[Christof]

Along the same lines as "biggest waste of money in your audio system" or "best low cost idea", I thought it would be edifying to those trying to better their systems to hear what new thing we tried, and once installed, would never go back to the previous thing.

For myself it has been PC based audio vs CDP.

[Marbles]

I have to agree.

[opaqueice]

Squeezebox over CD. 
 

[yo2tup]

agreed.  i was ready to get out of the audio game until i got the squeezebox.

[gooberdude]

Open Baffle, no more boxed speakers   AND/OR

Imod over CDP           AND/OR

TVC over other preamps


can i do 3?


this is a good topic...

[shep]

My TL speakers over anything (sure helps not to be able to hear anything else!)
Tripath-based amplification over all the other stuff that littered my audio life! Small, cool, sweet, cheap.
The re-discovery of DIY'ing. I'll never just buy something without opening it up and looking for what can be changed!

[csero]

Transaural/ambiophonics reproduction over stereo.

Stereo is simply unlistenable since.

[JoshK]

X = the ability to build my own gear the way I want it for reasonable $$
Y = spending atrocious amounts of money on overrated/overhyped audio pet rocks that don't satisfy

[pardales]

1) X= Single driver, Y= multiple driver speakers (i.e., low watt amps+hi effic. speaks =  )

2) X= Battery power Y= AC  (whenever possible)
 

[aerius]

X = the ability to build my own gear the way I want it for reasonable $$
Y = spending atrocious amounts of money on overrated/overhyped audio pet rocks that don't satisfy

Yup, same here.

BTW, I notice that you have Lynn Olson's Karna amps, have you been keeping up with his latest speaker ideas?

[JoshK]

I don't have them yet....karna's that is, but I am going to build them soon.   I ordered the Tribute cobalt phase splitters, the Lundahl Amorphous interstages and a quad of JJ 300Bs.  I have a lot of the rest already, most of the power supply components, all of the other tubes and sockets.   I will need to order the output transformers still, but I'll probably wait till I finish some things up first.  OPT's will likely be something sweet from Onetics. 

 

[Thelonious Monk]

x = computer as source; y = anything shaped like a circle

also, regarding diy, i have decided that i will build my first basic headphone amplifier before the month is over, and then venture into diy audio. clocking in at the ripe old age of 14 i think that starting now will allow me to reap the benefits even moreso than the norm, the younger the better right? while i don't think consumer audio is a ripoff, i do think that a lot of my "ching" is going towards the "bling". i don't have to deal with WAF, just DAF. dad acceptance factor. that means the less money the better, and i can throw aesthetics into the wind. right now my main gear is a studio DAC + headamp/passive preamp, which is an awesome value, and one of two pairs of headphones. i've pretty much convinced myself i don't want to go much further than that without actually understanding what i'm buying inside and out. what better way to do that than building it yourself?

end monologue. 

[bluemike]

Now that i have a blonde
I won't go back to a brunettes 

 aa aa aa aa aa

[ZooDog]

For myself it has been PC based audio vs CDP.

Ditto.

[TONEPUB]

Now that I have a good analog front end, I'd hate to have to go
back to the regular stuff....

[Russell Dawkins]

BTW, I notice that you have Lynn Olson's Karna amps, have you been keeping up with his latest speaker ideas?

Thanks for that link, Aerius. A lot of valuable musing there!

Oh - the topic!
I would say now that I have access to the internet (only since fall of 2004) I have pretty much abandoned magazines, on which I used to spend a fortune. 

To a newcomer like me, the information available is stunning.

Google alone is priceless. My mind boggles every time I use it at the amount of data sifted through in .2 seconds!

[JLM]

x = single driver speakers; y = speakers that use multiple drivers and especially a crossover

Along that same vein:

x = active speakers (single driver design by default qualify); y = passive speakers

Here's another:

x = transmission line speakers; y = any other speaker design (open baffle possibly excluded)

Last one:

x = Another vote for PC sourcing;; y = disc players (as soon as PCs and home networks become idiot/family proof)   


Off topic, but mentioned above:

I briefly scanned Lynn Olsen's first post on the link provided.  Looks very much like he's barking up the Hawthorne Audio tree.  Check out their Silver Iris 15 inch coax (high efficiency with 1 inch tweeter) with 15 inch woofer both in open baffle and built by Eminence at a very reasonably price.  For a higher quality and higher priced alternative that uses the same woofer/open baffle, check out this link:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0107/diy_loudspeaker_project.htm

[djbnh]

X = dedicated 20 amp lines; Y = regular house power supply.

[Kim S.]

For me its having vacuum tubes in the mix, especially in the preamp, versus 100% solid state.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Now that I have==========================I'll never want

Open Baffle with Hawthorne Audio drivers======== "the box".

Front projection display=====================Regular TV's

  EPIPHANY!  Are projectors the Open Baffles of the video world??

Bob