Best Amp - Speaker Combination you've ever Heard.

[LL21]

So many excellent systems over the years. If I had to pick - Rockport Arrakis with Rel 6 pack on CH Precision preamp /mono block amps.

Wow...certainly Rockport Arrakis in HK (Ernie Lau) was part of 2 of the best systems I have ever heard by quite a significant margin (the other one being Audiocrack's Genesis 1 system of a few years ago).

 

[Sunny]

I have heard several. It's impossible to determine the best musical experiences.
Some of my special moments were when we were setting up my store with Stirling and in the exact middle of the room...Appox 3000 sq ft with 12 ft ceilings and no parallel walls we had T+A Mono Block amplifiers, Aerial acoustics Model 20 T loudspeakers listening to Muddy Waters, The second system that was very musical was at a producers home recently with Stenheim Alumine 5 SE and a Atlas Lambda cartridge on a Brinkmann tonearm / Table combo, A Meridian 7200 SE System with a 818 V3 Processor we setup in Laguna Beach with a ocean view that made magic in the room. Listened to KEB Mo's album wishing that I could hear it again and did just that. Great memories with Deli sandwiches and 1 glass of wine. David Wilsons home with the most polite and generous Sheryl Lee listening to Maxx 3 in green color with a massive sub and center channel. We watched 2 movies and clips of a few others. Great experience, rewarding day. Makes you realize that music dictates movies 100%. Listening to a pair of Amphion Helium speakers in a customers home in Claremont. He was a professor that was renting a room/loft. He purchased a quality Integrated amplifier. These $1350.00 speakers, his room and the integrated amplifier had crazy synergy. We heard Keith Jarret and Jose Carreras, spoke about his Dad taking him to musical concerts and the Boston symphony. Sharing several hours with him is still a highlight that I will cherish, Installing Wilson Sophia 3 in Desert silver in Anaheim hills for a partially blind customer with Audio Research Reference 5 and Reference 150 was amazing too...My Joy now only comes when I share music. In Dallas installing 1 series and seeing my customers renewed passion, several symphony performers nodding and tapping their feet and digging true feelings of passion makes my heart sing...Recently its been Wadax Reference DAC's, CH 10 series, the brand new Audioquest Dragon Interconnects, a small V12 Integrated Amplifier from EAR that does something special, not everything but some musiclly groovy things...

 

[Hobblecreek]

Several years ago before RMAF moved away from the Marriott, Magico had the Presidential Suite at the DTC Hyatt Regency (a few blocks away). This was the year that Magico had introduced the M3 and they had combined it with Solution 701 monoblocks, the 725 preamp, the 755 phono preamplifier, a Kronos Sparta turntable, and Nordost cabling (not sure if it was Valhalla, Odin might not have been introduced yet). They had dialed in the speaker location perfectly. The combo of the large room, the selection and assembly of the components and source and the effort that went into the set-up – well, it’s a sound I will never forget. They nailed every part of the presentation.

Did it fully replicate a "live" sound? Probably not in the very sense of what is "real", and yes we were listening to “audiophile” records (Dean, SVR, Oscar Peterson, etc.) but the magic of that sound was superior to anything I’d heard in more than 30 years of this hobby. After two-plus hours my wife had to drag me back to the regular RMAF show (something about being beyond hungry . . .) But I went back to Magico’s suite the next day to hear more, and it was just as sublime as the prior day.

 

[Sunny]

Several years ago before RMAF moved away from the Marriott, Magico had the Presidential Suite at the DTC Hyatt Regency (a few blocks away). This was the year that Magico had introduced the M3 and they had combined it with Solution 701 monoblocks, the 725 preamp, the 755 phono preamplifier, a Kronos Sparta turntable, and Nordost cabling (not sure if it was Valhalla, Odin might not have been introduced yet). They had dialed in the speaker location perfectly. The combo of the large room, the selection and assembly of the components and source and the effort that went into the set-up – well, it’s a sound I will never forget. They nailed every part of the presentation.

Did it fully replicate a "live" sound? Probably not in the very sense of what is "real", and yes we were listening to “audiophile” records (Dean, SVR, Oscar Peterson, etc.) but the magic of that sound was superior to anything I’d heard in more than 30 years of this hobby. After two-plus hours my wife had to drag me back to the regular RMAF show (something about being beyond hungry . . .) But I went back to Magico’s suite the next day to hear more, and it was just as sublime as the prior day.

That's what I'm talking about. It's setup, It's synergy, It's music that makes you boogie.

 

[thedudeabides]

Why are you talking about used drivers? LV is not using used drivers I would assume. The Vitavox woofers were 3500 each, new price. The horns in a standard finish (not the fancy one...god knows what that costs) was also > 3K per horn. One woofer for suckers?? What a silly comment given that: a) Its 15 inches and b) it is loaded in a horn. You can compare direct radiation to horn...the horn magnifies what that woofer can do by a huge factor.

Regardless of what you or Bill think about the sound, to me it is easily one of the most realistic sounding systems and this is a consensus among my audiophile circle. It is not sweet, it is realistic. Same comment regarding weight and midbass...realistic. Some years it is better than others but the standard Olympian/Elyssian is something special

How pretentious and arrogant. I guess you are right and every other opinion is wrong. Long live the king.

 

[morricab]

How pretentious and arrogant. I guess you are right and every other opinion is wrong. Long live the king.

So now opinions are pretentious and arrogant? I think I will have to remind you of that as well every time you issue one then...

 

[morricab]

How pretentious and arrogant. I guess you are right and every other opinion is wrong. Long live the king.

You haven't heard said system have you...

 

[thedudeabides]

See Post No. 4. Hail Caesar!

 

[morricab]

See Post No. 4. Hail Caesar!

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king...

 

[morricab]

See Post No. 4. Hail Caesar!

Your post is irrelevant and useless in a thread where the question is explicitly asked what you think is the best you have heard...your answer is a sneer that it's not possible to say what's the best. But that wasn't the point of the thread...it was what you have heard that you consider the best...are you saying you can't answer that??

 

[sbo6]

Several years ago before RMAF moved away from the Marriott, Magico had the Presidential Suite at the DTC Hyatt Regency (a few blocks away). This was the year that Magico had introduced the M3 and they had combined it with Solution 701 monoblocks, the 725 preamp, the 755 phono preamplifier, a Kronos Sparta turntable, and Nordost cabling (not sure if it was Valhalla, Odin might not have been introduced yet). They had dialed in the speaker location perfectly. The combo of the large room, the selection and assembly of the components and source and the effort that went into the set-up – well, it’s a sound I will never forget. They nailed every part of the presentation.

Did it fully replicate a "live" sound? Probably not in the very sense of what is "real", and yes we were listening to “audiophile” records (Dean, SVR, Oscar Peterson, etc.) but the magic of that sound was superior to anything I’d heard in more than 30 years of this hobby. After two-plus hours my wife had to drag me back to the regular RMAF show (something about being beyond hungry . . .) But I went back to Magico’s suite the next day to hear more, and it was just as sublime as the prior day.

I'm with you

A system I heard at a local dealer with the M3s, T+A monos and JLA Fathoms was in a group that I put below what I considered the best (there is no best IMO ). I was slated to return and tune his speakers and subs when he unexpectedly passed away. The Magico M - series is something special indeed that does some things even better than the Arrakis IME. Vanishingly low distortion levels, lightning - fast transients, incredibly tonally accurate with a bit more soul up and above previous models. I've heard very few that compete. They might just be my next speaker purchase..

 

[thedudeabides]

Your post is irrelevant and useless in a thread where the question is explicitly asked what you think is the best you have heard...your answer is a sneer it's not possible to say what's the best. But that wasn't the point of the thread...it was what you have heard that you consider the best...are you saying you can't answer that??

Your a funny dude and take yourself, IMHO, way too seriously. MBL 101E Mk. 2 with top MBL electronics. Martin Logan Statement with top Krell electronics. Both amazing in different ways. Happy now?

 

[morricab]

Your a funny dude and take yourself, IMHO, way too seriously. MBL 101E Mk. 2 with top MBL electronics. Martin Logan Statement with top Krell electronics. Both amazing in different ways. Happy now?

Well, at least you get the point of the thread ...finally...

 

[microstrip]

There are so many wonderful loudspeaker - amplifier combinations! How can one pick a "best ever heard" without considering the room and without considering the source?

Let us forget about the room and source, Ron. We are just sharing experiences to enjoy a nice moment!

Almost two years after my reference to the WAMM's I would like to add the 40 x KT120 tubes Audio Research REF610T and Sonus Faber TheSonusFaber (Fenice).

 

[carl13]

Quads powered by Futterman OTLs.

 

[Pacha]

In my room, I'm very pleased with the ARC Ref 250 SE's and B&W 801D's.

 

[PeterA]

Lamm ML3 with Bionor plus Lamm ML2 with JBL vintage subs. An unforgettable experience of natural sounding music.

 

[Republicoftexas69]

So far Audio Hungary X200 and QLN Sonora.
Also the Raven Blackhawk paired with the Raven CeLest Towers.

 

[Fred]

Rockport Cygnus paired with big Constellation mono's. Hard to forget that experience.

 

[Cableman]

Audiopax Model 88 Mk 1 + Audiopax Ref150 loudspeakers. Nirvana.