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 emmaco

Hill Plasmatronics 1A. Still do! One reviewer made an apt comparison. The Plasmatronics are the audio equivalent of an SR-71A Blackbird... everything else is a Cessna 150. When you play back a recording of a telephone ringing on a pair of Hills, everyone in the house walks over to the phone and picks it up. Nothing else even comes close...

For daily listening I use Quad 988's and 63's, Gale GS401A's, and Lecson HL1's... The Gales are best for getting dressed in the morning, the 988's best for sitting down and reading to FM classical music, the HL1's for something a little funky.