There are 3: Dodd Balanced Power Supply, Dodd Battery Powered Preamp and Charlie Cocci Ultimate Monoblocks (the only 2 that will ever exist).
@mesch A friend is currently using the Mirage M760s with a rebuilt Sony TA-N80ES. I was quite impressed with the sound. The B&K gear is tucked away for safe keeping. |
I've got and old Audio Research VT130 amp that was kind of "thrown in" on a purchase I made some years ago. It had a blown screening resistor (that kept blowing thanks to a failing 12BH7 tube that tested OK) I replaced a number of resistors and bought a matched tube set for it from ARC ($2100 GULP). The 'ol girl just sounds so warm and sweet with such a silent black background that I just keep finding "second location" systems to include it in. For now it's job is to make a pair of Maggie 2.7s sing in my small office. It doubles as a space heater in the winter and smells wonderful when it's warmed up. I suppose it's true romance. |
@lalitk Shindo has always intrigued me but have never had a chance to listen. I’ve been to quite a few shows but Shindo is not something you commonly find there. Would like to have a listen some day . |
Some good responses so far and some interesting ones too! I recently moved and was faced with downsizing my equipment. A few pieces I decided to hold on to even though it's no longer in use are: Audio Valve Eclipse pre and Challenger mono amps: The Eclipse preamp chassis is made of stainless steel (similar to Shindo) and weighs over 40 lbs. It sounds amazing, very quiet, and has one of the best bass of any tube pre I've heard. This is a German brand that never sold well in the U.S. despite having prices that I consider low for their level of quality. With the recent passing of their owner, Helmut, the company has gone with him. vintage Studer A-810 reel to reel: this is a highly regarded tape machine that I was able to obtain from a home studio, it's in excellent condition with original box and packaging (rare to see). Went through so much trouble to get the old electronics inside overhauled that I don't see ever letting it go. |
@re-lar-kvothe I owned the B&K Pro10 and ST140 for 25 years. Purchased in 1985. Drove an original pair of Vandersteen Model IIs. The B&K combo was superb at the price point and beyond. |
Devialet D-Primere - I bought it many years ago. It was my first 'hifi' system and it sound great and may be the most attractive piece of stereo equipment ever made (even better than its successors). It is so attractive that it may be in museums at this point. It was advanced for that time, D amp with streaming, before streaming was so popular (we listened to radio stations) / downloadable Firmware - simply great. |
I still have my Adcom GFA555 amp that I bought new many years ago. I'm actually using it in bridged mono to drive my center channel speaker. Also has some B&W DM302 bookshelf speakers that I wouldn't sell. They are sitting in their original boxes. My Von Schweikert VR-4s are sitting unused, but I'm saving them for my son. He has no room for them now. I used to have a pair of five sided dbx speakers. They had tweeters on 3 sides. Real walnut veneer. Probably not amazing sq, but very cool. I wish I still had them. |
Maybe I should stop hanging on to the past and just let go. Dual 1019 changer -- it seemed a marvel of design and fabrication for its time. Magnum Dynalab Etude FT101a tuner -- 3 meters and a digital display, sexy! Nakamichi Dragon cassette deck -- it was the ultimate in its format. Acoustic Research Amp -- its charming simplicity is still fashionably elegant. Pass Labs Aleph 3 -- my little porcupine still sings beautifully. And not to overlook, a pair of Thiel CS3.6 speakers -- still sound great in my library. |
@lalitk You summed it up well. @grislybutter just turn the TV off. |
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I have a few pieces in my system that qualify, except (as you specify in your post), I haven’t replaced them or removed them from my system. Occasionally I take them in to have some of the internals upgraded or repaired, but they will always be an integral part of my system. So the pieces I can’t let go of are my musical instruments. My string bass, my electric bass (which turned 50 two years ago), and a couple of my guitars. I haven’t played them in over 35 years, but they were so prominent in my life that I’ll never sell them. |
“What makes this component so special?”
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Plastic tubes of all sizes and diameters, cardboard one, straws, Shungite, quartz, low cost Schumann generators. Springs, wood, concrete slabs, bamboo plates, cork plates, sorbothane all materials i use in my acousticals,mechanicals and electrical embeddings controls experiments. Cost : peanuts... The gear choice is relative to your budget and matter less at the end than the way you implement it in your room. Dont be a passive consumers learn acoustics basic . Believe me i dont need to upgrade... |