A component so magical it was a religious experience!

[pmcuk]

What have you experienced in your system that was so much better than anything before it that it was almost a life-changing, religious experience?

We're not talking "good" or "very good" here, we're talking way beyond that - something that made your jaw drop, something you pinched yourself just to believe it was really happening. Something that made you pull out all your favourite albums for hours and just sit back in amazement as you heard things you didn't even know were there? Something that made you feel as warm and happy as if you'd just had a week's holiday on a sunny beach with the best seafood and champagne for lunch? And even then you could hardly believe it?

We're in the realms of a mystical experience here....... so what are your personal nominations?

 

[lazycat]

Replacing the last set of capacitors in my x/over. A true WOW moment.

The speakers continue to do this.

 

[Ceko]

I’m kind of in the zone with my new speakers, but I’d like to steer clear of the keyword “magical” as it’s often described by snake oil salesmen.

 

[Ian]

First pair of Quad IIs years ago, sonically lovely if course but I thought it was just so cool to have those big glowing KT66.

 

[Southeastern]

Cardas cables, the Golden Cross and Golden Reference where revelationary, now the Clear Reflection and Clear are just immense.

 

[andrew s]

Adding acoustic treatment at the first reflection points. I had no idea what to expect but the image just opened up to fill the whole expanse before me. The recorded acoustic came through rather than the rooms.
Regards Andrew

 

[dave]

(Tandy) Lineaum's tweeter, more recently for me, stacked and mated with 5" Accuton mid/ bass. My active interconnect, which is a bit like Krell and similar CAST, and or dielectric bias. Oh yes and the low inductance speaker cables.

 

[Stargazer]

This is not strictly HiFi components, but my absolute wow moment which sent me giddy to new heights of sensual pleasure was when I was a small boy crept into my lodgers bedroom while he (he was a hippy)was out and saw a turntable and a p45 single on the matt. I somehow got the turntable to play and heard for the first time 'Painted Black' by Rolling Stones. What a tune to discover...! It still has that 'something' to this very day....

 

[Beobloke]

B&O Beolab 90s.

I’ve owned them for four years now, and I’m still hearing stuff in my music I didn’t know was there.

 

[pmcuk]

In my case it has been directly heated triode valves, or DHTs. The jaw dropping moment was first hearing a 26. That was followed by the 10Y, 01A, 46 and others. And the output valves like 300b and 2a3 or 6B4G/6C4C.

I've recently discovered some indirectly heated old valves from the 1930s and 1940s that totally surprised me. Unfortunately very rare and hard to get hold of but not expensive since almost nobody knows about them, and so they go under the radar.

You often read that "it's the circuit design not the valves" and if this is meant to mean you can substitute any kind of valves in a good circuit and they will sound the same, that's just bollocks. Yes, good design counts of course, but an individual valve has a character wholly its own. Put such a valve in a simple and very exposed circuit and you can hear all kinds of differences. There are a small number of valves so special you get to love them like friends.

 

[DomT]

Audio Research LS25 mk2 with Audio Research VS115. The only amp to literally make the hairs on my neck stand up when listening to music; it could have been the heat from the valves though. https://www.arcdb.ws/model/VS115

 

[ziggy]

For me it is NVA Cube speakers. The expansion of the sound stage produced by the semi omnidirectional design and it's interaction with the room was a huge WOW. I could never go back to a conventional design.

The Cubes were responsible for a second WOW. When I first heard the Chord Mscaler at a dealer through Spendor WAF speakers I was not impressed. Fortunately I was allowed a home loan and what a difference! It significantly enhanced all the benefits the Cubes had brought about and at the same time combined the plus points of digital and analogue.

 

[MVJ]

For me it was the introduction of my Esoteric C-03 preamplifier the soundstage just exploded in every direction
along with the clarity & placement of instruments & vocals being pinpoint It was mindblowing.

Also had a similar moment when I connected my Event Opals to the C-03 Pre they just sounded so balanced & perfect in my music room something I had tried to achieve for years. I have now finished my quest for my perfect system so my nirvana journey is over I love it

 

[Klassik]

What have you experienced in your system that was so much better than anything before it that it was almost a life-changing, religious experience?

Religious experience? Well, if pmcuk is discussing gimmicks, El Klassiko has a 1980s Radio Shack (Tandy) equalizer buried deep in a closet somewhere that has a 'stereo expander' feature. Klassik is unsure how it works, but it certainly does give the illusion of a very wide stereo image...much wider than what is audible under normal circumstances. It was quite a funny thing. Although it didn't really sound bad, Klassik couldn't quite come to grips with what the expander was doing and so it (and the equalizer itself) was and is rarely used.

In terms of non-gimmicks, Klassik cannot think of anything quite revolutionary from a playback perspective. On the recording side, it was quite a revelation when Klassik first used a cassette deck with full tape calibration controls for bias, equalization, and sensitivity. On a deck with manual calibration controls and knowledge of how to use them, it really does allow one to use just about any cassette, except for the most London '3 in bag' type cassettes, and get really good recording results from the cassette with or without Dolby. No longer did one have to find the 'right' type of cassette for one's deck. Just about any cassette could be made 'right' including relatively cheap Type I ferric tapes if one was willing to put up with the noise. Cassette decks with full automatic calibration, such as Pioneer's AutoBLE decks, made proper calibration a cinch.

On the topic of Dolby, using Dolby S for the first time was quite a revelation. Unfortunately, Klassik's Kenwood Dolby S cassette deck had atrocious build quality/reliability so the good times with that didn't last too long.

 

[John (big)]

Recently a revelation replacing the ECC83/12AX7'S & 6CG7 (RCA clear tops)/"12AU7's" in my modified Ming Da MC7R with 6SL7'S & 6SN7 to which Mark the Ming gave his blessing, at the same time replacing a pair of Mullard CV4004's with 6N2P EV 0S in my power amp also the fitted 6CG7 in my power amp with 6SN7's.

At my advanced years a religious experience could be to close to the real thing

 

[Idlewithnodrive]

To be honest, nothing.

 

[Bazzer]

heard for the first time 'Painted Black' by Rolling Stones. What a tune to discover...! It still has that 'something' to this very day....

Its "Paint It Black" but as you were a small boy I'll let you off

 

[toms wait]

Not at home but a dem.
Infinity Intermezzo speakers driven by an Accuphase CD player. Absolutely spellbinding and disappearing speakers.
The one and only time I have ever experienced this.

 

[rdale]

I heard a pair of stacked Quad electrostatics driven by a Lentek amp with Logic turntable and Entre cartridge at Audio T’s original West End Shop when I was there buying a Quad 44 preamp in about 1979. I’ve never forgotten the sound of Little Feat’s first album played on that system, it was the best sound I’d ever heard by quite a margin.

 

[Nativebon]

Tried a lot of stuff especially dacs.. Then cables back and forth. Then nxt was time to listen to speakers, alot of speakers.
Then KLH model 5 speakers... WOW!! Suddenly it was music from the heavens.
Don't know why these are not yet recommended here at the wam. I have banged on a bit bout these speakers cause that's how I feel about them. Absolute steal for the money and them some.
Actually would love to know if any owners of the model 5s here at the wam.