The BEST system you've ever built !!!!

Marantz 400OSE 5 disc changer, Perp Tech P-3A (w/ Wright mods) & P-1A DAC and upsampling engine, Creek OBH12 passive remote pre-amp, Air Tight 300B SET stereo amp, ProAc Response 2.5 speakers, and a REL Strata III sub bass system. Cabling is Audioquest speaker wires and digital cable, Tara Labs & Accrotec interconnects. I'm finished for, hopefully, a long while. By the way, the REL works exactly as everyone said it would - simply sounds just like my speakers but with deep, tuneful bass. Effectively expands the overall soundscape and the detail of the other frequency bands.

This is the best system I know how to build.

First I'd like to say all the silliness that came in the first part of this thread sure was funny.

Like Zane, I've found starting with the Apogee speaker makes the rest easy. I'm now settled in with the only 1 ohm speaker in existence as far as I know, and that is the Apogee Scintilla. Few have ever heard a Scintilla, and almost no one has heard one properly powered. That narrows down amp choices to a chosen few. The one that I am using, like Zane, is a Pass Labs, this one being the X-600. These 600 watt mono blocks are an equal match for the power hungry Scintillas. Sadly there were no amp matches for this spectacular performer when it was introduced. That means there are no enlightened reviews of it. Not even it's builders knew of the Scintillas potential. Voicing this perfect as can be transducer is the little known Jolida-100 with special NOS tubes. Switching duties are carried on by a Pass Labs Aleph P. Sorry to say to those of you who believe auxiliary equipment, like cables, stands, and cones are important, I am only going to disappoint you. My cables are just whatever I came across which happen to be Kimber for the most part. I biwire, and use balanced connectors. I'm in North California, if you care to have a listen. Warning, you will never look at audio the same afterwards. This has been an audio journey with a goal in mind: How to make the Scintilla work for me.

Total system cost, $10,000.

I think that the sistem must taking you to the music theater. It is very simple, isn´t it?.
Forget the machines and enjoy!!!.

My sistem is:

Preamp: Audio Research Ref 1
Amp: two Krell 250 Mc
speakers: Wilson audio Watt/Puppy 5.1
Transparent Reference cables
Clearaudio Champion Level 2/SME V/Benz Micro Reference 2/ Benz Micro PP1 (Pre-pre).

Elibarna

The best system I have ever built is the one I am building now. It may be considered modest by some, but I love it and I think it sounds really good in my room - which is the typical American Family Room - 13'6" x 19'. The system is used to play both 2-channel stereo and 5.1 channel DVD Audio and DVD Video. The front speakers are Thiel 2.3 which I bought as demos off the showroom floor. The center channel is the Thiel MCS-1. The suurounds are junk at present, but will soon be replaced by Thiel Poweer Points mounted in the ceiling. This is the only possible location for the surrounds which the CDO (Chief Domestic Officer, i.e., wife) will go for. The amplifer is the Aragon 8008x5, rated at 200 wpc. The preamp surround processor is the Aragon Stage One. The front end is the Denon DVD-1600 DVD/Cd player. I also have an old Pioneer CLD 2090 Laserdisc player connected because I have a modest number of LDs which I love. And a Sony VCR. Routine TV watching is through a DBS satellite with Directv and the Samsung SIR-TS160 HDTV/Directv receiver. The monitor is the Panasonic TH-50PHD5UY plasma display. The HDTV picture displayed on the 50" plasma screen will blow you away to use a cliche. It is unbelievable and I cannot tear myself away from TV shows that I would otherwise probably not watch. AC line conditioning is via the Monster Cable HTS-5000. Finally cables are Harmonic Technology Pro-Silway Mk II interconnects and Harmonic Technology Pro-9 Plus on the front, QED Genesis Silver Spiral for the center channel, and junk for the current surrounds. Lastly, I have isolated the amplifier on a 22" x 26" piece of black granite with Perfect Sound Isolation Cones and Discs. I will also put the granite and cones under the DVD player. I also enjoy FM radio and have installed the Fanfare FM-2G antenna which really works.

I enjoy this system very much - a progressive scan DVD such as "Saving Private Ryan" or "Titanic" on the plasma screnn with even the modest surround system is stunning.

Charley