I think actually it was a small headphone amp. Bought from Hongkong back in 2009. Because it changed my mind, regarding hifi. I had invested in 'heavy' stuff, huge s-state amps, hard to drive speakers. Then I heard a Graaf OTL amp at a friend's place and was intrigued. And bought the headphone amp, also OTL, without having heard it. It sounded better than my main rig! So I sold the huge s-state and the power-hungry speakers, and bought OTL amps with matching sensitive speakers for my main rig. Have not looked back.
Your greatest high end audio purchase!!!
My audiophile journey has extended to over 40 of adventurous sonic delight. Over the coarse of my over 40 year journey as an audiophile, like so my others, I cycled through a multitude of speakers, amps, cables, etc,. Now that I’m an old guy, I’ve pretty much settled on my "End-Game" audio system for the long haul, primarily because I simply love the way it sounds, and also because, at this juncture, I no longer have the will, nor do I have the desire to continue the crazy (but fun) merry-go-round of audio components in and out like I did in years past (my spouse and my wallet thank me). When I look back on all the high-speed audio gear that I’ve owned down through the years, and after giving it much insightful thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that, after everything was said and done, my beloved Revel Salon 2 speakers were my overall most pleasurable and greatest purchase of all. What was yours?
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My journey began in the early 80’s and I have been in this hobby about the same time as you, a little over 40 years. I am also at a point where I just don’t want or need anything else. I ended up accumulating more components than I can keep track of. They are either set up in one of six rooms or in a closet somewhere. From time to time, I’ll give something away to a nephew, who’s beginning to enjoy this hobby at the age of 14. Too bad I find his choice of music genres awful. Hopefully he’ll grow out of that. If I had to choose one component it would be a pair of Acoustic Research AR9 speakers that I bought very early on, also in the 80’s. I have gone through and have many speakers, but those continue to be my favorite. I continue to enjoy music very often, but the stereo buying bug has for the most part gone away. I did buy a DAC not too long ago and then ended up buying 3 more for other rooms once I realized how convenient streaming was. Guilty as charged, but I had to "modernize"! 😎 |
Here's a link to the Acoustic Research AR9: Revisiting the Acoustic Research AR9 4-Way Legendary Loudspeaker | Audioholics
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