Equipment that has made you 'stop' looking?
Another vote for top of the line BAT tube gear! Plain and simple, in record time they have shown themselves to be one of the top electronic manufactures in hi-end today. They deserve all the success that comes their way. The Eidolon Diamonds have that certain "magic". These speakers never fail to pull me in on all levels. What can I say, I love them. Just pure music! Nordost Valhalla cabling IMO is certainly the most neutral cabling and P.C.'s I've heard and probably will be for a long time to come. This stuff took my system over the top and brought the performance to a whole new level I would not have believed. I'm so glad I tried them and they're not going anywhere anytime soon. The EMM Signature duo, DAC6 and CDSD transport has for me proved itself to be by far the most transparent and musically detailed digital playback system my money can buy. All the best! Tom |
The Walker Audio Proscenium Turntable has been a journey's end for me. Just a superb component that allows one to hear every nuance of what's been encoding on the vinyl. Complete ease of set-up and rock solid reliability. No turntable and arm combination I've listened to has allowed me to hear so completely what is going on with the music, and none has been able to approach the Walker's ability to deliver the presentation of a full orchestra without the slightest congestion. [And, Lloyd's not done with improving this marvelous turntable. Yesterday I was able to hear the new ceramic tonearm and spindle in Lloyd's personal system (with which I am very familar). The new tonearm makes an improvement in resolution and image solidity I had not imagined possible before hearing this. Easily upfittable on existing turntables to the new "Walker Audio Proscenium Black Diamond Turntable." The journey continues... ;-) ] And the Atma-Sphere MA-2 Mk.III OTL monoblock amplifiers: 220 watts of outstanding musicality and faithful sonic reproduction. Ralph Karsten is another designer who has created a phenomenal product and whose inventive inquisitiveness never stops. The MA-2 has been in production for a decade or more, and Ralph has continually improved it in many subtle and not so subtle ways over its production life. The most recent Mk.III upgrade delivered improvements bass authority, imaging, and overall smoothness that surprised me given how good the Mk. II sounded. So, both of these marvelous pieces of gear have made me stop looking for something better, but both are created by incredibly talented and inquisitive designers who are continually exploring ways to make them even better. If either Ralph or Lloyd tell me they've found a way to do something better, I pay attention. . |
