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
In sequence, Quad 57s in the early 70s the Linn LP-12 in the later 70s, and then WAMMs at a Vegas CES in the mid-80s. The WAMMs are still my favorite. BTW, Dannylw mentioned a Stax 45w amp (the DA-80) which I still own, and that was the first solid state component to knock me out.
A pioneer open reel tape deck with ANY factory pre-recorded tape ( Preferably an Ampex or Magtec at 7&1/2 inches per second)
I was 12 years old and my next door neighbors father had Klipschorn speakers and McIntosh amps. I listened to that system untill I was 18 years old. I had to wait 25 years before I could get myself a pair. In those 25 years I never heard anything that sounded as real as the Klipschorns. I now have three pairs in a home theater set-up.