Your greatest high end audio purchase!!!


My audiophile journey has extended to over 40 of adventurous sonic delight. Over the coarse of my over 40 year journey as an audiophile, like so my others, I cycled through a multitude of speakers, amps, cables, etc,. Now that I’m an old guy, I’ve pretty much settled on my "End-Game" audio system for the long haul, primarily because I simply love the way it sounds, and also because, at this juncture, I no longer have the will, nor do I have the desire to continue the crazy (but fun) merry-go-round of audio components in and out like I did in years past (my spouse and my wallet thank me). When I look back on all the high-speed audio gear that I’ve owned down through the years, and after giving it much insightful thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that, after everything was said and done, my beloved Revel Salon 2 speakers were my overall most pleasurable and greatest purchase of all. What was yours?

kennymacc

I live been doing this for over 40 years now. I think if I have to pick just one item, it’s probably my pair of Amber Series 70 amps I bought new. They served me well for many years with a variety of equipment powering first my Large Advents them my Boston Acoustics A400s. I took a long break from HiFi, probably about 20 years. When I decided to get back into it, I fired up the Ambers and to this day they look and sound great, though they’re not currently in use. The Ambers were paired with many preamps over the years, including a Perreaux and a PS Audio IV in the early days and a Luxman tube amp more recently. They were what got me started and I doubt I’ll ever part with them.

Recap: As previously mentioned, my absolutely incredible Revel Salon 2 speakers (which I currently own) is my #1 prized high end audio purchase that I've ever made in all my years as an audiophile.  My #2 greatest purchase, which I currently own, is my Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty DAC/streamer.  Incredible!!!    

I have been in this thing since the late 60's and the two items that I have enjoyed the most were Quad ESL-63's and a Linn Sondek LP 12 and I wish I had them back now.

I bought two components in the early 1980s with sonic signatures that matched quite well my listening biases/preferences:

- a pair of Spica TC-50 speakers

- a counterpoint sa-7 preamp

These two components, combined with various front ends and amps, made me happy for 15 years or so. Then the upgrade bug bit and lots of speakers and pres have come and gone. Interestingly, I’ve tended over the years toward designs and sonics similar to those of these two early “audiophile” purchases. Was I lucky or conditioned? Does it matter?

 

In 2006 I got a chance to visit Siegfried Linkwitz at his home to hear his Orion loudspeakers and fell in love. Because I lived in a Craftsman bungalow at the time, I had a local cabinet maker do a custom build of the Orions in a Mission style, instead of the stock Danish Modern look. A couple years later I upgraded the build from version 3.1 to 3.3 with the addition of rear firing SEAS Millennium tweeters.

I’ve heard the LX521, which is a wonderful loudspeaker. Were I looking to do something new, they would be a serious consideration. But every time I fire up my Orions, I fall in love again. Voices and acoustic instruments just sound glorious to my ear.

Last year we moved to our current home on Hawaii Island, which was more than twice the size of our old bungalow. It has a "great room" which is enormous:

42’ long x 36’ wide x12’ ceilings

It encompasses the living and dining rooms, as well as the kitchen. I love to cook and the stove top faces directly across from the loudspeakers, so I get to do two of my favorite things at the same time. Dinner prep is prime listening time too.

The Orions have enormous dynamic range, and even in this room, are never strained. I recently cranked up Beethoven’s 9th, at full concert level of 109 db and the system was never strained. This is my "forever" loudspeaker system.