The BEST system you've ever built !!!!

I think we all should not look at this as a competition. Like Albert said, money is not the determining factor. To me, it's the way a person puts a system together, synergy. Some people can do it right the first time, some people even get it wrong the 100th time. Carl_eber, don't ever get down. I read your posts all the time. You provide me with a lot of food for thought. I respect you, your ideas, your equipment, your philosophy. I don't care if you own a Krell or a Sanyo, I KNOW you get it. I always talk about Jolida integrateds. Only because my friends(a lot of musicians) come to me hoping for better sound, and don't have $2500. I tell them to buy one, we upgrade the tubes/power cord, and they can't believe they did this for less than $1000. They always say it sounds just like the sound they got in the studio when they mixed it. Likewise I visited the big high end dealer in this area who has a one page ad in Stereophile each month. And was drawn into the loudness of their main room. There, they had $100K of equipment blaring. Metallic, shrill, unnatural, and terrible. Women are more sensitive to this, and quickly left the room. I went to look at the equipment, to see what it was. The salesman later asked me if that was the best sound I have EVER heard. I didn't want to say, but my fiance' was not as shy. She said it was horrible(and used all the adjectives I just mentioned), and that the system I put together for $4K was the no contest winner. The guy obviously thought she was nuts, but she WAS correct. It's the sum of the parts that counts. Hopefully the whole is greater(that's what makes a good audiophile to me), and not less than the sum of those parts.

THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO BE A P*SSING CONTEST !!!!! I do appreciate all additions to my thread and am putting together a good list of components that you ALL are using. After more systems are givien you will see where I am going with this post. Thank you all again ! Happy Listening !

No, not logical enough, F. You singled me out, after I already said that I didn't want to discuss it. I demand to know the real reason...If this is a pissing contest, so be it. Unless you are Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I'm not scared of you.

I agree. This is no contest. And Carl, I apologize, I wasn't trying to reveal anything that you haven't already talked about her on the forum. I was just trying to have a little fun. Besides, you and Garfish Albert and the rest are regular participants. I think it's pretty normal that by now we know at least a little about the other guys systems. It means that we respect their choices and opinions and have remembered about what they've said on certain topics. That's what makes it an online community...kind of like seeing the guys at work and asking "how are the kids." I've been shopping for some MIT speaker cables lately because of your rave reviews on them (among others). So don't take offense.

Back in the day, when I was but a youth, I put together the following system. The cartridge was the Shure IV and it was fitted in a Mitsubishi LV5 (the one with the linear tracking arm). The pre/power amps were Luxmans. I believe the preamp was named C1000. It had both MM and MC inputs with front panel loading setting. The tone controls had multiple turnover points and it had a tilt control (similar to the Quad preamps). The power amp had big analog meters; they were rated for 120wpc. The speakers were the Bose 901s (when you're young why settle for anything less than the best?). However, what really made the system special were the dbx expander and the Audio Control equalizer (the upscale model with the RTA and calibrated microphone). Interconnects were whatever came in the box, however, I did eventually upgrade the speaker cable to a very early Monster Cable product. Sound quality -- I really don't remember, but it did go loud. And yes, it impressed the women! Am I ashamed that I had this system? Not for a second. It gave me (and my friends) alot of pleasure. I'm older now and much, much wiser.