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The best sounding piece of kit you've ever owned (or enjoyed the most)

Thanks Darren, solid Walnut in an interesting shape. I was running the Katans active which were frankly dull in my room, maybe just a mismatch. Got rid of all the linn kit and ran with valves and the Adamantes. I’d heard they could image well and they were almost 3D!
I’m very lucky on the matching as I’d bought both from pfm’ers unheard.
 
Arcam Delta 270: Got to agree... won't replace mine unless it dies irretrievably.
Rotel RQ970BX...and this one too. Nothing less than an absolute bargain at £130
as it was when i got it.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
That’s an often forgotten about player, but I did have one a few years ago… I’d bought and loved an Alpha 5+ whilst saving for a Linn player, one of these came at a price I couldn’t refuse and it was lovely… gave much of the musicality that made the Alpha 5+ so great, but with more detail and insight built like a tank too. I didn’t have it long because I got a healthy trade in offer against a practically new Karik 3… it wasn’t shamed by the Karik.
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Your right I had the chance to compare it to several other good brand players inc the Karik 3 and it held it's own no problem & even had a 2 box shootout at the same time. In my opinion the Arcam Delta 270 was best even as a stand alone player. I also had an Alpha 5 previous to the 270 both great musical cd players & I'd stack them both against my Marantz Ki Pearl full fat but maybe I'm looking thru rose tinted glasses it being so long ago
 
Spendor SP1s when I first got a pair 32 years ago. They came after a few mediocre speakers inc Castle Conways and the treble was just so much better, ‘feathered’ as someone described it.
 
Almost hard to admit as I generally prefer digital gear, but the best combo I have ever heard was a very fancy turntable (can't remember the make) played through a Pass Labs 250 watt integrated into a pair of Wilson Sabrinas.

I was particularly impressed with the Wilsons - I tried them with a few amps and they always sounded great. Amazingly capable little speakers, they would be pretty close to the top of my list were it not for the 80's styling and the high mark-up in the UK.
 
One piece of kit that made a significant change in my system was the Antipodes S40 server. I was using the Project Stream S2 Ultra and was a bit sceptical that a streamer could have much impact. But the difference was immense with the Antipodes making everything sound so musical, the power in the bass, the micro dynamics, timbre, rhythm, everything started to sound so much more real. It was when I started to realise that before I was listening to hifi, it all sounded nice but did not portray any of the emotion of feeling in the music. The Antipodes changed all that.
 
So enjoyed the Naim Nds. It replaced a ndx and was a HUGE upgrade, ridiculously good. Used to get jaw ache from the massive grin I had on my face every time I listened to music! Lol. Shame the software was such a P.I.T.A!!
 
A new Rega 3 with the old curvy arm was a marked improvement on my SP25!
Cyrus 1
Mission 770 (various iterations over the years)
A new Rega 25 with Dynavector 10x5
Meridian 507 CD
A&R Cambridge A60, still have this for the bedroom
Thorens TD150II that I fitted with a Nima and a Henk Walnut plinth
Garrard 401 with Mission 774 and AT33PTG which has stayed for a long while, now with PTGII, can't see any reason to change this set up
Naim BD160 with 72 and HiCap scratched an itch
Quad ESL63s which have been with me for 10 years now
KEF 104/2s that give the 63s a break every now and again
Lecson AC1/AP1
Exposure XXI with XVIII Super
Squeezebox, by far the best value single item.
 
Call me Mr Impulsive but back in the 70's, I was listening to AR3a's at the time, I walked into a hifi shop in Chandlers Ford and they were playing NS1000's. I said 'F*ck me, how much are they, £600 came the reply, I'll have a pair. Stayed with me for 10 years plus, gave them to my son who promptly sold them 'cos he was hard up.
The other outstanding piece for me was a Croft 25r. I had just purchased an £1800 Marantz fancy integrated and found the sound to be smooth but strangely flat and lifeless. Popped Glen's masterpiece on the front end and bingo, the magic appeared.
 
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