I know it's not vintage, but does anyone have a spare $50,000?

Bigerik

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Hi All!
Am up in Toronto right now, visiting the family and just enjoying being home again. While walking around in swanky Yorkville, I came upon a very high end audio store. Walked in of the street, got to talking with the owner and he (briefly) demoed his top system for me. Didn't catch all the pieces, but the speakers were Wilson Watt 6's and the amplification was by a monster Krell. Prices were $32,000 and $16,000 Canadian respectivly.
How did they sound? Near enough better than sex. WOW! Would I trade my much loved Pioneer 1250 and my Klipschs for them? You better belive it.
Hey maybe, around 2027 or so, I will snag this setup at a flea market or yard sale for a hundred bucks. Until then, there is always Powerball....
:)
Erik
 
Hey BigRik that must have been the sissy Krell then. The TOTL Krell monoblocks retail for 100K CAN each. So if the 16K one sounded nice imagine a pair than cost more than 10 times that amount.

Mike
 
You are right....

Wonder why they even wasted my time with the cheap junk. Only 16 grand for an amp? Can't be any good!
:)
Erik
 
Big "E"... you're sh!ttin' me right?

"Wilson Watts and Krell... better than sex"!? Either you need to work on the quality of your relations or your audio associations if *you* think that pair is "the shit". Personally, I found them to be the very antithesis of "musical". Then again, someone's buy'em so they must be good right? MikE
 
Re: Big "E"... you're sh!ttin' me right?

Originally posted by MikE
"Wilson Watts and Krell... better than sex"!? Either you need to work on the quality of your relations or your audio associations if *you* think that pair is "the shit". Personally, I found them to be the very antithesis of "musical". Then again, someone's buy'em so they must be good right? MikE

MikE

It's all about personal tastes, what one likes the other hates. Some people like Classic music, some hate it, some like Rock, some say "turn those goddamm hippies down!"; some like tubes and horns, some like solid state.

In audio there is no such thing as a black or white, a true or false, it's all about personal tastes and perceptions.

I understand your POV - your tastes are the exact opposite of the Krell/Wilson.

Chris
 
Just kiddin' around

I realize thats why there are SO MANY types of components... to satisfy each unique listener. And thanks for reconizing my tastes as the direct opposite of the "Krell/Wilson" perspective. :D

MikE
 
Hmmm....

Hi Mike
Odd you would say unmusical.
Just the opposite I found.
So what would you consider to be a musical system?
 
I've listened to at least 3 Krell set ups, typically with Mac gear, python thick cables and TOTL B&W, though the last time was with KEFs.
Everything was there. All the details, every sound but it was like a laser photograph of a landscape versus being there. Hard to explain, and even with my own music and the equipments ability to image I never got past the gear. The low end Krell and the cheap (only $3500/pr) KEFs did it for me better than any of the Mac/Krell/B&W setups did.
Now I don't know what Mike's experiences were but though Krell can be mighty impressive either it or something else in the systems I listened to (some for hours) never got me where I wanted to go.
This is not just a Krell thing or even a SS thing. I recently listened to a 45 SET /Oris, 2A3/ La Scala set up that though it was better than my Krell experiences was more like wearing a room sized pair of headphones than listening to a great stereo.
Too tightly focused and so precise it wasn't human. Again stuck listening to the gear.
Hmmmmm, total lack of emotional content despite the seemingly flawless sound is the closest way I can describe it.
Your turn Mike!!
 
No soul, huh?

Hmmm.
Interesting observations. I can't say that I disagree. My listening time was long enough to hear all the detail, the awesome, almost unreal imaging, etc. but probably not long enough to get past the initial wow factor. Of course, what really throws the whole deal off is the fact that I was listening to his music, and not mine. What I should do, before droping sex in a quest for Krell, et al, is to go have a long demo with music that I know (been using many of the same pieces of music to test all systems for over a decade now).
Then again, I have known women about whom one could also use Almonds statement. :)
And I don't know Thatch well enough yet to comment! :)
Erik
 
Erick,
If it doesn't give me goosebumps the emotional content is not coming across with the detail and volume, so as silly as it might sound I often judge a systems merits on how well it gets the hair on my arms to stand up. Really good and the back of my neck and sometimes I can even feel my scalp move.
I had 2 mono blocks A/Bed with with everything exactly identical except the mono blocks, which at the time I did not know. Same speaker,same disc,same song even the same power cord and although I could not say why one gave me goosebumps and one didn't. Listened to the same song 3 times on each with the same reaction. So I pointed and said that one gives me goose bumps and the other one doesn't.
Reply was good, you hear the same thing I do. I changed the value of a capasitor in this one.(the GB one)
Have you ever noticed getting a different reaction from the same music if you can see a recording of the performer, especially a singer, while you listen?

Bingo,bango, bongo! I wanna go to the Congo!:boink:
 
Hey Thatch

How ya gonna judge a system when all your hair falls out :lmao:

Sorry I couldnt resist
 
The difference is like Art & Science

... or a good photograph and the image in real life. One captures "all the details" but tells nothing else about those images or personalities within. It leaves you starving for more and the experience IMO is unfulfilling. I'm also inclined to believe that a musical system describes the event without calling attention to the "speaker". A musical system is one where the listener is able to enjoy all day without fatigue.

My idea of a "musical system" is the one I own: 45 SET amp with (for now) dynamic speakers. Of course all the other devices are important but the most important is the amp/speaker combo. As far as David's description of the system's mentioned as "room-sized headphones"... "too highly focused and precise". As long as one isn't too tightly riveted to the transfer technology, and not the music, I personally have no problem with those traits in replay. I want to be engulfed in sound (in a natural way), and precise imaging can be addictive though I think this tends to cause one to watch the presentation more than actually listen to it. The same with detail. Information is cool but I've heard some components/systems that appeared artifical in the way they presented all the bits-n-pieces. Again, I prefer a system that does all those things BUT mostly allows ME to relax and drift-off to where the music (and my imagination) takes me. Analytical systems tend to interfer with this process, and that is my biggest gripe with Krell and Wilson.

MikE
 
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Hi All!
Am up in Toronto right now, visiting the family and just enjoying being home again. While walking around in swanky Yorkville, I came upon a very high end audio store. Walked in of the street, got to talking with the owner and he (briefly) demoed his top system for me. Didn't catch all the pieces, but the speakers were Wilson Watt 6's and the amplification was by a monster Krell. Prices were $32,000 and $16,000 Canadian respectivly.
How did they sound? Near enough better than sex. WOW! Would I trade my much loved Pioneer 1250 and my Klipschs for them? You better belive it.
Hey maybe, around 2027 or so, I will snag this setup at a flea market or yard sale for a hundred bucks. Until then, there is always Powerball....
:)
Erik

6 more years ;)
 
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