Which components knocked you out on first listen?

Apogee Scintilla. The first time I heard one I was convinced I was hearing the real thing hidden away. I have never heard a more convincing speaker. I was awe struck.

it was 1988 in montreal mirage m1 with classe amp,preamp,dont remember cdp but stil looking for better one

Nestorovic System 12 in Mile's basement. I traveled to Seattle on business last week. While in the area I wanted to stop by Nestorovic Labs and check out their latest speakers. When I arrived I discovered Nestorovic Labs was at Mile Nestorovic's house.

His wife answered the door and I got to meet the man himself. His laboratories and demo rooms are in his basement. Armed with Roger Waters’ album, “Amused to Death” we demoed his System 12. Mile, my son, & I listened together. I don't know if he enjoyed my tunes (he's a classical buff), but I was totally blown away.

For those interested--he had a Sonic Frontiers preamp, an Accuphase CD player, a Sony super-CD unit, a Kyocera turntable, Nestorovic NA-1 tube mono amps running the Type 4's, and a large Nikko power-amp running the Type 8's.

I dropped by his home without an appointment thinking the address was to a business, yet he was a very gracious host. Anyone thinking about an audition probably ought to call first, but it was a treat.

my top 'knocked out on first listen' would have to be a few weeks back with the Rockport Sirius III turntable. i had driven 1800 miles over 36 hours to go pick it up from it's former owner. i purchased it without ever hearing it.....it took 4 hours to disassemble and load into my SUV (all 600 pounds worth) and then after driving back we disassembled my Sirius II and set-up the III. when i first dropped the needle i thought something was wrong....everything had slowed way down....then i realized that there was so much more information in every note that it created the illusion of much more of a look into the musical message. i was literally floored with what it did.

i had anticipated it being good but until i heard what it did i just was not prepared for it.

my top "unexpected" knocked out experience would have to be my first experience with the Tenor amps. i had arrived at a friends home late one evening to return a demo pair of amps i had decieded to buy.....i casually sat down to briefly listen before unloading my car....and whammo! the clarity, resolution and top to bottom coherence just grabbed me. i was very familiar with my friends system so the differences were profound. i was in love at first listen and have lived happily ever after with the Tenors.

Which components knocked me out on the first listen??? Well, in that regard, I can think of several.

And they are the following:

Speaker System:

(01). Vandersteen 2 (first connected to PS Audio Delta Power Amplifier back in 1990, then connected to a McCormack Power Drive DNA-0.5 in 1997 (being controlled by a McCormack TLC-1 Line Stage)) -- 1990, 1992, 1995 and 1997.

AND

(02). KEF Reference 102 (back in 1987..... being driven first by a Mission Integrated Amplifier..... then a Bryston 4B, and then a Nakamichi PA-7 with Stasis Technology..... and was impressed each time I listened to them. I was impressed so much, that I went ahead and bought a pair a year later. Still continue to be impressed by them 14 years later) -- 1986, 1987, and 1988 (eventually purchased).

Power Amplifier:

McCormack Power-Drive DNA-0.5 -- 1997.
Mark Levinson No.20 Class A Mono Power Amplifier -- 1989.
Nakamichi PA-7 (with Stasis Technology) -- 1986.

Preamplifier:

Adcom GFP-750 Active/Passive Line Stage with Remote Control -- 1998 (purchased in 1999).
McCormack TLC-1 Transparant Line Stage -- 1997.
Mark Levinson No.26 (fully configured) -- 1989.
Audio Research SP-10 MkII -- 1985.
Audio Research SP-11 MkII -- 1988.

Integrated Amplifier:

Classe CAP-151 -- 2000.

Compact Disc Player:

Meridian 506.24 -- 2000.

Super Audio Compact Disc Player:

(01). Sony SCD-1 -- 1999
(02). Sony SCD-777ES -- 1999.

When it comes to being floored on the VERY first listen, the components listed above come to mind. And to be fortunate enough to purchase two of them, and come close to purchasing yet another one says a whole lot about the list that is being listed above. I will be purchasing a DVD player that is capable of playing SACDs (which will either be a Sony DVP-S9000ES or a Sony DVP-NS999ES) shortly.

--Charles--