Pass Labs Aleph 5
It bums me to this day. O where art thou?
It bums me to this day. O where art thou?
As you have moved on, are there any items you remember fondly...or most fondly?
As many on this site, I have had much in the way of the "high-end". There are, fortunately, many good items I could list that are still in my head/heart....but the two that come to mind quickly are the Thiel CS-1.5 and the Conrad Johnson ART pre-amp.......If I go back to the beginnings the DQ-10 would be one of the most impactful to my audio/hi-fi experience/knowledge. I don't really have the space right now, but when I do, I may put together a "retro" system for fun and nostalgia....you know, kind of like doing a '57 Chevy two door hardtop with a repaint, updated suspension/brakes and a 350 horse 327 with a Muncie 4-speed.....etc... Although a 288 GTO and tickets to a live performance in Copenhagen would be O.K. too.
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Snell K-II speakers & stands Audio Research LS-2B pre-amplifier Audio Research Classic 60, V-70 & V-200 amplifiers B&W Matrix 804 speakers with a Janis subwoofer Aerial Acoustics 10T speakers Pass Aleph 0's amplifier Threshold FET 10E pre-amplifier Threshold T-200 and T-400 amplifiers Audio Quest Diamond balanced interconnects and Sterling speaker cables MIT wires (too many to list) Meridian 562v digital pre-amp, 518 / 565 processors Theta Gen VA DAC Theta Data III CD Transport Wilson Watt Puppy 5.1 speakers (not listed in chronological order) All time favorites - Audio Research V-200 and Wilson Watt Puppy 5.1 speakers because they were the components that introduced me to disappearing speakers and the "reach out and grab it" 3D imaging :-) ! Though the Audio Research Classic 60 will always be "my first" |
Cello Audio Palette - an amazing piece of gear. The one product I regret selling the most. It needed to be placed within easy reach of the listening position (I had a custom coffee table) to get the most out of it. Krell MDA-300 monoblocks - sweet sound but boy did they run hot. Revel Ultima Gems - these were Revel's first speakers and I had one of the first pair made. They didn't play very low, but from 50Hz up, they were excellent. Magneplaner Tympani IV - they needed a big room and a lot of power, but when set up well, they did a lot of things right. |
stereo54,919 posts07-16-2021 11:14amMy Rectilinear 7 speakers from 1976. I absolutely loved the speakers. Then, the Kenwood Rep who I was very friendly with (used to buy my 420 from him) talked me into buying a custom made set of speakers his friend designed. I went to the guys house to hear them and liked the looks and sound. I sold the Rectilinears and when I got the custom speakers, they were nothing like the prototype. The cabinet was very different and unfinished and the speaker sounded like pure s**t. I got taken big time. The speakers cost me $1200 for the pair and in 1976, that was a lot of money. |
I was using a Zenith Mini-Wedge system for several years and had been visiting HiFi shops while out shopping with mom. Having a strong interest in music, the parents decided to let me get a proper system for my 11th or 12th birthday. This is what they purchased for my first true system (I picked it out). As nice as my current system is, I have very fond memories of where it all started which is around 40 years ago this week. JVC RX-40 receiver JVC KD-D40 stereo cassette deck Dual 508 turntable JVC SEA-80 graphic equalizer (Christmas present that year) Infinity RS-A speakers Phillips CD100 - yup one one the originals because it seemed cool. Still have the 1st two CDs we purchased which were the first Asia album and the 2nd Berlin album "Love Life" |
My Rectilinear 7 speakers from 1976. I absolutely loved the speakers. Then, the Kenwood Rep who I was very friendly with (used to buy my 420 from him) talked me into buying a custom made set of speakers his friend designed. I went to the guys house to hear them and liked the looks and sound. I sold the Rectilinears and when I got the custom speakers, they were nothing like the prototype. The cabinet was very different and unfinished and the speaker sounded like pure s**t. I got taken big time. The speakers cost me $1200 for the pair and in 1976, that was a lot of money. |
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Some years back I had an old set of Spendor Prelude speakers, modest box speaker two ways. I drove them with a small Naim amplifier and they were very pleasant to listen to. Smooth and soothing when playing easy music, but could boogie too. I miss those Spendors. They weren't expensive either, I think 700 dollars back then. |
In my first system, in 1973, my favorite piece and still is to this day, the Marantz 2270 receiver. I sold it to a friend to pursue a path for a much greater system. I wish that I still had that receiver. It was gem. My all time greatest and most fond memories of past components was my stack of Accuphase components. A T-100 tuner, C-200 preamp, and two of the P-300 power amps. Active dividing network for large Infinity RS-2.5 speakers and a Micro Seiki DDX-1000 turntable with Micro Seiki MA-505 tonearm and Ortofon MC-20 cartridge going through a Luxman SUT. For the age of just 25 that was one hell of a system. Everyone wanted to party at my house. But really, those Accuphase components were the "special" products for me. I still remember that sound signature, very fondly. |
I had a Sony ES Home Theater 5.1 receiver that I bought in the late 90's that I really liked, even for 2 channels music. I think the model was DA777ES. The mid range of this amp was so sweet. After owning it for about 12 years, the entire digital circuit stopped working. Only analog inputs still worked. I decided not to fix it and threw it away in garbage. I kind of regret it now after all these years. Sony ES line used to be very good. I don't know what happened to them. Seems like they have stopped investing in the ES brand. That's a shame. |
Sonic Frontiers Power 3 Mono Amps, 220 WPC - Pretty awesome JM Lab Mini Utopia - My first pair, woah... Much better than KEF Ref 1s Adcom GFP-750 Preamp - It was pretty good... Sonic Frontiers Line 2 - Much better than Adcom... Pass Labs Aleph 5 - My first Class A room heater; what a heater!! :) Pass Labs Aleph 2 - These Class A monos were pretty awesome KEF Ref 1 Speakers - First foray into nice speakers, ehh, pretty good |
Creek 5350 SE made in England; sold, hastily, after servicing. I miss that little integrated. Totem Arros. Wife loved them. I now have extra spaces where I could make them work for a small reading nook. Such a wonderful speaker. NAD M22 Amp. Not what I needed for 2 channel listening (I'm all tube based) but would've worked a trick in my media room or basement bar area. I seem to always be balancing these two questions: Shouldn't we keep this because you're going to be giving it away for an inexpensive price when you could use it "later"? (Later is not defined or known). versus Do you really want to keep and maintain an audio/hifi museum? If you don't use it, sell it! |
Back in the good 'ol days....when I was a junior sales rep at the "Electronic Sound" stereo store (great name, right?), I had just enough money to buy the Bang and Olufsen tangential tracking turntable. I remember (probably wrong) that I paid about $650. Funny thing was, that's ALL I owned. No preamp, receiver, or speakers. I plugged it in, it lit up, I could watch it play a record, could hear a slight 'electronic noise'. Imagine my thrill once I bought a class A amp to run my Stax electrostatic head phones! Later combining forces with my best pal who owned the Luxman preamp and the beast McIntosh power amp, we had the perfect lair to bring our latest girlfriends into. The 70's were unforgettable. |
Undoubtedly my Dynaudio Audience 82's. I love my Evokes but damn I remember the very first time I sat for my first in depth listening session after bringing the 82's home and letting them run for about 1 week to break in I was just awestruck! Have not had that kind of experience before or since...Great post! |
My Precision Fidelity C7 tube phono stage. Designed by Bruce Moore of Paragon 10 and 12 fame - later MFA (Moore, Franklin, Associates). The C7 had a source selector with four inputs and a volume pot so it could function as a passive preamp. I bought it new from American Audiophile in NYC in 1978. $520. |
# 2 would be my Nakamichi 680Z. Also the dumbest audio mistake I've ever made. New Year's Day 1995. Yes, I was hungover but that's no excuse. Was outside putting a new battery in my van. Came inside to switch tapes without thinking to wash my hands first. Frozen transport. Not fixable. It currently resides in my attic. Just looks too good to throw away. |
1979, I bought a Harmon Kardon HK-730 receiver w/ Original large Advents and Technics TT w/ Teac 3 head Cassette deck. I still have the 730 which needs a good cleaning & restoration. It still has a huge sound. I wasn't really an audiophile then . Probably still not cause I don't like the audiophile music. But I loved the way this thing sounded playing the music of my choice |
I had a pair of Jensen Imperial horns and a Jensen Imperial Subs.. 50 years ago in June.. Kits...Monsters!! The old flat packs were cut from marine plywood surplus. Bottomed out the springs on my 51 Chevy PU, the 3 flat packs.. 125. per cabinet. Local lumber yard in Brentwood CA The drivers and XO were mail order. There were a few set in that town.. Great score.. When the locals sold them.. Regards |
Jusam, sometimes memories are best left alone. Returning to the past can be disappointing. I have multiple systems each one serving it's own purpose but when it comes time to sit down and listening to music there is only one system, the best one. The system in the office and the one in the workshop are only for background music. If I had a museum system it would be for display only. I would rather spend my money on improving my best system. |
I certainly have fond memories of a system that included the original Bryston 4b, Magenpan Tympani I speakers, a Nakamichi 600 cassette deck, and B&O vertical tracking turntable. But my favorite of the classic components included in that system was an Apt-Holman pre-amp. What a terrific component (hell – I'd use one today!), and beautifully understated in terms of design. |
