What is your "dream" system...realistic, may one day own?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by WvL, Jun 18, 2020.

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  1. Pythonman

    Pythonman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Cost no object probably a TecDas Air Force One Premium with Graham arm and Lyra Atlas SL Lambda. Pass Labs XS Phono and XS Preamp with a pair of Pass XS 300 amps. Some upper middle of the road Magico or Wilson loudspeakers and a decent digital front end.

    You did say dream system right, lol?
    Realistically my VPI table is end of the road good enough, maybe with a Lyra Delos or an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge which would be upper limits price wise. I’d like to move up to either a Pass XP22 or Parasound JC2 preamp. My Parasound JC3+ can stay, my Parasound A21 and Pass X250 are good to go. Whatever the best current solution for digital vinyl rips is would be nice and a middle of the road SACD and DAC would do for the electronics.

    If I was really lucky and found some Wilson Sabrinas or Sophias on sale or Magicos under $20,000 I might be all set.

    I did just pull the trigger on a new pair Focal Aria 948s in piano black yesterday that are in transit which might just do as well. Keeping the fingers crossed!
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2020
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  2. Pythonman

    Pythonman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Goodness!! Where’s my manners? I forgot a new VPI 16.5RCM I’d like to upgrade to.
     
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  3. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    Very nice, my dream system just needs a similar space. Currently satisfied with what I’ve built over the last 30 years. I’m done with the electronics but am hoping once I’m ready to downsize I can have a similar space to what you currently have. At least 15 to 18 feet wide and 20 to 25 feet long with a minimum 8 foot ceiling height, hopefully a few feet higher. A dream I hope materializes.
     
    timind likes this.
  4. Ontheone

    Ontheone Poorly Understood Member

    Location:
    Indianapolis
    I'm very close. The final sonic frontier for me will be trying out the 300B world of amplification and perhaps adding a Kuzma 4Point tonearm to my table.
     
    Sdp, Nascimento Brasil and Pythonman like this.
  5. caracallac

    caracallac Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    If I were to add 2 pairs of airtight ATM 211’s

    [​IMG]

    To a Quad ESL 63’s with the Gradient SW63’s

    [​IMG]
    I think I’d be all set.
     
    Rick58, concorde01, jonwoody and 4 others like this.
  6. WvL

    WvL Improve the lives of other people Thread Starter

    Location:
    Birmingham al
    Only thing I recognize are the quads, but that would be gorgeous!
     
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  7. Ontheone

    Ontheone Poorly Understood Member

    Location:
    Indianapolis
    and speaking of AirTight, this would fix my 300B craving in a hot minute!

    [​IMG]
     
  8. caracallac

    caracallac Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    I have heard the airtight ATM300 several times with Proac, Spendor and Sonus Faber speakers and it is a truly special amp. If you can pick one up at the right price, jump at it!
     
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  9. Ontheone

    Ontheone Poorly Understood Member

    Location:
    Indianapolis
    The ATM300 drove those speakers well eh? That's saying a lot as it's only 8wpc. The photo I posted is of the newer 300R version which is only 9wpc. Based on what you're saying it should have no problem driving my O/96s. I have heard similar results with the Luxman MQ-300, with lots more oomph than one would expect from 8wpc.
     
  10. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    I've pretty much hit the plateau of what my room could support. In the next few years, I expect to move into a bigger house with a bigger dedicated listening room with higher ceilings. The room itself will be the biggest upgrade possible and from that point on, I'll be able to upgrade my system and treat the room.

    Assuming this all goes according to plan, I could foresee eventually ending up with something along the lines of ;

    - VPI Avenger
    - Harbeth 40.2
    - Line Magnetic high-end amp
    - Koetsu high-end cart

    No idea which phono preamp I'd end up with. None immediately illicit some great interest.
     
    Echoes Myron likes this.
  11. missan

    missan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm
    I think I will buy a 1200G and an Accuphase integrated. The Accuphase should replace the Accuphase I have now. Or not.
     
  12. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    As long as everything keeps working OK I see no need for any major changes.

    The only things would be an added power supply for my digital front end and updating it as necessary.
    I might also “tweak” my Klipschorns in the future.
    Other than that I’m happy where I am barring of course running into that offer “I can’t refuse”.
     
    BrentB likes this.
  13. caracallac

    caracallac Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ireland
    I usually don’t go for high volumes. I got used to listening at low levels when the children were small and at the time my friend who owned the amp had his system in a small room so there was more than enough power to keep me happy. Others perhaps less so but you can’t please everyone.

    The one speaker that they didn’t get along with was the original Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage, but the only valve amps that I ever heard them really sing with were the ARC VT100 or the Jadis JA120.

    The ProAc Response 1sc, the Harbeth LS3/5a, the Sonus Faber Minima Amator, the Spendor SP2/3, the B&W CDM2 and the original Quad ESL all sounded wonderful with the ATM300. But as with any SE Triode amp if you want high volume the you’re looking for horns.

    I’ve heard of the Devore’s but I’ve never heard them. I understand that the sensitivity of these speakers is 96db for 1 watt and That they present a benign load to the amp so you should have no problem coaxing a maximum SPL of 103db’s out of this combination. More than enough IMHO.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2020
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  14. Ontheone

    Ontheone Poorly Understood Member

    Location:
    Indianapolis
    Correct and agreed. Nominal impedance is 10 ohms and they never dip below 8.75 ohms. Now to find a deal on a gently used AirTight! I don't see them come around often on the used market.
     
    caracallac likes this.
  15. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    The system I have now plus a Thorens TD-124 or Garrard 301 sounds perfect.
     
  16. Jellis77

    Jellis77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brighton, UK
    I am almost there with my system. I would just add Audio Note Ankoru 211 monoblocks and a TW Acustics Raven AC turntable and that would do me. Then its just more records.
     
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  17. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Don't know what I'd change if I fell over a bag of money. Both systems are very resolving, it's taken many years and many dollars to get to where I'm at.
    Listed on my profile with photo's.
     
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  18. Big Blue

    Big Blue Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I think I might be as close as I am going to get unless somebody does give me that big load of cash, and/or we move to a house with a room that can support a more optimized setup. My system is relatively modest for this forum, but anything I dream of at this point is not within the realm of current reality. I don’t like to make upgrades unless they’re substantial, and I don’t think I could justify that kind of expense unless I get the right space first.

    Thankfully, I am happy with how my current system sounds, so dreams can be just dreams for now.
     
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  19. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    I'd said earlier that I was satisfied with what I have but a Marantz reference integrated or McIntosh integrated through some Harbeth 40.2's along with a Technics 1200G ought to cover the bases. Maybe Klipschorns... We can throw in a high end streaming platform and CD player but I don't follow any of the higher end versions of those components so I would have a clue.
     
    Big Blue likes this.
  20. BrentB

    BrentB Urban Angler

    Location:
    Midwestern US
    Some kind of big old Klipsche or Altecs with some big old woofers with some big old monoblock tube amps in a big old room with a big old chair and a big old pipe and a big old bottle of Makers Mark. And of course my existing analog and digial playback components would do for a while at least. That's about it.
     
  21. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    I'm 95% satisfied with my current system but will probably try different things in the future- something like an Audio Note SET amp and HE speakers.
    I have heard so many amazing and not so amazing systems at audio shows and dealers over the years I have come to prefer subtlety over bombast.
     
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  22. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    no big old dog?
     
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  23. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Amen


    Beautiful, simple system @timind. I love it!
     
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  24. DeafAsAPost

    DeafAsAPost Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Australia
    My dream system at the moment is a NAD C-658 paired with Elac ARB-51s and a REL subwoofer. The Elacs would be connected using XLRs. This is so I could use long ICs and not have the equipment between the speakers. I'd be streaming either from the internet or my NAS. Ideally set up in a dedicated listening room with the DIRAC dialled in.
     
  25. Echoes Myron

    Echoes Myron Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I am pretty close to there. Absolutely love my main listening room and system.

    A few big upgrades in the next 5-10 years maybe if funds allow, in terms of amp and phono.

    In the meantime will be moving to MC carts for all of my TTs. But overall I'm good.
     
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