Your Personal Top Three Speaker-Amp Combos That You've Actually Heard.
- Thread starter musicfirst1
- Start date
I only listed one when the question was three.
1. Boulder 3060/YG Sonja XV (my system)
2. Boulder 3050s/Focal Grande Utopia (Boulder Factory)
3. Audio Research 160M/YG Sonja XV (tube amp demo at my house)
Honorable mentions:
Wilson Tune Tot/Luxman Integrated at THE Show 2019
Wilson Chronosonic XVX/D'Agostino amps (Audio Salon store)
1. Boulder 3060/YG Sonja XV (my system)
2. Boulder 3050s/Focal Grande Utopia (Boulder Factory)
3. Audio Research 160M/YG Sonja XV (tube amp demo at my house)
Honorable mentions:
Wilson Tune Tot/Luxman Integrated at THE Show 2019
Wilson Chronosonic XVX/D'Agostino amps (Audio Salon store)
1. Steve William's Lamm ML3 and Alexandria combo
2. Destination Audio horn speakers with 45 tube amp heard at CAS 2018
3. Whammerdyne 2A3/Pure Audio Project Voxative heard at CAS 2018/19
4. Sadurni horns with 300b drivers
5.Border Patrol 300b amps with Volti Audio Horns/subwoofer.
6. Apogee speakers with almost anything, high power tubes if possible.
Hmm, seems to be a trend here, no solid state amp contenders, Heh, Heh. Also, these are clearly personal preference related. Audio Federation new Audio Note 300b amps with Acapella horns were good. I would probably give honorable mention to Pass Labs XA25 and Zu Audio speakers for solid state.
There are lots of great combos besides these, but these I have heard and remember.
I rather like my recent 75 inch ribbons in the midrange with 45/2A3 tubes as well, but these are odd lot and out of production.
2. Destination Audio horn speakers with 45 tube amp heard at CAS 2018
3. Whammerdyne 2A3/Pure Audio Project Voxative heard at CAS 2018/19
4. Sadurni horns with 300b drivers
5.Border Patrol 300b amps with Volti Audio Horns/subwoofer.
6. Apogee speakers with almost anything, high power tubes if possible.
Hmm, seems to be a trend here, no solid state amp contenders, Heh, Heh. Also, these are clearly personal preference related. Audio Federation new Audio Note 300b amps with Acapella horns were good. I would probably give honorable mention to Pass Labs XA25 and Zu Audio speakers for solid state.
There are lots of great combos besides these, but these I have heard and remember.
I rather like my recent 75 inch ribbons in the midrange with 45/2A3 tubes as well, but these are odd lot and out of production.
I've never heard anything better than Jeffrey Jackson's: https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/...ystem-ive-ever-heard.25254/page-2#post-532345
Audio Physics Gaudi with three big Krell's - just for loud rock!
XLF's with Constellation Audio Hercules/Altair
WAMM's with subs and D'Agostino Relelntless
All of them in large rooms!
XLF's with Constellation Audio Hercules/Altair
WAMM's with subs and D'Agostino Relelntless
All of them in large rooms!
Interesting...so are you thinking Hercules/Altair for yourself? You have been alternating with ARC, CJ and ML for some time...so i am intrigued by your pairing.
Unfortunately no - too expensive for me, the ones which have shown at nice prices are the old version that sounds very inferior. BTW you forgot the VTL's - the ARC REF40/VTL Siegfried II is perhaps the best overall choice for my system. The cj's are by far the best value for money!
Hang on...the most consistent proponent of maintaining the SAME manufacturer for preamp and amp says the best choice is ARC Ref40 + VTL Siegfried II? Assuming we run with the Siegfried given its legendary status...why not the VTL Series 3?
Agree, Jeffrey's system is the finest I've ever heard and not by a small margin.
Next best was a pair of Wilson Wamms bi-amped with 2 Naim 500s in a large loft in Brooklyn. At the time, I thought it was a strange combination, but boy did it sound incredible.
I also really enjoyed my ATC 50s fronted by a Naim 552 and Naimed LP12 in an old deco building I lived in on 22nd Street. It was pure luck to have the speakers and room gel so perfectly. I could never get the ATCs to sound the same after we moved.
These - stacked Quads - pretty much transcend all others I have heard - even better than big Wilsons. Paired with 300B push pull amps integral to the speakers. Fantastic cabinet work, plasma super tweeters, Garrard 3xx spinner, Alnic TOTL phono amp - quite an experience.
At an audio show. The owner of these prefers to remain private. These are made on an individual "order" basis. I have no idea what they cost and am frankly not even interested for whatever the price? THEY ARE MORE THAN WORTH IT. Incredible - like sitting in row 12 of a concert hall. Also, though not pictured there is a Cello Palette for "fine tuning" each record. About the most impressive reproduction equipment I have ever heard. YMMV.
Here is more of the rack. HP lab power supplies for bias. more tubes for the plasma super tweeters, AC isolation transformers on the floor. And of course the Cello Palette. Quit a rig. Plays ONLY vinyl - and each record, in its own slip cover has an index card listing the Cello settings for the way that recording should be played. Very impressive - a new definition of whats best. Again - I haven't heard every system, though I have heard many systems at RMAF - and of course - YMMV.
BTW: the Alnic TOTL phono amp is a two chassis affair.
Even the stator tension supply is all tube - integrated with the speakers - Mercury Vapor tubes running 6000 vdc. Egad!!!
BTW: the Alnic TOTL phono amp is a two chassis affair.
Even the stator tension supply is all tube - integrated with the speakers - Mercury Vapor tubes running 6000 vdc. Egad!!!
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