Vote

A voodoo doll. Not just any though, it must be a Signature, Mk VIII, enhanced, deluxe voodoo doll with single crystal pins. I think Magical Audio Gurus and Acoustic JuJu make the best. I need it to exorcise the occasional channel unbalance in my cartridge.

The Cary CAD1205 power amp has blown me completely away.

Esoteric DV-60. With the format war going, investing on a universal player that does all things well, stereo or surround, audio or home video, investing on a one-box-fits-all player is a good future-proofing move. The only format the DV-60 doesn't support is Blu-Ray. The player also makes a hell of a transport, should you feel the need to upgrade the DAC further down the road...

The Memory Player. Digital done right, finally.

Sonus Faber Stradivari. Excellent looks, great sound. Just try to ignore the price.

Silspeak 840. A Swedish loudspeaker cable that blows giants like Nordost and Kimber away. And it is affordable.

Any passive preamplifier—and spend the money you save on a better power amplifier.

Recommendations all depend on who is asking. However, if you are looking for speakers, a pair of Harbeths caught my ear a few weeks ago. Set up in a space between show-rooms, connected to a integrated tube amp, they sounded very detailed, and very smooth.

The Legacy Audio Victoria LE speaker. A large, three-way, 94dB sensitive monitor with an incredible ribbon tweeter, designed as a 20th anniversary edition. It sounds like a floor-stander, but the glory is the clear, scratch-free string tones. There may still be some available at their dealers.

It's not on the list, but the Blue Angel Mantis cartridge is my number one because of its singularly accurate rendition of timbres.

You deleted the RadioShack hookup wire from the list because it is no longer available.

Audio Research 610T Power Amp. Mindboggling, breathtaking, and captivating at an astounding level. Unfortunately, I will never own it!

It's not my Quad speakers, Manley Amp, or Nottingham TT. It's my Sqeezebox. It gives me near CD quality and unlimited selection without my getting out of my chair.

VPI Scoutmaster with Dynavector cartridge. Fantastic. Now my friends know why I'm always bitching about analog over digital.

A quiet mind and the ears I had 35 years ago when I couldn't afford good equipment. Oh, that's two. Only one can be had now. A quiet mind, because you can't hear through your own static.

I am busy listening, not keeping my ear to the ground for what's hot right now.

ARC Reference 110, because it is such a well-built and sounding amp!

NM24 Tube DAC plus Tube Line Amp. This piece has done more to improve my system than anything I have purchased.

PS Audio Transcendent interconnect-XLR version is indistinguishable from my Jena Labs Symphony which is much more expensive.

Of the components that I own, it would be the Linn LP12 or the Oracle Delphi turntables.

Ortofon OM10 Super cartridge.

I really like the Pathos Classic 1, Mark 3 integrated amp. It sounds great and is affordable and darn sexy.

My recommneded component is the Placette Active preamp. Transparency, dynamics, and no noise.

My recommended component is the Flying Mole DAD-M310 monoblock amplifier(s). I had been listening to the Flying Moles at several shows and was blown away with the vertically bi-amped pairs driving the Green Mountain CALYPSO loudspeakers at the last CES. In May, I finally received a pair of their DAD-M310 monoblock amplifiers. They are driving original Von Schweikert VR4-JRs. Compared to the NuForce 9.02s there was an absence of haze, fuzziness, and harshness while retaining all of the great characteristics of a properly designed Class D amp (there are very few of them). My FM returned and the Flying Moles run considerably cooler than the 9.02s.

The Naim NAC 282 preamp, with the optional external Hi-Cap power supply. It allows one to step up into Naim's higher realm and achieve most of the nirvana of the 252 and 552 with less outlay of funds.

Marantz CD5001. Musical and super value.

Mine is the ARC Ref 3 preamp. It has transformed the sound of my system like no other!

The Koetsu Black phono cartridge. My very first high end experience was a Black mounted on a Linn Sondek turntable, and it was a life changing moment. Obviously all turntables did not sound the same, and there was stuff I was hearing that had to be attributed to the cartridge. While I am not going to run out and replace my Lyra Argo as long as it is still functioning, the Black would go to the top of the list if I needed a replacement. Honorable mention to the Cambridge Audio Azur 740C cd player. That one I might just purchase, to give me something 'good enough' for recordings not available on vinyl.

Linn Sondek LP12, because it manages to thrill as much as it is practical and reliable.

My system has been stable for about 2 years. Upgrading would be very expensive. Audio Research electronic with a Levinson CD combo but over the last 30 years the one compontent critical to enjoying my software is my Linn LP 12. Each year I listen all my LP's and CD's at least once and every year there are many forgotten treasures I revisit thanks to my 1st recommended compontent the buy that just keeps giving.