Which components knocked you out on first listen?

Grateful, your last name is not "Dead" is it?

If yes, would you autograph some LP's for me?

Rogers LS3/5A w/Janis subwoofers. The amps were classic tube designs (I think 70's marantz) with a Linn LP-12 source. My first experience with a true high-performance system and it was absolutely mind blowing at the time. I still have my LS3/5A speakers in my office and hear them everyday - still love 'em!

More recently, the Metronome Kalista transport - reinforces the idea the source component is THE most important.

Jeff Rowland 100 Watt Stereo Solid State amplifier and matching Preamplifer. They were hooked up to Vandersteen 3a speakers and were fed by a unknown very high end turntable with a Denon DL-103 cartridge. This was in 1993 while in Hawaii.

H2O's Fire preamp tops my list now.

21 700 wpc Phase linear amps driving six towers and an overhead unit at PF's inaugural Dark Side Of the moon tour, 1973.

In 1990, it was a pair of the biggest maggies being driven by two Mark Levinson 100 wpc monos w/ML pre, and the Sony/phillips transport/DAC... or maybe it was '88.

in 2003 it was an all thor poered VR4 JR sytem with Cary Audio's top tube Cd player. thor 30wpc mono's + the MK II pre.

2006, my own gear. I fall short of the Floyd gear a mite. Not wuite the imaging of the Magggies and ML, but better sonics. flip a coin between this and the thor... thor's more the natural, perhaps... and mine is nearly the weight and much bigger sound stage... and far louder.