Best audio purchase of 2011


Let us know what was your best purchase this year.

I will start, found from a local dealer the Krell combo: Reference 64 DAC with the DT-10 transport. for those who are skeptical that ancient digital technology is easily surpased with new stuff, listening to this combo changed my mind. This was one of, if not the only piece of equipment which after trying out, and then reading the Stereophile review, i actually heard and agreed as to what the reviewer was raving about.
128x128justlisten
you are the 3rd person that I know use all BL. My friend started me on them and I have BL 2 and 1. Do you have any idea what the new generation of BL +, II+ sounds like compare to the old generation. I talked to Walter but he only indicated that it is faster.
Pass Labe XA30.5 and Placette Active preamp.

Listening to a well recorded cd is a sublime experience!
Tannoy Canterbury SE's

Nottingham Space 294

Musical Fidelity M1DAC

Clarity Cable Organic Speaker cables
A Tranquility DAC hooked up to a mac mini. I've been listening to folkalley.com almost non-stop. I'm loving it.
Two Mapleshade racks with the gorgeous cherry finish shelves. New dedicated ac lines.
For my music studio - Manley Vari Mu Mastering Limiter

For my hifi - Stax SRM-007tII and Stax SR-007MK2
Bought used XLR Crimson ICs on a whim here on the 'Gon. Turned out to be exceptional in my system.
I am in a position where my system is pretty balanced. If I change I need to upgrade everything. No way I can afford that, or want to, I am happy with what I have.

That leaves tweakery and I picked up 2 second hand Nordost QB4 units over the year. I can't explain it, but an immediate real improvement, with the first making more difference than the second. No way do I think the material content justifies the new price, but second hand, cetainly
Cary slp-50b tube pre. Did exactly what I wanted, warmed up my amps to the point of heavenly.
Not a purchase, exactly, but an upgrade of Zu Definition speakers to MKIV status.
I guess the best purchase of 2011 would have to be the only major purchase I made last year, an Audio Research DAC8, It's the most musical component I own, and seems to have effectively removed unwanted digital artifacts.
NBS Black Label II power cords! I finally made the plunge into this cable, and wow, what an incredibly amazing cord, IF all your other components are up to stuff! I started it off on my Wadia CD player in March, was totally astounded by it, then decided to buy another one in July to try it on my Krell preamp, and then much more wows! Finally, in December, right before Christmas, I decided to buy myself a nice present with two more cords for my two Krell monoblocks. Now with 4 NBS Black Lable IIs, and being flat broke, I've reached the audio promise land!!!! Never thought great power cords were the last missing link in achieving that ultimate in resolution, transparency and dynamics that I've heard so often at high-end audio demos!!!
I'd have to say it was my McIntosh MC-402. I later got the Mac MEN-220 and that helped out a funky room acoustics situation quite a bit.

Happy New Year everyone!
Wilson Benesch Curve speakers, matched to a Velodyne DD-10 Plus subwoofer.

Second place goes to a purchase I made on a whim here at the end of the year - a used VTL 2.5 preamp -- it actually made a huge difference in my system.
Best purchase for me was the Squeezebox Touch. It's exposed to new music and expanded my listening sessions, which is putting good use to my modest rig.
Bought an Emotiva DAC and Musical Fidelity V-Link usb/spdif converter. Replaced the bulk of my interconnects with Groneberg Quattro Reference cables and upgraded my speaker cables to Groneberg Quattreo Reference as well. Just ordered a new Salamander Synergy S40 6 shelf audio rack with pull out shelf for the laptop, and bought tons of new (to me) music.
Avalon Time speakers. Jeff Rowland Corus preamp and 625 amplifier. I am just starting to hear the system after a long break in period.
Antelope Audio Zodiac+ DAC with Welbourn power supply

Parasound belt drive CD transport

Transparent IC's
Used Dahlquist DQ-10's. They deliver music in a way that makes my heart happy.
Mine is the Kleos, I started with a Delos and upgraded right away to the Kleos. The dealer did add a new motor at the time as well as "tune up/tweaking" to my LP12 which I am sure can take some of the credit for the vast improvement is sound reproduction, but I still give the majority of the credit to the Kleos. The other big improvement that was of no cost to me was a replacement via warranty of my LS26 by Audio Research. I had experienced some problems with my previous LS26 and they just replaced it with a new one, and I can't say that the original was bad but the new one is just superior in everyway. So I guess I had 2 items and one was basically free. Thanks to ARC and Jonathan Carr for fine fine products!! May 2012 bring me the funds to buy even more:)
Beethoven
sym #9
berlin-Fricsay

Aretha Franklin
The Delta meets Detroit

Vivaldi
The Four Seasons
Fabio Biondi
Europa Galante

Various
Jazz in an R&B Groove

All took my system to new heights
Upgrades to my Cary SLP98: Hexfred diodes and NOS Sylvania 6SN7 GTA tubes. Quieter, faster, more dynamic, more spacious, and oh yeh, more musical.
I changed over to Grover Huffamn Sx Balanced IC for my CD to integrated amp by the not only the most cost effecteive change but the best change I could have made for the sound of my rig!
I upgraded my STAX Lambda Pro headphones w/ED-1 equalizer. I bought a STAX SRM T-1 tube driver unit to replace the SRM 1 Mk2, and Signature Lambda headphones. I only listen to the new set so unfortunately my original Stax gathers dust on a shelf. Still saving for the Stax 007 headphones. Maybe next year!
ASR Emitter 1

Lampizator L4 Dac and TransPort

Teo Audio STD Digital Spdif and IC

Zu Audio Def2 with new Nano drivers
This year I picked up some Triangle Comete ES speakers and a Velodyne Optimum 8 subwoofer. Two Signal balanced transformers that made a huge improvement. A Modwright Sony 999es cdp that was incredible.
Two Elrod Signature EPS2 PC's.
I'm very pleased with the upgrades I have made this year.
This year I got a Sony ModWright 5400, Promitheus Signature TVC, and Magnepan 3.7's. The only thing I kept was my Cary 500 MB's. Don't make me pick one of the 3 new pieces. Sophie's Choice. Now I'm working on ancillaries. Cables, racks, etc. I am just thrilled with how everything sounds, and once I get the rest of the Mapleshade stuff I think the visual aspect will be on a par with the sonics. Best year ever by far!
This was a good year to be my rig, it got updated with Wilson Sasha W/P's and the Center 2 as well as upgrading my Krell Evo 403 to the 'e' status and I also got the ARC 40th Anniversary Edition preamp, also got an Oppo 95 but that is just for HT mainly.

Told you it was a good year for my rig!