Which components knocked you out on first listen?

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.

The Sheffield records.

Reply to Albertporter,
No my last name is not Dead ;) But the login, Grateful, is an ole to my younger days -- However, I must confess; 'American Beauty' sounds as stellar as 'Introducing The Elmo Hope Trio' on the Quads.

"...all you have to do is smile, smile, smile"

I believe a system that has blown me away the most was
probably at a montreal hi-fi exibition in what was called
the audio Center room,here in this huge listening invironment
was a Marklevinson and wilson set up.
First there was one pair of Grand Slamms in the front and a
pair of wilson Maxx in the rear combinded whith a watch-dog
in the middle.Electronics composed of a pair of H33 mono-
blocks by ML,the rest was reference stuff by ML.
The sound was soooo large and awesome even though it was in
a gigantic room still to this day five yrs later I seriously
wonder if Ill ever have the chance to here something as
jaw dropping as that set-up.

I had a Classe 400 that Was doing a fine job, until I sat this little Acoustic reality ICE amp down next to it. Way more open on both extremes, much better bass, and a much cleaner sound without being digital. I could not believe all that from 12 lbs monoblocks, crazy.