Whats your current most prized piece of equip?

[RichP714]

1. My stacked (poor man's Duntech Sovereign) Cornwall II

• triamped through Rane AC23B

2. My 8 Carver mk II amplifiers

• M-1.0t mk II rear surround
• M-1.0t mk II surround
• M-500t mk II center
• M-500t mk II tweeters
• M-500t mk II squawkers
• M-500t mk II woofers
• M-1.0t mk II side axis
• M-1.0t mk II opt 002 subwoofer

 

[Jeffery]

Jeffery, Yes, we all start somewhere.

And yes, it doesn't have to be expensive. Example:
1. Just saw a 1987 Sansui AU-X701 amp sell for $94 on eBay. It's really a super fine 'quality built' amp with wonderful sound! I thought it would sell for more, I should of bought it for a 3rd amp. That was a give-a-way price.
2. Got a pair of 1970 Sansui AS-100 Acoustic Suspension speakers in the Goodwill for $9.98 in beautiful minty condition and they sound really nice, alnico magnets. Speakers are out there and availiable, all you have to do is search a bit find them.
3. NAD sell's thier C-515BEE cd player for $300. It's nice, real nice, sounds wonderful! (but a regular cheaper CD player would work just fine).

Total: $309.98. Plus you need speaker cables and Radio Shack has those and they work just fine. So call it $330.00.

There's your basic system. Less the TT, cart, and rack of course but on a budget maybe you would want to venture into TTs at a later date, or never, until your ready to invest some cash for a good used one and a good cart. With the $300 NAD you would be in CD heaven. Done deal. Racks? Easy to make or just go back to Goodwill! Just something nice would do. $30. (Revised total: $360.00)

And you have a great sounding system. It will amaze you.

Even and old 1987 Sony amps that are in great shape sound great, if you get a good one which hasn't been mistreated. Great enough, they do sound goooood. But anything after '90 or so and I'd forget about the Sony's, but I may be wrong. Seems quality started slipping in the '90s

You just have to 'know what your looking for', research, be patient, find it, and buy it. With 1987 amps you shouldn't have any problems, yet.

Always listen to equipment for awhile before buying, especially speakers. That's 70% of the sound. A simple system (tweeter and woofer) will work fine (and less capacitors if you need to replace them, like maybe one for the tweeter).

Want a great amp? 1987 Sansui AU-X701...that's a good start!! They don't come up often but when they do they sell for cheap because no one knows what they ' really are '. Get a good amp like the 701 and it will take care of sonic problems out of a cheaper, but NEW, cd player.

If you need a receiver then an '89 Sony may be the ticket.

A very good sounding stereo system for little cost.

Hope this helps.

Awesome, thanks for the reply.

uuuh huuuh,,, I'm not gonna rat you out but,,,

Mine is this little thing, it helps me get the most out of all my other gear.

Keep your chin up, dude! Maybe one day you can afford a better pre-amp than that little box thing!

 

[treserious]

currently its my CM labs CM300 pre.

I have not heard a pre this good.
this is comparable to current mark levinson or mac pre amps.

not leaving my system anytime soon.

 

[FauxHall]

My Sony STR-6200f receiver with the factory walnut cabinet.

Second favorite is my McIntosh MR71 tube tuner, a hand-me-down from my father-in-law.

 

[Auto Analog]

Easy....

The Marantz Model 5s I recently brought back from the dead are the only audio-related possessions I can say with absolute conviction will be mine until I'm dead.

 

[Glass Prison]

The Marantz Model 5s I recently brought back from the dead are the only audio-related possessions I can say with absolute conviction will be mine until I'm dead.

I heard a pair and they were killers. I wouldn't give them up either.

 

[jmchrislip]

My newly refurbished to factory specs Carver M400a amplifier, with a Spectro-Acoustic 217 Preamplifier and my Denon DP-62L Turntable with an Ortofon 2M Red.

 

[Illusions]

Well since I recently jumped into the pool...
of what my parents have; a toss-up between my mom's 1964 KLH Model Seventeens or my Mom's Kenwood TK-55.

For what I have; a toss-up bewteen my 1970s Sherwood S-7200 or my Toshiba SS-120 Speakers lol. I do love my two pair of Minimus 7's lol!

 

[media]

I'm pretty easy to please. I really love my Sansui 8080db.

 

[jrbab]

A pair of Allison Acoustic One's that were given to me by a co-worker/
friend. The surrounds were toast but I re-did them myself (my first
attempt at that repair ever). I had some JBL's that I thought sounded
great but after hearing these, it was all over for them....wonderful
speakers. Power hungry (I drive them with a Sansui G7500) but the
music is indescribable - first time I ever really understood what the
term sound stage meant for a home stereo!

 

[hifitommy]

my sp3a1 (c) preamp. oh, it has gorgeous sound.

 

[Tony1784]

I'm pretty fond of the set of 4 JBL 4425's that I got a steal on a while back. I think it would be a pretty cold day in hell before I gave them up.

 

[Tifore]

Pair of Dynaco A25's with original boxes, literature, and the speakers are pristine.

 

[mr_light]

My beloved Yamaha NS-1000Ms that I bought new in 1980 and never thought of replacing. Everything else has changed many times.

 

[theophile]

My Yamaha GT 2000 turntable.

When isolated correctly( I use 14 Clearaudio Magix),this is an excellent Source component.The GT 2000 sounds awesome when simply placed and played.Correctly isolated, it moves into the territory of SUPERB.

It is my favourite component.

I love all the rest of my system (couldn't listen to my Gt 2000 without it).Special mention goes to the combination of Violectric HPA V2000 headphone amp and Audez'e LCD-2 headphones. This combination is so revealing,that by utilising its high-rez capabilities I have been able to fine tune the turntable's performance to a very fine degree.

 

[Anubis]

That's a hard question. I can't narrow it down to just one piece. I'd have to say two pieces...er three.
My high-end mains (I'll never spend that amount for any peice of gear ever again).
My near new Denon DP-f47 (The most I've ever paid for a peice of semi-vintage gear. Somewhat elusive little buggers as well)
My Sansui 8080db (Wanted one ever since I saw one in person and then heard one later. Waited 2.5 years for this rascal)!

 

[dragonhead00]

Mine is a pretty low-level entry compared to what's been posted, but I just love my Teac V-5RX cassette deck w/dbx nr that cost me a whole five bucks and some elbow grease. I've been backing up some of my vinyl and the playback is nearly indistinguishable from the original except for the fuller bass output. Now, either that means I have a great tape deck or my TT and cart suck. Lol. Either way, I just dig it.

 

[musichal]

my sp3a1 (c) preamp. oh, it has gorgeous sound.

I envy you that pre-amp, it's a sweet one. Been wanting an sp8 for years - very similar sonics.

My prized components would be my Adcom 5500 and 5503 MOSFET power amps, in pristine condition.

 

[hifitommy]

hal, i drove an adcom 555II with the ARC. the great part is that the adcom passes all that greatness, and i wont stereotype it with a typical tuybe sound because it is the antithesis of that, even though its greatness does come from the tubes. my MMGs and s3/5s sing with this combination.

 

[dunhill]

Some nice stuff in this thread!

I wish I didn't have to choose just one, but I think at present it has to be my ADS L710s that I found some time ago at a thrift for $9.99 (for the pair). Cabs restored nicely with some Howard Restore-A-Finish and Feed-N-Wax. All drivers are perfect. They are the best sounding speakers I've had the opportunity to own and they fit my listening space very nicely.