Amazing ''Overachieving'' products...your pick?
I only got a brief listen, but the Jolida FX-10 tube integrated ($450) I heard at a show recently may qualify. This looks like a very serious attempt to bring a very nice combo of ergonomic good looks and good sound to a mass market (at least mass market in relation to typical high end audio standards). |
Mrdecibel: Both your picks certainly should be included. However, the single ended "shotgun"--type interconnect which put Monster on the map (if that's what you are referring to), was actually invented by Bruce Brisson, who parted ways with Noel early on and started MIT, which he still owns today. In fact Bruce is the one who first put arrows on the Monster single ended cable. Not to indicate the direction of signal flow as many think, but to indicate which end of the (at the time) patented "floating shield" was connected to ground! After that, it became fashionable to put (otherwise meaningless) arrows on every kind of audio/speaker/power cable made ;--)) . |
Nsgarch, Bruce Brisson might have designed the speaker wire design as well, but it was Noel Lee, as the head of Monster, with his "speaker wire", that started the whole thing. The speaker wire was his 1st product. Lee was a marketing genius, not just to the home consumer but to the recording industry as well. |
The " original " Monster Cable might or might not have been time aligned (this was about 30 years ago) and I truly cannot remember. But the dealer networks (I was at one at the time) were sent this little Monster box display (it was clear to see through) that had a high quality switch with a 1 foot pair of this Monster cable and a 1 foot pair of zip cord. It connected to an amp (the amp was chosen by the dealer) and a pair of speakers (again selected by the dealer). It was easily apparent the improvement when switched over to the Monster. |
Out of the hundreds upon hundreds of pieces of hi-fi that I've owned (and I'm not even 30 yet, how sad is that?).. there are only two products that *I* would classify as over achievers. The first product to give me that impression was AV123's original X-LS monitor. Back in late 2005/early 2006, these speakers retailed for only $200 USD a pair. Their build quality, driver quality, fit and finish, and sound - were all well beyond anything that I have ever encountered at that price point. Even though the price inevitably went up as time went on, I still consider the original set at $200 to be the best value I've ever come across in loudspeakers. Morever, I got tons of people into hi-fi through those things. That in and of itself is worth its weight in gold. The next product is the Vista Audio i34 tube integrated. At first glance, it really doesn't look all too special, but there's a lot of beauty beneath that plebian exterior. I've compared this relatively inexpensive $980 E34L (not EL34) tube integrated to integrated amplifiers costing up to $20,000 on reference-grade loudspeakers, and more times than not, I (along with other listeners) end up preferring the way the Vista piece makes music. It's always great to see the look on the visitors faces when I tell them how much the amp costs. While I'd hesitate to call it reference class, it truly is a little over acheiver that no one has really ever heard of. The first product is no longer in production, and that is AV123's original X-LS monitor when it was released four-five years ago. At the time, the monitors retailed for $200 USD a pair. |
Johnk - Thanks for the Jango recommendation. I was not aware of that site. Why do you say it is better than Pandora? Pandora offers free access but with a very affordable subscription provides better sonics over the free version. I visited the Jango site. Noted that the default "artiste" in the search window was Madonna. Entered a few that I like: Stars of the Lid, Kelly Joe Phelps, Chris Whitley. Got "No matches for [artist name]. Please try again". Hmmm...I find these easily on Pandora and in fact that's how I first became aware of 2 of the 3 named here (hearing them on Pandora, that is). In all fairness, I did get hits for others such as Ben Harper, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Massive Attack. Never the less, what do see as Jango's advantage over Pandora? |
The challenge with any audio system is synergy. However, the second challenge is to maximize the "weakest" portion of your systm. Considering the cost the following candidates meet the criteria in my little rig. 1. Jolida 302B Highly modded by Underwood HiFi. Never heard one without the mods but with them -- oh my! The challenge is tube selection. I find that REAL Svetlanas (yes the old ones) are magic in this amp. Couple that with an entire Mullard NOS front end (ECC83s and the 12AT7 equivalents) and boy houwdy do you get bang for the buck. 2. The now nearly antique Audio Alchemy DTI Pro32 -- a jitter filter between your transport and whatever DAC you use. Now, because of age they can be had very reasonably. There is nothing in my system that I wouldn't replace -- except for this. 3. Pretty much ANY digital cable from Chris Sommovigio. I am currently using an Stereovox HDXV and a Stereolab XV2. Bang for the buck is defined here. Actually considering getting his new cable (remarkably less expensive new than the two I currently own) that is reported to be superior to these older products. 4. This one is a very narrow audience achiever. I have a Muse Model 2+ DAC. It manages HDCD output (as does the Audio Alchemy piece) and renders it what it was intended to be -- amazingly musical. My next quest is to identify the weakest link in my current system and upgrade it. In the meantime -- the synergy of each of these pieces -- along with the other stuff not mentioned -- is wonderful. |
Parasound Z amp How many amps at any cost have: * S/N ratio of 116db * Damping factor >400 * Slew rate 90V/u sec? |
I will second the Musical Paradise MP-301. This is an excellent sounding little single ended pure class A amp that drives my Meadowlark Kestrel 2 (89 db) to very satisfying levels. It has a superb tone that seems to sound "right" No, it won't rock the house but for music lovers this is a dream come true, a real highend sound for very little $. For $200 you can't go wrong. This is the "BARGAIN OF THE CENTURY" Congratulations Musical Paradise, you hit one out of the park with this amplifier! |
I think that my Cambridge 650A integrated is a really good buy, I bought mine used for $450 Australian dollars. It's not the best amp in the world and I'm looking to upgrade soon but it does a whole lot right for the money. I sometimes forget that my system is quite a budget set up and I think it gives some higher priced systems that I have listened to a run for their money. |
Bosch DLR130 laser range finder/measuring tape. This this is very handy for me. I usually find that if I get the speaker distance and angle perfect, I get a much cleaner image from the setup. These laser rangefinders make getting those distances right very easy, and also make it easy to write down exactly where the speakers are before trying a totally different setup. This one is about $90 on amazon, and reads to 1/16". |
The Cambridge 650A,that I am using with A 740c cd player. I get quite the amazing clear and detailed responce overall. On this amp you do have a better treble responce,then the 640a v2 had. But i still imo think it is a little better sounding then the 640a v2 amp was. also by using some quality speaker wire and interconnects,does make a little difference in your overall sound. Just getting your Kit to match,to sound good overall is important to IMO. |
Since it is the finest sounding line stage I have had in my system and it costs $450, I would have to say the Lightspeed Attenuator. For an active line stage, the Mapletree Audio gear is a must listen, comparable to line stages I have owned in the 5-8K range, it comes with 2 chassis, one for its tube regulated power supply - all for under $800. The ME series of Joule preamps are certainly great achievers, but at there price point I'd be hard pressed to call them overachievers. |
