I would have to say without question that the best part of my system would be my speakers which are a pair of EgglestonWorks Andra II's with Acoustic Zen double barrel biwire speaker cables.

Good thread,
Mark

I recently bought a pair of Dynaudio Excite 12's to use in my computer system(it's also my TV, great for watching Later with Jools Holland and other great music shows!)
After deciding to run in the Dynaudio's in my main system (Primare I30 and Cambridge Audio 840C) I began to think that my beloved homemade solid pine speakers would be relegated to the computer system, as the Dyn's sounded so bloody good!
One of the benefits immediately obvious to me was that I had done a great job with my homemade babies ,as, although the Dyn's bested my homemade's in every area, it was'nt by much and considering that they were my 1st attempt at speaker building compared to the decades of experience of Dynaudio - the Dyn's actually made me prouder of my achievements
Long story short - the Dyn's not sit comfortably on my computer desk and absolutely rock everything I play thru them, and my solid pine babies are back where they belong in my main system and I'm one happy camper!

Pleased how good my 3rd string (bedroom) system sounds - iPod playing into powered AudioEngine 2 speakers. They rock and they image! Listening while lounging in bed, nice.

My DAC followed by my transport and then my transparent cables...My speakers are the weakest part of my system as they are too inefficient to work with my far better tubed amp.

If any of you saw Mark's system in the old gallery pages you would also be impressed by the exquisite modern minimalist sensibility of his layout. Like something from Metropolitan Home Magazine. Very chic. Not only a testimony to his taste, but to the American standard of living enjoyed by our most valuable public employees. Tax money well spent, I say! :>)

I have a pretty blue collar, multi-functional, one room system that provides multi-channel hi-rez playback with Marantz sources and amplification, home theater, and a modest vinyl rig (Philips 212/Grado/Bellari) all played thru a suite of very dynamic Wharfedale Pacific Evos. Can't decide which component(s)are the "best" since they seem to depend on the synergy of the whole. And I have a nice big room (480 sq. ft. with vaulted ceilings) to get all the sound out and about.

Tough call on this one. I'm pretty happy with the whole package but if I had to pick one or two things then they would be the dead silent backgrounds and the systems ability to go from the previously mentioned silence to full impact in the blink of an eye.

In the systems current configuration I would be hard pressed to pick one component as my favorite but I have always tried to make it a point to keep things as balanced price wise as much as possible.

I think my biggest investment in the system at this point would be the sumtotal of all the power delivery components. I have one dedicated circuit feeding a Shunyata Hydra 6 which then delivers power to a Pass Labs x250 using all Shunyata Python cables.

I also have a second dedicated circuit feeding a Shunyata V-Ray using Python cables which all the front end components are connected to.

Font end is made up of a Bel Canto DAC3 as the center piece and a Logitech Transporter and Wadia
i-Transport as the sources. I also have a Rotel single drawer CD player that I rarely use which just spins physical media.

In terms of speakers I am currently running a pair of Legacy Audio Signature III's but I have been getting itchy for something new. The only problem with replacing them is that I will then be required to shift the whole system up another notch which would costs a few pennies more then I care to spend at this point.

rvance wrote:

If any of you saw Mark's system in the old gallery pages you would also be impressed by the exquisite modern minimalist sensibility of his layout. Like something from Metropolitan Home Magazine. Very chic. Not only a testimony to his taste, but to the American standard of living enjoyed by our most valuable public employees. Tax money well spent, I say! :>)

Thanks RV for the kind words.

Well as Dumbo said thats a tough one But if I had to say whats the crown of my system right now it would be the new Ki Pearl Intregated amp I have had now for 3 weeks , Every tyme I listen to this little gem , Sorry not so litle nearly 50lbs of her, Just about put my back out loading it in my rack , I shake my head how wonderfull this sounds. Also my B&W DM 600S3 Transp intercon and power cables shine in this system , So no one item here is responsible for this great sound more than that, Its a collection of all that I have tied together that makes it work.

If I had to pick a component , it would be the Ayre KX-R .
If I had to pick a sonic perimeter it would be bass , well defined , punchy , naturally textured , bass . And thats without the sub on .

In my case it was because my CD player was a decade old AND, for reasons known only to Adcom, did not have a 'digital out' making it useless as a transport. I decided that any 10 year old DAC was sadly obsolete so the best way to update my system was to add an outboard...

I have mid fi stuff mostly, Denon, Infinity, Rega, that sort of thing. But I can just move and move and move those front speakers apart and the center still holds. When I moved into an apartment after the flood, I wondered what had happened to my system. It was the new room!

Now, back in my old room, the stereo tracks sometimes get a 3D quality that reminds me of surround.

Trey

When my Grandmother died she left me some money and in her will she said,"I hope you buy some stereo equipment, I know you love music so much."

I took her advice and bought a complete Audio-Research system, I bought a new VT-100 amp, a used CD3 that I sent to Audio Reseach and had updated, and a LS-22 preamp that I modded by taking OUT 4 tubes and a bag full of caps and resistors. I bought some Dunlavy studio monitors and a REL sub. A year ago I bought some Maggie MMGs. This system does KICK BUTT!!

Thanks Grandma, you were the only one that understood me.!

I previously had a pair of JBL L-80T's in my system. I bought these speakers brand new in 1986 for $850.00. I simply loved them and I could not even begin to contemplate replacing them.

I have reconed them twice, and replaced the foam surrounds at least 3 times since. Refinished the oil rubbed walnut veneer to pristine condition, and even cleaned the internal crossovers/and all contacts with Deoxit Gold on a annual basis.

But, with high resolution gear getting better and better throughout the years, unfortunately my beloved JBL's became the weak link in my system and an upgrade was needed.

I still have my JBL's and probably will never part with them for sentimental reasons... corny eh? :-)

Mark Evans

In the living room I have my two channel rig, which I adore. This summer I decided I wanted a little bit of the home theater experience. I bought an inexpensive receiver and an ok sub/sat system. It sounds like crap...when playing music. Movies are fun and sound fine, that's all I wanted. When I purchased this setup I was concerned that I would start pouring money into it.

So that's where the restraint comes in. I've been willing to leave the little theater alone. It is what it is, and my beloved two channel system benefits from my primary attention.

My Grado headphones, because, well it's about all I've got right now. I'm 'between systems'. 20 years between. Just listened to some 'phones at a couple local shops and loved the Grados. I'm using them with an old JVC KLV-161 cd player from Goodwill for $5.

It's about the music.

My most hifi system is my headphone rig too. I got an Ear Max amp for $600, a choice of sennheiser cans, each less than $300, and full res tracks through the iPod.

I listen to a couple of tunes most nights before I go to bed and it it the best sound in the house.

Trey

i only had it on loan for 2 weeks, but i have to say its the sennheiser hd-800...

its a very revealing component AND judge... it will really expose the quality of your other gear like your source, amplification and even cables...

its a monster...

a beautiful monster... i love it... ( im planning to purchase one next month...:))