Which components knocked you out on first listen?

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vopin&1043544749&openusid&zzTok20000&4&5#Tok20000

Click for pics of components in my system that blew me away.

Enjoy!

KF

the first high end system i heard was a sota saphire with a sumiko mdc-800 tonearm (the arm) and a sumiko talisman s cartridge. that was running into a perreaux sm-2 preamp going to a belles class a amp. the speakers were vandersteen 2c's. before this all i had heard was japanese midfi equipment. i knew from this point on, music listening would be different.

circa 1970/71 (16 yrs. old) walked into a friends Uncle's house. His Uncle had these two speakers (make unk.) which had to be 18 - 24 inches in diameter and this contraption with more tubes than "Carter" has pills. We begged him to play it.
We were "blown away".
I'll never forget it.
Heck I had a "FM" converter in my car to one speaker.

Twenty some odd years ago I was blown away by a Keith Monks record cleaning machine.....Nitty Gritty came out with a machine for $350 and had to have one.....Wore it out and bought a VPI RCM.....A few years ago I found Optrix and it made CDs sound listenable.....Bought a beveling machine for CDs called an audio desk systeme and it was a revelation....As far as gear goes the ARC SP3A-1 was an eye opener....The Goldmund Studio was killer, but the Rockport was so much quieter and so easy to use....Rockport speakers were wonderful ten years ago, but the Sound Lab M-1s are cleaner.....Epiphanies are few and far between in audio unfortunately....

Both the MG12 and 1.6 Magnepans knocked my off my feet when I first heard them and I love listening to my 12's every single day.