Here is my personal reference system that I am very proud of!
I bought every single piece USED, so I saved a TON OF MONEY on it.
It took me almost 3 years to put it together.
Unbelievable speed, transparency, detail, image width and depth, focus, bass power, and dynamics!
The top-end is the BEST I have heard at ANY PRICE! Open, detailed, EXTREMELY extended, airy, and sweet.
I listen mainly to vinyl. It is the highest resolution source out there! But, on my Linn Unidisc, all the digital formats are extremely enjoyable and listenable.
Everytime I fire my system up, it blows my mind. I am very, very happy with it and have no plans for upgrades any time soon.
The best overall "one box" player I have ever heard! Plays CD's, DVD's, DVD-Audio, and SACD discs.
VPI Industries Scoutmaster turntable
Exceptional sounding turntable for the money.
VPI Industries JMW-9 tonearm
Great tonearm for the price. Matches perfectly with the Scoutmaster turntable.
Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridge
Exceptional sounding cartridge for the money.
Ayre Acoustics K-1xrp preamp
Excellent solid-state preamp with remote and dual-mono phono board included.
Parasound JC-1 monoblock amps
Exceptional power amps, even at their full retail price!
Magnepan Magneplanar MG 3.6R, modded.
Exceptional sounding dipole speakers with some of the best ribbon tweeters on the planet! The X-overs were modified by the previous owner. Don't know exactly what was done to them, but they sound exceptional.
Hsu Research TN-1220HO Powered Subwoofers
2 round cylinder subs with 12" HO woofers in each cylinder and 500 watt amp, that powers both of them. Crossover to the magneplanars at 80hz. Exceptional Bass Power and speed!They easily rattle the whole house!
Audience AU 24 Interconnects
Great sounding interconnects.
Audience AU 24 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Excellent sounding speaker cables.
Audience Power Chord, power cords
I use these exceptional power cords on other components in my system.
TG Audio SLVR power cords
Exceptional match to my JC-1's!
Shunyata Research Hydra 8
Power distribution device. Makes a world of difference!
You say "world of difference" on your Hydra 8. Could you elaborate a bit? I'm considering one myself, but I'm worried that there isn't any noise to get rid of. Does it help in other ways?
Great system! Can you comment on Hydra/Parasound combination? I'm looking at some upper end line filters and hydra is on my short list. What else have you tried? Thanks, Andrey
With all that fine stuff you can't buy a cheap digital camera, or disposable camera and have the pix scanned onto cd at the lab. Then we can see photos.
have you tried your maggies with tube powered amps? VTL makes amps that will do the trick just fine; my partner had a pair of 3.5 maggies with a pair of very powerful VTL tubed amps.
Audio girl, you have a very nice system. I bet the investment in the front end players really pays off! You are so right about vinyl -- until you listen to a nice vinyl setup, you don't know what you're missing. But, with your digital front end, I'm sure you aren't compromising too much for the convenience! There's nothing like the best of both worlds though. Happy listening!
audio girl, we are meant for each other. I own Martin-Logan CLS IIz up front and SL-3s surround. Meridian 568 prepro, and cinepro 3k6se gold amp, but i am all digital. don't need the porsche turbo, english shotguns, or wine cellars. Need female partner who shares the passion of hifi. The other posters are rubes
hi - i love it (just like everyone else). I used to own the Ayre K-1x - and that thng is AWESOME, esp or someone such as yourself who spins vinyl (I dont, so that tremendous phono stage went to waste).
Just curious, what other amps did you try before settling down with the parasounds? Ever try tubed monos?
Not married, eh, :-) Now if you drive a Porsche Turbo and have a room full of expensive English shotguns and a fully stocked wine seller, I am available for short term work as a slave boy..lol
Not married. Did not have a husband to have whacked. Don't know who modded the maggies. I bought them from a guy in Texas who already had them modded when I bought them. He said some parts were changed out, and some were removed entirely. I will try to locate that guys name and email address, but its been quite a while since I bought them. I will also do some research on mods for the maggies. Sorry that I can't help you more. If I can ever find a digital camera that works and figure out how to post pictures, I might consider it. No my scoutmaster is stock, but I might consider upgrading it. The Linn is an awesome player and matches up extremely well with the maggies, the Ayre, and the JC-1's. I would not even consider selling it! Thanks again, guys, for your praise. I sure do appreciate it! Guess all my hard work, auditioning, and research finally paid off.
that's unidisk, with a 'k.' remember, it ain't a linn produkt unless it has a 'k' in it. (sondek, klimax, komri, keltik, unik, sizmik, melodik, exotik, ekos, arkiv, kelidh, kinos, etc . . .) of course, there are a few without 'k' but not many. (lingo, AVxx series)
regardless of, though, i've always wanted to hear that player, as i'm a big fan of linn stuff.
Mind-Blowing is what it's all about! Oh boy to have Paris Hilton's cash reserve to build a system? In one word.....ok two..... Very Dangerous!
Audio_Girl, Have you done any upgrades on the Scout? Ordering the 300rpm conversion kit, along with the new solid black belt makes a major difference at only a wee bit over a $100.00. The Vpi Sds, would then take the Scout to an entirely higher level. Enjoy!
WOW, Thanks guys! I am flattered. Yes, needless to say, I would really rather be at home than anywhere else! I wish I was Paris Hilton and had her cash reserves! Hint: A with healthy insurance settlement, you can buy things that you normally would not be able to afford. SSSHHHH! Thanks again to all of you who responded to my system thread! Happy listening!
I had a similar system consisting of JC1's and highly modified maggie 3.6's and I agree with you, that combo. does somethings unlike any other system I have heard. No need to say this, but- enjoy the music!
Thanks, Daltonlanny! I think the Parasound JC-1's are one of the best solid-state amps under $10,000. I have auditioned many amps in my system, and the JC-1's simply match up best with my components, and give me everything that I am looking for in an amp.They are extremely fast, clean, transparent, detailed, neutral, and have seemingly unlimited power, drive, dynamics, and bass response. They actually surpass the 500 watt HSU amp that I use to drive my 2 HSU Research 1220 HO subs in the mid and low bass regions by a good margin! The TG Audio SLVR power cords take these monoblocks to an even higher level. I highly recommend these. I am a big analog fan. I love vinyl. I do not think that even the best CD/SACD/DVD-Audio players, can match the sheer musicality, palpability, and accuracy of good vinyl! You ought to buy you a decent analog set-up. You will be amazed and be thanking me! Thanks again for your kind words.
