100 Most Important Audio Components
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[Deleted User]
Posts: 7,658
Hello,
Since the last couple of audio related lists seemed to generate some interesting comments and opinions from quite a few members, I thought I would bring up another. This was a listing done by Stereophile in November of 2002, they asked the reviewing staff to list the 100 audio components that they felt were most significant, in their opinion.
Here goes in descending order:
100). Polk Cobra Cable
99). Advent 201 cassette deck
98). Nakamichi Dragon
97). AR 3A speakers
96). Crown DC300A power amp
95). Magnum Dynalab FT-101A tuner
94). Nagra IV-S open reel deck
93). ReVox A77
92). Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers
91). Yamaha NS1000 speakers
90). The Advent Speaker
89). Supex SD900 MC phono cartridge
88). Acoustic Energy AE1 speakers
87). Acoustat 2+2 speakers
86). Rowland Concentra Integrated Amp
85). Vendetta Research SCP-2 pre-preamp
84). Audio Alchemy Digital Transmission Interface
83). Janis W-1 sub
82). MBL 101d speakers
81). PSB Alpha
80). Digital Audio Labs Card Deluxe
79). Thorens TD124
78). Quick Silver MX-190 amp
77). Dynavector Karat DV-17D MC cartridge
76). Hafler DH-200
75). Spica TC50 speakers
74). Advent 300 receiver
73). Sony CDP-101
72). Philips CD-100
71). Shahinian Obelisk
70). Sennheiser HD-414
69). Shure V-15
68). Grado Original
67). McIntosh MR78 tuner
66). Sequerra Model 1
65). Avant Garde Uno
64). Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage
63). Pas Labs Aleph amp
62). DNM Solid Core speaker wire
61). Musical Fidelity Digilog
60). Arcam Delta
59). PS Audio Link D/A
58). Audio Alchemy Digital Decoding Engine
57). Oracle Delphi turntable
56). SOTA Star Sapphire turntable
55). VPI HW-19 turntable
54). Well Tempered turntable
53). Roksan Xerxes turntable
52). Audio Power Industries Power Wedge 1
51). PS Audio P300 Power Plant
50). KEF Reference 107
49). Apogee Scintilla speakers
48). KLH 9 speakers
47). CAT SL-1 preamp
46). Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista CD player
45). Nagra D
44). Graham Tonearm
43). SME 3009
42). Meridian D600
41). Celestion SL-600
40). Cello Palette EQ
39). TacT R2.0 digital EQ
38). Cary CAD805
37). Halcro dm58 amp
36). Meridian MCD
35). Sony SCD-1 SACD player
34). Levinson No.30 D/A
33). GAS Ampzilla
32). Niam NAP250
31). Audible Illusions Modulus preamp
30). Rega Planar 3 turntable
29). Adcom GFA-555 amp
28). Mod Squad Tip Toes
27). Spendor BC-1 speakers
26). Thiel CS3.6 speakers
25). BBC LS3/5a speakers
24). Wilson WATT
23). Martin Logan CLS
22). ARC D-150 amp
21). Levinson LNP-2 preamp
20). Monster Original speaker wire
19). NAD 3020
18). ARC SP10 preamp
17). Krell KSA-100
16). Levinson ML-2
15). Dynaco ST70
14). Boulder 2008
13). Conrad Johnson ART preamp
12). Levinson No. 33
11). Rockport System III turntable
10). B&W Nautilus
9). Infinity IRS
8). Wilson WAMM
7). B&W 801
6). Magnapan Timpani
5). AR XA turntable
4). Koetsu Rosewood
3). Vandersteen 2 speakers
2). Quad ESL-63 speakers
1). Linn LP12 turntable
I hope this is helpful when looking for classic gear; as I go upstairs and listen to my #93 playing through #83 and #23, maybe the #69 will show up so I can put it on #5. Hopefully!
Enjoy, Ken
Since the last couple of audio related lists seemed to generate some interesting comments and opinions from quite a few members, I thought I would bring up another. This was a listing done by Stereophile in November of 2002, they asked the reviewing staff to list the 100 audio components that they felt were most significant, in their opinion.
Here goes in descending order:
100). Polk Cobra Cable
99). Advent 201 cassette deck
98). Nakamichi Dragon
97). AR 3A speakers
96). Crown DC300A power amp
95). Magnum Dynalab FT-101A tuner
94). Nagra IV-S open reel deck
93). ReVox A77
92). Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers
91). Yamaha NS1000 speakers
90). The Advent Speaker
89). Supex SD900 MC phono cartridge
88). Acoustic Energy AE1 speakers
87). Acoustat 2+2 speakers
86). Rowland Concentra Integrated Amp
85). Vendetta Research SCP-2 pre-preamp
84). Audio Alchemy Digital Transmission Interface
83). Janis W-1 sub
82). MBL 101d speakers
81). PSB Alpha
80). Digital Audio Labs Card Deluxe
79). Thorens TD124
78). Quick Silver MX-190 amp
77). Dynavector Karat DV-17D MC cartridge
76). Hafler DH-200
75). Spica TC50 speakers
74). Advent 300 receiver
73). Sony CDP-101
72). Philips CD-100
71). Shahinian Obelisk
70). Sennheiser HD-414
69). Shure V-15
68). Grado Original
67). McIntosh MR78 tuner
66). Sequerra Model 1
65). Avant Garde Uno
64). Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage
63). Pas Labs Aleph amp
62). DNM Solid Core speaker wire
61). Musical Fidelity Digilog
60). Arcam Delta
59). PS Audio Link D/A
58). Audio Alchemy Digital Decoding Engine
57). Oracle Delphi turntable
56). SOTA Star Sapphire turntable
55). VPI HW-19 turntable
54). Well Tempered turntable
53). Roksan Xerxes turntable
52). Audio Power Industries Power Wedge 1
51). PS Audio P300 Power Plant
50). KEF Reference 107
49). Apogee Scintilla speakers
48). KLH 9 speakers
47). CAT SL-1 preamp
46). Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista CD player
45). Nagra D
44). Graham Tonearm
43). SME 3009
42). Meridian D600
41). Celestion SL-600
40). Cello Palette EQ
39). TacT R2.0 digital EQ
38). Cary CAD805
37). Halcro dm58 amp
36). Meridian MCD
35). Sony SCD-1 SACD player
34). Levinson No.30 D/A
33). GAS Ampzilla
32). Niam NAP250
31). Audible Illusions Modulus preamp
30). Rega Planar 3 turntable
29). Adcom GFA-555 amp
28). Mod Squad Tip Toes
27). Spendor BC-1 speakers
26). Thiel CS3.6 speakers
25). BBC LS3/5a speakers
24). Wilson WATT
23). Martin Logan CLS
22). ARC D-150 amp
21). Levinson LNP-2 preamp
20). Monster Original speaker wire
19). NAD 3020
18). ARC SP10 preamp
17). Krell KSA-100
16). Levinson ML-2
15). Dynaco ST70
14). Boulder 2008
13). Conrad Johnson ART preamp
12). Levinson No. 33
11). Rockport System III turntable
10). B&W Nautilus
9). Infinity IRS
8). Wilson WAMM
7). B&W 801
6). Magnapan Timpani
5). AR XA turntable
4). Koetsu Rosewood
3). Vandersteen 2 speakers
2). Quad ESL-63 speakers
1). Linn LP12 turntable
I hope this is helpful when looking for classic gear; as I go upstairs and listen to my #93 playing through #83 and #23, maybe the #69 will show up so I can put it on #5. Hopefully!
Enjoy, Ken
Post edited by [Deleted User] on
Comments
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A local Polkie gave me his collection of Stereophile mags.
I really don't need any more info/lists. I need more $$$$!!!"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson -
What is the Polk Cobra Cable ????
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I have suscribed to them for years and that is quite a list Ken and picking 100 things is of course as subjective as the BCS poll of college teams. One thing or caveat, if you dont or haven't used stereophile as a marketing technique your gear is left out. There are several companies not noted because of this, but its certainly something to dig our teeth into......audio rocks.
I might present that the work of Henry Wolcott is not noted, his amplifier circuit is noted as particular genius within the industry. Perhaps not considered "vintage" enough. Nothing from Carver noted....
Pretty cool seeing the Cobra's, when we were invited to Matt's he talked a bit about cable and how he wished he might of pursued them more.
RT1 -
Can't say I'd agree with the list 100%, and I'm sure there would be some significant changes if it were published today (especially with respect to the digital equipment), but it is definitely a list of products that have had a significant impact on the market. Some were long lasting products that went through many iterations; some were short lived but influential.
I've had direct experience with about 2 dozen of products listed, but only one has managed to become a permanent part of my collection (#55).For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore... -
Nothing from Bob C, only a cable mentioned from Polk... and no Bose on the list. Looks like BS if you ask me.
The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
November of 20002??? Is this a futuristic opinion???:redface::biggrin:Pio Elete Pro 520
Panamax 5400-EX
Sunfire TGP 5
Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
PS Audio GCPH phono pre
Sunfire CG 200 X 5
Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
OPPO BDP-83 SE
SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
Ctr CS1000p
Sur - FX1000 x 4
SUB - SVS PB2-Plus
Workkout room:
Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
Onkyo TX-DS898
GFA 555
Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
Ft - SDA 1C
Not being used:
RTi 38's -4
RT55i's - 2
RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
LSI 15's
CSi40
PSW 404 -
Yep! Everything will be dinosaur and vintage by then. Everything will be museum piece. I am keeping the time on my time capsule to 20003 to see what the 2002 looks like.:biggrin: Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin:
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Sorry about the extra "0" in the date, digital error I guess. Actually, all things considered I think it's a pretty good list. Sure, everyone's favorites might not be included, but then it would be "your" list not their's.
Maybe a list of the best little known components? I think the Hegeman HAP I preamp would be on it. -
Pretty good list! It gets some additional validity by not having anything from Bob Carver included. I'm proud to say there's a few components on the list I have owned, most notably the Magnepan Timpani's. I've got a couple of Dynaco ST70's, well kits really, in cardboard boxes waiting for me to have time to mess with them. I've owned DQ10's and the original Large Advent speakers. Thanks Ken, that's an interesting list!
Marantz must not have been a good Stereophile advertiser because I would of thought some of the early Marantz stuff might of made the list.DKG999
HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED
Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC -
I agree, now that you mention it, the Marantz 10B and 7C should be included in any list.
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I wonder if monster wire would still be at 20 if asked in 2010? Corporate Politics aside Lee did try to set some sort of baseline.
Of course I am not very objective but I would say the Polk Monitor 10/7 should be there, even the RTA line, look at how many speakers today employ it, Polk was ahead of its time.
RT1 -
I believe the Fulton Gold speaker wire should have taken Monster's place. Anybody use DMN Solid Core wire? Any of our UK friends?
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I was just kidding about an extra 0 but it's fun.
I humbly think there are best little known components left out there.
For instance, there is :
Onkyo Grand Integra M-510 Amp
Denon POA-8000 Class A Monobloc amps
Denon PRA-6000 Class A preamp
Yamaha Centennial MX-10000 amp
Yamaha Centennial CX-10000 preamp
Hegeman Preamp (you mentioned it)
Stax Ear Speakers / Headphones
Definitely Carver Amazings Loudspeaker (but Mr. Carver is Stereophile arch enemy so it's understandable)
Kenwood L-07D Turntable
Mcintosh MC275 Tube Amps
Not last but at least the newer MaC MC2KW.Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin: -
Pretty good list! It gets some additional validity by not having anything from Bob Carver included.
The Carver Silver Seven Vacuum Tube Monoblocks should be on the list.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
A noted omission is the lack of Threshold gear. It was pretty ground breaking at the time. Certainly NP could be considered among the fore fathers of solid state design. Nice to see the Pass Aleph series mentioned as that was a turning point for more affordable high end SS gear.
As much as I personally think Carver gear is very blah...........it, as well as Bob, certainly deserved a mention for all the "tricks" he experimented with. While, IMO, some of his designs are novel, they were well received at the time and people still continue to like them.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
If the list were compiled today...8 years later...I bet it would be substantially different."Just because youre offended doesnt mean youre right." - Ricky Gervais
"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase
"Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson -
What do you think would be different?
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I think the audio landscape has changed drastically in the last 8 years. Much like technology in general, audio technology is increasing at an accelerating pace. While that may not be the case for some of us old farts...when talking to audio "media" types a couple of years ago they were raving about the pace of change in the audio world. So I think the list would include a lot of "significant" items brought on by the onslaught of digitial advances of the last few years...and some of the stuff that fostered change or was significant in the past would be viewed as less so now. I might be wrong...but it is just my impression that is how the compilers of the list would see things."Just because youre offended doesnt mean youre right." - Ricky Gervais
"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase
"Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson -
I would think the Logitech SqueezeBox or some other representation of digital music streaming would make the list if it was revised for 2010DKG999
HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED
Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC -
dkg999 wrote:I would think the Logitech SqueezeBox or some other representation of digital music streaming would make the list if it was revised for 2010
I think the iPod would be very high on the list."Just because youre offended doesnt mean youre right." - Ricky Gervais
"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase
"Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson -
nooshinjohn wrote: »The Carver Silver Seven Vacuum Tube Monoblocks should be on the list.
I am going to have to disagree on this. While I am a carver fan, and I do have a sunfire amp and carver amazing speakers, the silver 7 tube amps were great but, as far as ground breaking, or the first one out there to make a high power tube amp, he was not. So I can see why it did not make the list.
To me, to be on a important list, it should be a innovator of a design or idea. I could see his down converting power supply on the list before a tube amp.
That goes for the "I would submit that the Emotiva XPA-2 amp has got to be there too" that was an expansion of a older design.
Shack "I think the iPod would be very high on the list. " YES i 100% agree that was a 1st of a design.Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's. -
I would submit that the Emotiva XPA-2 amp has got to be there too.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.........thanks for the laugh.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
There is nothing important about anything emo...certainly no where near top 100...might break into the top 10,000."Just because youre offended doesnt mean youre right." - Ricky Gervais
"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase
"Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson -
There is nothing important about anything emo...certainly no where near top 100...might break into the top 10,000.
Emo tops my list of 100(things NOT to buy):biggrin: The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
Emotiva is there with a good representative product from an Internet company (a new relatively new development) with a ridiculously low price point for quality electronic equipment.
That's been done before and a lot better execution and design as well. Nothing even remotely about Emotiva should be on a list of the "Top 100" anything. That doesn't mean the gear doesn't fit a niche, but that's like putting the Ford Pinto on a list of top 100 cars.
Seriously, are you just trolling? You can't possibly think Emo deserves inclusion on this list..........I mean come on really?????????
Did you read where they stated "significant"?
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
As far as ground breaking invention goes, there is no mentioning of
1. Western Electric Consoles / RCA Consoles
2. No Altec and JBL speakers (you know what I am talking about).
3. No Heil Air Motion Tweeter / No Plasma (Ion charge) Tweeters.
And definitely some nice Pioneer RTR and 8 Tracks Players....
But I guess these didn't make sense to Stereophile, huh?
On a side note, I like Agent X to know Emotiva has a loud talking cult like fans group and should be on the top 100 of fan group list.Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin: -
Absolutely not, the Pinto has no redeeming qualities whereas the XPA-2 has several. It is truly a fine amp and remarkable at it's price point achievable by being engineered in the USA, manufactured in China and sold by an excellent US Internet direct company.
Your mischaracterization is completely off base. The Pinto was a safety hazard and an embarrassment to Ford.
The XPA-2 is a source of pride and a monument to success.
And you have never heard about flaming Emo's? I have heard several reports of them turning into smoking hulks when exposed to anything other than an easy 8 ohm load.
Please, can one thread stay on topic without emoettes trying to derail it?The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
The XPA-2 is a source of pride and a monument to success.
Thats great sig material right there...lol :rolleyes: for a laugh!!!!
It was such a source of pride that I sold it within a week of owning it..
I would rather own and drive a Ford Pinto!!! lol
J/K I agree with you 100% -
I think SDA should be on the list as it was definitely significant.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
What do the Polk Cobra cables look like??
