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Your most disappointing purchase or audition?

I've had a few.

bought a Naim Nait 3. Loved it in the store. Returned it within a week- way forward at home

Brought home some CJ preamp to audition perhaps 22 years ago. Noisy as anything and a turn off transient destroyed a tweeter (though years later i bought a CJ 17LS2 which I thought was the finest preamp I ever heard in my home)

Auditioned a VPI table (HW19) in a store- the store just could not get the belt to stay on. Bought a Rega instead. This was in perhaps 1990.

Fortunately, I never really experienced buyers remorse say 6 months or more after settling on a piece of gear.

Finally, there have been too many speakers that got stellar write ups which I just didn't care for.
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charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,249 posts
 
Knghifi,
What you wrote makes sense. I've listened to the Magico Q3 and Q5 driven by Soulution, Spectral and Constellation power amplifiers and didn't like what I heard (Constellation with the S5 was better, less clinical). I've heard the S5 and S3 models numerous times and the best match IMO was the Absolare Passion PSET 845 driving the Magico S5 (it was pretty darn good!). I've heard VAC amplifiers with the S5 and although decent sounding, I preferred the Absolare amp with this speaker.
Charles,
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Tidal speakers not very good i heard the $80k ones was not impressed .
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Tidal speaker not very good i heard the $80k ones was not impressed .Everybody likes something different.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,075 posts
 
Using headphone sound as a reference, Tidal I have heard reminded me of Audeze. Magico more like Sennheiser. Very different.
melbguy1
1,438 posts
 
I've heard the Magico S5's with Boulder, Soulution, Audia Flight Strumento, Dartzeel and Vitus Reference and Signature Series. The best sound I heard was with Vitus Signature Series amps & previous model Vitus SCD-010 front end. The sound was very smooth, pure, liquid/tube-like, analogue sounding and involving. In a word, musical. Hence why i'm going for Vitus Sig series gear. Having heard a wide range of amps with the S5's, I can easily see why many people would walk away unimpressed, whist others really like them. It's a bit like the philosopher's stone.
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