Your Forever Pieces? What and Why?

Let’s see, I have had a Threshold Stasis S2 for probably less than 20 years, a PS Audio 200C for longer, an Audio Research LS15 for a decade or so, a Coda 05R about the same. Various Sony ES CD players and DVD players. All of it has been highly modified. The end of last year however I got a Schitt Audio Yggdrasil DAC, and that changed everything. Now I have a DS2 preamp, and an amp very similar to, but not as good as Don Sachs’ amp. His electronics just embarrass most of the rest of my gear. I really can’t imagine replacing anything in my system currently. If you had 20K for an amp and preamp you MIGHT be able to better Don’s, but you would have to see search high and low to do so, and the Yggdrasil might also be slightly bettered, but I think that I’ll stand pat, for the first time ever, I don’t suffer from listening fatigue. A lot of that was due to speakers honestly, but as good as my SS gear sounds, it sounds good compared to other SS gear, and lessor quality tube gear. Don Sachs has been working on tube gear his whole life and has found some amazingly good components that are simply neutral. He has found components that I had never heard of, and he has allowed other components that I had tried and pulled, to fully burn in. I thought that they sounded so bad that they could never sound good, but he had the patience to allow them to fully burn in, and it turned out that they were truly good sounding after a proper burn in. I cannot recommend him highly enough! BTW, if you do buy from him, he'll make you some very inexpensive interconnects that will better anything I have heard, but only if you are buying an amp or preamp from him.

don@dsachsconsulting.com

Why?  Pure Love.  Nostalgia.  Remembering how you felt about these treasures back in that stage of your life.  In 1972, I bought my first serious Stereo System.  I wanted a B&O BG4000 TT so bad I could taste it but settled for a Sony 2251 with a B&O SP adapter.  Still have it, still love to look at it, and if I ever get around to restoring it, I'll still love listening to it, at least now and then. If you ever see it on eBay, it'll be because one of my Grandkids is cleaning house.  I didn't scrimp on the speakers though.  Back in those days, $500 a side was a lot of money for a pair of Tannoy Stuarts.  At least my Wife,  (ex), thought so.  Oh, I paid dearly for those Speakers.  But, the joy they've given me over the years was worth a whole lot more.  The best part is, I can let the 'HDL' Placebos run wild, because I can still hear how FABULOUS it sounded then, back in the day.  Back when you could REALLY hear the difference excellence and mediocrity.     Thanks for the great Thread Uberaltz!

The modded Audio Research D79 power amp I bought here on Audiogon a few years back, which is the long-sought replacement for a D79b that I had in the ‘80’s and wish I’d never sold. 

I also keep a D90b as a backup just in case the 79 needs to go away for service. 

On on the list of pieces I regret selling are a Krell KSA250 that was magic with B&W 802’s, a Willie Hermann rebuilt Nakamichi ZX7 and an Equitech RQ10 balanced power unit

Thank you for all the kind words from the posters who are enjoying this thread.
Myself I am getting a huge kick out of it by seeing names that are  a blast from the past and discovering "new" equipment I had never even heard of before.
thank you one and all!

Oldest would be my Pioneer SX750 receiver, bought new in 1976. Was in use until a few years ago. Still not going anywhere. That $315 doesn't sound like much today, but it was back then to a teenager making $4/hour.It's replacement two years ago was a Luxman L-590AX. I don't see that going anywhere anytime soon, either.