What one piece of equipment has blown your mind?

[matthewpiano]

...and just as I finished typing that last reply the door-bell went. It was my new Wharfedale Diamond 8.3+ floorstanders being delivered. Have set them up and am now running them in with a bit of Richard Thompson. Already blowing me away. Beautifully natural and detailed with the most even frequency response I've ever heard from a speaker.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Sempron"]My Bush radio, its 10yrs old now but it puts anything else to shame[/quote]

One of my relatives bought a Bush Cassette recorder - some 25 years ago. I felt it sounded very nice for the money.

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="ranjeetrain"][quote user="Sempron"]My Bush radio, its 10yrs old now but it puts anything else to shame[/quote]

One of my relatives bought a Bush Cassette recorder - some 25 years ago. I felt it sounded very nice for the money.[/quote]

One of my relatives bought us a Bush Clematis last summer. No distortion whatsoever and looks perfectly natural, with no judder at all - unless it's really windy.

 

[John Duncan]

You have to be careful with those clematis though. Need careful partnering.

 

[John Duncan]

Sorry, too many 'careful's

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]Sorry, too many 'careful's[/quote]

You can never be too careful.

 

[Anonymous]

In the late 70s my father bought a Quad 405/45 amp, Revox B790 turntable and had a pair of bespoke SMC floorstanders that were huge. When I was 10 he played the record Nutbush City Limits by Tina Turner - it blew me away. The speakers had a labyrinth design in the lower half designed to provide low bass. The system made the windows rattle and floorboards shake. It was superb.

Since then I have loved hifi. The thing I miss the most is the effortless scale my father's system had. We bought a Mission Dad3 CDP some years later and it sounded utterly useless compared to the vinyl.

I think it's time to purchase a turntable...

 

[John Duncan]

It is always the time to buy a turntable. Got a Project RPM5.2 for Christmas, after three years without one.

 

[Tesler]

17 years ago I heard a Pioneer A400 amplifier.

I instantly parted with some dosh and took it home.
I have used amps from NAD (C350 which wasn't bad) but caught fire and died, and also from Cambridge Audio (740a) but found that rough at the top end and uninspiring. Anyway, 17 years on and said A400 is still sounding fantastic and still thrilling, certainly the best piece of Hifi equipment I've ever had.

 

[Anonymous]

Has to be the Bowers and wilkins 800s and the full 800D cinema set, I heard at soundcraft hifi. I think it was fed by the arcam FMJ setup. Its a bit of a cliche but I did feel hairs raising down my back.

 

[Anonymous]

One of my favorites affordable wise is The Sonneteer Campion amplifier, I've yet to hear a amplifier under £1000 that betters it. Best digital equipment was a California Audio Lab Alpha DAC, best Vinyl VPI, best speaker has been the Revolver Cygnis.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="matthewpiano"]...and just as I finished typing that last reply the door-bell went. It was my new Wharfedale Diamond 8.3+ floorstanders being delivered. Have set them up and am now running them in with a bit of Richard Thompson. Already blowing me away. Beautifully natural and detailed with the most even frequency response I've ever heard from a speaker.[/quote]

He he he. Those are nice speakers too - I think why Wharfedales tend to be a bit under-rated is that they are not very authoritive. You need to be the sort of person who listens to music rather than an audiophile. What are you using to power them? I put them on my old JVC mini-hifi and they still amazed me! They accept any hi-fi set-up what so ever! No problem with partnering at all.

 

[matthewpiano]

[quote user="Hughes123"][quote user="matthewpiano"]...and just as I finished typing that last reply the door-bell went. It was my new Wharfedale Diamond 8.3+ floorstanders being delivered. Have set them up and am now running them in with a bit of Richard Thompson. Already blowing me away. Beautifully natural and detailed with the most even frequency response I've ever heard from a speaker.[/quote]

He he he. Those are nice speakers too - I think why Wharfedales tend to be a bit under-rated is that they are not very authoritive. You need to be the sort of person who listens to music rather than an audiophile. What are you using to power them? I put them on my old JVC mini-hifi and they still amazed me! They accept any hi-fi set-up what so ever! No problem with partnering at all.[/quote]

Using NAD C325BEE. Works really well with them. I agree completely - Wharfedales are perfect for music lovers. They seem to make you forget about the hi-fi and that is something that a lot of very expensive gear fails to do. I've been through quite a few pairs of speakers in the last couple of years and its only with these that I feel as if I've found something which is fully satisfying.

 

[Anonymous]

You see, I'm really stuck for what amp to get. I know I need a new one, but I'm just not sure whether a new amp is worth the outlay. I love my JVC and it is on its last legs - I really want a JVC A-X9, but there is just none around.

I guess I'll wait untill the new NADs come out, and if there is no A-X9 around, I'll buy the sort of £350 priced one! And an external phono box. The C325BEE would probably be brill actually - but I heard something about it being replaced??

 

[Anonymous]

My friend has some original AE1s with the proper stands, they completely blew me away. A pretty modest setup with Cyrus 6 cd and audiolab 8000a amp, but the sound was the most detailed and accurate I've heard. For 4" drivers they are absolutely stunning.

(Don't particularly want to own them though for some reason???)

 

[Anonymous]

I help out in the Quad Yahoo forum. I mentioned this TDP and 57 combo, but have'nt been able to find any more info. Can you remember which eyar this was? I thought I'd written the show report for HFN covering this news item, but can't find it in my files. Can you help? I can almost remember which room it was as well, but not which year.

Thanks,

Chris Beeching

 

[Thaiman]

Now that is hard! I heard many that blown my mind which consequencely blown my bank account!

Something that I lush over but can't afford, I suppose it must be this.....

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="matthewpiano"]My Sony SCD-XA1200ES. It sat there quietly in our shop for a couple of months and I never really took notice of it, except to admire the current trademark ES waterfall styling. I ignored it because it wasn't a Rega, Arcam, Creek or the like. Then I became intrigued. What does a £600 Sony SACD player sound like playing normal red book CDs, and what does it sound like playing stereo SACDs. How would it sound through a proper stereo amp in proper listening space? So I took it home and the rest of the story is easy to guess. It literally blew me away with its dynamic and musical sound and, at very very reduced price due to it being 'slow stock', I bagged myself a bargain. Perhaps best not to judge a book by its cover after all!! Its always the quiet ones.....[/quote]

If it literally blew you away, how come you're here posting? :-o