okay... bear in mind i bought this when i'd just got out of highskoo (with the pittence i made at a computer warehouse).

CD Player: Yamaha CD-29 (old '80s hulk that doesn't work on CDs pressed after 1999... i now use a DVD player that miraculously has DTS onboard)

Amp (what the hell is a preamp??): Yamaha A-520, 65 wpc @ 8ohm, big dents on the front, phono button must be held in...

Turntable: not that it matters for fidelity, but it's a Pioneer PL-200, direct-drive with Stanton scratchie cartridge that hisses on loud treble.

Speakers: Jensen DX-7, 130 watts (6 ohm), 35-24000Hz (that's what the back says )

Cables: who gives a flying blank about cables? can you really hear a difference? these are thick, oxygen free copper. i dare all-o you audiophiles to an ABX battle with the above system and more expensive cables

EQ: (i found when i got the speakers that i didn't need the EQ anymore ) Kenwood something-or-other, 7 band.

all the above (except the cables) came from 2nd-hand dealers, and i really don't want to know where they came from before that

total cost of the above: $1200 AUD

Well, I live in an apartment, so my most frequently used speakers are the 18mm voice coils in my Sennheiser HD-590's.

But my home theater uses a Bose Acoustimass 10 system. (~$1100) And yes, they're getting replaced soon, probably with something from B&W or Martin Logan.

And the actual "speakers" attached to my preferred listening platform, which is the Echo Indigo soundcard in my notebook PC, are Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's. (~$250)

B&W 330i, floor standing, fifteen years old
Second hand Preamp Linn Kairn, only analog connectors
Second hand Amp Linn LK100

Happy with its sound, but this system needs a big room to show its potential. Not my case, for the moment...

I've a set of Klipsch Promedia 2.1 connected to the rear speaker output of my sb live. It sounds not that bad.

Pair of Polk Audio Lsi9
Marantz SR-68 Reciever
Marantz CC-4000 CD Player
Sony MDR-V600 Headphones
Rio Karma

Well, I have got Audio Pro Stage 6.
Working quite good

I have a pair of Technics SB-F1mk2 speakers, which my parents used to use.

They're small, sitting on my desk. I can't find much info on the net, other than that they were built in the early 80's, and cost about 200 dollars back then.

I like them a lot - bombproof build quality, with very stiff and heavy cabinets, and the 'honeycomb discs' (whatever that means) produce a very bright kind of highs, which I like especially (lady singers...).

Only one complaint: the connectors on the back (both 8ohm and 4ohm) are of the spring-loaded clamp type. My speaker wire constantly flips out of it

My main speakers are a pair of 80's JBL 240 Tis. They're 3-ways with a 14" low driver, and one of the best tweeters that JBL ever produced. They weigh about 85 lbs apiece and have gorgeous teak cabs. Picked them up off eBay a few months ago for ~$300 ( they were $2k when new ). Couldn't be happier ( although my neighbors might disagree ).

My main listening chain is an Adcom GFP-555 pre-amp into a Hafler p3000 power amp, inexpensive Yamaha 5-CD changer and an old B&O turntable. No fancy cables.

I have my main stereo hooked up to my computer via the line-out on my SB Live!.

Speakers: Vienna Acoustics Beethoven - ~ 3800 €
(http://overture-audio.com/product_lines/vienna_acoustics/beethoven.html)

Amp: AVM Evolution A2 - ~ 2000 €
(http://www.avm-audio.com/products/a2_big.html)

Sources:
200 € Sony CD Player from 1995
PC via Audigy 2 analog out

Infinity Kappa 9.2i series II

Genesis Physics (model II) purchased new circa 1977 for around $260/pair. They came with a "lifetime warranty", but since the company went bankrupt in the 80's, the warranty is worthless. When the drivers disintegrated about twelve years ago, I was fortunate to find a supplier of replacement drivers at a reasonable cost. So I'm still in business with these old puppies, glad they're still working ... BUT part of me wishes they would die a clear death so I would have an excuse to go shopping for a new pair.

Here are some photos from the guy who makes the replacement drivers:

Genesis Model II

Here's my system..

Audigy 2 >> Link ICs >> NAD C320 BEE (Tara Labs Prism 5 as jumpers >> Analysis Plus Clear Ovals >> Monitor Audio S2.

Sounds pretty decent.. refined, natural and transparent.

I have two years old Amphion Argon's (that pic is of Argon2, but the first version of Argon looks the same).
Harman/Kardon AVR 505
Pioneer DV-360

Creative Labs T2900.
My room is little, and it isn't good for wave propagation

Byebye Saverio M.

My System is all homebrewed stuff:

Live! Digital Out > Homebuild DAC (based around CS4334) > Homebuild Elliot P3A > Homebuild 2 Way monitors (GR Research Woofers and Morel tweeters).

It sounds really good for how much it all cost me (about ZAR4000). I am planning on replacing the Live! digital out with a USB 24/192 DAC of my own design - still busy routing the board for that one though.

I also have a Logitech Z560 set for watching movies (and listening to Doef-Doef music) as my little bookshelf units don't really represent below 55Hz.

Maybe someone should tell the folks at Genesis that they went bust:

Genesis website

BTW, the 5 foot ribbon driver in the Genesis 1 (now replaced by the 1.1) is the same as in my home made speakers described somewhere nearer the start of this topic.

Edit: if they DID go bust and someone bought the company cheap they may still be liable for the warrantee.

horus 5

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/elipson/site/site_vf/horus.htm

I could be wrong about this, but I don't think the old Genesis Physics Corporation (New Hampshire) has any connection to the current Genesis Advanced Technologies (Seattle), other than they share similar names.

Soundcard: M-Audio Delta Audiophile 24/96
Amp: Denon PMA-925R
Speakers: Dali 6006 (bi-wired)
Headphones: AKG 240s
Cables: Dali Python / Tara Labs

[computer]
soundcard: sblive! soon to be audigy 2 zs
speakers: klipsch 4.1 - just got em and enjoying them very much
headphone: sennheiser hd-280 + sennheiser px 200


[car]
head unit: jvc kd-sh909
front spks: kicker 02k6.2 components
rear spks: Kappa 62.5i coax
spker amp: US accoustics USX-4085
sub: Infinity Kappa 120.3dvc
sub amp: US accoustics USX-2100

Linn Keiledhs driven by a Creek CD player and bi-amped from an Arcam 7 Integrated (tweeters) and an Arcam 8 PowerAmp (woofers).

The Keiledhs had the warmest and most accurate sound I found in their price range, and far beyond any lower priced speakers I demoed at the audio store I bought them from.

I had considered going with NAD for the amps due to a warmer and more robust sound when paired with the Linns. However, looking at the NAD I had a feeling they just wouldn't stand up to long term use like the british made Arcams.

-rt

Soundcard: Audigy2Z
Speakers: Klipsch 5.1 Ultra

I just got the speakers the other day--a nice upgrade from the Klipsch 2.1 Promedias. I must say I like these a lot. Won't be to long till I look a getting a high-fi setup with nice reciever and amp.

My "sound chain":

On a daily basis:
- Intel D815EEA MB with 933MHz P3, 512MB RAM, 280GB internal storage, 200GB external firewire storage, Matrox G400, 21" Sun (Trinitron) monitor. (yes, time to upgrade to P4, I know...)
- Plextor PX40-TS CD-ROM
- EAC
- Lame 3.90.3 APS or WMA Lossless (thinking about AAC now....)
- Winamp 5 with Shibatch/Otachan in_mpg123 - DirectSound Output Plug-in
- TerraTec EWX 24/96 sound card
- Revox B150 amplifier (around 1980)
- JBL 4301B Control Monitor speakers (around 1980, woofers rebuilt 2 times)
- AKG K4 electrostaic headphones (sooon to be replaced)
- My ears (obsolete stuff... )

Seldom used:
- Revox B-126 CD player (on sale!!! )
- Technics RS-BX727 cassette deck
- Teac X-3 reel-to-reel analog tape recorder (still working, wow!!)


Cheers!

Sergio

PSB Stratus Bronze + PSB Image 8C Center (hope to upgrade to a Stratus C5i center soon) + PSB Image 2B for the rear surrounds.

NAD T-741 receiver
NAD T-532 DVD/CD player

PSB + NAD is an awesome combination.

My sound card in an Audigy2Z.

Had some 'upgrades' since my last post:

M-Audio Revolution>DIY 200W mosfet amp>Infinity Reference Standard II
http://oellerer.net/infinity_classics/RS_II/RS_II_6.jpg

lucpes post reminded me I didn't clarify in which direction I went (if anyone cares, heh).

I settled on the Monitor Audio S8's. After sitting down with a friend for some extended listening sessions we came to the conclusion (well, more I did) that we really couldn't reliably tell the difference between the two unless cranked up really loud. Even then I couldn't swear the difference wasn't in my head

hi,
im using
Arcam Diva A65 Plus Amp
Arcam Diva CD 73 T Cd Player
and ELAC 207.2 Speakers

the PC is connected to the amp via the onboard SoundMAX on my asus p4pe with simple analog cable.
sure this could be improved, but for me the SoundMAX doesnt sound that bad.
i think it doesnt upsample sound like my sb live does.
anyone knows how to test if the soundcard does upsampling?

Hi there



Soundcard: Terratec Phase 28 PCI
Receiver : Onkyo TX-DS575 (AC3, DTS)
Speakers Front: Magnat Vector 77
Subwoofer: Canton AS25SC
Interconnects: LS-Cables: Kimber 4PR 2x3m, SP/DIF: Mogami Pure Digital 1.2m

Alltogether bout ~2300€

40 watt Sansuis from the 70s or 80s that still sound amazing. Sansui Amp, too., repaired once, and the tech said that there was a lot of life in it still

but i gotta say, nothing pisses me off more than "computer multimedia speakers" .. even those $400 Klipsch 5.1 speakers (the old type, not the newer ones with even tinier speakers) are boarderline .. bleh. i need a 6" and a hq tweeter, now that i have half decent speakers in my car... hell, they're probably better than all the speakers in the house

IMHO they are more than adequate for movies or games. However they definitely lack gusto in the mid-range frequencies, which is not so good for music.

PSB Alpha Minis, PSB Subsonic 5, Creek 4330 mkII integrated amp, and some ancient single disc panasonic cd player (mid 80s). Monster audio interconnects between the CD and amp. Pretty standard ?12? gauge speaker wire.

Yamaha AX-590, Canton Ergo 100DC speakers, Sony CDP-511, Sony DTC-690

Don't know if the stereo system can be called "good" but the speakers surely are, huge difference over cheap (=< 500 EUR/pair) ones. I think good speakers is one of the best investments in hardware where difference is really audible. And they last forever, sort of.

BTW, interconnects are the ones that came with the devices, and my speaker cable is some cheap wire from the electronics store .
Maybe I should buy that mysterious "12 gauge" but I have no idea how many mm² that actually is or how it would be called here.

edit: yuck, I accidentally clicked "null vote", can anyone reset this? Doh..

It's somewhere in the region of 2 to 2.5mm diameter wire. Just make sure you have clean, unoxidized, tight connections (no push connectors please!) and everything should be ok. No need for the audiophile-gaga wire

Currently using a pair of Mission 733i floorstanders which I've had for around 6 years or so now. Excellent sound; they cost £330 when I bought them. They're not currently connected to our PC at home, preferring instead a slightly smaller pair of Creative Labs numbers instead.

The Missions have a great sound, at home with all types of music, so ideal for us. They're partnered with a Rega P3 t/t, Marantz 6010-KI amp, Denon TU-260L tuner and, last but not least, a Kenwood DP7090 CD player.

The price level's all mid-range (£400) except the tuner (£80-£120 depending on where you buy).

If I was planning to change anything, it'd likely be a new cartridge or interconnects (currently Audioquest Turquoise), that apart, it's a great system with a great sound.

A new cartridge I can certainly understand (I could only afford the compentent but not amazing Grado Green) but new Interconnects?
Read this before you splash out on shiny new interconnects: The Truth About Interconnects. The rest of the article is also worth a read if you have some time.

Those Mission floorstanders sound very cool, I am pretty jealous.

M-Audio Revolution 7.1 ~~> M-Audio Studiophile BX8.

These monitors are somewhat bright, but it doesn't come off as irritating. Plus there are some EQ controls on the back, so it's not much of a problem anyway. Great (and clear) bass on these too. Not just "some stuff happening in the low-end", but you can really tell apart all the various bass frequencies in a song w/ these. Excellent for $480.

Have a Klipsch Promedia 5.1 set, went kaboom one day, I recently ressurected it with an upgraded power supply and it sounds decent for movies/games. However, music cames out with a boxy-plastic midrange quality so this is a total no-no for anything else than boom-tz-tz music (boom=bass drum kick, tz=synthesizer hihat sound)

If you have one you may find out that replacing the 5 ohm resistors in the sattelites with 2R7 ones may bring life to the tweeters (wish I knew that a year ago

Ha! Reread old threads and you find something you can answer.

I remember them, they made pretty good stuff ten years ago perhaps. I had a pair of their oversized bookshelf speakers and may still have them in storage (along with a pair of rotted surround, original Advent larger loudspeakers!).

The most notable thing I remember about those speakers outside the odd downward firing woofer on a platform, was the use of an anti-diffractive felt material around the tweeter. I recall it worked pretty well, but made off-axis high frequency response lousy.

They were an Audiosphere company not A-T I believe and audiosphere went bankrupt. That was too bad, because they also owned Dahlquist.

Technic SB-L31's with Kef C series companion. From comp to an Technic amp, which inturn drives them.

Recently got a pair of self-made transmissionline speakers with Visaton drivers

I have Celestion F1 speakers, connected to a Sony TA-FE 350R amp with Richer Sounds speaker cable. Marantz CD4000 CD player. All together, that's about £360

I like the sound but I don't find it too involving. Don't know if I should invest in stands for my Celestions? I suspect the problem is with the speaker placement...

Didn't connect the computer to the system yet. I did connect the iPod though, and it works great. The sound is almost CD-like since I started using AAC.

Digital source(s) (I'm still deciding what I want to do in this area, and I change my mind all the time) to Sony E9000es preamp/decoder updated with newest decoder firmware, Kinergetics KBA-75 Platinum Poweramp to Dynaudio Confidence 5 speakers. All I can say about this setup is that the Dynaudio speakers are truely awesome.

I am currently looking for a good method to upsample my cd's to 24/96 pcm stream directly to my decoder w/o spending a fortune....

Neat -- my 'good' stereo features their lil' brothers (Kappa 8.2i II) powered by a Yamaha AX-1090

Wish I would've heard the JBL Ti 5000 + Rotel amp combination first, which graced my ears only a few weeks after buying the Kappas and the Yamaha - awesome combo, probably well worth the additional $$$ I would've had to shell out for it.

Oh well, I'm very content with what I have now anyway.

I've heard these speakers some time ago. Didn't like the sharp metallic sound of the tweeter and the bass didn't reach very deep. The kappas are more broadband. Maybe the jbl have a higher efficiency factor and sound somewhat more dynamically though.

Heco Presence 543, approx. 25 years old

Kef Q1. Much better than my old pair of JBLs.

Oh yes, that's exactly what I didn't like about those JBLs initially - actually that's what made me pick the Kappas instead. I heard both the Kappas and the JBLs on a Parasound HCA-1200, which emphasized the sharp dry sound of the JBLs.

However a couple weeks later I had the chance to compare both speakers again, this time on some Rotel amp (can't remember the model) and while the Kappas sounded almost sickeningly "sweet", the JBL Ti 5000 sounded just perfectly right. No idea why..

(gee this makes me almost sound like some of those self-proclaimed "audiophile" idiots. oh well, for the lack of better words..)

Aureal Vortex 2 sound card
Optical Fibre cable (Can't remeber which make)
Onkyo TX-NR901 Amp
Mordaunt Short Declaration 908 floorstanders
Mordaunt Short Declaration 905c centre
Mordaunt Short Declaration 902 Signature rear
Mordaunt Short Declaration 903s rear effect
Mordaunt Short Declaration 909 Sub
Gale speaker cable
Oehlbach bananas

Also use a Hollywood plus for DVD playback

B & W Nautilus 805 speakers for fronts
B & W HTM2 for center
B & W HTM2 for center
B & W CDM 1SE rear surrounds
B & K AVR 202 reciever
Sony CDP-CX555ES CD Jukebox - (though in process of migrating to FLAC on HD)
Kenwood DV-5900M DVD and DVD Audio Jukebox
M-Audio Revolution 7.2 Digital out to AVR 202 for FLAC playback or
Slimdevices Squeezebox with digital out for FLAC and MP3 distribution over 100 mb ethernet LAN

My fronts are super old, probably from the late 70's. Brand name of MTX. No idea about the tech specs on them, but they stand the test of time pretty well. Good midrange, clear bass. My dad, who handed them down, said they were pretty expensive at the time, ~$3-400 or so.

My rears are, again handed down, some Bose 201's. Definately replacing these, but money is kind of an issue right now.

My sub a powered Sony SA-WM40. Pretty good punch for the value. Had to crack her open and mod it a little though.

All this crap is driven by a Yamaha HTR-5650. I like it alot.