"Giant Killer" The things legends are made of.

Brownsanandy,

I just stumbled accross this post and find it interesting. There is a lot of good advice above. Some of the best sounding systems I have heard have been simple ones. You can assemble a "STELLAR" system here on Audiogon for not a lot of Coin that will stand the test of time.

Find a pair of speakers that will meet your room needs and listening tastes and build the rest of your system around them. Amp, Source, and Cables and you are done. It is really not that hard unless you are always wanting to try new gear like me. Really surprised I am still married.. HAHA!

Good Luck!

Chris

Oh you want timeless classics? That thread has been done before several times on this forum, check the archives if they still exist.

But so far as a giant killer goes I also concur with the JVC 1050 cdp. The laser mechanism on mine went several months back so I ended up trying a Sony DVD 9000 in the interim. The Sony was smoother with better bass and greater resolution. So I should like it better right? I wish. The Sony just sounded, what's the word I'm looking for? Audiophile, yeah that's it and in addition it doesn't play CD-r, just another strike.

So I decided to find another JVC and did and am waiting for delivery. Man I'll tell you for 200.00 used I do not believe there is anything better for a transport. At least I haven't heard it. Sorry for the long post but I truly believe there is something intrinsically right about this unit, dynamic and a product that involves me in listening to music and not the system. This is regardless of the system I've heard it in. It offers something indefinable, something I've never heard in any Sony product regardless of price. This design is about 15 years old btw which makes it ancient in the digital world but it is special.

Vandersteen 2 series has not been slain by any speaker in its price range that I've heard. Of course this is an issue of preference but the Steens still fare well against their competition. The Maggies too are great but offer a different set of priorities, but not necessarily better, sorry Douglas. Ah, yes, the midrange of Quad speakers at 50 years old still embarass the vast majority of speakers out there, like 99% ;^)

In the true hi-end cost no object sweepstakes I've stated before and will again that I haven't heard any amp best the Berning ZH-270 in a given application. It does everything right. After owning this amp for over 3 years and comparing it against many other amps in different systems I believe this to be true. To really understand how great it is is to hear it in an optimally set-up system, this amp will go down as the next step beyond the Futterman design in tube amplification for all it offers. Ah, the best sign to me is still being as excited as the day I first heard it.

The Wright Sound Company WPL20 preamp is of this ilk. It plays music with a truthfulness that eludes many of the most ambitious and expensive designs out there. It can be had for a song (~$1450) and is better than several I've heard at greater than seven times the price.

MY ACOUSTAT SPECTRA 33 is a giant against other giants like the magnepan 3.6 and martin logan cs series, it will those including quads...much larger and wider panels for planars and electrostats. My OHM walsh 2xo will kill any small to medium planars, electrostats and definitely conventional dynamic speakers such as JBL,POLK, INFINITY, NHT, ENERGY, ATHENAS AND THE LIKE. Eminent technology LFT 8a another giant killer which I own also, nothing it's price range can even get close to it. Any of my magnepans MGLR-1, .05 AND INCLUDING MY SRSLABS KLAYMAN SIGNATURE will blow away in imaging any dynamic speakers at major speaker stores costing hundreds more. The srslabs used to retail for $1200 went down to $400 til it was discontinued. With a sub, the klayman signatures are hard to beat in home theater set up at the price range, no $500-800 speaker go near it even $1000 dynamic speakers. The imaging is up there and lifelike similar to OHM'S radiation pattern.

this is what makes audio audio opinions. everthing that is mentioned to someone has brought them enjoyable sound. i believe the giant killer is now the ability to do room correction with the likes of a tact 2.2x or dsp ability in lyngdorf audio and in tact/boz gear. the room has the biggest influence on the sound regardless of all the mentioned equipment. if you have not heard a room corrected to hear what the system sounds like you are in for a real eye opener. this is my choice for giant killer as it can now awaken even the gear from the past to new levels of performance since we can now take the room problems that affect the sound and virtually eliminate them.

bill