Your Personal Top Three Speaker-Amp Combos That You've Actually Heard.

KRichards

New Member
Dec 31, 2019
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Third to first:

Gryphon Kodo / Gryphon Mephisto
Wilson audio wp 7 / audio research
Magico / Convergent audio

The last pair is my system. It seems Convergent finally has a website: catamps.com. Looks like they realized they were in the 21st century lol
 

IanG-UK

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2011
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40 years ago ...

Stacked (original) Quad 57s
Electrocompaniet pre/power 25W amplifier x 2
Linn LP12/Syrinx arm/Sukimo cartridge

Only the Linn remains available
 

chuck

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2011
358
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San Diego
I only listed one when the question was three.
1. Boulder 3060/YG Sonja XV (my system)
2. Boulder 3050s/Focal Grande Utopia (Boulder Factory)
3. Audio Research 160M/YG Sonja XV (tube amp demo at my house)

Honorable mentions:
Wilson Tune Tot/Luxman Integrated at THE Show 2019
Wilson Chronosonic XVX/D'Agostino amps (Audio Salon store)
 

cjfrbw

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
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1. Steve William's Lamm ML3 and Alexandria combo

2. Destination Audio horn speakers with 45 tube amp heard at CAS 2018

3. Whammerdyne 2A3/Pure Audio Project Voxative heard at CAS 2018/19

4. Sadurni horns with 300b drivers

5.Border Patrol 300b amps with Volti Audio Horns/subwoofer.

6. Apogee speakers with almost anything, high power tubes if possible.

Hmm, seems to be a trend here, no solid state amp contenders, Heh, Heh. Also, these are clearly personal preference related. Audio Federation new Audio Note 300b amps with Acapella horns were good. I would probably give honorable mention to Pass Labs XA25 and Zu Audio speakers for solid state.

There are lots of great combos besides these, but these I have heard and remember.

I rather like my recent 75 inch ribbons in the midrange with 45/2A3 tubes as well, but these are odd lot and out of production.
 
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Loheswaran

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Dec 19, 2014
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1. Big Magicos with Constellation Mono's (I was never a magico fan until I heard an amp drive them properly)
2. MBL Radhialstraller with MBL amps
3. Tron amplification and Avant Garde horns
 
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microstrip

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Audio Physics Gaudi with three big Krell's - just for loud rock!

XLF's with Constellation Audio Hercules/Altair

WAMM's with subs and D'Agostino Relelntless

All of them in large rooms!
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Audio Physics Gaudi with three big Krell's - just for loud rock!

XLF's with Constellation Audio Hercules/Altair

WAMM's with subs and D'Agostino Relelntless

All of them in large rooms!
Interesting...so are you thinking Hercules/Altair for yourself? You have been alternating with ARC, CJ and ML for some time...so i am intrigued by your pairing.
 

microstrip

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Interesting...so are you thinking Hercules/Altair for yourself? You have been alternating with ARC, CJ and ML for some time...so i am intrigued by your pairing.

Unfortunately no - too expensive for me, the ones which have shown at nice prices are the old version that sounds very inferior. BTW you forgot the VTL's - the ARC REF40/VTL Siegfried II is perhaps the best overall choice for my system. The cj's are by far the best value for money!
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Unfortunately no - too expensive for me, the ones which have shown at nice prices are the old version that sounds very inferior. BTW you forgot the VTL's - the ARC REF40/VTL Siegfried II is perhaps the best overall choice for my system. The cj's are by far the best value for money!
Hang on...the most consistent proponent of maintaining the SAME manufacturer for preamp and amp says the best choice is ARC Ref40 + VTL Siegfried II? Assuming we run with the Siegfried given its legendary status...why not the VTL Series 3?
 

Walnut Horns

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May 11, 2015
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Agree, Jeffrey's system is the finest I've ever heard and not by a small margin.

Next best was a pair of Wilson Wamms bi-amped with 2 Naim 500s in a large loft in Brooklyn. At the time, I thought it was a strange combination, but boy did it sound incredible.

I also really enjoyed my ATC 50s fronted by a Naim 552 and Naimed LP12 in an old deco building I lived in on 22nd Street. It was pure luck to have the speakers and room gel so perfectly. I could never get the ATCs to sound the same after we moved.
 
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valkyrie

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Sep 12, 2011
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These - stacked Quads - pretty much transcend all others I have heard - even better than big Wilsons. Paired with 300B push pull amps integral to the speakers. Fantastic cabinet work, plasma super tweeters, Garrard 3xx spinner, Alnic TOTL phono amp - quite an experience.

1578158705234.png
 

bonzo75

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These - stacked Quads - pretty much transcend all others I have heard - even better than big Wilsons. Paired with 300B push pull amps integral to the speakers. Fantastic cabinet work, plasma super tweeters, Garrard 3xx spinner, Alnic TOTL phono amp - quite an experience.

View attachment 60421


Where can I hear these?
 
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valkyrie

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Sep 12, 2011
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Where can I hear these?
At an audio show. The owner of these prefers to remain private. These are made on an individual "order" basis. I have no idea what they cost and am frankly not even interested for whatever the price? THEY ARE MORE THAN WORTH IT. Incredible - like sitting in row 12 of a concert hall. Also, though not pictured there is a Cello Palette for "fine tuning" each record. About the most impressive reproduction equipment I have ever heard. YMMV.
 

bonzo75

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Dave slagle played some great stacked ones at an audio show
 

valkyrie

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Sep 12, 2011
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Here is more of the rack. HP lab power supplies for bias. more tubes for the plasma super tweeters, AC isolation transformers on the floor. And of course the Cello Palette. Quit a rig. Plays ONLY vinyl - and each record, in its own slip cover has an index card listing the Cello settings for the way that recording should be played. Very impressive - a new definition of whats best. Again - I haven't heard every system, though I have heard many systems at RMAF - and of course - YMMV.

BTW: the Alnic TOTL phono amp is a two chassis affair.

Even the stator tension supply is all tube - integrated with the speakers - Mercury Vapor tubes running 6000 vdc. Egad!!!

1578161986015.png
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Agree, Jeffrey's system is the finest I've ever heard and not by a small margin.

Next best was a pair of Wilson Wamms bi-amped with 2 Naim 500s in a large loft in Brooklyn. At the time, I thought it was a strange combination, but boy did it sound incredible.

I also really enjoyed my ATC 50s fronted by a Naim 552 and Naimed LP12 in an old deco building I lived in on 22nd Street. It was pure luck to have the speakers and room gel so perfectly. I could never get the ATCs to sound the same after we moved.
Linn on Naim on ATC50 actives was almost my entry high end system in 1998!
 

Kingsrule

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Levinson HQD system was pretty special
 

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