks! I'm working from home a little bit so that's keeping some of the pressure off. Still, sitting with your feet up listening to music isn't a bad way to spend the day...

[Derek]

I'm doing just that now listening to;

[Diapason]

I'm doing just that now listening to;

And now so am I!

[cybot]

Sorry too to hear you're laid up. I know exactly what it's like!

Anyway just enjoy the music both the normal and the weird :)

Oh and congrats on your new toys too :)

[Ivor]

Perfect work/life balance there Si! (except for the pain)

[tweber]

Thanks! I'm working from home a little bit so that's keeping some of the pressure off. Still, sitting with your feet up listening to music isn't a bad way to spend the day...

Doesn't sound too bad at all, mind you it might be safer to stay away from dance music for the moment :-)
Enjoy the new system!

[fergus]

Nice one Simon! Enjoy the new toys and the music and hopefully you will get well soon.

[Claus]

Nice setup Simon! Sorry to hear about the ankle. I use Spotify a lot on my NUC on my main system. Great way to hear new stuff. Or old Danish stuff from my youth that I would have sold years ago...