What one piece of equipment has blown your mind?

John Duncan

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What, none, ever?

There are two for me - a pair of those Dimaond-tweetered B&W thingies on the end of a modest Rega (I think) setup which showed me that the "source first" theory does not hold true.

And a 500 quid interconnect in a Rotel setup. Hoo CHA.
 

Gwyndy

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Jul 20, 2007
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Isol-8 Substation II, bought second hand, the difference it made to my system is remarkable, I just wish they had put a longer captive mains lead on it
 

Gwyndy

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Sorry your question makes it sound like you are only allowed to pick one thing (CD player/Amp etc)
If you are allowed to pick more than that, then the Chord set up that was demonstated at the Bristol Show in (I think) 2003, wandered out of the lift, heard the sweetest music and have wanted one ever since.
 

Miker

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Jul 26, 2007
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Probably small beer for you hifi buffs, but for me it would be my friend's Cyrus 8x CD setup playing Bach. It made me realise what I had been missing in the last decade with my old clapped out kit. I've now ordered a similar Cyrus set up and dusted down and modified my old LP12, and can't wait for the kit to arrive. The delay is in the bespoke hifi stand - I didn't think that putting the Cyrus kit on the carpet would be a good idea!
 
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Anonymous

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once upon a time i used the following syestem marantaz ose cd/ musical fidelity xa1 amp/ kef q35 speakers, (still use the xa1 with x-ray) any way , i decided to change the cd player and went for a cyrus dad 3 with a q module upgrade, i bought the unit second hand for about 500 pounds, the gain was awsome, sweet crisp open treble with a fast bass, in terms of kit i can afford that was a smack in the face that no upgrade has managed since. just thought id share that little story!
 

matthewpiano

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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.....
 

nads

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At the moment all i can say is the volume control of my current set up. currently hitting the old pile of 12" discs and was doing the wall live in Berlin and was thinking it was losing/lacking something. It was and i have found it. VOLUME.Waiting on some SACD's to arrive in the next few days should/could be interesting.
 

Charlie Jefferson

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Sep 2, 2007
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Two items in particular spring to mind. In terms of price they are a bit of a contrast: a Chord 64 DAC, bought four years ago and a Goldring 2400 cartridge bought a fortnight ago. Both opened up whole new worlds, hitherto only hinted at, in my CD and vinyl collections, respectively. Perhaps because it's the most recent acquisition, and also because I'm sifting through and playing vinyl both old and new, it's the cartridge that's given me most surprises and pleasure. Bantam *** by Jake Thackray and Introducing Gus Mancuso, both on vinyl, is where it's at!! My listening experience, as Chris Morris once said, is like a bomb made of jazz and feathers.
 

biggus_1961

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Going back a few years about 2000 i think when BW802 were first released in its current look and powered by Electrocompanient 'nemo' power amps and EC pre-amp. They played a dvd of an indy car racing around a track (Andretti i think it was). Sounded HUGE as the car drove under a bridge at high speed !
(pity the hairdressing salon next door though !)...And all this through just TWO speakers.
 

fatboyslimfast

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It has to be the first time I heard a pair of Stax Lambda Signature earspeakers being driven by a Roksan Xerxes and Naim 72/2x135...I haven't heard anything before or since that had such breathtaking clarity and realism.

And it's such a shame that I'll probably never be able to justify the spend on that system...even second hand!
 

John Duncan

Well-known member
I hear you. Strange also that I could justify 500 quid on a CD player, but not the interconnect a dealer demo'd for me ("just a bit of fun"), even though that more than anything made a system sing like no other. Perceived value is a strange thing.

I could even hide it round the back [:-D]
 
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Anonymous

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My ATC SCM-40 speakers + mains filters have done it for me.
Brent
 

Anton90125

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Sep 1, 2007
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A pair of the original Quad electrostatic coupled directly (not through transformers) to a valve amplifier. This was done at a hifi show (Hifi News and RR) by one of the great HiFi designers/Gurus/Genius - Tim de Paravicini. I am not sure how safe the set up was with high voltages (5000 volts ??) involved but the sound was - well mind blowing
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Charlie Jefferson"][quote user="Charlie Jefferson"]Bantam ***[/quote]

For those not au fait with Jake's wonderful words and music, the full album title is Bantam, then a four letter word that rhymes with sock.[/quote]

Jake was one of the greats.
 
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Anonymous

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An Avant Garde loudspeaker set. It was HUGE, loaded with a horn. Can't recall the exact model, been very long since then. I know they are not right there at the top, but at the time when I heard them, I hadn't heard any better. Did I also mention that they cost a bomb.
 
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Anonymous

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Recently purchased a Naim Supernait, WOW and getting better all the time.
 
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Anonymous

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Benchmark DAC-1 - if your system is laidback, this will set it on fire. Awesome bass too.

The Sugden Masterclass power amp too, altho initially i didn't have the right cable, but once i had it setup with nordost vishnu & frey (to sharpen the sound up), it was unbelievable - so much presense, it always reveals the acoustics of the recording so well and really put the performers in the room. It made the Primare a30.2 sound dull and mechanical (which is saying something!)
 
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Anonymous

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My Bush radio, its 10yrs old now but it puts anything else to shame, also my Alba tv better picture than anything you can buy today.
 
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Anonymous

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Probably the last thing I added to my 2 channel system. A set of affordable but good power cords. That darkened and quieted the background and pulled the music together. I was genuinely floored at what an affordable upgrade could do for an already good set-up.
 
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Anonymous

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My Wharfedale speakers. I'm quite sure that they are the last word in power and thump, but they are so detailed and so musically involving that I would not trade them for anything else. I thought - 3 stars - they cannot be that good. But they are soooo perfect.

The only other thing that completly blew my mind was some really big JBL 80s-90s speakers. They were floorstanders, about 1m tall and were a dark wood grain colour and quite wide also. I couldn't tell you the model, but I could identify a picture. These were powered by an early 90s AV amp (dunno what make) and played a laser disc through them. They were mortifying. They were so loud and powerful at 12 o'clock, we had to re-inforce the floor (it was in a converted loft) because the ceiling used to vibrate so much that it would crumble in the floor below! These things were mad! If anybody knows what they are, please tell me! The rear speakers were Wharfedale E-50s.
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
[quote user="Hughes123"]My Wharfedale speakers. I'm quite sure that they are the last word in power and thump, but they are so detailed and so musically involving that I would not trade them for anything else. I thought - 3 stars - they cannot be that good. But they are soooo perfect.

[/quote]

Just goes to show how the star ratings and reviews are really only a small part of the story. Some of the best pieces of hi-fi gear don't necessarily get the recognition they deserve and I think its so important to try the slightly lower rated kit sometimes in case the reviewers have missed a bit of a gem. I hear nothing but good things from MUSIC lovers about Wharfedale speakers and that really says something.
 

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