You can put together a Macintosh system with all Macintosh
Complete Proprietary Systems
These may exist. My knowledge of high end audio is fairly limited so I don't know. But, if they do, you don't hear people talking about them much.
What I'm talking about is a single manufacturer that makes all the components for a complete system. Amp. Preamp. DAC. Cables. Speakers. Power conditioner etc. All designed to work perfectly together. I know that would be a tall order as the process/tech required to build a speaker is very different from that of an amp.
I'm asking mostly out of curiosity but also because it would seem to make sense. Audiophiles seem to go to great lengths to find out which components from which manufacturers work well together and compliment each other. It seems to me that no one would know what worked best with what than a manufacturer who designed a complete system for the very purpose of optimizing and matching every component in the chain to perform exactly as designed.
I know. Every audiophile wants a certain sound and that no one system could meet all those needs. I also suspect that for many audiophiles half the fun is doing the research and putting that magic system together themselves. But I also suspect that a serious, knowledgeable manufacturer could put together a complete system together that would meet the wants/needs of a lot of people. And nothing would keep them from having different systems to meet specific demands and even at various price points. And nothing would keep them from selling any of the individual components individually.
Just a thought.
What I'm talking about is a single manufacturer that makes all the components for a complete system. Amp. Preamp. DAC. Cables. Speakers. Power conditioner etc. All designed to work perfectly together. I know that would be a tall order as the process/tech required to build a speaker is very different from that of an amp.
I'm asking mostly out of curiosity but also because it would seem to make sense. Audiophiles seem to go to great lengths to find out which components from which manufacturers work well together and compliment each other. It seems to me that no one would know what worked best with what than a manufacturer who designed a complete system for the very purpose of optimizing and matching every component in the chain to perform exactly as designed.
I know. Every audiophile wants a certain sound and that no one system could meet all those needs. I also suspect that for many audiophiles half the fun is doing the research and putting that magic system together themselves. But I also suspect that a serious, knowledgeable manufacturer could put together a complete system together that would meet the wants/needs of a lot of people. And nothing would keep them from having different systems to meet specific demands and even at various price points. And nothing would keep them from selling any of the individual components individually.
Just a thought.
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Aries Cerat.......and Genesis Loudspeakers. both are state of the art cost no object brands. brands you will rarely encounter on AudiogoN. i think Aries Cerat does cables too, but do not advertise them. Genesis Cables use the Absolute Fidelity brand. http://aries-cerat.eu/ https://genesisloudspeakers.com/ at the bottom of the market in the mid-fi-low hifi range there are a number of brands that offer the whole range. but mostly they don’t build much, it’s all OEM stuff from China (like much of the MacIntosh line up). so synergy in this market segment is a matter of chance. |
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I think an integrated or preamp + amp as a complete system. A DAC, tuner, etc.. do not matter in synergy issues. I have no clue about turn tables. My office system consists of a Benchmark HPA4 preamp and AHB2 amps. Plus, the CODA 07x preamp and CODA #8 amp. I was going to get the Luxman c900u preamp and m900u amp but the other 2 are preferred from a sound and cost basis. |
mikelavigne ... at the bottom of the market in the mid-fi-low hifi range there are a number of brands that offer the whole range. but mostly they don’t build much, it’s all OEM stuff from China (like much of the MacIntosh line up) ...Nonsense. Most McIntosh gear is made in Binghamton, NY. It's odd that Mike chose to ignore that. |
Linn has been engineering and manufacturing complete high fidelity music systems for close to 50 years. www.Linn.co.uk www.LinnKasa.com |
With over 40 years in Audio , No 1 company makes everything good ,buying amplifier,preamplifier,integrated amp very good 1 company very possible. Digital, turntables ,and Loudspeakers are a whole different animal and I search for specialists in their respective areas ,it is the best way to go for best results. |
Krell... Sort of, and by this I mean that between the line stage and input from a CD player/streamer including output to an amplifier, Krell uses a proprietary connection system called CAST. It's an acronym for something... This connection system works better than say XLR or unbalanced RCA typical connections. All the components do come with XLR and RCA connections, but in using these between Krell components, the full potential sonically is not realized. |
@chorus....+1...that's my take on 'sine qua non' systems in some ways. If you ask about $, you'll (likely) gape mentally at it....and reps at that level can smell fear. ;) My only wish is that those who Do go that distance really appreciate what and how they're hearing their selected... ...and how Extremely Bad that can sound. *LOL* |
Never read anything in the industry about Mark Levenson’s current proprietary line, Daniel Hertz. Mark is a controversial figure in Audio but still an undisputed legend. His interesting and rather amazing multi page bio is on DanielHertz dot com. Did you know that Mark’s great uncle was Heinrich Hertz? In 2014, I helped him with his room at the Vegas T.H.E. Show. The complete top line Daniel Hertz full system is about $300K but it is about the best sound I have ever heard. Big, musical, real. The DH front end is a Mac using Master Class soft wear directly to his DAC. First time I heard great digital. |
@n80 Linn have been providing complete systems and were also one of the first HiFi companies to start an award-winning record label. So they are also intimately involved in the studio recording process as a means to engineer better sounding domestic audio systems. So many of the brands others have mentioned are either companies which farm out product design (McIntosh is a great example, they don't build anything original other than their amplifiers - everything digital or source is made by someone else), or they don't have a full set of source, amplification, and speaker components, so they can't be companies which provide complete systems. The fact that only one poster (a dealer I might add) even bothered to mention Linn is proof of how behind the times most of the people are with where audio technology has been, is currently, and where it is headed, let alone proof of how incapable most audiophiles are at even beginning to answer OP's question. |
@ironlung - Linn isn't well-represented in the US, which is why most US audiophiles haven't heard them. My experience on the Lejonklou/Linn forums thus far gives me the impression that Linn fans think Linn the only manufacturer worth considering for any component, which is pretty grandiose. But if they had better US representation, more of us would have the chance to hear it ourselves. |
@ironlung We appreciate your support. @redwoodaudio We are here to provide better representation of Linn in the Midwest US. If you are ever in the Kansas City area, please schedule a time to visit us to listen to all the Linn systems and solutions. You can also check if there is a Linn Specialist in your area on the Linn website: https://www.linn.co.uk/us/try-linn Please let us know if we can help you. We appreciate your interest and consideration. www.LinnKasa.com |