Which components knocked you out on first listen?

My Wireworld ic's and speaker cables. These cables left me dazed and confused for a few weeks after installing them.

Also, the Avantgarde/BAT demo room at the 2003 HES. That demo was the closest thing to actual live music I have ever heard. The sound was real "live" music, not a stereo simulation of live music which can be all well and good. But that demo showed me what it really takes to really GET THERE!

A system using NEAR speakers in 1990 and before that Maggies!

Speakers are the things that knock me out! I do not get to rattles by components until they are inserted into my system and I hear the difference.

Tact 2.2x room correctiion preamp. First heard it at a friend's house and it blew me away--opened up and separated the performers in a much more lifelike way, and added layering to the stage and fleshed out and added body to the vocals--was like listening to a different (and much better) system.

After experimenting with a dozen cables and half-dozen amps in my ($25,000+)system , but still not completely satisfied, I wondered if the Tact could do the same for me.

Well, it did even more. Not as much a difference with soundstage, but cleaned up the whole presentation. My best description is that a blanket was removed from over the speakers.

Everything opens up and the natural decay and detail just hangs there. I erroneously thought my 10'x16'x24' dedicated room was decent. Not anymore. Made all the amp and cable changes seem quite subtle and unremarkable.

I'll also second the Apogees. 12 years ago I heard the Duetta Sigs at a dealer with top-of-line Mark Levinson gear and was enthralled. I bought them, but unfortunately was never able to get them to sound as good in my room/system and eventually sold them--which pleased my wife ;-)

Old tannoy 15 incher with a tweeter in the center. This sounded so realistic! I went up to a grand piano, and closed my eyes, and played a few notes, and I had a hard time distinguishing them apart! I had a chance to talk to the famous maestro Jung Myung whun, and he said it sounded better than all the orchestras he conducts! (McIntosh amp + Cd player)

I love the sound for their realism, as well as for their profound spirit they seem to convey in classical music.

There are soft and mushy sounding upscale speakers that sounds glorious, but listening to them for awhile, makes me miss a realistic sounding speaker. I think it would be nice to have a several set of speakers connected by speaker selector like Niles (ebay). Many audio lovers go that rout I heard, coz different music sounds better on different speakers, and buying is fun (the real reason) :>)

Phase Linear"Flame"400/DQ-10s/Revox Reel playing "Blood Sweat&Tears.Sorry can not remember the pre-amp.Was first lesson in the all audio is not the same school.