Your Goosebumps Moment

I'm sure we've all had moments where an audio system reproduces the music so perfectly that it's almost surreal, a moment where you are so connected to the music that your hair stands on end and you get goosebumps.

I thought it might be fun for us all to share some of those moments, and what the equipment was.

In my case, a moment like that came at a local showroom here in Houston 7-8 years ago. The highest end room in the dealer's store had a pair of Vandersteen Model 5A's fed by a pair of Pass Labs monoblocks (xa160.5's I think). The source was a Meridian CD transport, and it was all being fed through a high end Goldmund pre-amp (for the life of me, I can't remember the model). Easily a system that cost close to 100K all in.

The disc was some of the usual Diana Krall overplayed demo-room material, but the sound was like nothing I had ever heard before. I remember the velvety smooth mid-range and vocals, deep and tight bass (Vandy's never disappoint there) and above all some of the best reproduced and natural sounding piano I have ever heard. As I sat there, every hair on my arms stood up, and I sat there enjoying the music for a good 10 minutes before politely explaining that I had no desire to take out a loan that large.

From there, my hunt began to find speakers that gave me that same feeling at a price I could afford.

 

The first time I heard the Linn CD12 together with the Linn Espek speakers is the first goosebumps moment I can remember. I can't remember what song it was, but the dealer left me alone in the room and an hour later he came back. I was 18 and he knew I didn't have the cash to even come close to that rig, but he let me listen in peace. I came out a changed man.

 

Fortunately, I've had many goosebump moments:

*Switching to r2r dac (Gungnir Multibit). I stayed up till 3am completely lost in the way the music sounded.

*Adding a second cma800r for a dual mono setup. I was just expecting more power, but I was completely unprepared for the improvement in refinement, staging, etc

*Flipping the switch on Sonarworks EQ with the hd800...

 

-HD650 out of a 25K rig built around the ECBA (Seattle meet about five years ago) = Lord, I was not.. and still am not.. worthy.
-Custom fit UERM + Leckerton UHA-6S MKII = The clarity was simply decadent.
-HD650 out of a souped up Bottlehead Crack (5998 + Tungsram 12AU7) = Gorgeous, liquid, spacious, and unabashedly fun/colored.
-HD800 out of a Liquid Glass = WY U DO DIS TO ME?

Need to get up to BH HQ and listen to the famed reel setup Doc has.. I miss living in WA.

 

It is more, what feels like, endorphin's flowing intensely through my tingling brain and the rest of the world does not exist for me. I have had it many times. Off the top of my head, four LPs have induced this state multiple times.

System:
Grado MCX cartridge
Rega RB300 tonearm
VPI HW-19 Mk. III turntable
Mcintosh C-26 preamp as phono pre-amp with Chase Technologies line stage
Harman Kardon PA5800 5 channel power amp (4 channels used to bi-amp speakers)
Vandersteen Model 2Ci speakers

LPs:
Can - Monster Movie "Yoo Doo Right" song - original German pressing
Hendrix - Band of Gypsys - 1970s Japanese puppet cover version/Classic Records version
Frank Zappa - Uncle Meat - original blue label US pressing
Thunderclap Newman - Hollywood Dream - original US Track pressing

I'm sure there are many others. These just stand out - big time.

 

I had the opportunity to hear the Legacy Audio Aeris driven by both high end tube amplification (Raven Audio Shaman monoblocks) and high end digital (D-Sonic) a couple of weekends ago. It was a magical experience.

Source was a Legacy Wavelet Processor/DAC for the most part.

 

This one actually made me feel rather silly it was so real.

Listening to a live recording with a friend, on his system. It was my CD; I know it well and yet I looked around too see who coughed!

The credit goes to Tannoy Turnberry speakers.

 

Geek Out 450 to Final Audio FI-BA-SS playing this in standard resolution FLAC. The droning cello in the beginning is stunningly visceral, the violin searing.

 

That happens to me every night with the Valhalla 2. I listen shirtless and leave the window open for maximum goosebumps. Tube staging, yo.

 

This is the true Goosebumps...

 

Using my Hegel H360 listening to a pair of Tannoy DC10A with Adele's live cover of "Can't make you love me". It's a great quality song on the available Bluray disc.

 

It was so long ago... It was all Proceed electronics (remember Proceed?!) into Revel Salon's (the first ones that were really odd looking). The track was from Tutti!, track 1: Eiji Oue, Minnesota Orchestra Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Dance of the Tumblers.

I was 19 and went into the store to admire the stuff with a friend. The sales guy was nice enough to play us a track. It blew my socks off. Since then I was hooked and an audiophile was born.

The next time was with Sonus Faber Amati Homages and Audio Research hybrid amps, and again later with Guarneri homage and a pair or REL Senator (I think) subs. To this day that system is, still to me, the bar to beat for musically and sheer enjoyment.

The most expensive was Wilson Alexandria's with Mark Levinson electronics. It was really amazing, but it didn't grab me like the other rigs.