Big Canoe Listening Experience

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FOUNTAIN

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First let me start by saying WOW! My wife and I had the pleasure of taking a trip out to Big Canoe in the North Georgia mountains and listening to JonFo's home theater. Upon arriving we were amazed with the serene setting and breathtaking surroundings of this beautiful area. Even though the day was rainy and a little foggy in parts, the view that we were able to see made us wish for a change. From the first moment of meeting Jonathan and Liz we were treated with the utmost in hospitality and warm greetings. Liz has done a phenomenal job in decorating their home. All the way home my wife kept saying did you see such and such, and I'd say yea that was amazing. Then Katrina would ask, did you know she made that?! Again, WOW! Anything from art work on the wall to sculptures and even furniture; they all resonated from Liz's gifted talents. Truly inspiring.:bowdown:

Jonathan's theater is another awe inspiring event that is yet another work of art in design and sound. We started the experience with listening to some music that were both DVD-A and SACD 5.1 music. The blending of all 5 speakers immerses you in the music and places you in the middle, making one feel as if you needed to be holding an instrument and just play along if you can. One of the many fantastic features in Jonathan's room is the ability to be listening at realistic volumes and still be able to carry on a conversation due to his well treated theater. Everything from acoustical treatment to his CRT and even the back lit Martin Logan panels on the wall blended in extremely well with the overall decor of his room and provided for the icing on the cake in listening experience.

One of the many surprises in Jonathan's setup was how well the bass blends in with the music. From low volume to high volume the bass was seamless in its presentation and extremely tight. Kick drums were very life like and the upright bass was dead on. In fact there were times I wanted to get up from my seat and check behind his screen to see if he were hiding a real band back there.:D As we moved from multichannel to two channel to live concerts and lastly movies I was left wanting more of each. Each area was accomplished and well presented. Sometimes in home theaters there is a compromise in one or more areas when it comes to music reproduction(at least this was true of mine). But everything we threw at it, it faithfully reproduced a lifelike sound-stage that just opened up beyond the walls and gave a realism that must be experienced to believe.

As for movies, this is yet another area where this system excels. The video was very natural and gave a rich array of colors that would draw you into the movie. Once all the lights were out, all you could see was the screen and this took away any would be distractions which allowed Katrina and I to sit back and just enjoy. There was an instance during one of the battle scenes in Master and Commander that was so believable that I flinched from one of the explosions. The scene was presented so realistically that my mind tricked my body into thinking that I needed to duck from incoming cannon balls. Now that is realism!!!!:eek: And in the movie Titan AE, opening scene, there were explosions and collisions that were so life like that I could not help but grin and think: "Man, my home theater never did this!" From the "Matrix" to "Cars" dialog was clear, bass was beyond this world, picture was a videophiles' dream, surround speakers were mated very well with the legendary front speakers, and the seating was perfect. Can you tell that we were impressed?:D

Thank you Jonathan and Liz for the Big Canoe experience and the lunch was greatly appreciated. You and your home are first class and a delight to visit. Many Blessings to you both.


If anyone ever gets the opportunity to visit Jonathan and Liz, GO!! You will not regret it.:rocker:
 
Great review, Fountain. Liz and Jonathan are wonderful hosts and his theater really is a breathtaking experience. I can't wait to get back over there to hear it now that he has treated the entire room. I imagine it is even better than it was before, which is hard to believe.
 
Wow !! Sounds superb, not that I'd expect aything less !!

I know........we'll have the next M/L "Get together" @ Jon and Liz's house !!
 
...

Thank you Jonathan and Liz for the Big Canoe experience and the lunch was greatly appreciated. You and your home are first class and a delight to visit. Many Blessings to you both.


If anyone ever gets the opportunity to visit Jonathan and Liz, GO!! You will not regret it.:rocker:


Hi Glen, Liz and I sure enjoyed our time yesterday with you and Katrina.
It's great to have over someone who appreciates good music and the system that reproduces it.

We enjoyed your company and are always happy to share our home with fellow MLOC members, especially fine ones like yourselves.

We hope to see you again here in the near future. I'm sure there will be something different worth coming back to see/hear :D
 
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Great review, Fountain. Liz and Jonathan are wonderful hosts and his theater really is a breathtaking experience. I can't wait to get back over there to hear it now that he has treated the entire room. I imagine it is even better than it was before, which is hard to believe.

Hi Rich, anytime my friend. We probably need to arrange another regional for the spring.
You and Cindy would love meeting Glen and Katrina.

But anytime you’re nearby, just holler and we'll make time.

It is indeed better than when you were here. And not subtly either. You'll love it.
 
Wow !! Sounds superb, not that I'd expect aything less !!

I know........we'll have the next M/L "Get together" @ Jon and Liz's house !!

Dave, there's an idea! ;)

One problem, the theater really only seats about five or six at a time.
Too many room treatments and other stuff in there :p

Seriously, for a 407 square foot area, one only gets a few seats in, but boy, are those seats good :cool:
 
Well 5 or 6 people at a time isn't half bad. Even at most hi-end salons or A/V shows, you can only have 2-3 people in the sweet spot at one time.

We should organize an East Coast or SouthEast gathering in GA. Jon's setup looks to be very impressive to say the least!

Erik
 
Jon, how far outside of Atlanta are you? I'm actually going to be flying in on Jan. 14th heading to Peachtree City on business. My flight is supposed to arrive at Hartsfield at 3:01pm and I won't go into the office until the following day.

I'd love to invite myself over being the presumptuous slob that I am. :eek:
 
Jon, how far outside of Atlanta are you? I'm actually going to be flying in on Jan. 14th heading to Peachtree City on business. My flight is supposed to arrive at Hartsfield at 3:01pm and I won't go into the office until the following day.

I'd love to invite myself over being the presumptuous slob that I am. :eek:


Tim, more than welcome to come on by, we'd love to see you again.

One detail, though, Big Canoe is at the opposite end of the Atlanta metro area.

So if you get in at 3pm, you can drive on up to Big Canoe (about 1:30),
as that's before the worst of rush-hour. Then later that night, head back down to Peachtree city (about a 1:35 drive at time), as traffic in the am is bad, bad.

So, if you're up to the driving, it will be worth it. :cool:
 

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