What is your favorite peace of gear?
BlueFox
Posts: 15,251
in Electronics
Mine is two parts, or five if you count the cables. I love my Bryston BDP-1 digital file player, Auralic Vega DAC, Shunyata Anaconda AES digital cable, and two Shunyata Alpha Digital power cords. This combination allows me to truly enjoy more music, and get the best performance from the rest of the gear.
Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits.
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits.
Comments
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Everything Ray (DK) has!!
LOL!! -
my peace pipe.
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That makes everything good.
Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
Peace is good!
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
In no particular order. My Marantz Pre/Pro, W4S amp, Audessey XT32, dual subs, REW and room treatments. All of these have taken my enjoyment to a new level. Sorry that's 6 instead of 1._____________________________________________________________________________________________
Ethernet Filter: GigaFOILv4 with Keces P3 LPS
Source: Roon via ethernet to DAC interface
DAC: Bricasti M1SE
Pre/Pro: Marantz AV8805
Tube Preamp Buffer: Tortuga TPB.V1
Amp1: Nord One NC1200DM Signature, Amp2: W4S MC-5, AMP3: W4S MMC-7
Front: Salk SoundScape 8's, Center: Salk SoundScape C7
Surround: Polk FXIA6, Surround Back: Polk RTIA9, Atmos: Polk 70-RT
Subs: 2 - Rythmik F25's
IC & Speaker Cables: Acoustic Zen, Wireworld, Signal Cable
Power Cables: Acoustic Zen, Wireworld, PS Audio
Room Treatments: GIK Acoustics -
single favorite piece is probably this.
Amp mit Westies by mhardy6647, on Flickr
... but mostly because it makes these sing as only Altecs can sing...
DSC_8961 by mhardy6647, on Flickr
(but there are two of them, so they cannot be my single favorite piece, can they?) -
He's from Texas & you know how them Texas boy's love them Usher's 2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
My Monitor 10's Once they were upgrade & burned in they became a game changer for me! I've never been happier with another piece of equipment that I've add like this Vintage Polk's.
The cables helped & the new Tube amp helped a little but not much cause my SS amp is still pretty dang good.2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
Today this is my favorite piece
Next week....
My New Year's resolution is 3840 × 2160
Family Room| Marantz AV7704| Usher Dancer Mini - 2 DMD Mains |Usher Dancer Mini-x DMD's Surrounds | Usher BE-616 DMD Center | SVS Ultra Rear Surrounds | Parasound Halo A21 | Parsound Halo A52+ | MIT Shotgun S3's | Dual SVS SB 4000 Ultras | Oppo UDP 203 | Directv Genie HD DVR | Samsung 75" Q8 QLED | PSAudio Stellar GCD | Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ | Lumin U1 Mini | HP Elite Slice PC | ROON'd for life |
ManCave: HT:Polk LSiM 706VR3 LSiM 703's LSiM 702's|| Marantz AV7002 AV PrePro Sunfire TGA-7401| Sony PS4 Pro| Sony PS4 Pro|SVS PB13 Ultra| Oppo UDP 203 | Music Hall MMF 5.3se TT w/ Soundsmith Carmen | Samsung 55" SUHD TV | Sony PS4
Patio | Polk Atrium 8's | Yamaha R-N303BL |
Office BlueSound Node| KEF LS50 | Peactree Nova 125SE |
Bedroom | Focal 905's | Chromecast Audio |
Garage | Polk Monitor 5B's
Closet Yamaha M80 | 2 Polk MP3K subs| Yaqin MC100B with Shuguang Treasures KT 88's & CV181Z's | Tesla E83CC's | Marantz 2252B | Marantz 2385 |Polk SDA SRS 2.3 | LSiM 705's | -
My Eico ST-70 (not Dynaco) integrated tube amp that I totally recapped and gave all new resistors. Absolutely fantastic sound from a 53 year old piece. Just love it!! A very close 2nd is the SDA-1C's full mods except Larry's rings.SDA-1C (full mods)
Carver TFM-55
NAD 1130 Pre-amp
Rega Planar 3 TT/Shelter 501 MkII
The Clamp
Revox A77 Mk IV Dolby reel to reel
Thorens TD160/Mission 774 arm/Stanton 881S Shibata
Nakamichi CR7 Cassette Deck
Rotel RCD-855 with modified tube output stage
Cambridge Audio DACmagic Plus
ADC Soundshaper 3 EQ
Ben's IC's
Nitty Gritty 1.5FI RCM -
My Modwright Integrated, simple and powerful2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
My BAT VK-500 with Bat Pack amplifier, this piece rocks!Home Theater
Onkyo PR-SC5508 Sharp LC-70LE847U
Emotiva XPA-5 Emotiva XPA-2 Emotiva UPA-2
Front RTi-A9 Wide RTi-A7 Center CSi-A6 Surround FXi-A6 Rear RTi-A3 Sub 2x PSW505
Sony BDP-S790 Dishnetwork Hopper/Joey Logitech Harmony One Apple TV
Two Channel
Oppo 105D BAT VK-500 w/BatPack SDA SRS 2.3 Dreadnought Squeezebox Touch Apple TV -
Anything BAT always rocks! That said, my VK-31, VK-200, Theta Jade transport, the modified Denon DVD-5910 (to transport pure DSD to the DAC) and the DAC I built are all my favorites.
Is that too many? 
Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
"I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion."![:\](https://forum.polkaudio.com/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....
"Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson
"Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee -
My favorite piece of gear is my amp, a Parasound HCA 1205A. Adding it to my system dramatically improved the bass and midrange of my speakers. There's nothing like having lots of current to drive your speakers. BTW, my second favorite piece of gear is my babies, otherwise known as my front speakers, a pair of Paradigm 11seMkIII's. They sound great, and they remind me of the monoliths from 2001: A Space Odyssey.Paradigm 11seMkIII mains, w/ Zu Audio jumpers
Paradigm CC 450 center, w/ Zu Audio jumpers
Polk Audio RTi6 surrounds
Paradigm SE sub
Sony BDP S5100 blu-ray player
Panasonic 50" plasma
Yamaha RX A1000 receiver
Parasound HCA 1205A amp
Audioquest Evergreen IC's -
Don't really have a stand out favorite as every piece is special to some extent. Though the one thing that changed it all up was the addition of that little Sonos box. Pro's and con's....not the most audiophile piece, and has changed my listening habits from critical listening to more casual....but more often. Pleases the wife and the guests...and you know the old saying about a happy wife.
Now my least favorite piece is the Pioneer receiver, VHX 21. Great for HT but leaves you wanting on the musical side. Kinda outclassed by the Legacy speakers, the Butler amp, Cary Dac, and MIT cables.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
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In my HT it is the Marantz AV7701 pre paired with the Sunfire TGA-7401 amp. A very nice combination.My New Year's resolution is 3840 × 2160
Family Room| Marantz AV7704| Usher Dancer Mini - 2 DMD Mains |Usher Dancer Mini-x DMD's Surrounds | Usher BE-616 DMD Center | SVS Ultra Rear Surrounds | Parasound Halo A21 | Parsound Halo A52+ | MIT Shotgun S3's | Dual SVS SB 4000 Ultras | Oppo UDP 203 | Directv Genie HD DVR | Samsung 75" Q8 QLED | PSAudio Stellar GCD | Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ | Lumin U1 Mini | HP Elite Slice PC | ROON'd for life |
ManCave: HT:Polk LSiM 706VR3 LSiM 703's LSiM 702's|| Marantz AV7002 AV PrePro Sunfire TGA-7401| Sony PS4 Pro| Sony PS4 Pro|SVS PB13 Ultra| Oppo UDP 203 | Music Hall MMF 5.3se TT w/ Soundsmith Carmen | Samsung 55" SUHD TV | Sony PS4
Patio | Polk Atrium 8's | Yamaha R-N303BL |
Office BlueSound Node| KEF LS50 | Peactree Nova 125SE |
Bedroom | Focal 905's | Chromecast Audio |
Garage | Polk Monitor 5B's
Closet Yamaha M80 | 2 Polk MP3K subs| Yaqin MC100B with Shuguang Treasures KT 88's & CV181Z's | Tesla E83CC's | Marantz 2252B | Marantz 2385 |Polk SDA SRS 2.3 | LSiM 705's | -
Tyler Acoustic Signature Series Lynbrook speakers, Dodd Audio MLP and Transparent Reference IC's would round out my top three. If I still had the VMPS Larger/ Velodyne SMS-1 combo, it would have made the top three on this list but would become a hard decision as to which one it would knock out.
TBH, the favorite piece of gear isn't actually a piece at all. It's how the entire system sounds as a whole. The end result is all I care about, not individual components.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
TBH, the favorite piece of gear isn't actually a piece at all. It's how the entire system sounds as a whole. The end result is all I care about, not individual components.
Tom
Well said Tom, totally agree.
HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
My favorite...Hands down.....my little ol MC 240....this is two 40 watt amps on a single platform...any way you want to configure it..delivers great performance from such an old piece of equipment....Bi amped with 3 way Xover ....works very well with my old MX110 pre....bliss for the ears.....
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Nice piece indeed, the MC240 : - )
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I will have to agree with Tony on the Sonos. It's pretty amazing to have an infinite amount of music at your finger tips.
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Have to agree with Treitz, the way the system sounds as a whole.
But, if I had to pick one piece it would the modded 2.3TL's, followed by the modded Odyssey Stratos Stereo power amp. Kind'a like the Oppo too, and the Candela linestage."Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer -
mhardy6647 wrote: »single favorite piece is probably this.Amp mit Westies by mhardy6647, on Flickr
... but mostly because it makes these sing as only Altecs can sing...
Your favorite piece of gear is your monster cables?!? -
The Sonos is my favorite piece of gear, but I am most proud of my DIY speakers I finished last winter. I used a design by Troels Graveson using Scan Speak drivers. They are more neutral sounding and throw a much bigger sound stage than my old RTi12s.
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Well my two parts not counting cables would be the new Sony 4K set and my Oppo 105D, but honestly I like all my stuff.Home Theater
Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable
2 Channel
Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+
Stuff for the Head
JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365
Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin
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Yup! Found those at the dump...mhardy6647 wrote: »single favorite piece is probably this.Amp mit Westies by mhardy6647, on Flickr
... but mostly because it makes these sing as only Altecs can sing...
Your favorite piece of gear is your monster cables?!?
amusingly, even though I've splattered that photo across teh webs, I think you're the first to call out the monstrous choice of patch cables. I think some other folks were just trying to be polite! ;- )
As you can probably tell, I don't much "believe" in boutique cabling -- although I do have slightly esoteric speaker wires (which are in essence nothing more than a loosely twisted pair of varnish-insulated 18-ga single-conductor copper magnet wire).
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WTG Breal74! Nice job.2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
mhardy6647 wrote: »
Yup! Found those at the dump...mhardy6647 wrote: »single favorite piece is probably this.Amp mit Westies by mhardy6647, on Flickr
... but mostly because it makes these sing as only Altecs can sing...
Your favorite piece of gear is your monster cables?!?
amusingly, even though I've splattered that photo across teh webs, I think you're the first to call out the monstrous choice of patch cables. I think some other folks were just trying to be polite! ;- )
As you can probably tell, I don't much "believe" in boutique cabling -- although I do have slightly esoteric speaker wires (which are in essence nothing more than a loosely twisted pair of varnish-insulated 18-ga single-conductor copper magnet wire).
I noticed those... I have a pair of them connecting my CD player in my outdoor rig...
I found them in the pool house when we bought the house... They work...Mine have some paint on them...
My New Year's resolution is 3840 × 2160
Family Room| Marantz AV7704| Usher Dancer Mini - 2 DMD Mains |Usher Dancer Mini-x DMD's Surrounds | Usher BE-616 DMD Center | SVS Ultra Rear Surrounds | Parasound Halo A21 | Parsound Halo A52+ | MIT Shotgun S3's | Dual SVS SB 4000 Ultras | Oppo UDP 203 | Directv Genie HD DVR | Samsung 75" Q8 QLED | PSAudio Stellar GCD | Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ | Lumin U1 Mini | HP Elite Slice PC | ROON'd for life |
ManCave: HT:Polk LSiM 706VR3 LSiM 703's LSiM 702's|| Marantz AV7002 AV PrePro Sunfire TGA-7401| Sony PS4 Pro| Sony PS4 Pro|SVS PB13 Ultra| Oppo UDP 203 | Music Hall MMF 5.3se TT w/ Soundsmith Carmen | Samsung 55" SUHD TV | Sony PS4
Patio | Polk Atrium 8's | Yamaha R-N303BL |
Office BlueSound Node| KEF LS50 | Peactree Nova 125SE |
Bedroom | Focal 905's | Chromecast Audio |
Garage | Polk Monitor 5B's
Closet Yamaha M80 | 2 Polk MP3K subs| Yaqin MC100B with Shuguang Treasures KT 88's & CV181Z's | Tesla E83CC's | Marantz 2252B | Marantz 2385 |Polk SDA SRS 2.3 | LSiM 705's | -
Mine don't : - (
Nope, Monsters aren't my reference anything. They're just cables.
![[Deleted User]](https://w4.vanillicon.com/40bc09a87daec053937ab0249c85e591_100.png)
