I purchased this second hand from another Agon'er as an upgrade to my HW-19. I like the heavy platter better than the light platter, so I didn't want to go new (I note that VPI now offers the heavy platter as a $1,000 upgrade!!) Anyway, I just put some little Adona discs under the cones and a square piece of Acrylic under the motor for isolation, and she really sings. I've thought about other TT's, but, truthfully, I don't know how much better it can get. Great bass, crystal clear highs and plenty of dynamics to go around.
A real workhorse. I have owned it since I bought it new in 1987. Sounds as solid as it looks. I tried removing the bridge over the bearing, but ultimately decided it sounds best as originally intended by SME. I added an FD-IV fluid damper which is fantastic. Really brings everything into better focus. BUT, I like to use a slightly lighter damping fluid than the really thick stuff SME sells. I use 7000 cps pure silicone from the hobby store (they sell it for RC transmissioons). It works great and, to me, sounds fuller than the really thick stuff.
This has been my Holy Grail since I first read about it in issue 40 of TAS. I have had many moving coils, from the Monsters, to a Lyra and a van den Hul, but this is the one that does it all. I have a Koetsu Black Goldline as a backup, and that is great too, but the Rosewood Signature is just a thing of sonic beauty -- all the time.
I have owned this for approximately 5 years now, and I have only had to retube once. It has all of the attributes that I liked about my old CAL Aria Mk. III, plus it is just as dynamic as you could reasonably want. I am happy enough with this player that I have not bothered with the 24-bit and other updates that are available.
- Audible Illusions Modulus 3A
Believe it or not, this was the component that really put me over the top. It replaced an Audio Research SP-9 Mk.III which I had for almost 15 years. But as soon as I put the M3A in the system, it was magic. The picture makes it look a little dirty, but that is just the reflection on the gorgeous (really!) 23k gold faceplate. I have rolled many tubes through this pre-amp (it likes to eat them for lunch, the one drawback), and the best sounding and most reliable are the Russian military 6h23s. Robust, extended and musical. I love this pre-amp.
This is a classic and wonderful moving coil step up device. I personally prefer this versatile active device to any passive transformer I have tried. I also preferred it to both the Counterpoint and Klimo tube units, which were both a little too noisy (with too much scary DC) for my taste. I set it at 100 ohms with only a tiny bit of capacitive loading for my Koetsu, and you would never even know it's there, but for the extra set of interconnects.
I have been through more power amps than you can imagine, having owned everything from an Adcom GFA-555 to an Eagle 2A and various Audio Research amps, solid state (D200), tube (D115 mk.2) and hybrid (Classic 60). This powerful, stable, musical beast is by far the best match for my Wilson speakers. I prefer the superiordynamic impact of tetrode mode to the slight amount of extra delicacy provided by triode mode. Although space does not permit me to install mono amps, with the ST-150 I don't feel that I am missing out.
- Wilson Audio Watt 3+Puppy2
What can I say about these speakers except that they are my prize possession. I have heard the 5's and the 7's, but never once did I think that I needed to trade these in. I have replaced the foam padding on the baffle and installed the new style grilles (which made a remarkable improvement in clarity). These speakers let you know everything that is going on upstream (that can be a blessing or a curse, if you are not careful), but, when they are set up correctly, with appropriate speaker cable (MIT) and ancillary equipment (tubes), they sing beautiful music. I have had these for over 10 years, but they really began to sing when I switched to the VTL amp (they definitely appreciated all that power). There is a palpability and presence with these speakers that I hve not heard with any other speaker, including DCM Time Windows, Vandersteen (2C and 4A)Thiel 2.2, Totem Model 1 and Audio Physics Virgos). They bring the musicians to me, and I LOVE them for it.
These are the High impedance versions, between amp and preamp.
Medium impedance between preamp and CD player. I tried a high impedance version of the SG, and it sounded much worse, so I'm not going to mess with these.
Phono specific silver wire from tonearm to head amp and head amp to pre amp. Worth every penny. Huge improvement over stock SME cable, and AQ pro tonearm cable previously used.
- MIT MH-770 Twin Tube Terminator Ser.2
By far the best I have tried. Huge, stiff and bulky, with stupid-looking boxes, but boy do they let the system open up and breath, as compared to cheaper MIT, Purist, and (inexpensive) Nordost I have tried.
This replaced my venerable Tice Power Block/Titan 2 combo. It runs cool and quiet, providing black, noiseless background without a hint of compressed dynamics. I plug in everything except the VTL amp, which is plugged into an adjacent wall outlet, as per the manufacturer.
- Signal Guard Isolation shelf
This seems to do a great job of isolating my CD player. Frankly, I never even think about it, which is a good thing.
Best alignment tool on the market.
