I thought I'd share my hi-fi journey over the last 18 months or so, which has finally come to an end! I had started out with the following system : Linn LP12/Ittok/Troika/Linto/Lingo turntable Linn Karik / Numerik CD player Linn AV5103 pre amplifier Linn Aktiv crossover Linn Klout power amplifier (x3) Linn Isobarik speakers Linn silver interconnects Linn K600 speaker cable with a Naim Nait 2 and Linn Kans II in the office hooked up to a Power Mac G5. I've finished with the following system : Sonos Zone Player 80 (to select and get files) Devolo dLAN 200 AV (to transmit files) Infrant ReadyNAS NV+ (to store files) Linn AV5103 pre amplifier Linn Numerik DAC (to decode files) Quad 99 mono power amplifier (x2) Quad ESL-2805 speakers Linn silver interconnects Chord Company Signature speaker cable with the LP12 and Karik joining the Power Mac G5 as sources for the Naim Nait 2 and Linn Kans II in the office (along with all my LPs and CDs - I have a very tidy living room now!). Rather than go into the specifics, here are my general findings from going through the change : - Sonos encourages the whole family to enjoy the stereo and because they only have to play with the Sonos controller, my children don't have to be told to be careful when getting close to my LP12! - I'm listening to a much more varied range of music now. Partly this is Sonos making it easy to seek out things you haven't heard for ages, but mostly it's that the system doesn't favour one type of music over another and is actually far more accomodating of poorer recordings that the Aktiv Isobariks ever were. I would recommend that people listening to systems at shows or dealers don't use wonderful recordings - so much music isn't recorded well but you still want to listen to it! - If you buy the expensive (200 Mbps) Devolo mains ethernet adaptors, they are easily good enough for streaming music and there is no temptation to hard wire a solution. - The new Quad electrostatic speakers are significantly better than previous incarnations e.g. ESL-63. I used to work in a Linn dealership that sold ESL-63s too and I recognise some people's description of them in that they seemed dull and uninvolving, but the new Quads seem to have solved most of the issues found with previous Quads. In my opinion, especially when "fed" from the Linn DAC, there are plenty of tunes to be had and the rhythms are vastly superior to any system I've had, including my Aktiv Isobariks. Listening to Dave Brubeck on these speakers is a revelation! - It's taken quite some time to sell off all the old equipment, listening to a wide range of other systems at dealers and shows, make a decision and then have a home demonstration to make sure it all gels in my living room. As a "project", it's lasted nearly 18 months now, but I'm now where I want to be with my system and I'm delighted with the result. For me, the journey is over. I have reached my destination! I thought I'd post this here in case anyone else was interested in any part of my "project" - I feel I've gained a certain amount of expertise now on the Quads, Sonos and the clever Devolo solution too. Now it's all in place it's a great system. Happy listening. Chris
