Michael_Harkins

Michael_Harkins

I’m a long-time audio enthusiast, originally from St. Louis, MO, but I have been in Austin, Texas area for more than 45 years now. I’m married with two children, Greg 42 and Vanessa 36 with no grandchildren or prospects for any. I have been in the tech industry for many years as an electrical engineer, manufacturing engineer, quality engineer, and quality management specialist. But I got out of that game in 2014, only dabbling in it part time having retired that year. Now I can devote much more time to one of my favorite hobbies, audio and music reproduction. I have been a Roon subscriber for over three years now as of August, 2022. And I have a Roon Nucleus + as my file server and streamer. I have recorded a number of vinyl records into FLAC and other lossless formats, but question the value of that since Tidal and Qobuz are my streaming services now. Most of these records (except for a few) can be found there. But I like the challenge of getting the great sound of vinyl records onto digital tick-less and pop-less. I like to write and have written articles for audiophile magazines like “The Audiophile Voice” and more recently, “PMA magazine”. I also write a blog for an audio dealer, Austin Audio. I enjoy good music as does my wife, Theresa. Mainly, we listen to classical, jazz, pop, and many other formats. We also enjoy attending local music performances put on by my son, Greg, who plays guitar and sings with groups like the Jitterbug Vipers, The Marshall Ford Band, Ghosts Along the Brazos, and Georgia Parker. But also, live performances by string quartets, wind ensembles, and the Austin Symphony allow us to enjoy great live music. Bottom line: Music is important!!! Keep it coming!