I regularly invite fellow audiophiles to my home to listen to and inspect audio equipmemt before purchase. This is so that you can verify that the equipment works and looks as stated in the ad before installing in your system. There is also a somewhat selfish side to this as well - I want to make sure that you are absolutely satisfied and confident with the transaction and equipment so I can be assured of good feedback. I also like to meet with you to get an idea of how my product will fit into your system; again, I want you to be pleased with your purchase. When you're happy, I'm happy, and when we're both happy the transaction is truly complete.

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to audio equipment and I am no exception. It is understood that your system, your room and your sonic ideals may be different than mine. To that end, I would like to share my sonic tastes as well as equipment so you can get an idea of what to expect:

I enjoy tonal accuracy, dynamics, speed, and slightly dry, deep & tight bass. My tastes run toward the analytical side and I appreciate a balanced and "correct" sound rather than an euphonic one with emphasis on certain frequencies. I want the truth from my systems no matter how hard the truth may be - bad recordings should sound bad and good recordings should sound good. I generally do not like my equipment to "lie" to me by adding to the music as I would rather not hear something at all than hear something that's not there. I like resolution and detail and want to hear deep into the recording. I prefer pinpoint imaging and image localization rather than a wide, enveloping soundstage. Some may argue that this is unnatural, but I submit that there is nothing intrinsicly natural in the recording (particularly multi track - multi mic recordings) or mastering process to begin with. I strive to extract every bit of information out of the recording. I also require musicality with my accuracy - if I cannot be compelled to tap my foot or shake my head, then there is a problem somewhere. Musicality is that property of a system that elicits an emotional response from the listener, and I feel that any high performance system should be capable of this regardless of it's sonic presentation.

I love audio and audio equipment, and have for as long as I can remember. I do not discriminate between tube and solid state, MOSFETs and BJTs, digital and analog, dynamic or planar - all of these have their own positives and negatives. I do, however, have certain prejudices when it comes to how the aforementioned are designed and or implemented based on my experiences and tastes. I am keenly aware of my system's strengths and shortcomings and I'm not afraid to talk about them if you want to know, otherwise I will be as quiet as possible while you are listening.

I have two systems: the main system which is as reference quality as I can afford, and the downstairs lab system in which equipment is constantly rotating. I attempt to, as much as possible, approximate your system for the audition, therefore I may swap equipment from system to system and even occasionally borrow stuff from a friend. I usually try to keep a little bit of everything on hand, so if, for example, you have a tube based system, then I will put as much tube equipment in the downstars system as possible. If you have a high power system, then I will use a high power amp in the upstairs system. I keep 2 channel only systems and have no interest in home theater (although I will still do my best to help if you have one). You can view my systems on the AudioAsylum.com (woodman) or by cliking the HOME link at the bottom of this page.

Finally, I share my house with my wife and two cats - if you are allergic to cats (or wives), then I will keep the demo as short as you need me to. It is always recommend that you bring your own music to help you evaluate the gear that you're interested in.

I often offer technical support before and after the sale, so please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks for your attention!

James L Woodley