A budget system featuring 2 2's that performs way over its head!
Since I downsized into my apartment last year, I have had a convenience system in my combined den-office-dining room for pretty casual listening. (My main system holds forth in the living room and is built around 3.5's.)
Over the last few months I have picked up some audio bargains to swap in to feed the 2 2's. One big improvement was an old Amber 70 amp I remember from my Absolute Sound days, which after break-in seems to
make the 2 2's into new speakers, with a harmonic richness in the upper bass-lower midrange that the Adcom 5300 used previously just didn't seem to be able to provide. Then the old temporary Onkyo preamp I was using got replaced with another, also intended to be temporary, preamp - a Carver C-2. Another Carver product that performs way beyond its price, and replaced mid-fi with a high-end sound. Along the way way I picked up a Carver TX-2 tuner that sounds almost as good as its bigger brother, the TX-11 and finally, bought a Denon 47F semi-automatic direct-drive turntable, ostensibly for a lady friend, but which now resides in the second system. I am currently trying to decide whether to upgrade the Audio-Technica M92E cartridge it came with with a Shibata stylus, substitute an XLM/ZLM cartridge, or just leave it alone. As it is, the capacitance of the Carver seems perfect for the AT, and the phono system sounds wonderful.
Why is this in a Thiel thread, you ask? Because I am a frustrated high end and Thiel missionary, that's why. Other than the 2 2's which I've had forever and which are worth, what, maybe $800 on todays market, the remainder of the system as outlined.cost just under another $1000. So for less than two grand somebody can have a good, really good, high end system. If you have a friend, a college kid, a relative, anybody who likes music but doesn't want a system (I don't need it, I can't afford it, my earphones are fine, etc) tell them how little it can cost, and how much pleasure it can bring. Then go get them the gear. Mine is headed for that lady friend in Florida (who never before wanted a stereo much less a high-end one.)
End of lesson, according to Harry.
