I tried to strike a balance between the gear that I really wanted and the gear that I could afford. F-52s are some of the best speakers that I've heard (I've spent time with salons, N802s, and lots of studio playback systems), and they sing when driven by the Stratos dual mono. The Eastsound CDP is a great value from China, and the MMF-5 is remarkable considering its relatively low price.
This system marks my first real adventure in a playback system that's soley for enjoyment. I'm a recording engineer by day, so most of my background is in studio reproduction (which is a whole different ballgame).
Amazing sound from these underappreciated treasures.
Odyssey Audio Stratos Dual Mono
W/ Upgraded custom transformers
Anthem TLP-1
Admirable performer for very little dough. First on my list of future upgrades.
Eastsound E5
This CDP from China is a real gem. There's some buzz about it going around the web, and I must say that everything you may have heard is true. A good value at twice the price.
Music Hall MMF-5
Great TT for those of us without tons of cash.
Cambridge Audio 640P
Great budget phono stage.
Signal Cable Silver Reference
Quality silver IC for a reasonable price.
Signal Cable Analog2
Quality copper ICs for not alot of cash.
Signal Cable Ultimate Speaker Cable
Quality speaker cables for not alot of cash.
Sennheiser HD 600
Classic reference headphones
AKG K701
Quite possibly the best dynamic headphones on the planet.
I'm pretty happy with the Odyssey amp, I'm looking for a preamp upgrade. I'm sure there are sub-1k preamps out there that would be a meaningful step up from the inexpensive and perhaps overly featured Anthem TLP1.
So far I'm thrilled with this system with the exeption of the Anthem preamp. I don't dislike it, I just feel like it's definitely the weak link in the chain. Any suggestions for a new preamp under $1k? I have the Cambridge Audio phono pre, so it doesn't have to have a phono stage, but it needs to have atleast 5 inputs and a remote. I tend to lean towards solid state sound, but I'd be interested in trying tubes. My all time favorite pre that I've heard is a Levinson No32, but something of that caliber will have to wait about 20 years... Any suggestions within my budget?
