Which components knocked you out on first listen?


I've been listening to stereos since 1973 and I am still waiting to be truly knocked out by the sound of a component. I have sat in showrooms across the country and have been pleased by what I have heard but never truly blown away.
The closest I came was when I listened to a Meitner str-55 amp and VTL preamp a few years ago, sourced by a Linn Ikemi and Revel loudspeakers. However, I also have been moved by a
Apple computer cd drive, circa 1994 through a Creek 4040 and RA Lab speakers, estimated cost about $1,200; maybe more so than the Linn,Revel 10K system. How about you?
cody
Hill Plasmatronics 1A. Still do! One reviewer made an apt comparison. The Plasmatronics are the audio equivalent of an SR-71A Blackbird... everything else is a Cessna 150. When you play back a recording of a telephone ringing on a pair of Hills, everyone in the house walks over to the phone and picks it up. Nothing else even comes close...

For daily listening I use Quad 988's and 63's, Gale GS401A's, and Lecson HL1's... The Gales are best for getting dressed in the morning, the 988's best for sitting down and reading to FM classical music, the HL1's for something a little funky.
Years ago: Audio Physic Caldera Loudspeakers, the older, three box version. Nothing else ever came close, listening to multiple speakers over a span of several years, until I found Intuitive Design Summits, which I think may be even better.
Without a single trace of doubt: Tidal Contriva loudspeakers (the 2005 model with ceramic mid drivers) last May.
I had been looking for "definitive" speakers for over 3 years and auditioned a number of B&W 8 series, Wilson Audio Sophia, Audiodata Avance, etc., and yes, I had also heard Avalons at audio fairs. In the end, I was "sure", it would have be the Sonus Faber Amati Hommage.
And then, I sort of stumbled across the Tidal Audio website. I had never heard of the equipment but was intrigued. It turned out, in Germany there aren't even stores that sell the equipment, so a pair of Contrivas was delivered to our apartment by the Tidal people for auditioning (250 kilos two stores high, poor blokes). They didn't have to worry about lugging them down again: After some Ron Carter, Rosa Passos, Sarah K., Marc Moulin and Glenn Gould both my wife and I knew we had to have these and sat listening to music until very late in the night! 3 years against a half hour to find the Holy Grail of Speakerdom! And, never mind their weight, they look blindingly beautiful on top (look at Audionut2005's system - hope you don't mind Jörg)
I first listened to Martin-Logans in 1994 and immediately bought a pair of Aerius-i speakers, since I couldn't afford anything beyond that price point. A number of different speakers followed during the next 12 years (eg, B&W, Tylers, Thiel), but in 2005 I finally found the speakers that I'd been pursuing ... C&C SuperAbbys and Bailey sub. After 15 months, it's still a total thrill to listen to music through these wonderful speakers