[krmathis]

After this weekends Head-Fi meeting (Stockholm) I would be a fool not to mention Boulder.
Never seen or auditioned units from that brand before, but oh my -> W O W !

 

[Frihed89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donald North /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm a SET guy, and the best I've heard to date are the Audio Note silver amps. I'm told by a couple unrelated sources that the best they've heard is the Bridge Audio Laboratory gear. BAlabo - Bridge Audio Laboratory

I am moving toward an all AN system. I have an integrated, CD player and all my ICs and speaker cables made by AN. All I need is speakers, but for the moment I prefer the speakers I have to ANs in my place.

AN makes everything, but power cables and head amps.

I have never heard anything that comes close to a high-end all-AN system, analogue or digital. Their OTO and P2-SE are really marvelous-sounding entry-level integrateds and power amps.

 

[ast]

Amp: Mark Levinson

Speaker: Dynaudio, Karma

Digital: EMM Labs, Esoteric

 

[Wmcmanus]

After I've heard everything, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I'm happy with the MBL reference line for my amp, preamp, speaker, and digital front end, with a VPI turntable.

It's not so much about knowing everything, but more about knowing what you like and being fortunate enough to stumble into it. None us can possibly 'know it all" in a hobby like this, either based on direct experiences or even reading knowledge. Since we're all time, money, and awareness limited, about all we can do is try to learn as much as possible about our own listening preferences and then try to put together a system that scratches most of our itches within a budget we can afford.

Even assuming all of the time and money in the world, and making it one's life mission to audition every notable piece of audio gear ever produced, you would still miss something. Or, worse yet, the minute you've finally found the "best" possible system in the world for your tastes, something new and amazing would come out.

My system is right where I want it to be, but I haven't yet tried digital room correction and am told it will result in a wake up call. Nor have I done much to treat the room itself, nor have I experimented too terribly much with speaker (and listener) positioning.

I guess my point is that these kinds of threads, while a lot of fun on one level in terms of the responses and discussion they can generate, are never going to yield a correct answer. It all depends. But, if you're lucky, you will one day hear it, and you'll know it when you hear it! After that, you can quit worrying about upgrading your gear, because your ears will never be a match for your gear to begin with (at least for the over 40 crowd).

 

[Hi-fi Wigwammer]

Well it's totally a matter of personal taste of course.
None of these may be the best to everyone, but I like:

CD Players - Esoteric, CEC, Resolution Audio, AMR, Metronome, Reimyo

Amplification (valve) - Kondo, Audio-Note, Unison Research, Nagra, Border Patrol

Amplification (solid-state) - Karan, Dartzeel, Sugden, Electrocompaniet, Luxman

Turntables - Voyd, Kuzma, SME, Technics, Verdier

Cartridges - Audio Note, Shelter, ZYX, Ortofon

Loudspeakers - Living Voice, Snell/Audio Note, Tannoy, WDM, ProAc, Harbeth, Sonus Faber

Cables - Kondo, Audio Note

 

[Hi-fi Wigwammer]

So what are the finest individual components you've personally heard?

For me:

Turntable - Technics SP10 II, SME 312S, Audio Note IO Ltd

CD - CEC TLOX transport with Kondo KSL-DAC

Pre-amp - Kondo KSL-M77

Power amp - Kondo Gakuon Monos

Loudspeakers - Living Voice Vox Olympian


Kevin Scott has a lot to answer for - he'll bankrupt me one of these days!

 

[BobMcN]

Insert [name of a brand that you've seen in a magazine but never heard and can't afford] HERE

 

[minimus]

For tube power amps, the cream of the crop is VAC and Coincident, followed by Atma-Sphere, and all three make amps that can power speakers with low sensitivity. I also love the sound of McIntosh amps, but they are not the final word in soundstage width. I don't think any solid state amp that I have heard competes with any of the gear mentioned here.

 

[Drag0n]

Why split hairs for another few thousand dollars? Diminishing returns is beyond my piggy bank.
Best stuff thats achievable for most people with a decent job:

Bryston
Classe
YBA
Magnepan
Martin Logan
Musical Fidelity
Thiel
Primare
Prima Luna
Cary
AES
Vincent
B&W
PS Audio
Dunlavy
Dynaudio
Aragon (theyre coming back this year with 2 new lines)
Paradigm
Adcom
Rotel
Cambridge
Marantz
NAD
Woo Audio


I cant afford Halcro,Nagra,Wilson,Mark Levinson,Krell,Wadia,Boulder,....and everything else most of you read about in Stereophile and wish you had.
Maybe a few of those brands 10 years old in the used market on Ebay sold by some widow that didnt know what her dead husband had, but thats the only way id ever get that stuff. There are soooo many brands. Something for everyone.

 

[kwkarth]

Where would Nakamichi fit in if it were still alive today?

 

[GuyDebord]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth /img/forum/go_quote.gif Where would Nakamichi fit in if it were still alive today?

Possibly along british mid-fi (nad, rotel, rega, creek...)
In Japan Accuphase and somehow Luxmann held a higher standard in those days. Nakamichi possibly was competing with upper level denon and marantz.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuyDebord /img/forum/go_quote.gif Possibly along british mid-fi (nad, rotel, rega, creek...) In Japan Accuphase and somehow Luxmann held a higher standard in those days. Nakamichi possibly was competing with upper level denon and marantz.

Are you kidding me? There was not another cassette deck on the planet that even came close to the Dragon back in the day. Nacamichi stood alone back in the day. The rest of their eventual hi-fi offerings were less than stellar, but they were at the top of the heap back in the day of cassettes.

Nakamichi Dragon Reviews

 

[GuyDebord]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are you kidding me? There was not another cassette deck on the planet that even came close to the Dragon back in the day. Nacamichi stood alone back in the day. The rest of their eventual hi-fi offerings were less than stellar, but they were at the top of the heap back in the day of cassettes. Nakamichi Dragon Reviews

Then you shouldve asked where would the nakamichi cassette transports be placed today? because they were among the best, the dragon, CR-7A and ZX-9. However all the other components they made werent.....

Dont forget that Sony and Aiwa also made very good tape transports..

 

[Clarkmc2]

Stax for sure. Amps, the designers rather than the companies define them. Nelson Pass and Alan Kimmel pretty much walk on water. (Even Alan's old Welbourne kit amps fetch very high prices if one can be found for sale.) The KR 1610 based amps have everyone I know who has heard them put them at the top of the heap.

Dynavector in Japan has always had a very nice thing going. In fact, Japan is awash with very small concerns any of which would possibly blow away everything more commercial if you like their take on sonic priorities. I will sadly never even hear of most of them. A lot of one man shops.

Clark

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

Surprised that no one has listed LAMM to the Pre and Amplifier ranks

Meridian on the digital source side

Merlin Music on loudspeakers

Cardas for all cabling