Which components knocked you out on first listen?


I've been listening to stereos since 1973 and I am still waiting to be truly knocked out by the sound of a component. I have sat in showrooms across the country and have been pleased by what I have heard but never truly blown away.
The closest I came was when I listened to a Meitner str-55 amp and VTL preamp a few years ago, sourced by a Linn Ikemi and Revel loudspeakers. However, I also have been moved by a
Apple computer cd drive, circa 1994 through a Creek 4040 and RA Lab speakers, estimated cost about $1,200; maybe more so than the Linn,Revel 10K system. How about you?
cody

Showing 1 response by bombaywalla

My 1st official KO came in December 2001 when Gayle Martin Sanders of Martin-Logan was touring showing off his Statement E2 electrostatics.
These speakers were driven by all-Krell electronics & cabling was MIT everywhere. I don't remember the Krell model #s except that the FPB-600C monos were driving the Statement E2s.
I had auditioned a # of M-L speakers for my home but just could not get to like them. Neither am I a Krell fan for various reasons.
However, what this Krell-Statement system did was pure sonic nirvana! The immediacy, the transparency, the purity of timbre, the feeling that I was sitting at the venue of the music event, the sheer power, the nimbleness of the amp-speaker combination to reveal all the nuances was just over-whelming & awe-inspiring. On the effects side - the bass was truely moving (pun intended) as all items not securely bolted to the wall or floor rattled & moved when Gayle Sanders played a certain church organ recording & those bass notes went 20Hz & below!
I've been to a few dealerships & been impressed but this experience was a total KO!