Your best ''outstanding'' products in last 5 yrs?

the Coincident Pure Reference Extremes. Bravo!!!

SAS 11A Preamp

1. Lamm ML 2.1 mono amps sound so musically correct and are so much more powerful than their stated 18W. They are driving my W/P 8's with ease.
2a. VAC Avatar Super in an second system or primary system. Wow, what a beautiful looking and sounding integrated. It even has an excellent phono stage. Buy one if you can ever find one.
2b. Leben CS300 integrated is a classy piece that you'll keep for a life time. I mean that. If the CS600 is as good, that is one great product line.
3. Stealth Indra I.C. cables, the most significant positive change I've ever made.
4. Arcici equipment rack.

The most interesting product in the last 5 years IMO is the Naim Uniti, hands down.

Integrated amp, CDP, DAC, iRadio/FM/AM tuner, and streamer all in one excellent sounding package. On top of all that, it's very easy to set up and use.

I don't own one, but I've heard it and played around with it several times. If I needed to cut down on the number of boxes in my home, it would be a no brainer.

Too bad more companies don't make stuff like this. The Peachtree units come close and for a cheaper price, but they don't hold a candle to the Uniti. If more companies made stuff like this, I'm pretty sure it would make it easier to get the next generation to take a more serious look at our hobby.

Sorry... my iPhone doesn't make editing easy.

The Peachtree units don't come close to the Uniti from a sound quality standpoint. They sound good, but not Naim Uniti good. Not to mention build quality, although I hear the Peachtree guys are very good to deal with when their stuff does break.

One of the most overlooked and one of the weakest links in a system is the AC outlet! The Maesrto ac outlet is one of the best on the world market! Everything just sounds more realistic with these "outlets" in my system.....

Virtue Audio Two.2 integrated amplifier

(Only with)

Astron LS-10a power supply.

Audio Research REF3 LE with GNSC mods
Audio Research REF Phono 2 with GNSC mods
Audio Research DAC7 with GNSC mods
Bel Canto 96/24 USB Link
Sota Cosmos IV
Graham Phantom II
Ortofon A90
Verity Audio Parsifal Encore
Stealth Indra IC throughout
Audio Research Classic 120 Mono's with GNSC mods (circa 1990)
Sistrum Audio rack
Shunyata Python CX power cables
Lessloss Signature power cables

LFD NCSE - integrated amp... velvet with tight bass
Spendor s8e - speakers- amazing value/ great all rounder
Sonos - wow factor to enjoy and rediscover music before buying the CD. Need to support HD though or I'll switch to Logitech
W4S DAC - great dac but but there are better ones for a bit more money

I did add the Ayon Spark to the Pathos Inpol2 and as I hoped, equally fine sound but quite different.
Two great integrated amps and long term keepers

I agree with Chales1dad, the most impressive upgrades were the addition of amp and preamp. In my case it was the VAC Phi 300.1 Monos and VAC Sig. Preamp. This upgrade made more of a difference then source. All new digital products I tried in the past year sounded good and at their best with this upgrade.

I have been "on the wagon" the past few years since I was too busy at work. That has all changed over the past 8 months and I have had the opportunity to spend some time fine tuning the system. I will say this, to all you folks out there with tube gear, that having gone through numerous NOS and various new tubes from different manufacturers over the years in both my Supratek Syrah pre and Berning ZH270 amp I recently installed a pair of closely matched Sophia Electric 6SN7 line tubes in the Supratek. Before installing i throughly checked out the tubes on my Hickock tube tester and I have NEVER seen a more closely matched pair of tubes, bar none. These guys really do some serious matching. The results were staggering out of the box. The increase in clarity, dynamics, bass control and balance at all frequencies was beyond anything I have experienced with any other tube I have tried and I've been through MANY of them over the years.

Bottom line for 200.00 these tubes are some kind of real "high end" bargain. The great thing is they still aren't broken in, I can still detect a bit of harshness especially in the upper frequencies but see where this is going. They only have 10 hours and 100 is what they recommend before any serious analysis. Impressive indeed and along with the MHDT Havana with an early production Bendix 2C51 output, I feel I have hit the jackpot on a small bet! My vinyl rig is the next project.

Will add the Gabriel Gold Reflection ICs I just purchased - to my ears, natural, un-exaggerated, detailed, sound

#1 Apple Airport Express - Allows me to stream Apple Lossless music to it, then toslink from it into my DAC. Pure digital music directly to the DAC for $100...absolutely brilliant.

#2 Dared DV-6C Amp - This little hybrid pre/amp produces some of the best music I've had. I replaced the tubes with super cryogenically treated Mullards, and it is revelatory. Just glorious.

#3 Mirage OMD-28 Speakers - Nothing I can say that Chris Martins hasn't said better. Amazing speakers.

#4 Grant Fidelity Tube Buffers - I use the B-283 MKII on my main stereo and the B-283 on my travel system.

#5 Bowers and Wilkins Society of Sound - Best $60 I spend each year on HD music.

The best product I've had in the last 5 years has been my TRON tube preamp (www.tron-electric.co.uk). Made in vanishingly small quantities by the designer himself (Graham Tricker). Battleship build, the very best components, ultra-short signal paths and fabulous sound quality. Distributed in the US by Jeff at Highwater Sound NYC.

Best value has to be my Decca FFSS Mark IV C4E cartridge bought for GBP100 and rebuilt for GBP150 - just an unbelievable cartridge - better than my Garrott Brothers Decca Gold.

Charlie
www.charlie-chan.co.uk

Without question it's the Steve McCormack VRE-1B. This pre-amp has redefined what my system is capable of, a 3D image and layering beyound belief.

1. Music Hall MMF7. I went to a local shop to look at some speakers, which I didn't buy. And I told the salesman that I really didn't need any more speakers, but I did need a better turntable. My thorens td160 was not passing the wifes approval anymore. So, he said he'd been trying to sell one for a year and no takers. I offered nothing, he took a little more than nothing. And, I couldn't believe how nice it is for the money.
2. Music hall dac 25.3, I think. Great bargain for how nice it sounds. Bought it instead of upgradeing my dcs for the computer out. Just sounds, and works great for the money.
3. Having the music on the computer. Absolutely the best thing ever. I've only gotten 500 cd's on it, 800 or so to go. But the convenience and surprisingly good quality makes it the best thing I have done. But, I wish I had more time to get everything on it!

Triode Wire labs power cords of which I have several.

I have now had the Daber Monitor 3's for two weeks and have had a chance to do some critical listening. I have the rounded cabinets in maple that Steve provides for a small extra fee. They are gorgeous with very high end carpentry work! The first thing that will strike you is the deep, tight bass for such a relatively small speaker. I doubt anyone but the most avid bass fan will see the need for a subwoofer in a two-channel setup. The mids are very satisfying and the highs are clear and precise. Vocals are rendered in a very natural fashion. The soundstage competes with the best. My wife, who is very musically inclined, even prefers them over my Acoustic Zen Adagios. A very different speaker and a matter of taste, but still high praise from a very musical person. I love them both for different reasons. To say that I am pleased with the results would be an understatement. In summary I think this must be one of the best values in speakers out there and they are made in the USA by a small entrepreneurial company. Give them a try - you will not be disappointed!

As a side note the speaker stands for the Volla speakers fit as if made for these speakers (rounded) - got them from MSS HIFI at a decent preice. Steve is planning on making stands for them as well in the near future.

The Coincident Pure Reference & Coincident Pure Reference Extreme's while expensive ($22,000 & $26,000)are the best total range speakers I have ever heard and the best bang for the buck. They use the most expensive Accuton ceramic tweeters and midranges, plus a pair of very expensive 12" diameter Nomex fibre cone subwoofer. Amazingly, they can be driven to loud levels by 8 watt or more tube amps. For those that value the most loud & gutsy performances one should either bi-amp them by using a Coincident Frankenstein Class A 8 watt/channel (MSRP $6,000 per pair) and another higher wattage amp for the subwoofer section. For me, the Frankenstein acquits itself very well for 95% of the music I play. It is only when playing something like the 1812 Overture or something else with extreme bass notes that it may need a more powerful amp, such as a Coincident Dragon at 75 class A watts/channel at $11,000/pr.

I haven't heard the new Coincident Technology Total Victory V's at MSRP $12,000/pr. It has a new ribbon tweeter, a pair of 7" paper-treated midrange drivers, and a pair of the outstanding 12" Nomex fibre subwoofer cones with each having a 15 lb magnet structure. As the previous Coincident Technology model, the Total Victory IV was $15,000--and this is the new and improved model of an already outstanding speaker and is less expensive, I can only imagine what a great bargain this speaker is--as the previous model had won numerous awards already.

The Coincident Technology Statement Linestage pre-amp at $5,000 is flat-out a steal for its performance. It is a 2-piece set-up which has an incredibly quiet and powerful power supply. The only downside is the fact that it only has 2 inputs, which may cause one to re-think their front end, unless you want to keep switching out your input cables. The only pre-amp at under $20,000 that may get close is the Einstein The Tube Mark II, at triple the price and the Audion Quattro at $15,000.

If you are into vinyl, the Coincident MM/MC Phono Stage (MSRP $5,499)is just about the equal of their great line stage. It also has an extra input for something like an SACD/CD player or tuner. It is a two-piece unit that weighs over 60 lbs and its power supply weighs over 40 lbs by itself, with enough capacity and energy storage to power a 100 watt amp.

Adding the prices of the Coincident Line Stage and the Coincident MM/MC Phono Stage one arrives at $10,500. The cheapest equivalent component would be the Audion Quattro at $15,000, which is also great and a bargain, as it has a great linestage and a great phono stage.

Greg

Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl cleaner

- Lamm ML2.1
- Fidelity Research FR-66s

VAC Renaissance 30/30 MK III tube amp. Aesthetix Calypso. Harbeth M-40.1's.

Sony 5400es CD/SACD player. Awesome sound quality. Makes one wonder why people are paying 5x or more for the same quality.

Also the SACD's that I can now listen to. The Fritz Reiner -Chicago Symphony recording of Scherezade is unbelievable! Recording engineers have forgotten their art .... This was recorded in the early 1950's and is as good as it gets!

NAD C565 BEE CD/DAC....Didn't believe this review until I heard it. Amazing for 799.00

www.soundstage.com/equipment/nad_c565bee.htm

Ayon Spirit 2 tube integrated with Black Treasure KT88s; Modwright LS100 preamp & KWASE power amp

Peavey PV 215 floor-standing speakers. About US$600/pair.

http://www.peavey.com/products/proaudio/loudspeakers/pv/index.cfm/item/114378/PV%26nbsp%3B215.html

Silly cheap. Big warm sound that is never fatiguing or compressed, even at crazy volumes. These produce better overall sound than the Vandersteen 2CE, Mission 780, Totem Rokk, Klipsch Heresy II that I have had in the same (small) room over the years. WAF may not be that great so may not be for the livingroom.

Not really a "product" (since it was made somewhere around 1940 so it is not in current production/regular sale), nor something that can be considered an outstanding value (quite expensive), but, one of the biggest improvement I have ever made to my system was the recent purchase of a Western Electric 713b driver and a KS12025 horn to replace the midrange horn in my system.

I'm a big fan of the Triplanar tonearm. It is very easy to adjust, very consistently, with the hardest bearings of any arm made. So far its the closest LP presentation I have heard where the LPs I've done sound like the actual tapes.

So far the best near-field monitor, cost no object, is made by High Emotion Audio (http://www.highemotionaudio.com). It uses a patented tweeter that has one of the widest dispersion angles of anything made (huge sweet spot), and its also one of the fastest tweeters made (faster and more detailed than any ribbon or ESL), yet very relaxed.

I'm also a big fan of the Audiokinesis loudspeakers, which I think are outstanding as they totally take speakers to the mat that cost several times more. They are easy to drive, play the best bass in the their price range, are crazy musical and very nicely priced.

The Tape Project has been pretty cool! You forget how far audio has come until you hear one of these tapes on a well-set up system.

So far the best digital system I have heard is easily the Stahltek CD transport and DAC. If you can't/won't have analog this is the best at any price.

Audio Research Reference 40 Anniversary preamp ($25,000). I've been listening to music through audio equipment for 40 years too. I've never heard anything like it! Music is positively thrilling. I'm floored by the very natural tonal colors, textures, and three dimensional images and soundstage. Absolutely amazing.

Sony xa5400es...smooth and sweet and a bargain for another wise stalwart vinyl guy.

Happy Listening!

Piano Cera loudspeaker by Tidal Audio.

Tyler acoustic decade d1 speakers, gabriel gold reflection interconnects and power cable, and the marigo audio cd mat. I am amazed at the sound of the tyler decade speakers

Vivid Audio B1s

Tie-- ARC Ref 40 and Wilson Sashas.

The most outstanding piece of audio gear I've bought in a long while is a Western Electric 713b driver and matching horn. This combination delivers the best midrange I've heard from any speaker. The amazing thing about it is that it was probably built around 1939.

I'll second the Yamaha A-S2000 integrated & up one to the Yamaha CD-S2000.
Outstanding value, clean & neutral sound, powerful & extended. A joy to use!

Without a doubt the best product I have acquired in the past five years are my Silverline Bolero's. They have been fundamental in opening my ears to all things musical as well as audio related. A joy! Not cheap, but outstanding when looked at in context - no more speakers to buy!

1) Ohm F5 with series 3 CLS drivers (irreplaceable)
2) Bel Canto ref1000m IcePower monoblocks (irreplaceable)
3) Audio Research sp16 pre-amp (hard to fault)
4) mhdt Constantine DAC (outstanding value)
5) Squeezebox Touch (outstanding value)
6) Denon DL 103R cart (hard to fault)
7) TAD 125 Hibachi monoblocks (outstanding value)
8) Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mkII monitors with Dyn. stands (hard to fault for small monitors)
9) mhdt Paradisea (outstanding value)

WHoops, forgot to toss in DNM Reson ICs, another personal top 5 innovative design that would also be hard to replace.

The most satisfying additions during the last 5 years (in chronological order):

1. KT-77 E-Linear monoblocks (homemade)

2. Emotive Audio Custom Vita monoblocks

3. Homemade speakers using vintage components--Jensen P15LL woofers and Altec 802-8G compression drivers in 32A horn

Parasound halo A21,Morrow audio SP3 Biwire cables and MA3 xlr's, Loom of Ps Audio cables AC12-AC3, Soloist Premier in-wall conditioner,Boston Acoustics E100 mains,Oppo 95and Ps Audio Quintet have contributed to best sound Iv'e heard in 25 yrs!

Lovin Audio again!

Hi all ! Actually in the last year I have purchased ( and just love ) the following : Ayon CD-2s ...this thing just plays so dynamic and musical , just unreal . Cary SLP-05 ...clean , clear and fast and great bass too ! Tekton Lore's .....have some $$$ for speakers but why ? I have posted probably waaay to many times about these speakers but crap , they make the speakers at the local hi-end store look silly .

I have really made significant changes to my system in the last 5 years. The musicality and ease my system displays is breathtaking at times. The system excels at playing all types of music with aplomb. The system is just stupid good.

1. Sold my Revel Salons and upgraded to the Legacy Audio Helix speaker system. These speakers have all the finesse and qualities of the Salons and out do them across the spectrum. With the surface area that all 10 drivers contribute they have no limitation. These speakers have all the qualities of planar speakers like the Maggies (i owned 3.6s too) but out do them at every turn. They are steered by the Xilica XD 4080 digital crossover. They have built in 750 watt 15 inch subs and require 3 stereo amps to drive them. With 3500 watts per channel available, one never runs out of headroom. See amp below.
2. Sold all my Krell KSA 250s and MDA 500s and bought 3 Coda Technology CSX amps which bring 350 watts per channel to the party. These amps weigh only 65 lbs. compared to the Krells 150lbs, run cool to the touch after hours of play time, can be left on all the time, and are class A for the first 25 watts.
3. Sold my ARC Ref 3 and purchased the Coda CP preamp. In my system it easily bested both the Ref 3 and the Pass Labs XP 20. The key to these Legacy and Coda purchases having such synergy is that these are the same electronics that Bill Duddleston uses to voice the Helix. What a combo.
4. Sold my Levinson 31.5 and purchased a PS Audio PWT. I grew tired of he drama and mismanagement by Harman of the Levinson brand. The PWT sounded better than the 31.5, is upgradable, and can play HiRes files as well.
5. Sold my Levinson 30.6 and bought the PS Audio PWD and Bridge along with an iPad II. Upgrade the PWD to MK II status. The PS Audio equipment sounds much better than the Levinson stuff and computer audio is fun and sounds great too.
6. Purchased a PS Audio P-10 power supply. I have my entire front end plugged into this and it really made a significant difference to the system.
7. I wired my system with Signal Cable. I use the Silver Resolution interconnects, Ultra speaker cables, and both the Magic PCs and Magic Digital PCs. I've had very expensive Synergistic Research cables at 10 times the price at one time and the Signal Cables system out does the Synergistic system hands down without all the mysticism that the SR cables have today.
Who knows what the future will bring?

Red Wine Audio Signature 15 Integrated. Remarkable little box for the $$....

BSG Qol

DNM HFTN IC's - Very natural sound like having no cable at all

Warpspeed Optocoupler - LDR Preamp simply amazing in letting the music flow.

Shelby + Kroll Nano Monitors and Woofer Monitors (subs)- Huge sounstage and imaging with deep articulate bass.

DSpeaker Anti-Mode 8033s - Used on subs to take care of room nodes and nulls in the bass...Beast I've ever had and heard over the last 20+ years. Also helped the midrange to be cleaner and more defined due to the tamming of the nodes and nulls.

47 Labs Flatfish CD Transport Modified with a super clock and power by a custom battery power supply - Very articulate with no jitter issues, and is the heart of my digital front end.

I seems as though I've listed my whole system as the "outstanding"...Well over the last couple of years I took a lot of time to put together a system that I feel brings out the enjoyment in music that I like. Many a piece of gear (mostly borrowed or in-home auditioned 30 day's min) has been in and out of the rack and to date these were the true head turners in that period of time. I wouldn't hesiate to reccomend any of these products in their respective categories.

I'll add Audyssey XT32 (in my case via an Onkyo pre-pro). I see (hear?) why Stereophile named it a Product of the Year.

Marty

ASR Basis Exclusive. Changed my vinyl perspective.