The BEST system you've ever built !!!!


What is the best system that you have ever put together , from source to speakers including cables ??? After all the swaps and auditions I'm looking for the final "aahhh, that's the ticket" sound to you and what components took you to Audio Nirvana. {This is a survey of actual auditions, not what you read in a magazine} THANKS,
krellpower1
I just had to post here my new discovery. I switched out my simaudio p-5 preamp which is excellent by the way to my new pre audio experience a2se, which made a huge difference. The rest of the system is from source to speakers: heavily modified vpi tt (450 pounds), graham arm, zu 103r cartridge, jlti phono, audio experience a2se pre, sim audio w-5 amp, suspended merlin vsm speakers with bal. bam, martin logan depth sub, various cables purchased from audiogon, room treated on all surfaces including ceiling.
Current system:
Verity Parsfals (Makoree finish).
VAC 80/80 amp
Thor pre with phono
Meridian CDP
Lenco turntable in custom plinth
Dynavector 17D3
Cardas cables
Dedicated listening room
For audio my current system blows me away. For 2ch the componets are Meridian 508 CD player,Kimber PBJ interconnects, Thiel CS 2.3 speakers with MIT cable and Velodyne F1800 sub crossed over at 80 hz, turn table B&) TX linerar tracking with MMC1/BO cartridge
This is very cool to read through this, wow some really great systems here. Mine has been evolving quickly here as I had a system I was happy with although I was changing it little by little. Then I heard something similar to what I have now on a business trip at a audio store (Glenn Poors Audio), I came back home to listen to my system at that time and decided I had to have what I heard in Illinois and could no longer live with mine.
New system:
***Source: Esoteric Xo1-Le--Love this for both redbook and sacd
***Preamp: BAT REX--WOW is all I can say about this pre and love that bat went to lengths to match up tubes and make it so I don't have to do any tube rolling. It even has a optional switch to use a different set of tubes that are already mounted in and gives you just a bit different flavor.
***Amps: VK600M-SE--mono 600 watts and they put things where they should be so well on stage and effortless, quick, and seemingly limitless power...
***Cables are now under demo but will most likely be the Kubala Sosna emotion or elation series.
***Power cords and conditioners are all Running Springs Audio, Dmitri on front end, Dukes on amps, and HZ Crown Jewel power cords.
***Speakers- Wilson Audio Sasha... I was doing demo on these speakers and had at-least three people tell me it was the best speaker they had heard anywhere. One said how he thought it was a break-through in speaker technology somehow. I am very proud that they are in my system for sure.
***Racks are Critical Mass Systems Platinum PXK's which is there newest version of the CMS line and will most likely lead to the discontinuing of the older CMS racks.
**The racks are the thing that really took this system to the next level. It was great for sure without the racks but once they were put in the system is better than great and is what I would say unbelievable. The racks took me from saying I feel like I'm at a live event or saying wow it seems so real. Now I feel more like I am the mic feed and there is no live performance being amplified or recorded. It is weird and hard to explain but I hear so much more in the music now than I did on my previous system and this system prior to the racks being put in place. I don't know how they do it but they get rid of the air-born sound vibrations caused by your music playing which get into your audio circuit and cause it to either speed up or slow down a signal which leads to distortion.

My stage now has no boundary and although my speakers are only 9 feet apart my stage can spread nearly 20 feet wide on symphony stuff at times. The depth is amazing and the walls of my room are not a boundary for my stage. All that said about stage it also is most quick and detailed. Somehow this system manages to be quick, detailed, and laid back all at the same time, and seems to adapt to what ever music is played through it. I have only one more step to go besides choosing the cables and that is speaker setup. I think I have it as good as I can get it. That said I am paying a guy who is supposed to be one of the best to come in and set my speakers for me. He comes in a couple of weeks and it out of Illinois. I'm curious to see how much if any improvement he can make.
I found this thead as I was just looking to see if I could find the very first post here on gon, the earliest I could find was 1-23-99 on setup for linn lp12. Anycase in response to this thread the best system I have ever assembled is the one I have now which consists of: Vpi classic, 10.5 Vpi arm, Denon 103r cartridge, JLTI phono stage, Calypso Aesthetix preamp, Simaudio w-5 amp, Merlin speakers. I can't recommend this system any higher than I am, the whole system together that is, finally the speakers disappear so well and timbre is natural sounding I am done upgrading until I hit the lotto.