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Combinations that exceeded your expectations?

Putting the right equipment together is a real art--mixed with a good bit of dumb luck. Fortunately, experience sometimes does help get really stunning results by matching equipment from different manufacturers. I'd like to hear what equipment (like speaker/amp or interconnect/speaker cable or source/preamp) when paired together others found elevated their system to another level. Though entire systems are interesting, I'd prefer to narrow it to the juicyest equipment you've had the good fortune to pair up--and by all means name names.
rrgordon
jeffloistarca
1,004 posts
 
BAT VK30 preamp, YBA CD Integre CDP, and the real sleeper, Linn Classik. The Classik is quite simply the best value in audio today and MUST be considered for your second or third system. It's that good. Sold my NAD L40 in a heartbeat, not even close in terms of sound. This stuff represented a MAJOR step up in my listening enjoyment and matched perfectly with the rest of my gear. Jeez I love BAT preamps...
danielk141
489 posts
 
About 10 or 12 years ago, I walked into my first hi-end audio store and heard beautiful music from one of the rooms. I walked in and saw a record player, vacuum tubes & strange looking speakers. It was a Sota turntable, conrad-johnson PV something pre-amp & MV50? power amp, into Spica Angelous speakers... What a fantastic synergy! Of all the components I've heard since that day, only Magnepan MGIIIa's, 3.3r's and my Pass Aleph 3 have made that much of an impression on me... A close second is my Rowland Model 2 with BPS & the current Pass Labs X series amps.
I have to admit, I'm really skeptical now when I read about some breakthrough product in the audio press. 99% of the time, the product is a big letdown...
slowhand
610 posts
 
ARC 100/2 power amp, Audible Illusions preamp, Gallo Nucleus Reference Speakers. This is an unbelieveable combo. I have been into audio for 25 years and I am finally satisfied. Now I just concentrate on enjoying music.
beemer
444 posts
 
BAT VK50SE preamp, BAT VKD5SE CD Player, Levinson 33H monoblocks, Aerial 10t speakers. All interconnect/speaker cable Transparent Ultra or better.

A salesman from a large NY store heard this in my room and said: "We've done $200,000 installations that do not sound this good".

I'm happy.
mes
393 posts
 
Running an Audio Aero Capitole cdp directly into Tenor 75 WI amps sans pre-amp.
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