Just in case you want to put together a little system to go with your iPod, and perhaps impress your friends… here’s what the editors of Stereophile magazine think would do nicely:

Turntable : Goldman Reference II turntable: $300,000

ToneArm: Continuum Audio Labs Cobra is $15,595

Cartridge: Clearaudio Goldfinger : $8000

Phone PreAmp: Boulder 2008: $33,250

DAD-A playback: Meridian Reference 800: $22,540

or, you could go with a separate transport and digital processor: dCS Verdi Encore: $15,499 and dCS Elgar Plus: $15,499

PreAmp (surround): Meridian Reference 861 is $19,000

or, if you prefer stereo only: McIntosh C1000 : $26,000

Next, if you like a solid-stat amp, it’s hard to beat the Chord SPM 14000 MonoBlocks: $79,000

or for you tubie-types: Lamm Industries 2.1 MonoBlocks: $29,900

(I hate to bring it up, but some folks like to slum, and get an integrated amp: Ars Emitter II Exclusive: $24,900… very crass…)

Speakers: the Peak Consult El Diablo is only $74, 995 the pair.

Sub-woofer: the REL Studio III: $8995

Headphones: Stax SRS-007II Omega II system: $3895

Equalizer: Meridian 861with MRC room correction: $19,000

Power Isolator: Arcolink 6N-NCT: $10,950

AC cables: JPS labs Alluminata power Cable: $3499 each (you’ll need 8 for all this gear) $27,992

Interconnect cables: JPS labs Alluminata: $2999 per meter. (you’ll need about 4 of these as well.) $11,996

Speaker cables: JPS labs Alluminata: $8499 / pair (you’ll need 5 pair for surround sound) $42,249

Hey! Less than a million! : $700,705. (That’s the stereo price; if you want 5:1 surround, you probably ought to stick in another $250,000…)

Drat… that takes it right up to a million bucks… sigh

and, like computers, this will all be obsolete in a year or so, and you can start over!

🙂

Tracy

And, oh yes: this stuff actually sells!