To sell, or not to sell?

Zero · « **on:** 3 Jan 2008, 07:22 pm »

Gentlemen,

Nearly all of us have had that 'one' component that anchored our system at the beginning of our journey. It was the one that 'showed us the way'. My question iz; what did you end up doing with that said component? Did you keep it? Did you sell it? As a follow up; did you regret your decision later down the road?

JLM · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Jan 2008, 07:35 pm »

I'm a speaker guy, so that (first) component were speakers, I. M. Fried Model M's to be precise. The huge mass loaded transmission line bass cabinets were reportedly capable of 114 dB at 17 Hz and so needed a huge room to sound good in. I confirmed this after finally taking them to a 20,000 cubic foot chapel at our church. There they sounded truely mavelous, so good in fact that I donated them.

toocool4 · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Jan 2008, 08:01 pm »

Mine was a Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1.
3 Heads azimuth correction, it was an excellent deck. When I sold it I got a Nakamichi CR7 which was a lot better so it was an easy decision. I still have the CR7 and this one is staying for good.

acresm22 · « **Reply #3 on:** 3 Jan 2008, 08:05 pm »

JBL L36 Decade speakers, purchased new in the late 1970s. Passed them down to my nephew in the mid-90s when I went to a smaller pair of Apogee monitors. Lamented giving them up some years later when I bought a pair of Wright WPA 3.5 amps.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #4 on:** 3 Jan 2008, 08:13 pm »

Sugden A28B integrated.

Sold it after hearing my first Tripath amp, and eventually have come to regret it. Not because the Tripath sound was not good, but because what I got for the amp, I might as well have kept it.

Now the Tripaths are all gone, and I have found Class A tubes, so I guess it was worth it in the end!

vman71 · « **Reply #5 on:** 3 Jan 2008, 09:00 pm »

Bought an EICO HF-81 to go with my Klipsch speakers. I thought I would never sell it, an OUTSTANDING component. It single-handidly made me a tube believer!

Now I have 2 John Hogan integrated SET amps and a H.H. Scott 222C. I still have all 3 pair of Klipsch speakers that I originally bought and they aren't going anywhere.

TomS · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 12:55 am »

In the past few years I'd say it was room treatments. Now that the room is treated I won't have to do it again unless I move. Maybe just adding more pieces. The Merlin VSM-MX's are not far behind despite a lot of other speaker contenders.

Tom

Zero · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 01:08 am »

Thanks for the response so far boys. Come on the rest of yoots guys - I know yer viewin' this thing. Don't be shy!

some young guy · « **Reply #8 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 01:12 am »

while i've had several different amps, cdp's and speakers, the "corner stone" of my system for well over a decade has been my modified golden tube se-40. it beat every other amp in it's class when i bought it and i spent quite a bit of time and money fine tuning it with capacitors, resistors, diodes, silver wire, rca's, binding posts, tubes etc. i love the thing. it makes beautiful music... then a friend came by with a $5000 integrated amp that has completely blown my mind. it's so good, i have to have one. so i'm having it built now and have figured out that due to my lack of income, coupled with my lack of self control, i'll need to sell the baby...

mateo · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 01:46 am »

Sennheiser HD650- I started out a headphone guy, moved to speakers only because of my girlfriend. Still have it around to hang off the balanced outs of my sometime-to-be Modwright Transporter if I feel like it. Can't really let it go...

bostonaudi · « **Reply #10 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 02:02 am »

My cornerstone piece has been an MFA Magus A-2 preamp, serviced by and has the full Monty list of upgrades from Scott Frankland. Won't sell it. Had a Magus quite some time ago and sold it, bought another and will not part.

I also have a Tandberg 3018A preamp that I periodocially bring out of retirement, and am always re-amazed how good it is. Can't sell it. Have owned it for a long time. It was actually broken for quite a while and I didn't use it, found a simple bad solder joint last week and now its 100%! To me the 3018A and the modded Magus make music about as good as my ears can appreciate. Tandberg was really getting it right back in the 80's.

I seem to change speakers every 2-3 years, but Maggies always seem to come back in the rotation. To me speakers are a bigger variable on sound than electronics, which is why I like to rotate every couple of years to check out differing technologies and companies.

Have stayed with VPI tables for the last 8 years (Sota before that for long time), and upgraded through the chain to a current TNT-6 with JMW-10. VPI is my cornerstone analog source company as are Shelter cartridges (I do like Benz too).

Once you find a piece that fits in your puzzle and brings enjoyment, stick with it.

My best system ever was a pair of Quad ESL-63 USA's driven with a VTL ST-85 tube amp with the Magus up front, unreal musicality. You could see into the midrange. One day I'll get another pair of Quads and keep them.

One day I would also like to try a CAT preamp in my system and an OTL amp from Atmasphere.

doug s. · « **Reply #11 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 04:57 pm »

not sure i will ever replace my modded melos ma333r preamp, or my oracle delphi turntable deck. mebbe if i win the lottery? (is it true you have better odds if you buy a ticket?

) for inefficient speakers, there's my mesa baron amp, for efficient speakers, there's the modded almarro a205a mkll, plus a few oddball set amps - home-brews & a pair of mono amps stripped from an akai/roberts m8 tape deck. i don't think i can find anything i could replace my modded art di/o dac with, for anything short of silly money, but if anyone wants to loan me something...

everything else is fluid, tho... if i listen to a tuna for more than two weeks at a time, that's pretty rare!

doug s.

bostonaudi · « **Reply #12 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 05:12 pm »

Quote from: doug s. on 4 Jan 2008, 04:57 pm

i don't think i can find anything i could replace my modded art di/o dac with, for anything short of silly money, but if anyone wants to loan me something...

everything else is fluid, tho... if i listen to a tuna for more than two weeks at a time, that's pretty rare!

doug s.

I have a stock art di/o dac, what kind of mods can you do to it? I wasn't aware of mods for this rig at all!

doug s. · « **Reply #13 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 05:18 pm »

wow, there's tons of stuff on the 'net about this. it's old, now, tho. the di/o craze died down a few years ago, but i have found that it still takes big money to beat one that's been modded. i have compared mine to newer ~$3500 one-mfr players, & heard nothing to make me wanna switch. i know a coupla folks who compared them to the benchmark dac, & one guy liked the di/o better, the other guy heard no difference... another guy i know switched to a ~$2k modded cd/dvd player (i forget which model or modder), but he didn't think it sounded any better, it's yust that he needed a one-box solution for his h-t system.

this link has info; ignore the bolder info, they no longer mod these. and, you can no longer buy them new...

http://home.ca.inter.net/~cfraser/DIOFAQ.htm

doug s.

Quote from: bostonaudi on 4 Jan 2008, 05:12 pm

Quote from: doug s. on 4 Jan 2008, 04:57 pm
i don't think i can find anything i could replace my modded art di/o dac with, for anything short of silly money, but if anyone wants to loan me something...

everything else is fluid, tho... if i listen to a tuna for more than two weeks at a time, that's pretty rare!

doug s.

I have a stock art di/o dac, what kind of mods can you do to it? I wasn't aware of mods for this rig at all!

BobM · « **Reply #14 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 05:30 pm »

Quote from: bostonaudi on 4 Jan 2008, 05:12 pm

Quote from: doug s. on 4 Jan 2008, 04:57 pm
i don't think i can find anything i could replace my modded art di/o dac with, for anything short of silly money, but if anyone wants to loan me something...

everything else is fluid, tho... if i listen to a tuna for more than two weeks at a time, that's pretty rare!

doug s.

I have a stock art di/o dac, what kind of mods can you do to it? I wasn't aware of mods for this rig at all!

There's too much that was said about the ART DI/O to even try to reproduce it here. I would suggest 2 sources:

1) Sign up for and go through the DIOmods archives at Yahoo Groups: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DIOmods/

2) do a search over at Audio Asylum, that's where it all started.

And yes, I haven't been able to find anything that I like to replace my highly modded ART DI/O. The stock unit was OK, but the mods move it into a much better league, by far.

The other components I've had for a long time that I can't imagine selling is my near-Rev A McCormack DNA .5 amp and my AudioPrism Mantissa preamp modded with teflon caps.

Enjoy,
Bob

martyo · « **Reply #15 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 05:39 pm »

Last year bought a used AVA Super Pas 3i (from 1995). It opened up my eyes (ears actually

). I traded it in on an AVA Transcendence 8 pre and got more than I originally paid for it, replaced my amp with an AVA Ultra 550, then added an AVA Ultra DAC. Then the search was on for speakers that shared the same qualities as the AVA gear and ended up with the Salk Veracity HT3's. HIGH-fi nirvana. They all get out of the way and allow all the music that is there through. So I'm happy I found the 3i and even happier I sold it.

bostonaudi · « **Reply #16 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 08:21 pm »

Quote from: BobM on 4 Jan 2008, 05:30 pm

Quote from: bostonaudi on 4 Jan 2008, 05:12 pm
Quote from: doug s. on 4 Jan 2008, 04:57 pm
i don't think i can find anything i could replace my modded art di/o dac with, for anything short of silly money, but if anyone wants to loan me something...

everything else is fluid, tho... if i listen to a tuna for more than two weeks at a time, that's pretty rare!

doug s.

I have a stock art di/o dac, what kind of mods can you do to it? I wasn't aware of mods for this rig at all!

There's too much that was said about the ART DI/O to even try to reproduce it here. I would suggest 2 sources:

1) Sign up for and go through the DIOmods archives at Yahoo Groups: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DIOmods/

2) do a search over at Audio Asylum, that's where it all started.

And yes, I haven't been able to find anything that I like to replace my highly modded ART DI/O. The stock unit was OK, but the mods move it into a much better league, by far.

The other components I've had for a long time that I can't imagine selling is my near-Rev A McCormack DNA .5 amp and my AudioPrism Mantissa preamp modded with teflon caps.

Enjoy,
Bob

Awesome! I don't know how I missed all the excitement about the ART, time to warm up the iron! Thanks for the tips.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #17 on:** 4 Jan 2008, 08:37 pm »

Indeed, when I used one I enjoyed it very much.

More here - http://mysite.verizon.net/vze22yzp/id14.html

And lots here - http://gnu.295.ca/~peak/

I eventually sold it, when I found the Slimdevices SB3, it works really well, especially when breathed on by Wayne at Bolder. Wayne did all the mods on my DIO (I had his Mensa mods) and he seems to have learned a ton about power supplies for these type of toys.

Have fun,

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 06:45 am »

Quote from: bostonaudi on 4 Jan 2008, 05:12 pm

Quote from: doug s. on 4 Jan 2008, 04:57 pm
i don't think i can find anything i could replace my modded art di/o dac with, for anything short of silly money, but if anyone wants to loan me something...

everything else is fluid, tho... if i listen to a tuna for more than two weeks at a time, that's pretty rare!

doug s.

I have a stock art di/o dac, what kind of mods can you do to it? I wasn't aware of mods for this rig at all!

More ART DI/O links....here...

I still have mine - Bolder Mensa DI/O....somewhere here...

satfrat · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Jan 2008, 07:18 am »

As I've said for the last 5 years now, the cornerstone of my system, and the motivation to even get into high end audio for me was my fully modded BPT BP-2.5 balanced power conditioner. This conditioner continues to open doors to fine inner details to music that led me to the upgrade path to what I have today. I'd be hard pressed to ever part with it.

(notice the 2 large Bybees on the output wiring to the dupex outlets)

Cheers,
Robin