Stereophile Top 100

I'll admit I eventually found the topic of the recent 'best amplifier in the world' thread to become superflous and it seemed like a courtesy list of the top models from all major amp manufacturer.

On the other hand, I feel that this list, the Stereophile Top-100 most important hifi components in history is a lot more down to earth. I actually found myself smiling more than just a few times, when I encountered numerous equipment that I fully agree with Stereophile's judgement of why it should be there.

http://stereophile.com/features/709/index.html

I am fairly sure many of you will be the same too.

Mr Wong. From your link there IS a difference. Its HOT 100 products (40 years). There's a distinct difference between HOT and Top.
The Rega Planar3, Linn LP12, Dynaco, Spendor BC1, and some others are among timeless, vintage, obsolete, memorable products or reputed to be best selling components, are listed in the article.

...which goes to show that the stereophile list is MORE meaningful thqn the previous thread.

Well, at least the number of equipments I have seen or heard in this Stereophile list is more than the previous one in other thread.

Exactly.

My point is this list is a lot more meaningful and interesting than a 'best of the world' list. The equipment in this list is something a lot more people can identify with. Take for instance the Linn LP12, elected as the most important/influential hifi product of all. I think few will want to or can argue against this. Almost all of my friends have owned the LP12 at one time or another, even if they have since moved to a lot better products.

My first serious TT too was an original LP12, without any upgrades and with only a Grace 707 arm, one of the few 'approved' substitute for the Ittok arm for those on a budget (the Basis arm have not come out yet at that time, neither has the Ekos). I have fond memories of my basic training class in Singapore, where as a new employee, I went for economy rice where my colleagues used their per-diems for expensive food. Then with the money saved (the class lasted for 2 weeks), I bought my Nirvana upgrade kit there. Back to KL, with my then good friend Albert (of Uni HiFi at that time, later of Tat Chuan fame), we had a DIY in his room fixing the Nirvana kit. Ah, those were the good old days. The sound was nowhere near what I get now but nonetheless, equally as enjoyable. At that time I used a simple Ortofon catridge. Audio Image opened shop a few years later and this is where I found the gem of a catridge, the Grado TLZ moving-iron (also on the list) and which is still giving stellar service in the 2nd system today.

This is the magic I find with this list vs 'best of world' type list. Almost all of the items here are something I can identify with, and which I feel all hifi fans can identify with. This was what brought lots of smiles on my face when I went through the list. Even if I have never owned the equipment, I have heard most of them or my friends/acquaintance have owned them, or at the very least, their reputation is simply so strong that they have and continues to live on as legends. The Quad electrostatic. The Apogee Scintilla. The original monster Krell-100 (which will trip an aircond starter when we power it on). The whole list is indeed one full of gems.

I may not be a hifi magazine fan but this list is one I am fully supportive of.

All IMO of course, no offence meant to anyone who prefers the 'best of the world' type lists.

Those Polk Audio Cobra cables are rated to be among the best ever made, a benchmark, and not esoterically priced ... can't be found anymore. I think it was back in the 70s or 80s ...

this reminded me when Discovery channel was showing the "Top 10" of tanks, fighter planes, cars, motorbikes...

Guess which motorbike was voted the all time BEST motorcycle?
No, not the Hayabusa, Not the R1, definitely not the Blackbird or Fireblade.

Spoiler:

Just to illustrate a point further.

hey, my youngest brother have one c70 with ex5 transplant & carbie
surprisingly, the engine masuk ngam-ngam, without any further mods