Made in America

Small Dog, Big Bark.

Unlike all the hipsters out there that are discovering vinyl and record players for the first time, I’ve been there and done that. I grew up on vinyl, and spent years working in record stores. As a DJ on the radio, I’ve spent countless hours spinning records and have a massive record collection that stopped growing and converted to high quality digital a decade ago. Yes I stopped buying vinyl and CD’s and started buying hard drives. It doesn’t mean I don’t buy music, it means vinyl and CD’s take up way to much space. Seriously, thousands of records and CD’s take up a lot of room, as does the equipment to play them back.

Then there is the convenience of having tens of thousands of tracks at my disposal in digital format that I can call up and playback from multiple devices in any room in my house. (no I’m not streaming anything through Spotify or a like service.) With all that said, it doesn’t mean I don’t want quality sound, and playback. I don’t have any over compressed MP3’s in my collection, and everything is set up to playback with as much dynamic range as my “went to to many loud rock concerts in my youth, damaged hearing can make out” ears can handle. So I am always on the lookout for decent audio tech that is designed to maximize sound quality from digital music on my computer, phone, tablet, AppleTV etc.

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Jerry Cmehil is the founder of Well Rounded Sound, an audio company that has made it its mission to bring audiophiles the best quality equipment housed within beautiful, eco-friendly designs since 2011. Like most of us Cmehil was frustrated with finding an affordable, good sounding system so he set out to build high quality speakers that deliver a naturally crisp sound in a package around the size of an old school pencil sharpener. The speaker line up is named after compact and feisty small dog breeds, “Yorkie”, “Jack Russel”, “Corgi”, and the larger “Boxer”. Each set of speakers utilizes conical geometry which is paired with full range HD drivers that are housed in a cylindrical enclosure. The housing is finished in premium wood, that is helps play a key role in providing the best sound possible. Even the integrated solid wood stands help to reduce bass energy transfer and are designed to give you a perfect near-field listening angle. Each speaker features a patented cylinder sealed enclosure eliminates distortion from port noise.

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When paired with the WRS C5i amplifier you begin to have a solid foundation on which to build a solid and affordable audio set-up for your home. The C5i is a hybrid speaker and headphone amplifier with a blend of classic and modern features. Audiophiles will love the vacuum tube input stage combined with a solid state amplifier. People like myself, will love the integrated USB DAC, so you can connect it directly to your computer or other digital music device. I personally love the design that brings together retro vibes, modern accents and trending industrial chic in a balanced product that stands out from the crowd.

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Aeris Made in America.

I really don’t know where my obsession with lighting comes from. You can only have so many lamps in your house, yet I keep finding ones that I want. This morning I had an email from Smart furniture in my inbox that was filled with sale items. One of those items was the Aeris pendant lamp from Cerno. Right now above our kitchen island we have three individual pendant lamps, and while they look just fine, they are nothing compared to this.

Aeris comes in two sixes; 30″ and 54″. The walnut and metal pendant lamp was designed by Frank Carfaro and features a hand finished oil stain. The lamp is fully dimmable. The lamp features thin slits in the vertical walls f the light allowing the LED light source to cast filtered light to the sides as well as project light down onto the surfaces below. Aeris is hand made in Laguna Beach, California. The fact that it is made right here in the USA is another plus. Other perks are the light output of 1075 lumens, while only using 16 Watts.

Portland Press. A French Press in Mason Jar.

Sitting in Estes Park this morning while drinking a cup of vacation coffee, and surfing the internet I came across this French press coffee maker from Portland Press. Designed and made in Portland Oregon from all natural materials, Portland Press wanted to create something that would improve your coffee making experiences with quality materials as nice as the coffee you’re drinking.

The Portland Press is a french press designed to work with a Mason jar, out of materials sourced in the USA. This is a simple, clean, practical design made out of basic materials like: glass, wool, steel, and wood. Oh one nice thing, if the Mason jar is easy to replace if it breaks, and the rest of the Portland Press is backed with a lifetime warranty.