Thats a tough one!! I love the look of all of my components...If I had to pick a favorite...
First of all would be my Sonic Frontiers SFS 80 tube amp...
It is all stainless chassis with a brass plate! Secondly, and I mean a close one at that, are my Aragon Palladiums in brushed aluminum! They look incredible with the alternating v-groves for heat sinks and the size alone is impressive... here is the link to both systems on Agon..
http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/s/f/1029012666.jpg
http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/s/f/1026014931.jpg
Good post!
Happy Listening,
Joe |
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No contest. Definitely my Cocobolo Teres 245, with the thick clear acrylic platter. My electronics are very plain looking. But my speakers come in second. They are very imposing 6' tall oak panels that are 3' wide(with the wings spread). All that oak, and just a single 8" Lowther driver in the center of each one. They did come out very nice for DIY. |
No Doubt that twl would pick the PLASTIC FANTASTIC! That is a super piece! |
Have you seen the MacIntosh MC2102 when you seat there in the dark? It is so beautiful in general. The Conrad Johnson Premier 17 LS comes in second. |
My Mephisto II is beautiful but my Supratek Syrah is one of the sweetest looking pieces ever.
http://www.cantech.net.au/~supra/index.html
Regards,
Patrick |
my Kharma Exquisite 1D speakers and then maybe the Tenor amps followed by the Linn CD-12 and Rockport Sirius II L.E. turntable.....
here is a link;
http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/663.html
scroll to the bottom and click on the picture link.
btw, Basis does not have their own website....they are listed on www.musicalsurroundings.com. |
Any McIntosh equipment turned on in a dark room with no lights on. Especially those big blue meters and associated lights on the pre-amps and tuners. What a turn on! Awesome! |
The room, when it's cleaned up. The rest of the system runs from average to homely, though the speaker cables and IC's are kind of cute. |
I have been a Mac fan for years. Love those lights!
My fav --the MC2000. |
I second Mc2000's comments. McIntosh equipment with the classic glass panels and blue meters gets my vote! |
the newest disc i purchased to listen to |
the glow of uncaged tubes in my amps (in the dark). |
Mac gets my vote also! My C39-6 and Mc7200 are gorgeous with the lights off, and not too shabby with them on, either! |
Sf Guarneri Homage Speakers..hands downQ |
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Anything Jeff Rowland and Pass Lab Amps. |
One of these certainly wins the prize...both make my heart beat...albeit in different ways. |
My McIntosh MA6900...It hypnotizes me into listening for hours on end. |
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Here are some candidates:
1. Bow Technologies ZZ8 CD Player
2. Spotheim La Luce Turntable
3. Hovland HP-100 and Sapphire Amp
4. Pathos Twin Towers
5. Audiostatic Electrostatics
6. Sonus Faber Amati's |
RGi120s. The pictures found on the web don't come close to doing this piece justice. The "Redgum wood" face plate is highly polished and exquisite, stunning looks! This is just the icing on the cake compared to the sound however. |
MAC owners, if you think those amps present a cool display in the dark, try seeing a Harmon Kardon 16! Seriously, I'm with TWL on thinking that TT's present the best looking components. Mine are: Oracle Alexandria MK III and Beogram 4002. Beautiful works of art.
Bob P. |
Stainless Steel,Brushed Aluminum and Oak and with lights out Gorgeus.Reflections off Stainless Steel double the amount of Tubes you see.My little RM-10's are cute also! |
my Clearaudio Reference TT...everyone who sees it has commented |
I would say it's a tie between Emotive Audio products and Rix Rax.
http://www.emotiveaudio.com
http://www.rixrax.com
The Emotive products are really striking, expecially the LE versions of the Sira and Caeli which have hand etched top plates. They are all unique - no two are alike (although when you buy a pair of Caeli LE's the theme on both the monoblocks is the same)
The Rix Rax are gorgeous, especially with the Tom McKenzie inlays and feathering, but even just a stock rack in a standard finish will make your jaw drop. It's hard to grasp just how beautiful the racks are until you see them up close and in person.
If you really want to blow somebody's mind, you could put the Emotive components _on_ a Rix Rax. We do that here in the shop and it makes quite an impression.
--Evan |
Mikelavigne,
Your listening room pics are otherworldly. Your system is a dream come true. Please adopt me. I do chores and don't eat much.
Regards,
Patrick |
Without a doubt, my Adcom GFP-750. It is EASILY the most elegant component in my system. My Magnum Dynalab FT-101 does gets honorable mention however (it's not as elegant as my Adcom GFP-750 Two Channel Pre, but it does look the business, and in my book, that's what makes it a beautiful component in its own right).
--Charles-- |
And yet another vote for McIntosh electronics. I love the looks of my McIntosh MC-150 amplifier; with a close second
going to my Mac MR-73 tuner. Even my girlfriend's young grandkids - ranging in age from 7 to 17 - really think my stereo system looks really "cool"! |
thanks Patrick for the kind words.....i do enjoy my system....especially when sharing it. if you are ever in the Seattle area e-mail me and come on over for a listen.
i promise plenty of food and no chores.
btw, your system is nothing to sneeze at either. ;^) |
Mikelavigne,
Thank you for your kind offer. Never been to Seattle area but I will keep the offer in the back of my mind. Been to Portland a few times. Beautiful.
I agree, I tend to doubly enjoy my system when playing it for an audio nut. Problem is I only know 1!
Regards,
Patrick |
My Vienna Acoustic Beethovens with their Santos Rosewood finish are gorgeous. Extremely high WAF. |
My vienna Acoustic Mahlers are pretty awesome looking to.
:-)
KF |
What finish do you have on your Mahlers KF?
John |
Rosewood. I am not too partial to the Beech finish.
KF |
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EMC MkII or my Parsifal Encores. |
Less is more! My Chord DAC 64. |
In an audacious way, what about those full range Heil speaker that never came to market? Or the MBL D?
For sheer modesty and functionality: Advent Receiver and Connoisseur turntable.
And have you seen all the menagerie at http://www.enjoythemusic.com/speakerlust/? |
Now that I have changed out the Basis 1400 turntable for a Rega P9 turntable and the Cary 306/200 CDP for the Ayre CDX-7 CDP, my most beautiful component is probably my Vienna Acoustic Mahler speakers.
KF |
mine would have to be my Clarity Labs foxfire interconnects theyre light green kina, silver and Ohh.. i could hang them on my wall as art, or wear them as necklace!...lol really tho they are nice,and sound great but for componets i like my NAD C-370 |
Harmonic Precision Mono Bloc Amps.. each setting atop their own individual Sistrum platforms. What cool shapes that really do improve the sound.. |
twl has teres tt that i love that killer may be better with leed fil platter what you think and also sound wise? your feedback please! |
Betcha, yes the Teres TT is better with the lead shot-filled platter. It looks better and it sounds better, than the one that I have. I will eventually get that platter upgrade for my Teres. However, I did talk for a long time with Chris Brady of Teres about this, and we both concluded that the lead shot-filled cocobolo wood base is a more significant sound upgrade than the lead shot-filled platter. So if you start out with the all-acrylic model 135, you get a better sonic upgrade with the cocobolo wood base, than the lead/acrylic platter.I did this when I got that base, and uprgraded my 135 to a 245, and got a shocking improvement. When you have both of them together, as in the Model 255, you have an incredible sounding, and looking, TT. And no matter how good it looks, it sounds much better. It is truly a wonderful high end rig. |
Ever see the platter on the new Rega P9 TT? It may not be thick, but it is about as inert as a substance can get. It is ceramic that has been fused to the hardness of saphire. Supposedly this material is used in nuclear missiled. All I can say it is pretty darn heavy, and the P9 is quite a table. Not quite my most beautiful component though.... But it is my most beautiful sounding component.
KF |
That's an easy one for me...
Not only are my Sonus Faber Amati Homage speakers the most beautiful components within my 2-channel playback system, they are probably the most beautiful items I own, period.
Hand Finished Maple with gloss black trim. Oversized knurled gold binding posts and the very special 'grill cloth'. Perfectly proportioned steel black integrated stands with finely machined spikes. (I'm starting to breath heavy...)
Just gorgeous to look at... and even more so to hear.
Thanks,
TSV_1 |
I've sold a lot of gear over the years, and still like the beautiful lines of the SF speaker line as a whole. My favorite pieces where my Sonus F. Minima Amators. They were DEAD SEXY to my eyes, and where very nice sounding speakers with the right gear. Unfortunately I don't have pics anymore.
If you can find a pair of these, and have stable voltage(or lowish voltage) out of your wall, and/or can put your amp on a bigger PSaudio P600 or bigger for voltage stabalization, I think you'll love the Esotar tweeter and nice mid/bass preproduction of these EXCELLENT minimonitors! They need solid state all the way though, at least in the amp.
Anyone who own's the speakers will VISUALLY, and potentially sonically, NOT BE DISSAPOINTED with care in set up and lower stand placement with lower ceilings.
nice WWWRROOOOOOKIIIInnnGGG speakas!!!! |
It has to be my WAVAC 833 monos on their Sistrum stands. Making music or not, a stunning component. |
can't compete after seeing, not to mention helping Mr.Tubes put his amps together. These are the most beautiful, sexy amps I have seen. Sitting on the Sistrum stands makes one take notice. They don't sound half bad either. He thinks i am envious. He is right, but he will never hear it from me.
How you be Dekay? If you are talking about the OTA, cute is the best way to describe them. What I like most about them is that I can't see them. |
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