I have been reflecting on my biggest surprises and value-for-money purchases in the last 5 years - the ones that were truly impressive for the money, here are mine, and would like to find out about other maniac's choices! Stick to what you have actually purchased please! My top 5 (so far).
1. Yamaha AS2000 integrated amplifier.
Totally off the charts. This is an absolutely outstanding amplifier for the money - I cannot think of anything under $ 3,000.00 that is more refined, powerful, and full-featured all at once. Gracious looks and battleship build are a bonus.
2. Shanling MC-30 receiver.
It may look like a toy, but it sure isn't one. Wonderful musicality with a whopping 3 watts of power, sounds much more powerful than that. A steal at the price. Amp, cd, tuner, with the magic of tubes.
3. Yamaha AS1000 SACD player.
Only the second (along with the AS2000 amp) Yamaha component I have owned in my lifetime. Ridiculous price, amazing quality with the smoothest-operating load mechanism south of 5K. Someone told me that Yamaha's marketing mistake is that they should have invented a sister brand (like Pioneers TAD or Teac's Esoteric) for the AS series so that they could charge more. I agree, but in the meantine, the consumer wins.
4. Music Hall MMF-7 turntable.
No REGA or VPI bragging rights, but this is a BEAUTIFUL table worth every penny and more. Decoupled motor, classy acrylic plate, double-deck plinth, decent Pro-Ject tonearm, it just screams ''buy me''. Now updated to 7.1 - I listened to both, could not detect a sonic difference with the same cartrige.
5. Cambridge Audio combo of DacMagic and the new ID100 digital transport (check my review on this one). Roaming hundreds of free digital Web radio stations has become very enjoyable with not-too-shabby sound. Pocket change as far as audiophile budget goes for these 2 items.
Special mention to TT weights and their Classic model. Where else can you get a CNC-machined product from an avionics supplier for 60 bucks?
That's it for now - after mega-buck tube amps, cables, preamps and cd players - these top 5 are it for me, and have given me a break in my pocketbook with no regrets.
#1: Squeezebox/Logitech Duet - in terms of sheer joy, convenience and usage this has got to top my list. #2: Real Traps - bought used, from a guy not far away, in terms of biggest impact on overall sound improvement. #3: Gemme Katana V2 speakers - bought 'em on a whim having heard great things from actual owners and have found that they are world class speakers. I'm back and forth between them and my Wilson's and not sure which is better for me. #4: Thiel 2.2 on eBay used for about $250 - to this day these are a very good pair of speakers that can be had really cheap (but one needs good amplification to match). #5: A library card - my local library has thousands of CDs, all genres that I can borrow free of charge.
Hands down the McIntosh MA6600 integrated amp. Well featured and superbly built and sings. Added with the new guy on the block, the Daber Monitor 3 speakers. Lots of fun and proud to own these made in the USA american roses.
Sota Cosmos MKIV. I set one of these up for a customer who had a 20K+ Basis (Just the table $20K+) We transferred over the SME V with Zyx Universe Cartridge from the Basis to the Sota Cosmos MKIV and let me say I have nothing but respect for the Cosmos because at first I thought Basis was the best I have heard but the Cosmos regardless of price was much better and it only retails for $7300.00USD
Magnepan 3.6 speakers; a truly awesome product for the money. (Actually bought mine used for a paltry $2,800). The 3.6's really sound as good and outperform many speakers that I have heard that cost as much as ten times more! A true bargain in audio and one of the very best speakers you can buy!
My first impressions of the new 3.7's are that they are even better; on my short list for a next purchase.
Cary 500MB SS amps. Can drive anything (1000 watts into 4ohms) and the closest thing to a great pair of tube mono blocks that I have found so far.
1. Jim Smith RoomPlay voicing service. Least expensive and by far the biggest improvement. It made me realize what is important.
2. Loricraft PRC4 Deluxe with AIVS cleaning solutions. My ears appreciate it, the LPs deserve it. Followed by demag and new inner and outer sleeves.
3. Magico Mini II. Expensive and worth every dollar both sonically and aesthetically. A contemporary classic.
4. Acoustic Revive RWL-3 panels and RR-77 resonator. I don't understand them, and I can't listen without them. They just make everything sound more natural.
Well Tempered Amadeus GTAA. The online reviews of this turntable and arm and its stablemates all say pretty much the same thing: you stop thinking about the gear and just let it play the music for you. And for a TT that does that, it's bargain-priced. I'm no different. My LPs have an endless new fascination for me now that I'm playing them on this gem. I even pulled the trigger on a RCM. I'm sticking with this turntable until Bill Firebaugh comes up with a better one.
Air Tight Bonsai. Tiny little micromonitor with no bass at all under about 70 Hz. Single 4-inch driver and a box made by a Japanese cabinetmaker. Running off my EL34 integrated, I never get tired of their incredible focus, speed and neutral richness of timbre. I might get a sub one day but right now I don't care.
Atlas Opus digital interconnect. Now discontinued. Gets the whole spectrum right. No garbage in the highs, no etching or super detail, just clarity, and amazingly full, liquid mids. Who'da thunk there was music in a digital cable?
Honorable mention to a Denon DL-103R cartridge, which might not really challenge cartridges worth hundreds more, but the Amadeus lets it perform at its best.
Dear Sonicbeauty-I have no first-hand experience with any of your kit, but you did a beautiful job describing why these products grabbed you. Well done, well written.
Many products were purchased in the past five years , all mid fi type stuff and I think all were worth the effort , but the " most outstanding " would have to be the Ayre KX-R preamp and the Revel Salon 1 speakers . They replaced an A.R.C Ref 3 preamp and Revel F50 speakers .Those two new products added the swing and magic that I had heard about . Some better power cords and conditioning was the icing on the cake , oh and a new CD player . Pictures are on my system link .
Usher BE-718 speakers, after moving to a house with a small hifi space. The big rig sounded stupid in here and the BE-718's have some good qualities that surpass the big rig when it was in the big room.
NAD M3 integrated so I could use the bass management feature with the BE-718's and the pair of JL Audio F110's-another outstanding purchase.
Just bought a couple of months ago an SME 10 with the SME 10 tonearm and a Sumiko Celebration cartridge, used. Serial number says it was from its first year of production. An amazing improvement over the Sonographe SG-3.
Tow or three years ago bought a pair of Wyetech Topaz monoblocks and have not looked back.
Each has served the music, making it have blacker backgrounds, more focused, and just plain more addicting.
Haven't made any other significant changes in years.
I replace almost my entire system just over a year ago and have been very happy with all of it, but when considering the value of the different products I'm most impressed with my Martin Logan Dynamo 700 subwoofer. I almost ordered the larger model and was a little concerned that it wouldn't be powerful enough given it's compact size. Much to my surprise, it's actually capable of more than just about any subwoofer that I've been around outside of the hi fi stores. I know there are better units out there, but for the sub $700 price I paid I'm impressed. The one and only issue I have with it is that it isn't heavy enough to stay stationary in the down firing configuration. Once I converted it to forward firing it doesn't move and my subfloor doesn't vibrate anymore. Bottom line, it has more than my house can handle and it sounds great.
I believe I got this within the past five years--a Yamaha MCX 1000 Music Server, I think the list was about $2000 with the larger memory stick. While it is not as good sonically as my (seven times more expensive) Nova Physics Memory Player, it still sounds very good as a digital storage unit playing back through a high-quality DAC like my Audio Logic and EMM Labs units, it is a snap to use in setting up playlists for background music for parties, and it does a very good job converting my analog sources into the digital medium so I can make CDs from records and old cassettes of my choir concerts from the past. A very pleasant surprise. And I understand it has various applications for multi-room installations that I have never used.
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