Back when I was brand new to 2ch audio, I heard a friend’s Legacy Signature III setup. It was one of my first exposures to "real" hifi with turntable source and quality separates (BAT 6H30 tube preamp, Parasound Halo JC1 amps). I really loved it - such a fun, engaging listen!
A year later I got my opportunity to buy those same Signature III’s - and having NO idea what I was doing, pieced together my first "serious" 2ch system, including a Sunfire 600 Signature amp and BAT VK5i pre. Wow, was I excited to fire it up! Then (drumroll)...wow, it sounded pretty awful! I significantly improved things by ditching the Sunfire (eventually landing on my friend’s JC-1’s), but it never surpassed "mediocre" enough to justify its expense.
Chalked the experience up to a bad room / apartment, and listed the Signature III’s for sale. A local fellow contacted me, wanting to hear them first. Damn! They were already boxed up, and I knew he’d lose interest upon demo - but I obliged and set them on the long wall (the very wall I’d avoided due to "conventional" acoustic wisdom). Upon setup, my jaw dropped! All the fun sound from that first listen at my friend’s was back...and then some. I was genuinely impressed, the buyer was very impressed (of course he bought them immediately), and then I was sad I’d unlocked their potential literally 5 minutes before they walked out the door forever :(
But I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Legacy! The rosewood finish was truly gorgeous, too. I’d seen a lot of wood veneers that don’t hold a candle to Legacy’s work.