Vintage memories and a new chapter of music in Port Ludlow

Some audio systems hold more than music. They hold memories.

For Bob and Kary, that includes a beautiful vintage Marantz receiver and a pair of custom speakers given to Bob by a friend years ago. These treasures from the 1970s have lasting personal meaning, and keeping them was an important part of this project.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve been working with Bob and Kary on a home theater and a multiroom music system, with Roon bringing their music together throughout the home. Both love music, and visits to our Nuts About Hi-Fi showroom opened their ears to what today’s systems can offer: that wonderful sense of having the musicians right there in the room.

This week, Eli and I spent the day at their Port Ludlow home installing two beautiful systems. Here, we’re sharing the office—a relatively small space with a very big musical ambition.

At the heart of the new office system is an Aesthetix Mimas integrated amplifier, paired with a Mola Mola Tambaqui digital-to-analog converter and a Marantz CD player. A pair of Focal Diablo Utopia speakers brings the music into the room, supported by a JL Audio Fathom f110 subwoofer. Nordost cabling, AC conditioning, and Sort Kone isolation complete the installation.

Surrounded by warm wood cabinetry and windows overlooking the trees and the water, this is an inviting place to settle in with a favorite recording. The vintage Marantz still has a place of honor, alongside the new equipment—a lovely connection between the music Bob has enjoyed for decades and the listening experiences still to come.

That’s one of our favorite parts of this work. Every home, every room, and every listener has a story. Building the right system starts with understanding what matters to the people who will enjoy it.

For Bob and Kary, it’s always been about the music.

A small office. A lifetime of memories. And a new chapter of big sound.

Have a space you’d love to fill with music? Come in and have a listen.

Jim Lee
Nuts About Hi Fi
Silverdale, Washington
360.698.1348 · nutsabouthifi.com

For this family, home is a place to bring everyone together, and music is part of that welcome. Customers of Nuts About Hi-Fi for more than 20 years, they recently purchased this beautiful waterfront home and invited us to help make music part of life there, inside and out.

In the listening room, we installed Focal Sopra No. 3 speakers, an Aesthetix Atlas amplifier, a Marantz AV preamplifier, and a JL Audio Fathom f113v2 subwoofer. A Clearaudio Concept turntable and Roon Nucleus offer the enjoyment of favorite records alongside the ease of exploring a digital music collection. Nordost cabling, AC distribution, and Sort Kone isolation complete the system.

While our team, Eli and Paul, finished installing eight pairs of Focal outdoor speakers and an in-ground subwoofer, Greg and I fine-tuned the placement of the Sopras.

The system wasn’t even broken in yet, but the soundstage was already spectacular. During a Dizzy Gillespie track, the trumpet sounded so lifelike that Greg laughed and said, “I think Dizzy might have just spit on me!”

Those are the moments we love, when the equipment fades away and the music feels present in the room.

Just off the kitchen, a Marantz Horizon carries the music into the adjoining listening area.

Outside, the Focal system creates a seamless musical transition to the waterfront entertainment space, ready for family gatherings, time with friends, and quiet evenings together.

It’s a pleasure to help longtime customers settle into a new home, and especially rewarding to create a system their family can enjoy for years to come.

Have a space you’d love to fill with music? Come in and have a listen.

Jim Lee
Nuts About Hi Fi
Silverdale, Washington
360.698.1348 · nutsabouthifi.com