[Silent One]

Name your Best Buy, your Best Tweak, Best Value and Best thread for 2011. At first glance, this thread may appear to be some five weeks early. A closer look will reveal the contributions made will allow time for holiday shopping with new ideas! My own best audio moves made this year below:
 
*** Newly added: Best New Music Discovery ***
 
 
 
Best Buy:
 
1) Zeus re-cabled (balanced) Denon D7000 headphones.
2) W4S DAC-1 w/ Low ESR "Super Caps" + Upgraded Digital Board
3) Internal Solid Sate Drive/8GB RAM for Mac mini music server
4) Tung-Sol 6SN7GT/VT-231 BGRP
 
 
Best Tweak: 
 
1) ViaBlue Isolation Tri-Absorbers
2) Solid State Drive
 
Best Value:
 
1) USAF-596 Rectifier
2) Pioneer SX-650 Integrated Receiver
3) Amarra Music Player
 
 
Best Thread:
 
1) Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
2) Calling All "Vintage" Integrated/Receiver Owners
3) Bicycle-fi
 
 
Best New Music Discovery: 
 
1) Fufu-Ai
2) Jonasz Michel
3) to be cont'd...
 
 
 

 

[mikemalter]

Best buy this year:
1.)  Wyred4Sound DAC 2
2.)  Ray Samuals SR71-B - portable headphone amp
3.)  ALO Solo - portable iPod Transport/DAC
 
Best tweak this year:
1.)  Double Helix Cables headphone adapters
2.)  Last Record Preservative
3.)  Hunt EDA record brush
4.)  Setting the volume level to 60 with a maximum high setting of 70 and a minimum low setting of 0 on my W4S DAC.
 
Best value this year:
1.)  USAF-596 Rectifier & tube adapter
2.)  Bryston BDP-1
 

 

[Sesam]

Best Buy:

1) WooAudio WA22 amplifier

2) Beyerdynamic T1

3) Cambridge Audio DacMagic


Best Tweak:

1) Sophia Princess 274B Mesh Rectifier tube

2) PSVane CV-181-T Driver tubes

3) VOVOX® link protect S200 XLR


Best Value:

1) MediaMonkey Gold Lifetime License

2) Lot of pristine condition NOS RCA 6080WA power tubes

3) Cambridge Audio DacMagic
 
 
It's been a good year for me so far

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

Best buy this year:
1.)  Wyred4Sound DAC 2
2.)  Ray Samuals SR71-B - portable headphone amp
3.)  ALO Solo - portable iPod Transport/DAC
 
Best tweak this year:
1.)  Double Helix Cables headphone adapters
2.)  Last Record Preservative
3.)  Hunt EDA record brush
4.)  Setting the volume level to 60 with a maximum high setting of 70 and a minimum low setting of 0 on my W4S DAC.
 
Best value this year:
1.)  USAF-596 Rectifier & tube adapter
2.)  Bryston BDP-1
 

Excellent! By the way, I have my eyes on a couple of your tweaks - Last Record Preservative; Hunt EDA record brush. What kind of volume (unit) at what price for the Last Record preservative? Hope I can afford it, my return to vinyl depends on it!  

 

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

Best Buy:

1) WooAudio WA22 amplifier

2) Beyerdynamic T1

3) Cambridge Audio DacMagic


Best Tweak:

1) Sophia Princess 274B Mesh Rectifier tube

2) PSVane CV-181-T Driver tubes

3) VOVOX® link protect S200 XLR


Best Value:

1) MediaMonkey Gold Lifetime License

2) Lot of pristine condition NOS RCA 6080WA power tubes

3) Cambridge Audio DacMagic
 
 
It's been a good year for me so far

I had wanted the WA22 on top of my best buy list this year soooooo bad. But it was not meant to be. You owners get more to play with!

 

[Head Injury]

I went objective.

 

[SkinnyPuppy]

Ultrasone Pro 900
 
USB Power Hub
 
Ultrasone Pro 900 (250 dollars!)

 

[WarriorAnt]

 
 
Best Buy:  
Violectric V200 
Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2
Audeze LCD-2 Rev.2
 
 
Best Tweak: 
 
Q audio, "Q" Headphone Cable, 3M
Shunyata research Venom 3 1.5 M power cord.
Wireworld Starlight USB cable
Amarra Music Player.
 
Best Value:
Violectric V200 
Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2
Audeze LCD-2 Rev.2
Q cable aftermarket Headphone Cable 3M
Shunyata Venom 3, 1.5 M power cord X2
Wireworld Starlight USB cable

Amarra Music Player.
 
I know!  All the stuff listed in the Best Value section is the stuff I purchased this year and in the other two categories.  What can I say, I put in a lot of effort before I spent the cash and found all the listed gear to be the best value.  
 
The year isn't over yet though! 

 


 

 


Best Thread Of The Year
Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
http://www.head-fi.org/t/428570/woo-audio-amp-owner-unite

 


 

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

 
 
Best Buy:  
Violectric V200 
Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2
Audeze LCD-2 Rev.2
 
 
Best Tweak: 
 
Q audio, "Q" Headphone Cable, 3M
Shunyata research Venom 3 1.5 M power cord.
Wireworld Starlight USB cable
Amarra Music Player.
 
Best Value:
Violectric V200 
Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2
Audeze LCD-2 Rev.2
Q cable aftermarket Headphone Cable 3M
Shunyata Venom 3, 1.5 M power cord X2
Wireworld Starlight USB cable

Amarra Music Player.
 
I know!  All the stuff listed in the Best Value section is the stuff I purchased this year and in the other two categories.  What can I say, I put in a lot of effort before I spent the cash and found all the listed gear to be the best value.  
 
The year isn't over yet though! 

 


 

 


 

 


 

That's why someone needed to post this thread NOW... I've some shopping to do and tweaks to perform. 

 WarriorAnt, I nearly overlooked Amarra (ok... I did!). A quick "Edit" and it's in there, one of my best values this year! And buying the W4S box as "B-Stock" is returning BIG Bang for the buck!!!!!

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

That's why someone needed to post this thread NOW... I've some shopping to do and tweaks to perform. 

 WarriorAnt, I nearly overlooked Amarra (ok... I did!). A quick "Edit" and it's in there, one of my best values this year!

I added a new category
 
 
Best Thread Of The Year
Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
http://www.head-fi.org/t/428570/woo-audio-amp-owner-unite
 

 


 

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

I added a new category
 
 
Best Thread Of The Year
Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite
http://www.head-fi.org/t/428570/woo-audio-amp-owner-unite
 

 


 

Absolutely! Ok, now has its own catagory by popular demand.

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

Absolutely! But given how valuable a thread, couldn't it s-l-i-d-e underneath "Best Value?" 

Or how about "Best Bargain" category?  In which I would put these acquisitions I obtained this year.
 
Marantz 2215B Vintage receiver.  $5 at a yard sale
 
Yamaha CR820 Vintage Receiver $70  Local
 
Sansui AU 505 Integrated amplifier $40 ebay
 
Kenwood 3500 Integrated Amplifier $35 ebay
 
Bose 301 Vintage speakers $15  Goodwill
 
All in working condition. 

 


 

 

[Silent One]

Best Value, no? This is where my '596' & SX-650 cast very large shadows. BTW, I keep forgetting to search Goodwill in some of the upscale communities. Some of that vintage iron need loving homes.

 

[KimChee]

Reshelling TF10
Planning Budget for LCD-2

 

[WarriorAnt]

Quote:

Best Value, no? This is where my '596' & SX-650 cast very large shadows. BTW, I keep forgetting to search Goodwill in some of the upscale communities. Some of that vintage iron need loving homes.

Forget the Goodwill.  Go to estate sales in retirement communities for vintage...