Year end rant/ My 3 year descent into audiophile madness.
Not strictly head-fi but it is in there as well. Scroll to the bottom for the TLDR and new system.
Slightly Long post but here is my roughly 3 year journey in hi-fi so far.
It all started in 2004 with a pair of shure E5C and an iPod. This lasted me until about 2017 when my wife knew my iPod was on its last legs and they weren't making anything but iPhones anymore. She got me an AK300 as a surprise gift. I remember thinking that it was crazy expensive at around $900. Then I bought the LCD-X and iDSD BL after seeing it on a Zeos video. I think it was the first really expensive headphone he had. Then was the Roxanne and after a year the SP1000.
I made it till October of 2018 and then it started Spiral down. I bought the LS50 and Arcam. Followed shortly by the Solaris, ALO CV5, and Clears. All the while telling my wife this is the last thing.
January 2019 after my first Head-fi meet. The ZMFestivus I guess I can blame Zach and Bev for all this just a bit right
Well I did meet
@cpzzy here too.
This was about one year into the journey. With a pair of LS50 and Arcam along with iDSD BL, Ak300, SP1000, JH Roxanne, CA solaris, LCD-x, and Clears.
On my birthday I decided to order the LCD-4Z for my 40th birthday. This led me to my local chord dealer to audition the TT2 with the 4z. Here I met
@JamesonM. I ordered a TT2, but ended up canceling the order due to wait times and instead got the Hugo 2 and mscaler. All of this led to me hosting a head-fi meet at F1Audio.
Not me but one of the many incredible folks I have met through Head-Fi. Yes that is a Raal being drive with a $60k D'Agostino and Chord Dave.
Enter Axpona 2019
I bought the Noble Khans
Now is when it gets bad. After hearing all of the amazing speaker systems (in 2018 I only stayed in the headphone area of axpona). I got the bright idea to sell the 4Z and Chord stack and upgrade the speakers system.
Dynaudio C1 Platinums with a Hegel H360. May 2019 I of course say that these are my endgame speakers.
I ended up regretting the sale of the 4Z but F1Audio just happened to be an Abyss dealer.
AB-1266 Phi TC with the Metrum Onyx and Liquid Platinum great pairing. The roxanne, solaris, and LCD-x all found new homes.
August 2019 I am presented with a deal that I just couldn't pass up. My Dynaudio C1 go to a new home and the Magico S1MKII come home. Incredible speakers this is it these are my real endgame.
November 2019 the Onyx goes away and I finally buy the TT2. The Mscaler follows shortly after before Christmas. The giant desk is gone too.
Chasing the dragon and not feeling that the Mscaler made as big an impact with the TT2 as it did with the Hugo 2 I pursue different avenues.
A new rack and the Auralic Aries G1 followed by the G2 plus Transparent power wave for conditioning
Early January 2020
After a day with the rack I realized that there was damage from the factory do that went back the Auralic G1 went back to be upgraded to the G2. This stayed in the system for about a week with the TT2 but then something changed my musical journey. I auditioned the dCS Bartok. I got one on loan for a weekend to audition with my system. I was floored by how much more I liked it with my Abyss but even more so with the speakers.
The TT2 is quickly sold and replace by the Bartok. I almost sold my Abyss to fund this but I couldn't let them go sorry
@Litlgi74. Again my loving wife hears this is the only thing this year.
Right before covid hits in February
@cpzzy visited and brought a ton of gear including his XIAudio Formula S and Powerman he let me audition the for an extended period. I ended up buying them they are incredible with the Abyss. Then in June I made a purchase of the one thing that I felt my system still needed. The JL Fathom F110v2 surely this will be the last thing I tell her.
Here comes September I find out that my company is permanently laying off over 5,000 of us. We need to find a new place to move. It was time anyway. On the day that I was being laid off I actually got a job offer. What are the odds I was on furlough for almost 7 months.
New Place we put the speakers in the main living space to enjoy more. I am still working on figuring out room treatments. I do have a sound deadening blanket that I place over the screen while listening. The Abyss are still here going strong perfect for late night listening or when I don't want to bother the wife. Also she got me another sub for Christmas. So everything should be set right endgame achieved. Oh yeah I was able to get my hands on a PS5 too ( 2 computers and iPad and phone all refreshing at midnight on release night did the trick).
Then this happened this past Tuesday.
I traded in my "Endgame" Magico S1MKII toward a pair of Rockport Technologies Atria II. I won't say this is the endgame but it is a good point to pause for a while. I do need to replace the Hegel maybe with the Gryphon Diablo 300 or D'Agostino Integrated. That will have to wait though I swore that I will not buy anything until next Christmas.
Sorry for all of the pictures but I am a visual person. If I could point to one thing that triggered the fast speaker upgrades it would be the Abyss.
@Joe Skubinski has made such an incredible headphone that it is like crack. I have been chasing that resolution and presentation in my speaker system. I am not fully there yet either Maybe with a pair of Rockport Cygnus or Magico M2. The 1266 is so damn good anyone who says that they are too expensive and not worth the asking price should consider that they rank up there in sound quality with speakers costing 5-10X their price.
Thanks to all of the fine folks here that I am sharing this journey with.
Happy New Year
Bring on 2021 Christmas can't come soon enough
