Your favorite top 5 audio equipment manufacturers ...

frank111 · « **on:** 4 Dec 2011, 07:40 pm »

Curious as to everyones favorite 5 audio equipment manufacurers. For me : McIntosh(everything), Sansui( their vintage stuff), Sonus( hi-end speakers -but wayyyy out of my budget), Tanberg (receivers from 70's), and Marantz (everything).

JLM · « **Reply #1 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 08:14 pm »

Good idea for a thread!

I rarely buy from the same vendor twice (life is too short to not try everything in the entire buffet).

But I've owned five Channel Island Audio pieces (including two pair of monoblocks)

I absolutely love my Brines Ascoustics speakers. Bob's tastes and values align with mine.

For those of us that haven't found PC audio to be ready for us, Oppo offers great value in well rated gear.

And Wayne from Bolder Cables and Scott Endler deserve a shout out for the magic mods they do (and their cables of course).

S Clark · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 08:22 pm »

TAD speakers (but I can't afford them)

GR-Research speakers ( I own them- excellent and affordable)

Dodd Pre amps (I own it- excellent and affordable)

Wywires (wish I could afford more than just a PC)

Technics turntables (excellent for the price, I have an old SP-10)

Whitese · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 08:30 pm »

1. David Berning, although I only love at first hand his older gear.
2. Vintage Pilot
3. JBL, as I love mine L-96 and 4430's
4. McIntosh, as I have owned almost every tube amp and tuner they offered.
5. Luxman. New respect for some of their vintage gear.

won ton on · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 08:57 pm »

bryston well built,affordable and sounds good
yba ditto,not so affordable anymore
salk great sound,nice price very well built
martin-logan hard to beat,though i would not give up my ht2-tl's
cardas not equipment but great cables anyway

Joe Keifer · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 09:05 pm »

That's a tough one for me as well but here goes:

1. McIntosh vintage as well as my current acquisition that are the MX-150 and several MC-1201s.

2. B&W Speakers (my whole 7.1 system including Nautilus 801D, etc.) and the B&W Zeppelin iPod Speaker.

3. Bryston power amps (4B-SST and 6B-SST currently)

4. Revox analogue tape equipment (A-700, A-77, etc.)

5. Acoustat for their vintage 4-panel self powered Monitor IV tube-type electrostatic speakers.

Devil Doc · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 09:32 pm »

AVA
Vandersteen
VPI
Cambridge Audio
BJC

Doc.

AVnerdguy · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 09:38 pm »

AVA
Magnepan
Bryston
McIntosh
Dynaco (nostalgic)

Tyson · « **Reply #8 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 10:02 pm »

Speakers - GR Research, VMPS, Fritz, Gedlee, AudioKinesis
DAC/Converters - Empirical Audio, miniDSP, DEQX, Apple, Foobar
Amps - Tubelab, Jolida, VTL, TriAudio, First Sound
Cables - Bolder Cables

SteveFord · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 10:03 pm »

Magnepan
Sherwood (tube tuners)
Stax
Well Tempered
VTL

thunderbrick · « **Reply #10 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 10:10 pm »

Rogue Audio
Magnepan
SOTA
Thiel
Vandersteen

vaprotennis · « **Reply #11 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 10:14 pm »

SALK Sound
OPPO
Apple
Wadia
Bolder Cable

roscoeiii · « **Reply #12 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 10:30 pm »

Here's what immediately comes to mind, and includes both any interactions with and support I've needed from the manufacturer or importers of the manufacturer and the sound of their products:

Atma-Sphere
Well-Tempered
Schiit
FirstWatt (incl great sellers Reno HiFi and Lowther USA)
HiFiMan

audiogoober · « **Reply #13 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 10:32 pm »

First Sound
AMR
PI Audio
Eastern Electric with Bolder Cables modifications
Modwright

vinyl_guy · « **Reply #14 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 11:32 pm »

Before my first RMAF in 2005 my favorites were what I owned:
B & W
Nakamichi
Bryston
B & O TT & tone arm/cartridge
Synergistic Research speaker cables and interconnects and Audio Quest interconnects

Today my favorites are still what I own:
Daedalus Speakers
ModWright
SME turntables and tonearms
PS Audio power plants & power cables
Gill Audio/Art Audio pre amp and phono stages

I also love Dave's UberBUSS for power conditioning and filtration and Bolder/AudioQuest/Cardas speaker cables, interconnects, phono cables

Elizabeth · « **Reply #15 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 11:42 pm »

Audio Research
Bryston
Conrad Johnson (never owned any, but wish i did)
Denon
Magnepan

Added: Threshold (forgot about them, Yeah, great company, too bad out of business)

Counterpoint except they all would break down
Sony except they have become idiots in way too many ways
Infinity when it was the original company
JB Lansing way back when
Marantz way back when
Mark Levinson way back when

Phil A · « **Reply #16 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 11:45 pm »

Modwright
WyWires
Bryston
Oppo
Emotiva

Freo-1 · « **Reply #17 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 11:49 pm »

Any equipmet with Nelson Pass involvement (Threshold, Pass Labs)
Eastern Electric
Legacy Audio/Source Technologies
Classe
Oppo/Modwright

rockadanny · « **Reply #18 on:** 4 Dec 2011, 11:49 pm »

AVA
Mapletree Audio
Wywires
... for their products and service, and

Audiokenisis
Atmasphere
... for their tremendous contributions to audio forums

roscoeiii · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Dec 2011, 12:12 am »

Yes, it is certainly worth applauding manufacturers for their openness and contributions to forum such as AC. Those that stand out to me from reading posts here but whose equipment I have not had a chance to experience would include the following:

Modwright
Virtue
Audiokinesis
GR Research
Music Reference
AVA
Odyssey

And I am sure that there are others I am forgetting...