Lists are always a recipe for a good thread.
1) Power amplifier - Marantz 8/8b. Look up classic tube sound in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of this amp. Still lusted over
2) Integrated amplifier - NAD 3020. Provided a lot of enjoyment, smooth, musical, nice. Before things got crazy. Honorable mention to Advent receiver
3) Pre amplifier - Mark Levinson LNP2. Dawn of a new era. How things got crazy; caused three different audio paths - [1]faceplate more important than what's inside?, [2]exotic parts quality, and [3] heart stopping prices(no longer did we spend more than our friends, we spent more than our friend's car. Audio equipment as jewelry
4) Tuner - Marantz 10. Zenith(no pun intended) of tubes, plue gadgetry and measurements before they became ridiculous
5) Cassette player - Nakamichi Dragon. Made with the expert skill that produced samurai swords
6) Turntable - AR ES. Lives on in the Linn
7) Digital - CD player/separates - Wadia. "I thought all CD players sound alike.?. How much does it cost?!?"
8) Digital - High Resolution - Sony SCD-1. Will SACD become Beta/DAT/MiniDisc or is this the player that will make CD the 78 of digital?
9) Loudspeaker->tie:
[a]Infinity IRS Beta. Seeing them in a room is the audiophile's version of visiting the Taj Mahal. WAF?, you know your woman really loves you if she allows them. I have personally hear these speakers(modified) sound better than live in a precious fleeting moment.
[b]Klipsch CornerHorns. Most people still have their speakers in the corners. The postwar audio industry is born
[c]Quad ESL57. Like owning a real dog, not a stuffed animal. Yes, they are work, but everything else is fake
[d]Vandersteen 2 speakers. The Bruce Jenner of loudspeakers. Difference? The speakers have not aged, no plastic surgery
10) Cable, speaker->tie
[a]AudioQuest Indigo
[b]Kimber 4TC
[b]StraightWire
Yes, Monster Cable started the ball rolling by having us pay more than $0.89 for our wire, but these cables made us view cable as a component. No use comparing the three, they all sound the same. Wire is wire
11) Cable, interconnect - Cardas. Oh no! You mean interconnects sound different too? Honorable mention to gold plated RCA plugs/jacks
12) Cable, power cord - Synergistic Research AC Master Coupler. Well, we did forget one cable in the system...
