My list contains the following gear that I was lucky enough to end up purchasing, after home auditions, that signficantly raised the quality of the sonics of my system: 1) Pass LabsX-350.5 2) Acoustic Arts DAC1-MK3 3) Stealth Varidig Sextet digital cable 4) Acoustic Zen Absolute IC's and speaker wire. Yes, it was a very good year in my home for upgrading towards sonic pleasures. |
It's been a good year...
1. Rives Level 1 design
2. Realtraps Mondotraps--less bass was definitely more
3. Bow ZZ-8 |
Eastern Electric Minimax pre-power, plus a pair of the Anti-Cables (frighteningly good for the money). |
Paul Speltz Anti-Cables, Exemplar 2900, Gallo Nucleus Reference 3's and Onix SP3 Integrated all have thrilled me in the past year.
Oh- almost forgot- Oritek Interconnects as well. |
It's also been a good, albeit VERY expensive, year for me.
1. Von Schweikert VR-9s
2. Jena Labs Dreamdancer speaker cables & Fundamental One PCs
3. Walker Reference Hi-Def Links
4. Rowland Concerto integrated
5. Arcam DV-29 DVD/CD player
6. ASC panels
7. MAYBE the new DarTZeel preamp (likely January 2006, unfortunately)
Whew! My wallet is smoldering in my pocket!!! |
Purist Audio Venustas interconnects.
APL Denon 3910 Output Transformer upgrade. |
My speakers, JMlabs Micro-Utopias. I never knew monitors could sound this good! |
No hype at all because these are "underground" even within the "underground" high end audiophile/lunatic fringe community, but anyway, it's the Intuitive Design Summit PSL 624 loudspeakers. I've reviewed them here on A'gon. That review reads like a blatant shill. It isn't, I swear. |
I am a man of modest desires and even more modest means. Yet and still, I am happy.
Music Hall MMF-7
Meadowlark Ospreys
Custom Built Osprey Center Channel |
All used, but hope they still count.
My top 5:
1. Tannoy Berkeleys (HPD385A) - $40 pair
2. Fisher SA-16 - ~$25
3. Toshiba SD-4960 - $60
4. Sony PS-X500 - $40
5. Grado Gold - $65
All were very much worth the money and lived up to the hype.
- JP |
without question, the vector tonearm.
i have had it only a couple weeks but
"WOW WOW WOW" |
Yes, used equipment absolutlely qualifies. I should have said so. Sorry. And I suppose, now is a good time to add my choices:
Two items tie for first place. One analog, one digital. These two items qualify for my "beyond the hype" award:
1.) Transfiguration Temper W, moving coil cartridge.
2.) Aural Symphonics Optimism V-2, glass fiber-optic ST cable.
These two pieces definitely live up to the hype:
3.) Purist Audio Design Venustas speaker cable.
4.) Purist audio Design Dominus power cord.
Neil
. |
Supratek Grange
Zyx Airy3 LO
Silverline Grande La Folia
Canary CA-339 |
Good thread. Best of my '05 upgrades : Speltz anti- cables, Cary 303-300 , Prima-Luna pro-2 , Jolida tuner and Tungsram NOS tubes. |
Speakers that still amaze me: Green Mountain Audio Callisto
Amplifier: Cary Rocket 88R
Cardas: Power Cords, IC and Speaker Cable |
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Something old--EVS Millennium DAC II
Something new--Auricle Audio Signature Encore Digital IC
Together these two bring me the same pleasure I experienced listening to my ideal, the Reimyo setup I could not afford.
And, don't laugh--Brilliant Pebbles and Clever Little Clock (my wife already did the laughing for you). Note I am still waiting for the promised upgrade which will actually provide a new feature, flashing the correct time like the dumb conventional clocks in my house:>) |
I upgraded from stock power cords to Harmonic Tech. and one Electraglide. My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner. The funny thing I would tell my friend about it & he would run away every time he saw me. He decided to give it a try and all I hear from him is how well his systen sound with good powercords. Makes an audiophile feel warm & fuzzy all over. |
