You've Won the Lottery: Your Dream System, Now.


For this exercise, you don't HAVE to spend lots of money....but imagine if price were absolutely no object....

...and you weren't trying to show off, impress your neighbors, be loyal to your dealer, blow lots of cash needlessly or experiment with the latest Editors Choice or Class A recommendations.....

but rather, using everything you have ever learned in this hobby and in this forum, were honestly, genuinely, simply and sincerely trying to achieve the most "high end", 2 channel, musical nirvana ever in the history of audio..

..where you could buy new or used, as you wish....

With no constraints to the budget, of course you can have a perfectly restored Levinson HQD, Infinity IRS or Quad/Entec system.....the giant Apogees...or the latest mega Wilson's or any other well marketed, latest top of line speakers, however overpriced they might be....

Brand new or classic Audio Research reference....LAMM....Pass Labs...analogue, digital, WHATEVER YOU WANT under the sun.....

Rives tuned room, Shakti stones, exotic power conditioning devices.....just say the word and it can all be yours right now.

Here are the only rules:

ONE source
ONE system re pre amp and amps (bi or triamping optional)
ONE set of speakers
Cables exactly as you wish
As many tweaks as you like
All CDs and/or records FREE

Tell us your design for the perfect system, the last audio system you would ever need to build to live a long, happy, musically enriched life....the system you would never need to change or upgrade and the system which would enable you to die happily.

Good luck. Have fun.

Cheers,

cwlondon
cwlondon
First I'd get the best and most powerful Class D amp for my system. Then I would buy and set up my ultimate listening room.

From there, who knows?
Lamm tube monoblock amps
Brinkman preamp
Walker, Triplanar, and Linn tt's (Linn for nostalgia)
Manley Steelhead phono stage
speakers: ATC, Avantgarde, Tetra depending on music

A variety of cables so vast none of us can even imagine
ONE source : Concertgebouw Orchestra

ONE system: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

ONE set of speakers: Haitink and Jansons welcoming me to the house in Dutch and Russian.

Cables exactly as you wish: Something friendly like: "Congratulations" or funny: "Please help me with my parachute" (from GM CEO).

As many tweaks as you like: A Dutch beer and the monetary clout to bring in Chailly from the bullpen.

All CDs and/or records FREE: CDs, Records...oh please!

8^(.
Thank you everyone for your very interesting replies so far.

Schipo, remember: for the purposes of this exercise all music is FREE.

The question I have posed seeks to eliminate the natural audiophile tendencies to chop, change, trade, tweak and upgrade endlessly and/or argue about the merits of spending money on equipment vs. music vs. listening rooms.

Through this exercise, we might identify and short list a hall of fame of components that might bring happiness for a lifetime.

(Of course, in real life, none of you might want to settle down and get married to one system.....but that is another story.)

Maybe its just me, but I also note that I have never heard of some of these suggestions. So as usual, I hope recommendations are not being corrupted by dealers, who should refrain from shameless, surreptitious marketing and/or disclose their identities please.

Cheers,

cwlondon
F the system, I sure would have a nice one but being money is of no object I would be seeing too many live shows to fuss over the system much!
But if I had to do it all I probably would find myself with great reliable products from established companys in a super well built and tuned room, Dartzeel, Walker, Aesthetix, Esoteric......and maybe soon to be Vandersteen model 7 comes to mind.