Best sounding system for under $10k


I had been dreaming about acquiring a pair of mbl 116e's since I heard them last year at the expo. I knew I had a very good system but the mbl's give you that you are there feeling. Well I just made a few changes to my setup recently and things kept getting better, so much in fact that I no longer will be looking at those mbls. It was the last change I made that really was the killer. I have sims pre p-5 and power w-5 amp, I had them coupled with rca i/c's, and just yesterday I switched to balanced and WOW what a difference. I am willing to bet that there is nothing out there for under $20k (list prices of course) that can beat this sound. If you are looking for that you are there experience consider how I got there. Speakers; merlin, these are incredible and worth every penny, amp as mentioned earlier sims p-5 w-5 they too are just awesome most defenitely world class , phonostage ear834p another excellent component, tonearm: clearaudio emotion, cartridge : sumiko bluepoint amazing for the money will probably get the blackbird, turntable: vpi tnt mark I and V world class and not overpriced, cables: bluejeans xlr balanced amazing cannot believe how much better the system just got from that change, other cables my own rca interconnects, room treatment: acoustical ceiling tiles, records as in lp's, and book shelves with books on health must be on health ha-ha. And that's it, hard to believe but this was all found used here on agon for under $10k. And I have to add that rarely did I hear a system in any of the retail shops get it right like this one.
pedrillo
Pedrillo,

Congratulations on an awesome system. I agree you can do very well on Audiogon buying second hand gear...there are many reasons that people sell excellent gear second hand (divorce, upgrading, downsizing, moving home etc.) - you just have to be patient - and that appears to be exactly what you have done and built a system of your dreams!

Just the other day, I noticed a pair of ATC SCM 100 ASL for sale with all the latest mods/upgrades at a steal compared to the price for a new pair. Of course not many people have the appropriate space or care for the power that such huge speakers provide, furthermore, if you care deeply for aesthetics then chances are these behemoths will get scratched easily in shipping due to their size and weight. In fact, I have often seen smaller models of the same speaker sell for much more second hand! Together, however, these drawbacks may add up to a bargain price for someone with the right space; a system that the likes of Pink Floyd, Mark Knopfler, Telarc, Doug Sax and many other artists/studios prefer.
Pedrillo, congrats! You've joined us in the "My system's the best in the world for X dollars" club!
One last addition to my incredible sounding system I got the SUMIKO BLACKBIRD and it brought my system up a big notch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ANOTHER ADDITION : Graham 2.2 deluxe tonearm WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
really worth it !
It amazes me that the best system in the world for X dollars was able to be improved upon by a big notch with two rather small changes (that may have not even added tot he overall cost of the system).

Yes, I realize that all systems can be improved upon in some way or another, but come on folks lets get real about proclaiming "best" so prematurely.

I wouldn't mind seeing a posting of people suggesting a complete system based on years of development and based on the key factors - what they want in sound, what type of music they listen to, the size of their room. After pointing out all of the positive aspects of such a system, the poster should be compelled to point out the weaknesses of the same system (ie. great with classical, not so much with hard rock). (Great with bass extension, but not quite as tight as standard acceptability.)

I think it is more informative to convey this information, and I think it is also more helpful to all involved.