100 Most Important Audio Components

nooshinjohn

A bar/art gallery? That is about the oddest combination I have ever heard, unless the bathroom graffiti was done by Picasso...

heiney9

Not really odd at all. I guess when I say "bar" I don't mean like a sports bar or bar and grill. It's downtown in the art district it's in a older 2 story building. The lower level sells all kinds of unique artsy stuff from all over the world as well as from local artists. You know the kind of stuff you don;t see everyday. Upstairs he has gallery openings and it's a bar albeit somewhat limited. No tap beer and really only a few top shelf offerings of each type of liquor. A nice place to go and take in an artsy type vibe.

There is also another place across the street called Octane Lounge which is an ecclectic type bar/coffee/art house that serves delicious food that used to use Polk 5JRs also.

H9

[Deleted User]

There used to be a really great jazz bar called Ethel's Place that had several pairs of Monitor 5JRs placed around the bar area. I think Al worked on that arrangement. He has a personal goal to have Polk speakers in every bar in B-more.

Face

No Tannoy, Heil, or Altec, pfff...

I wouldn't be surprised to see Revel Ultima's on a newer list.

steveinaz

There's a Bar in Las Cruces, New Mexico that we frequent (Hotel bar) that has 4 Polk Monitor 10's mounted high in the corners firing down---love'm. Judging from the dust on them, they probably spent their entire life there.

George Grand

Any list of the top 25 (forget 100) audio devices that doesn't include the Dynaco "Quadaptor" is full of ****.

At Polkfest '10 in Totowa, we ate at some Italian place that had Martin-Logan floor standers hanging from the corners of the bar, with the huge M-L center channel between them. They had huge surrounds but it was impossible to tell what they were. Big Adcom amps doing the work.

nooshinjohn

Maybe we should start a new list of the top 100 and the bottom 100....

cstmar01

xcapri79 wrote: »

The XPA-2 is a source of pride and a monument to success.

To whom? That has to be one of the funniest things I've read. In no way,shape, or form did this amp redefine the product, nor did it really do anything speical. Its a easy design found in serveral other products. If you wanted to talk about the COMPANY for what they did thats different but claiming one single amp from them redefined audio is absurd. Also the amp is of the build quality for the price and nothing speical. Sure its heavy but doesn't mean anything if its just filled with junk for parts.

TroyD wrote: »

False. Black Bear.

If you wanted to go the Internet company angle, I would say Outlaw was first on the scene. Bang/buck amplification? Hafler and Heathkit probably invented the concept...but, I'd go with Adcom on that premise.

The rest of the list....some glaring omissions...but gets a lot of things right.

BDT

have to agree on this. Emo is doing nothing speical on the market. Outlaw was before them doing internet direct sales. Do your homework X before you start talking like a crazy person. Emo is fine for the price point, but they didn't do anything speical that would require any speical acknowledgment in the current market, besides creating processors that are piles of junk that never work right and even after several firmwares still don't. Not the rep I would want to have as a company.

Anyways,

Thanks for the list, I think the list would change from then until now as we have moved over into a more digital relm as well. So transports, or media servers, DAC's would be more on the list I think as well as there are some that are highly regarded for their build/SQ that I think helped push the market and show whats out there.

I think one company that does things a bit different and a good product was the Wadia 170i ipod transport. First to bypass the internal DAC of the ipod and use the ipod simply as a storage device.

shack

TroyD wrote:

If you wanted to go the Internet company angle, I would say Outlaw was first on the scene.

I was thinking the same thing. Outlaw has been around for a while building and selling quality product online only. Nothing groundbreaking or earth shattering...but taking existing concepts...tweeking them...putting their own twist on them...and selling them at reasonable prices on the net.

Maybe at some point there should be an internet only company's product on the list. Given the cost of B&M it is probably the wave of the future. I don't know if that would be Outlaw...SVS...HSU...Oppo...Axiom...etc., not to mention all the small truly niche players at the high end of the spectrum that are predominately internet driven. Maybe no individual product is worthy to be on list...but the concept is certainly important.

Danny Tse

No Technics SL-1200 turntable?

sucks2beme

Trouble is, if it was all inclusive, it would be too big.
Google is your friend! that and a couple of questions here
should cover all that is worthwhile to buy.

camp21178

I was thinking the original Technics direct drive turntable could be on there, and maybe the Bose 901s. I'm not saying they were the best but the 901s were groundbreaking.

nooshinjohn

camp21178 wrote: »

I was thinking the original Technics turntable could be on there, and maybe the Bose 901s. I'm not saying they were the best but the 901s were groundbreaking.

So were the first set of nails on a chalkboard, but alas, they did not make the list either.

camp21178

Sorry, I screwed up and said AR turntable, then I changed it to Technics.

reeltrouble1

I would put the best digital format ever used for digital recording on a new list....

Direct Stream Digital

RT1

mmadden28

I am a little puzzled why there are no Polk Audio speakers on that list. What with "more than 65 patents for advances in audio design and technology", you'd think that something from Polk other than an old speaker cable (with inherent issues) would have made it, no???

Of course I haven't read the original article so I don't know what parameters the reviewing staff were given to make thier choices from, or if they were limited to what was advertised in StereoPhile, etc, etc.

Honestly, and I'm sure it has already been suggested with all the recent 'list' discussions of late, why don't we at Club Polk come up with a listing of our own--There has to be enough of a knowledge base and experience to come up with a decent list based on well established parameters right??

Perhaps several categories, and/or time periods. And not just a list but a comment as to why it made the list, etc.

messiah

mmadden28 wrote: »

I am a little puzzled why there are no Polk Audio speakers on that list. What with "more than 65 patents for advances in audio design and technology", you'd think that something from Polk other than an old speaker cable (with inherent issues) would have made it, no???

Of course I haven't read the original article so I don't know what parameters the reviewing staff were given to make thier choices from, or if they were limited to what was advertised in StereoPhile, etc, etc.

Honestly, and I'm sure it has already been suggested with all the recent 'list' discussions of late, why don't we at Club Polk come up with a listing of our own--There has to be enough of a knowledge base and experience to come up with a decent list based on well established parameters right??

Perhaps several categories, and/or time periods. And not just a list but a comment as to why it made the list, etc.

Yeah, no kidding. A set of cables that actually destroys amps made the top 100?

ecod123

Some nice items on the list, as well as some surprisingly omissions. Wish I were fortunate enough to have owned more on the list - but the ministry of finance wouldn't have been amiable. :biggrin:

TroyD

Let me draw a diagram.

POINT ..................................................................................... A lot of you guys

mrbigbluelight

Polkie2009 wrote: »

+1 on SDA and ESS AMT. Anybody old enough here to remember the Lear Jet 8 track cartridges?

Unfortunately, I do. :redface: Pretty neat idea, but it had one inherent flaw: by design, it would ALWAYS wind the tape just a smidgen tighter each time the tape was played. Not a lot, but just a gnat's hair tighter. Get a good tape, and eventually it HAD to break.
Last 8-track I had was by The Grass Roots (and, yeah, I think Daniel Boone was an original member :rolleyes:).

The ESS AMT (and Heil's Amt1b speaker) was very innovative. A lot of folks perceived the highs as too harsh or forward, but a lot of folks didn't. I have to admit I and a lot of my friends back in the day loved them. Admittedly, our normal hearing response was less than perfect from time spent around steam turbines, etc so our opinions would definitely be different than others.
I recall Heil's ads for explaining the AMT's principle of operation with their "Squeeze a cherry pit" ads.

lakesailor

mrbigbluelight wrote: »

Unfortunately, I do. :redface: Pretty neat idea, but it had one inherent flaw: by design, it would ALWAYS wind the tape just a smidgen tighter each time the tape was played. Not a lot, but just a gnat's hair tighter. Get a good tape, and eventually it HAD to break.
Last 8-track I had was by The Grass Roots (and, yeah, I think Daniel Boone was an original member :rolleyes:).

The ESS AMT (and Heil's Amt1b speaker) was very innovative. A lot of folks perceived the highs as too harsh or forward, but a lot of folks didn't. I have to admit I and a lot of my friends back in the day loved them. Admittedly, our normal hearing response was less than perfect from time spent around steam turbines, etc so our opinions would definitely be different than others.
I recall Heil's ads for explaining the AMT's principle of operation with their "Squeeze a cherry pit" ads.

Those were the days.....I recall them all......even blew up a few ESS woofer's in the day.

Tony M

ESS..

SOUND AS CLEAR AS LIGHT...:biggrin:



Their woofers were kind of fragil.


I still have my pair of AMT 1D's.:cool:

Polkie2009

I had to replace a woofer once on the old ESS AMT 1B's I had. Used to crank them pretty hard, so something had to give eventually,lol. Wanted to throw another one out there, anybody remember the Sonic Holography circuitry in the old Phase Linear 4000 preamps? These were a Bob Carver innovation right?

steveinaz

Yep, they were also featured on the C-1 and C-2 preamps, and standalone Carver Holographic processor.

debussyj

Geez, i've got at least four of these items on the list that are still working perfectly in my systems that I bought brand spanking new! Now I feel old. Lol
DJ

hearingimpared

I've owned five on that list. I now only have one. The one I most regret selling is the Shure V15 cartridge. That was a real peach. When I first became a member here I was really trying to find a replacement but had no luck as the ones I came across were beat or I didn't like what was posted in an ad.

dee1949

...My all time favorites and on the list....are the magnepan Typani speakers. I never owned them, but my friends brother opened a gallery in a loft in SOHO in NY. Had 18' ceilings and an open floor plan. They were driven my the highest powered amps of their day. Heard Pink Floyd. Was total "AWESOME".....but a few months later at his bachelor party with hundreds of people stuffed into the gallery....you couldn't hear them... Had to borrow a neighbors Pro JBL's.

Timothy Smith

I have owned 7 of those components, several times for a few or them:

Dahlquist DQ-10 (3 times)
The Advent speaker (2 times)
Spica TC50
Advent 300 Receiver (2 times)
Adcom GFA-555
Dynaco ST70
Vandersteen 2

So mostly the less expensive items on the list.

I wonder what the best bang for the buck combinations selected from this list would be

What I wouldn't give to try them all.

[Deleted User]

Hello,
A nice sounding small system would be:
AR XA
Shure V15
Advent 300
Spica TC50 with suitable stands, maybe Chicago Speaker stands
DNM solid core wire

Ken

Timothy Smith

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Hello,
A nice sounding small system would be:
AR XA
Shure V15
Advent 300
Spica TC50 with suitable stands, maybe Chicago Speaker stands
DNM solid core wire

Ken

That would be sweet. The Advent 300 has preamp out jumpers and you could add a more powerfull amp (like say a Dynaco tube ST70 also on the list).