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What do you own that is TOTL?

Top of the line has such an obvious meaning to me that it seems really odd how many people find a different meaning in that phrase.

To me, it simply means the top offering in a specific lineup at one time as determined by the company producing it. Thus a Sansui 881 is top of its line, but so is the Sansui 9090DB the top of its line.

Someone said that a Soundesign couldn't be top of the line, but one of them  has to be top within a given line of Soundesign products.
 
I guess if we're resurrecting these old threads then :

Pioneer SA-9800 : this was arguably their TOTL integrated amplifier back in the day
Mission 770 : same reason, back when they only had four speakers in their range
KEF 105 S2 : same reason
 
Mr Boochie said:
Me either... Desperately seeking the "Holy TOTL" reminds me of this song.

Be Thankful For What You Got.
William DeVaughn "Be Thankful For What You Got." Roxbury-Jimco Records. CEJC-1001. Century Records re-master (Japan). 1993.
Run-out: CEJC - 1001 A
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True, but the OP said nothing about being desperately seeking spendy stereo for status. Thankfully those guys are mostly on other websites or out driving their vinyl wrapped electric dumpsters. Speaking of stainless steel set the Delorian back to post #25 and let’s see:
elcoholic said:
My TOTL stuff

B&O M70's bought new
Yamaha HP-1's bought new
Dual CS-5000 bought new
Dahlquist DQ-10 2nd hand
Thorens TD-125 II 2nd hand (I think it was TOTL)
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I was 20 when I bought the B&O’s at one of a number of small 70’s stereo stores my enablers at work took me too. My 1st system was the cheapest they could offer. I didn’t know the speakers were TOTL until I read it 30 years later on Beoworld. The HP-1’s were the only Yamaha headphones and my new CR-600 had the HP section for them. Orthodynamic headphones were 30ish years before our modern easy to drive planer magnetics. E’stats without the hassles, just like Dahlquist’s weird DQ-10’s that I wanted badly, but couldn’t afford the Ampzilla or ARC amp & preamp to do them justice.
50 years later I still enjoy my M70’s in my main system. I’m more of a buy good, buy once guy.
 
Hmmm, let me think....

Yup, got a few: Definitely the:

- Sony WM-D6C
- AKG K-501
- Dual CS505-4 (not TOTL, when it was introduced -but became TOTL later on in the Dual-Fehrenbacher era)
- and Philips GP351 (top model of the ELM cartridge family).

And there might be some more in my phobo cartridge, portable CD player and headphone collections.

Oh, and the Marantz PM8000 and CD6000OSE probably were the TOTL integrated amp and regular CD player of the "Range Series" for a few years.

Well, and the hk 825 and hk 870 were the TOTL pre- and power-amp in the hk800 series - which isn't much of a miracle, though, 'cause the only other component in the hk800 series was the EQ 8. :biggrin:

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
elcoholic said:
I didn’t know the speakers were TOTL until I read it 30 years later on Beoworld. The HP-1’s were the only Yamaha headphones and my new CR-600 had the HP section for them. Orthodynamic headphones were 30ish years before our modern easy to drive planer magnetics. E’stats without the hassles, just like Dahlquist’s weird DQ-10’s that I wanted badly, but couldn’t afford the Ampzilla or ARC amp & preamp to do them justice.
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I never owned any TOTL units, no matter the make or type. My psychologist says that it's okay. Yet, I feel inadequate at times. :(

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Mwdan said:
I have a few things that were top of the line, but they still don't compare with lots of others that weren't top of the line.
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I personally rate the Nakamichi CA-5E well above it's 'TOTL' counterpart, the CA-7E probably due to it's Nelson Pass design. One of the great Japanese preamps imo, if you don't mind the lack of tone controls, it's still very good value for money, even in todays market.
 
The Marantz 2270 receiver I have is pretty close, at least for that era's receiver line. There was of course a mega-power one or two proced above the 2270, but those were pretty rare and it seems that for the ones more commonly available the 2270 was TOTL.
 
AudioAvarice said:
I personally rate the Nakamichi CA-5E well above it's 'TOTL' counterpart, the CA-7E probably due to it's Nelson Pass design. One of the great Japanese preamps imo, if you don't mind the lack of tone controls, it's still very good value for money, even in todays market.
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My Marantz SA-15S2 SACD player is not TOTL, but it is so wonderfully devoid of gratuitous tizz that I would be afraid to trade up.
 
burgerbob said:
By TOTL, I mean the top of it's own line.

For instance, my example would be the SPL Monitor 4000s. There are several lesser models of the SPL Monitor- mine is the top.

And sadly, I think that's my only TOTL component!

What about all of you?
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Sanyo C55, P55, T55 - a brief period where Sanyo tried to challenge the top Japanese makers with superb specs and general build quality. All are solid, far above average, units and typically low profile with the C55 and T55 especially slim units.

Technics ST-S8 tuner - match to the just below TOTL Technics Su-A8 and Se-A7 - all low profile 1U form factor units. My favorite looking set.

Hitachi HMA 8500 mkII and HCA 8500 mkII. IMO, MOSFET amplifier better than the preamp, but the preamp better than Hitachi's other preamps. (Just below that, the Hitachi HMA 7500 is a superb 75 w/ch MOSFET amp.)
 
FWIW, my late 2003 ordered, purchased, & still in use: Mc. XRT-30 line array speaker system was the Co`s TOTL speaker system offering at that time.
The Mc. line array speaker that it replaced was Mc.`s TOTL at the time I ordered in early 1989 : the XRT-22 speaker system.

Both were/are excellent sounding speaker systems, IMO/E, the 22s were not readily tri-amplifiable without altering the woofer/midrange cabinet`s connection plate, whereas the 30ties had the ability to readily be configured for bi &tri-amplification connection, if desired, which I did.
 
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