advertisement


Your best Hifi/Audio purchases ever…

Love this question and thought I would be able to answer it with ease but turns out I have to split it between two purchases:
1. Townshend Rock II table I bought in school back in 1986 (still have and use it today). I now have an LP12, SL-1200, Rega (and a couple others).
2. ProAc 1sc's. Have had other speakers come and go but never found a pair that fit me as well. Still have them, plan to have as long as I breath.
Honorable mentions:
Croft Phono Integrated, only had this for a year but can already tell it will stay with me after much of the other electronics go (some day).
 
Understanding that everything is built to a price, I’m a hard-core DIY nutter.

So, the question about favourite components directly relates to how much increased performance my upgrades and tweaks have been able to extract from a given piece of kit.

That is to say, the bigger the improvement - and the higher the level of performance achieved - the more impressed I become by any given component.

Several components qualify for mention:

LINN SONDEK LP12

TRANSCENDENT SOUND GROUNDED GRID PREAMP (GGP)

BEWITCH 6550 TUBED INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

MAGNAT ALL-RIBBON 6, 3-WAY LOUDSPEAKERS

Of the above, most were all extremely high performing components when I acquired them; or built it, in the case of the GGP. I then spent months - or years - taking them to another level.

The exception, was the BEWITCH 6550 which sounded pretty awful, but I had read some very good things on the old LAMPIZATOR Tweak Site and so had pretty much decided to apply all of the tricks that I had learned, to see how far I could take it. I never really expected too much - after all the BEWITCH only cost me less than USD400.

Well, I did not apply any of the suggested LAMPIZATOR circuit changes, opting instead to work with the existing circuit. Upgrades included hard-wiring the amp for triode operation only; adding quality poly caps; removing all possible ferrite (magnetic) components in the signal path; removing all ceramic cement resistors, installing costly non-magnetic resistors of double power-handling value everywhere; reducing feedback level and bolstering shared bias power handling levels.

The result? An amp that gives our costly LEBEN a serious run for its money.

A similar transformation adventure with our LP12 “springless” DC hot-rod.

LINN SONDEK LP12 and BEWITCH 6550. Our favourites!
:D
 
Last edited:
Could have easily gone LP12 but there are lots of those in here already so:

Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor speakers (original, Serblin-era version) These have a beguiling, natural sound that makes acoustic instruments, particularly, sound deeply involving, lifelike and "really there". With the proper placement and supports they disappear and present a wide and deep soundstage. They are also quite beautiful pieces of furniture in solid maple with elegant curves and understated use of materials. For my taste, I'd say almost all the speakers I've ever seen make a living room look worse than it would without them, whereas the Cremonas actually contribute something aesthetically. Very difficult speakers to move on / upgrade from.
 
Disappointingly, my best purchase is also my most expensive (by a long way).
But it (they) are also my most long lived component. So I guess it evens out, amortised over 12+ years so far.

MBL 116F speakers for me.

It was a difficult choice to make as I knew they would be my final speaker purchase. No more speaker swapping for me :( which was something I really enjoyed.
But it's been worth it. I love them to bits.
 
For me, a similar type of speaker to Jerry. A pair of German Physics Borderlands. The most I’ve spent on hifi but definitely the most worthwhile purchase and two years in and any thoughts of anything else banished.
 
Probably the last thing I purchased, a pair of Dynaudio Heritage Specials. The most eye-wateringly expensive thing I've bought in hi-fi terms, but for me they have given all my music such life, depth and detail that it was like night and day from my old kef's. They've not even broken in fully yet either!
 
Pink Triangle PT1 deck fitted with vector upgrades. Bought is s/h on EBay. I've never longed for anything else in turntable department since.
 
Miss Ariel said:
A@R Cambridge T21 brought from the local paper for £15.It just blew me away how lovely sounding it is and 8 years later still love it especially on Radio 3.

The new Rega Saturn R.Have got an original Planet which I enjoyed but the Saturn is so much more polished and refined.It really gets so much out of CD's and has got this really vibrant analog sound like a well sorted turntable the internal 4 input dac is superb as well.No digital coldness just a really warm sounding piece of kit.

Magneplan 1.7 i .I have had mine for about a year and they still bring a smile every time I have them on.Their transparency is stunning.Transient speed and timbre of instruments,soundstage.I would never go back to box speakers again. I have never ever found them fatiguing; if anything you just want to keep listening just superb VFM and if they cost twice as much they would still be a bargain.
Click to expand...
Have you ever heard a Naim CD5x, and if you have, how would you say the Saturn R compares?
 
w00fer said:
Have you ever heard a Naim CD5x, and if you have, how would you say the Saturn R compares?
Click to expand...

Sorry haven't heard the Naim CD5 x so can't give any thoughts.I moved on from Naim in 1990.
The Saturn R is superb it just sounds like a well set up turntable and has got a real addictive sound where you end up playing a whole CD.
The DAC also sounds amazing.Really can't fault the Saturn R.Superb sound build and VFM best CD player I have owned and my CD collection mainly brought from charity shops with classical has grown by 700 discs since getting it.No better endorsement.You just get lost in your CDs :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top