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View Full Version : My visit to Greg Timbers home - invited by Greg Burns of Home Audio Sound



jimg69
05-22-2017, 08:10 AM
I was fortunate enough to be invited to Greg Timbers home to meet him and to listen to his home audio system thanks to Greg Burns of Home Audio Sound in Brighton, CO. I purchased a pair of Everest DD65000 from Greg Burns a little over two years ago. I listen to them daily and have never looked back.

I've always liked the big sound that JBL's horn loaded, higher end speakers offered. My father owned a paragon and I've had numerous JBL speakers over time.

It was so much fun being able to meet Greg Timbers and hear his system. I'm not a technical person, just someone who enjoys listening to music. Mr. Timbers is great. He played some super hi resolution CDs through his system, both in two channel and surround sound (DD67000s up front, K2-9900s in the back). World-class sound. Highs were absolutely fantastic. In my opinion, JBLs have always had the bass. The highs and the integration of those highs were just simply amazing.

It was cool being able to ask Mr. Timbers simple questions. Like, why only 4inch voice coils and no larger? How Bart Locanthi and Ed May would have heated discussions about product, and how both of them were other-worldly smart. Really fun for just an average Joe like myself.

Also, Jerry Morro stopped by as well. It was great hearing his stories about woofer design as well. How had the engineering staff remained historically in tact, that potentially the next Everest woofers would have used TCR wire, like that used in the 2216 and 4312E woofer. Instead of trickle down tech, it would have been trickle up.

I brought my cross over cover plates from my DD65000 and Greg Timbers signed them for me, as well as my JBL 60 years of history book. Both Greg and Jerry signed it. I will try to upload pictures to show them.

I would like to thank Greg Burns and his wife Terry for inviting me and providing me with photos of the occasion. I don't know of anyone selling JBL Synthesis speakers and equipment that does as much as he can for someone who wants to own a pair of JBL statement speakers. I met Greg Burns by chance on a visit to my wife's Mom's house in northern Colorado. I live in southern Ca., and I could not find a displaying synthesis dealer to save my life. So I found Home Audio Sound online, we called and made an appointment when we were visiting. Greg Burns has the entire JBL line up in each different room in his home so you can listen to any current speaker JBL synthesis has (book shelf or floorstanding) I don't know about the in wall stuff. After spending about 3hours there and listening to all the various speakers, I though I was going to buy a pair of K2s but I was able to obtain a pair of the 65000s, and since this was my big speaker purchase (one and done), That's what I purchased.

The future of JBL synthesis speakers are not known, but it appears likely that the statement speaker era is coming to a close. Not sure when, but that is the feeling I got in my visit to Greg Timbers home and just listening to the conversations.

If anyone out here wishes to buy any product by JBL synthesis, Greg Burns of Home Audio Sound will take care of you like no other dealer. He is a JBL nut, he wants people to enjoy these things and wants to move product at more than fair prices.

I hope my photos upload properly..

badman
05-22-2017, 08:47 AM
Looks like a great time. Picking these particular brains is rewarding!

Tony Sullivan
05-22-2017, 09:23 AM
I was fortunate enough to be invited to Greg Timbers home
I'm sure it probably wasn't a priority but did you possibly learn any particulars regarding his Basis turntable?
That's an incarnation of the Debut I have not seen
You guys didn't by chance spin any Lps did you?
Any conversation regarding the format?
Congratulations on such a nice visit with such an interesting and talented person

jimg69
05-22-2017, 10:25 AM
I'm sure it probably wasn't a priority but did you possibly learn any particulars regarding his Basis turntable?
That's an incarnation of the Debut I have not seen
You guys didn't by chance spin any Lps did you?
Any conversation regarding the format?
Congratulations on such a nice visit with such an interesting and talented person

Thank you. JBL chat only. He played Hi rez super Cds and downloads only. He is running Parasound amps in mono for mids and lows and Airtight tube amps for the tweeters. That was the extent of my off JBL discussions.

srm51555
05-22-2017, 11:03 AM
Very Nice, Thanks for sharing.

Tony Sullivan
05-22-2017, 11:03 AM
Thank you. JBL chat only. He played Hi rez super Cds and downloads only. He is running Parasound amps in mono for mids and lows and Airtight tube amps for the tweeters. That was the extent of my off JBL discussions.
Thank you
I know the basics of his system just not a few of the Lp playback details
Thanks again

toddalin
05-22-2017, 11:17 AM
Irvine is just around the corner. Next time... ;)

Titanium Dome
05-22-2017, 11:59 AM
Jim, I see you got to meet the rest of Greg's family, too! Those "kids" just love to lie on the floor and soak it all in. With their ultra HF hearing, they probably hear things from those K2s and DD67000s that neither Greg, Jerry, nor the rest of us can. At least I can say that with assurance about my own hearing compared to the dogs' hearing.

The listening experience in Greg's living room is unparalleled due in no small part to the mastery of the man who installed the system and calibrated it. There's a thread over on AVS where a few know-it-alls have taken exception to Greg's designs, opinions, and even his home listening environment, all without ever meeting him or sitting on the couch in his living room to listen. Self-professed experts are a serious kind of butt pain, especially after meeting and spending time with people who actually accomplish great things yet are humble and down-to-earth like Jerry Moro and Greg Timbers.

Kudos to Greg Burns (and Terry) for making this experience available to you, and congratulations on taking advantage of it!

jimg69
05-22-2017, 01:35 PM
Jim, I see you got to meet the rest of Greg's family, too! Those "kids" just love to lie on the floor and soak it all in. With their ultra HF hearing, they probably hear things from those K2s and DD67000s that neither Greg, Jerry, nor the rest of us can. At least I can say that with assurance about my own hearing compared to the dogs' hearing.

The listening experience in Greg's living room is unparalleled due in no small part to the mastery of the man who installed the system and calibrated it. There's a thread over on AVS where a few know-it-alls have taken exception to Greg's designs, opinions, and even his home listening environment, all without ever meeting him or sitting on the couch in his living room to listen. Self-professed experts are a serious kind of butt pain, especially after meeting and spending time with people who actually accomplish great things yet are humble and down-to-earth like Jerry Moro and Greg Timbers.

Kudos to Greg Burns (and Terry) for making this experience available to you, and congratulations on taking advantage of it!

Thank you TD. I was offered the opportunity and felt that I couldn't pass it up. I'm certainly no expert in any of the technical aspects of how high level engineers design and make what they do. I just enjoy what they have done. Just like I've enjoyed many other loudspeakers (mostly JBLs), I have a $90 pair of the pioneer bookshelves and they are fun in their own way too. I am not smart enough to even begin to want to join in any type of critical conversations.

Heck, I barely had the ability to post the pictures I attached. I almost hurt myself completing that...

Thanks for your comment.

hsosdrum
05-22-2017, 03:17 PM
One of the things I miss the most about working at Harman was being able to discuss all sorts of audio matters with experts like Greg Timbers, Jerry Morro and Charles Sprinkle. Even when we veered off into subjects that had nothing to do with audio, their take on things was always fascinating, well-reasoned and thought-provoking.

I'll provide one non-audio example of how the engineers at Harman approach things. (Or at least how they approached things before Harman unceremoniously let them go.)

They like coffee. Good coffee. So they bought raw coffee beans from a supplier in Costa Rica, and twice a day (morning and afternoon) they would roast a batch of beans in the paint department (where there were powerful exhaust fans). These beans would then go into some fancy-pants coffee machine from Italy that would grind and French-Press the beans on a cup-by-cup basis. They also developed and built a 5-stage water filtration system exclusively for the coffee machine (L.A. tap water is very hard and tastes terrible). The result was without a doubt, the best coffee I'd ever tasted. Everyone who drank that coffee contributed $10 a month towards the purchase of the beans and the upkeep of the machines (they had 2, to make sure that one was always in working order).

All that just for coffee, but it helps explain why they did what they did with JBL speakers.

jimg69
05-22-2017, 04:45 PM
One of the things I miss the most about working at Harman was being able to discuss all sorts of audio matters with experts like Greg Timbers, Jerry Morro and Charles Sprinkle. Even when we veered off into subjects that had nothing to do with audio, their take on things was always fascinating, well-reasoned and thought-provoking.

I'll provide one non-audio example of how the engineers at Harman approach things. (Or at least how they approached things before Harman unceremoniously let them go.)

They like coffee. Good coffee. So they bought raw coffee beans from a supplier in Costa Rica, and twice a day (morning and afternoon) they would roast a batch of beans in the paint department (where there were powerful exhaust fans). These beans would then go into some fancy-pants coffee machine from Italy that would grind and French-Press the beans on a cup-by-cup basis. They also developed and built a 5-stage water filtration system exclusively for the coffee machine (L.A. tap water is very hard and tastes terrible). The result was without a doubt, the best coffee I'd ever tasted. Everyone who drank that coffee contributed $10 a month towards the purchase of the beans and the upkeep of the machines (they had 2, to make sure that one was always in working order).

All that just for coffee, but it helps explain why they did what they did with JBL speakers.

Cool story. Thanks for sharing.

grumpy
05-22-2017, 05:50 PM
Gracious host.
Some of the best sound reproduction I've ever heard in that "imperfect" room.
Dude changes amps about as often as I change my shorts :rotfl:
Now I want some coffee...

Hoerninger
05-23-2017, 01:16 AM
One of the things I miss the most about working at Harman was ...
All that just for coffee, but it helps explain why they did what they did with JBL speakers.
Thank you for sharing.
___________
Peter

audiomagnate
05-23-2017, 05:43 AM
...Dude changes amps about as often as I change my shorts :rotfl:
...

I'll turn my filter on and leave that one alone :D. Greg and Terry are THE best. Period.

pos
05-23-2017, 06:38 AM
How had the engineering staff remained historically in tact, that potentially the next Everest woofers would have used TCR wire, like that used in the 2216 and 4312E woofer. Instead of trickle down tech, it would have been trickle up.:crying:

hjames
05-23-2017, 09:34 AM
Thanks so much for the story about a listening time with Greg
(and the JBL coffee club story as well!) Very cool stuff!

4313B
05-27-2017, 12:42 PM
The listening experience in Greg's living room is unparalleled due in no small part to the mastery of the man who installed the system and calibrated it. There's a thread over on AVS where a few know-it-alls have taken exception to Greg's designs, opinions, and even his home listening environment, all without ever meeting him or sitting on the couch in his living room to listen.
Some of the best sound reproduction I've ever heard in that "imperfect" room.Yeah, the presentation in that living room is a perfect example of someone who seriously knows what they are doing.

It must really suck to be a company like Harman and dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into "SOTA" sound rooms only to have them end up sounding several bars below the living room of one of their all time greatest engineers...

NWCgrad
05-31-2017, 01:24 PM
Great thread! I would love to have been I that coffee club.

martin_wu99
06-02-2017, 06:04 AM
Great,you lucky guys,thanks for sharing!

doodle6
10-16-2017, 02:36 PM
I'll turn my filter on and leave that one alone :D. Greg and Terry are THE best. Period.
Indeed they are. We try to work in a visit with them every time we go to Colorado and succeed about half the time. Always regret it when we don't make it.