How many people do you think have the same DAC, amplifier, and speakers


I was thinking that the majority of people have unique systems. 

So you think statistically that maybe only a couple of percent of people have the same source, amplifier, and speakers?

 

I guess that's what fuels the 'mine is bigger than yours' discussions..

mid-fi-crisis

A bunch of people have my speakers.   Only a handful have my amp or DAC.   I am confident that no one has the same system 

 

 

Toolshed Amps 300b,  there are a few like it but no two are exactly the same. 

Lab 12 DAC 1,  probably 100 or so made.  

Klipsch Forte IV ,   the only mainstream product ....

Check out some of the Virtual Systems… many cost as much as luxury cars.  It’s mind boggling how many unique combinations there are

Certain brands like McIntosh  Naim,  and Linn will have tons of people with identical systems but once you start mixing brands there are millions of combinations 

I have a Mytek DAC and Luxman amp and 100% custom speakers, so I know no one has my gear.  😁

I think by far most are mixtures.

A major factor is that most of us do not have the money to just go out and buy our dream system. We must spend hundreds, and eventually thousands of hours learning and evaluating. We want the best sound for our buck. Technology changes between upgrades.

Also, another major factor is that In the beginning, the 1980’s and earlier, typically there were few high end designers and they would do one thing well. Like Pass… amps… then over time added a preamp. But it was not the cream of the crop. Audio Research did about the best preamp. Speakers a whole different bag of manufacturers.

So, basically no company offered the very best of all components. Then there is the fact that everyone has different preferences in sound. So, buying all the same just wasn’t realistic.

But in the last forty years some companies have prospered and moved from a single engineer / founder to professional high end audio engineering departments. Audio Research and MacIntosh (there are others) come to mind. These companies produce best of class sound from all their components and have great synergy between their pieces. You must like their house sound. Both ARC and MacIntosh are very popular and well respected. But for instance I love the sound of ARC and do not like MacIntosh.

You can see my all ARC system under my ID. It has taken me the last forty years of learning and saving to afford such a system. But no question, that for me, the same brand works tremendously towards better sound. I have owned and heard hundreds of components over the decades. And as I assembled this one I heard the value of synergy between the components. By far my best system.

https://www.calculator.net/permutation-and-combination-calculator.html

Now enter the total number of brands and models of each type of component, both those current (no pun) and manufactured in the past but still in use.

Don't forget ICs, SCs, and PCs too!

I have a matching desktop system, a Paradigm Link (preamp/streamer/dac) paired with Paradigm Shift A2 active speakers (the Paradigm amps are built inside the speakers). Works for me.

Hegel H390, Denafrips DAC, KEF Reference speakers. I bet one or two others have the same setup.

Oh, and @oddiofyl 

BEAUTIFUL amp! I’m betting it makes those Forte’s sing!
I’d love to try a 300B amp someday. 

ghdPrentice,

get rid of that transparent garbage wire which uses shitty ofc and get some good OCC single crystal wire and your system will open up way more than with that crap wire that you have now,OCC single Crystal has been proven to be far superior than anything ofc at any price for the last 50 years.

Whether we are talking analog or digital, I believe my PBN MONTANA XPS speakers make my systems combos pretty unique.

I have a Musician Pegasus DAC. a Wyred4Sound STI-500 integrated amp, and Magnepan LRS speakers. Love the sound!

My ex-wife has the same system as I do, along with everything else I used to own.

Many people go into “cliché” : B&W  and Accuphase , Luxman (.like it) , Macintosh , or Son.Faber with those amps : for  me , this is hi-fi , no high-end.. very good high-end is difficult to find , or The people don’t know it. Big fans of audio gonna listen to Less known product ,which are better in sound.: An example : speakers: Ilumnia Magister MK2 , Magico , Keff Muon, … dac : Ear , Metronome Technologie, Mola Mola Tambaqui,… amps: Mal Valve 2 , Ear 509, Luxman MO2&CO2 and tube amps of Luxman , VAC , Wavac , Trilogy,… you have to find out , what’s for you The best in match and sounding. Good luck to everyone and enjoy your music !

I'm sure plenty of folk have my amps (Yamaha A-S801 and an Anthem MCA 225) but I'm fairly confident that nobody has my speakers. Amrita Audio Reference Standard floor standers from about 1992. I LOVE these things. A 13 inch cast basket woofer, 2 Dynaudio 6.5 inch mids and a Vifa metal dome tweeter. Felt lined mid section. About 49 inches tall, 14 wide and 16 deep. They sound awesome to me. Possibly better than my previously owned Enzo XL's and currently owner JBL Studio 590's.. 

Same DAC? My guess is ... about as many as there are sold?

If you meant the same DAC AND same amp AND same speakers ... given the amount of brands and types I'd indeed say 4.

My room is every bit as important to the sound as any piece of equipment I have ever owned. 15 years and counting with the same room whereas many pieces of gear have come and gone. That makes it very unlikely to be replicated by chance.

Hi everybody!

My setup:

Esoteric K03XD,Esoteric N05 XD Dac,Preamp Pass XP22 and two Pass X600.8 , Wilson Alexia speakers ( waiting for the arrival of two Alexx)some Transparent Cables. 
Best regards!

I think it depends on what the system is. I bet if you looked at owners of the Wilson Wamm over 25% own the same gear. I Wamm, D’Agostino relentless, dCS Vivaldi stack. 
 

Not sure there is anyone with the same system I have. That said my system is a bit lopsided right now where the front end is close to 4x the price of the speakers. 
 

Rockport Atria II 

D’Agostino Momentum HD pre and M400 monos

MSB Discrete Dac

JL f110v2 x2

The formula to calculate the probabilty of this happening is:

Speaker Impedance x Source Sampling Rate x Amplifier WPC. 

You're more likely to be struck by lightning.

 

@aewarren My ex-wife has the same system as I do, along with everything else I used to own.

I guess you two got along very well until fighting for the system. Oh mine...

Mine is an uniquely cheap setup that nobody here has: Wharfedale Evo 4.2, Parasound A23 and Schiit Modius.

Nobody here has my system...which is wonderful and why I keep coming back to listen and learn.

No one has my Hartley Reference speakers.  And no one has my D111 ARC amp of which 20 were made and there are very few D110B amps out there as well as D60.

Plenty of people have the Bryston BDA-3 dac.

Its all a great game: teasing listening pleasure.

Regards,

barts

I barely see Cary Audio mentioned. I went with a bundle at 25% off to pair with my Klipsch Cornwall IV’s. SLI-100 Tube amp and DMS650 Streamer/DAC. 

Not super unique but I doubt too many have the exact same combo. 

I bet specific dealers in a town sell the same system more often than we think.  Many dealers have set ups in their showroom that show of brands, the people fall for THAT system.

 

Custom built Alternative Audio amplifiers not many of them around since Dave H passed away.  I did have to replace the inexpensive RCA jacks with better ones now I am happy with them.  Musical fidelity m1dac, Zu audio speakers.

I use a Bryston 4b SST2 to drive my Maggie 1.7i.  I know Bryston amplification is a popular choice among Maggie owners.  My preamp is an upgraded BAT VK30-SE and my main source is a VPI TNT4 with TNT5 bearing and SOTA Total Eclipse motor system, with ET2.5 Tonearm and a Lyra Delos cartridge.  Not sure how many people have something like those.

I don’t know, but my local audio group meets this weekend and our host has my DAC, a PS Audio Directstream. I’m really eager to hear how the rest of the (much more expensive) system plays it.

This is a great question. I’m sure it’s possible someone else has a Denafrits Hermes to a Pontus ii to an Atoll IN300. But I’m pretty confident she/he doesn’t have a pair of completely refurbished (by Richard So) ADS L1590ii. These speakers are old, but i tell myself ‘I have some brand new 1980s technology.’ 😂