I consider this the beginning of my playback system; clean power. While not required for the Ikemi (due to switching power supply) it is vital for the preamp. Multiwave free zone :-)
Linn Ikemi
Horrible chassis design. Amazing transport and decoding mechanism. Solution? Isolate and manage vibrations. Result? I'd stack it up against a CD12 (and I have -- there is *very* little difference).
Audience Au 24
Half a meter of smooth, detailed bliss. Amazing stuff.
Audio Electronic Supply AE-3 DJH
A neat little tubed preamp from the Cary guys. Have CBS-Hytron 6SN7 tubes. Clean, quick, and a lot of bass. Highly recommend this unit!
VH Audio Pulsar
12' run from pre to amp. Price/performance is off the map. Could not recommend this stuff more highly.
Forte Model 4a
Great sound, cheap price. I love this unit.
Goertz MI2 Biwire
Apparently, a controversial cable. I did have some problems with this cable initially, but after removing the Zobels (which some consider mandatory) the sound break-up at high volume problem was solved. Apparently, the Zobel's introduced a destructive feedback to my amp (strange, for they are designed to *avoid* that problem). Anyway, I consider this a very neutral cable and I'm quite happy with them. Especially considering the price.
If you are serious about the Pass Aleph 5 then by all means stick with Pass Labs and get it with the Aleph P preamp. I just upgraded my Aleph 3 to a 5 but could not find the perfect match in the preamp until I found an Aleph P on Audiogon. The non remote Aleph P can be bought for $1300-1500 and the Aleph 5 can be bought for $1400-1700. These are a perfect match as long as your speakers are above 88db sensitivity. Good luck
