the best sound (system) you ever heard

While I've heard more expensive rigs, the best sound I've heard was from a set of very full-size VMPS towers with matching subwoofers, driven by seemingly unimposing Soundcraftsman electronics. VMPS makes some very good sounding -- if cosmetically unexceptional -- speakers. If I ever upgrade or do the surround thing, it'll probably be VMPS.

Another system I loved was fitted with Counterpoint electronics feeding a very large pair of Inifinity speakers. The system was incredibly fast, and produced liquid guitar sounds and complex percussion that really shined on the African pop its owner and I were buying at the time.

Both systems had something in common: large speakers in larger than normal rooms!

 

How strange! I don't think I've ever heard of an audiophile who didn't proudly announce every component in his system to everyone he could drag into his listening room. Heck, sometimes I think the Internet was invented so audiophiles could show off their systems to people they hadn't met yet.

 

That's what I've been using since 1992. They were the first speakers that sounded "right" to me.

Everyone else was using Kefs or Tannoy Golds at the time. Kefs were way too soft sounding. I absolutely hate those things! No attack at all. Drove me nuts. Talk about coloration. It was like trying to drive a car using a wet noodle. Tannoy Golds always sounded harsh to me. Haven't heard a pair in years though. A lot of 'golden ears love them...

The best sound system I ever heard was at an AES show in 1993, I think. It was in San Fransisco and Sony was showing off DSD recordings. Tom Jung played some 5.1 recordings but the .1 channel was used as a height channel. Never heard such realistic reproduction. Sounded like the flute was being played in the room.

 

When Tin Huey was in Burbank recording their album at Amigo, there was occasionally some downtime when a glitch developed in the brand-new digital recorder and Lee Hershberg had to go diagnose it. One day the assistant engineer, Kenny Deane, said "You guys want to hear anything from the master tape library in the basement?" The unanimous choice was Captain Beefheart's "Big Eyed Beans from Venus". I'm not sure what those gorgeous control room monitors were, but everyone was in a puddle on the floor afterward. Ted Templeman really knew how to mike and mix a rock band!

 

When I bought my first "real" pair of speakers in 1986 (Paradigm 11se Deluxe), I listened to Kef's and that's exactly what I thought of them. They sounded "veiled".

 

The Tweeter by me has this system with a pair of Focal 928 speakers powered by a Krell KAV400xi amplifer playing a cd (not SACD) on the Krell SACD standard cd player. The Focal speakers produced such realistic sound that I was just speechless. Of course the interconnects were more money than my entire HT system but I was absolutely amazed at the depth and clarity of that system.

They played the Focal demo disc with a song by Marcus Miller as one of the selections... justa amazing.

 

Sorry, I can't remember the brand name for the gear (a famous Japanese company that specialized in SET gear) but it was at a Stereophile Audio show in San Francisco in the late nineties and involved an LP rig playing Tom Waits via single ended triode gear. Pre-amp and amp matched, the speakers were obviously designed to present an ideal load for the electronics, and the turntable was probably a Linn Sondek. This set-up was notable not so much for the scale, bass weight or hi-fi aspects of the sound, but for the living breathing textures of live music. That set-up really made the vocals shine. Other than that, my original set of Stax Lambada Signature headphones, the first time I heard them. I recall that some sort of Micro-Benz cartridge was in a Well-Tempered Turntable and the LP was Joan Armatrading's eponymous LP on A & M. Amazing detail and sense of space, esp. for headphones.

 

No, but I'll ask him when he wakes up. I do know that he got his first Rowland setup in the early 80's and has upgraded many times. I did bring my modified Threshold down to his place once to compare them and they were much closer than he'd hoped. Of course, my modifications made the Threshold far from stock sounding.

 

sure; send me a pair!

keep in mind that I've only really "listened" to 4 other speakers:
my uncle's Teacs, my *****ty Sony, ma's BICs and those Genelecs

 

Gorted! tee hee. sorry

 

My son playing his Tacoma DK14

 

A few years back, I had the chance to listen to the test lab used by Madrigal Systems for their Mark Levinson equipment. At the time, they had monoblock amps (330?), their lastest preamp, separate digital cd player and D to A converters, and they were driving huge Dunlavy speakers. All two channel audio, the estimated retail price ran a little over $200K.

Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time disc was the highlight of the all too brief session, and it seemed like a sonic hologram. There wasn't an issue of depth or height to sound, it simply appeared in 3D as though she were right in front of us, with her band arrayed around her.

The only thing you really couldn't detect was the white streak in her hair.......

 

This may sound obnoxious, but the best system I've heard is my own. Close second was a system I heard when I was buying my last set of speakers. That system featured Wilson WATT/Puppy 7's, Naim cd player, and spectral pre amp and amp. At the end of the day, it was a close call (and definitely purely personal preference) between the WATT/Puppys and the B&W 800's I ended up getting. In the next room they had a system featuring Wilson Alexandrias, but while I was tempted to give them a listen, I didn't. (Why make myself miserable by listening to speakers I'd never buy.)

 

Hi,

No question.... the best sound system that i ever heard belonged to The Grateful Dead!

Take care,
Jeffrey

 

A friend of mine bought a pair of 800 signatures about 10 months ago. I was there when they were first connected and heard the first noises from them. They were incredibly detailed but way too bright for my liking. I heard them again 6 months later and the treble was perfectly and seamlessly balanced and overall the best sound I've ever heard. I gather you experienced something similar.

 

Second best system I ever heard (after Ben's) is my buddy Jeff Phillips who used to work for Red Trumpet. Interestingly he dumped his tubes in favor of Conrad Johnson SS gear. Here's his rig:

Transfiguration Spirit 3 on a VPI extended Aries/JMW 12.6 tonearm/HRX platter & bearing/30 rpm motor/SDS into a Klyne 7PX3.6 phono preamp - CJ Premier 18LS - CJ MF2500A - Von Schweikert VR4 Jr speakers.


Peace-
Norm

 

Another vote for the Dead's sound system.... Got a chance to hear it 1986, 1989 and the 1990 tour. Just one word "wow". I have tried to get a similar sound from my home system ever since. Indoors or out the Dead's sound system was always the same....amazing!





sean

 

They were actually better than I was expecting right out of the box, but they've deifintely warmed up quite a bit since then.

 

apart from my own system with Rogers LS/9's - the BEST BBC monitor....
the best sounds I've heard are as follows

the Cartridge Mans house- len gregory - Nottingham TT with his Moving iron cart, Croft pre, ex-BBC EL84 power and Quad 63's - bloody amazing.

My friends wadia/rowland/red rose is the best tranny stereo I've heard.

The fulll Meridian 8000 series playing DVD-A - Pet Sounds nearly brought me to tears.

Linn CD12, klimax pre and power into B&W 800 is pretty good for 16 bit red book

and finally

Advantguard Unos playing Folk Singer at Walrus HIFI -

 

Actually there were two times I was blown away. Both occurred at Stereophile shows. I think the first was at the first show in NY around 1986 or so.

It was three pair of Krell Mono Blocks (that 6 amps folks) driving 3 pairs of Magnepan Tympanies with some sort of crossover they played Steve's mastering of Buddy Holly's True Love Ways.

The second was at a later show. With a VPI TNT and Grasshopper cartridge using Wilson Watt, Puppies and Sub. They played some Flamingo cut of of Bang, Barroom

As an aside I've had numerous audiophiles friend say that my system was the best that they have ever heard when it come to playback of small Jazz trios, quartets and quintets and female vocals (the latter is my least favorite form of vocals) . For full scale rock you need to look elsewhere.

 

I completely agree. That "something" is called musicality, Dave.

 

That's exactly what I love about them! They refuse to be shrill. No attack=coloration? To me it means natural. Real voices don't bite, man, and "attack" can be nasty. I listen for peaks, yelps, shouts, sibilance, etched sound, etc in tweeters and the minute I hear any of that stuff...I'm done. Some of those KEF drive units are as smooth as electrostats.

Tannoy Golds, on the other hand, will take your head off if you're not careful.

 

Sounds absolutely lovely, man. We are on the same page..dude, no question.

Say, what drive units are in your LS/9s? Just curious...

 

have a look here all standard. http://www.mhennessy1.f9.co.uk/rogers/ls59.htm

but I did get them rewired internally with Van Den Hul the Wind - I've never heard a better
box speaker- panels are my first love, but recently sold my PERFECT Quad 57's due to baby and space.

Tim