Is there one piece of kit you have hankered after for some time, if only you had the cash, you did'nt need to help with the kids college fees, etc?
I'll tell you mine, the Dartzeel CTH-8550 integrated amp. I have heard it several times at various shows. It is fast transparent, but no edge or glare at all, almost tube like in it's best sense. I would definitely buy one if I had the cash, but even second hand, it is more than I could afford.
Want to get 2 balanced poweramps with balanced in/outs... So far only pro audio market has them. Gave a try to Crown 4000... turned out not as clean and newtral as I would expect. There used to be plenty of used Krell KAV250 for sale used, but now dissapeared. Want to get Grace M903 headphone amp/preamp/DAC... I guess it's pretty modest compared to the previous requests. Want to get phonostage with balanced inputs for <$500(R U Nutz or what?) Want to launch a new line of audiophile products with balanced circuitries with profit of course.
I understand you asked about one component not the entire system. Having one state of the art piece and junk by comparizon for the rest? Well, I'll cheat a little. I would choose the best room I could find. And without cheating, well, maybe LAMM reference amp. That Swiss stuff would sound like junk by comparizon, by the way.
Elizabeth, let me help you approach your dream system. Sell all the garbage that you have now. I mean all of it. It is garbage by your standards. Then get used MBL speakers, used MBL integrated amp with phono, used Nottingham Spacedeck/Spacedeck table with new Dynavector MC or Garrott MM, and used CEC belt drive or Meridian cd player. Purist Audio and DiMarzio cables, some power cords. If needed, sell some of the LPs and CDs which are not very valuable. Then you'll have a sound. But since for most people dreaming is better than having, you'll never do it.
In athletics, there is a saying "you're only as good as your next race." The equivalent here is that the item I'm wishing for is always the next one after my most recent upgrade. Over the past 3 years or so I've upgraded the amp, pre-amp, phono stage, and speakers. So now my daydreaming turns to upgrading my turntable, an original early Linn LP12. So I've been looking at the MOSE power supply, possibly the Sole undercarriage, or just upgrading the cartridge. Or going to a different TT altogether, There's always the next thing to wish for...
Using vinyl as an example, the cartridge copies something from the disc, sends it to the phono pre; which makes a "copy", and sends that to the pre; which makes a "copy" and sends that to the amp; which makes a "copy" and sends that to the crossover; which makes a "copy" and sends that to the various drivers; which makes a "copy" and sends that to the room; which makes the copy that goes to your ears.
When you take all of that into consideration, one component in a pile of junk won't give you squat; consequently, the one item has to be expanded in order to yield some kind of "dream" or "wished for" sound.
Mofimadness, nails it; followed by Inna's advice to Elizabeth. It's been so long since I've been to a "high end emporium", that even my dream would be faded and foggy. A dream must be something one can see, or in this case "hear". My dream would only be based on what I've read, consequently I'll have to borrow "Mofimadness's" dream; if that's permissable?
I never heard that reference MBL system, but it's a foregone conclusion that at the very least it sounds great. However, one thing is missing there - Studer RTR deck. How much is that system anyway? Close to half a million dollars? And no analog source? Ridiculous.
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