What would you never buy again? What would you like to own again?

[Haselsh1]

I would add that Harbeth stopped me worrying about speakers ever again.

LOL, I do not worry about anything hi-fi anymore. The sound system I currently have is the best I have ever owned since 1978.

[walpurgis]

There is simply no comparison in midrange where transistors and valves are concerned

I used to think that too. Changed my opinion now.

[Macca]

. The difference of course is that the market is flooded with cheap, nasty trannie amps of very low cost and performance. The same is not true of valve amps numerically.

Not so sure about that. Plenty of rubbish valve amps around. I've heard some shockers. But I also think the best power amps I have heard (to date) have used valves. Power is really the problem, restricting the speaker options. Good and powerful valve amps are mega money and that isn't true of solid state.

[AlfaGTV]

Item i would buy again (and in each case actually have bought more than once):
Bladelius Embla Pre/CD Player/Streamer/DAC/Media player - Sounds magnificent, even today! Gui a bit loong in the tooth though. Using my second unit!
Philips Fidelio X2 - One pair at home, another at work.
Yamaha NS-1000M - One pair in the main HiFi, always looking for a second pair!
Raspberry Pi and MacMini - Brilliant computers that work very well as music players!

Items i have tried but wouldnt want back:
Sennheiser HD-598, HD-650, HD-700 - Not my kinda noise, even though ive tried them again, and again...
VTL TL 5.5 Signature Series II - What a load of overprized crap...
Simply Black Magic - Swedish record player of dubious quality...
HRT Musicstreamer HD - What the f@ck is all the hype about? I do like their cheaper DACs though, still use one of them at work!

[SLS]

Unfortunately, every trannie amplifier I have listened to since 1978 with the exception of the Musical Fidelity 'Dr Thomas' totally lacks the liquid purity of midrange that a valve amplifier has in shovel loads. There is simply no comparison in midrange where transistors and valves are concerned. That purity and fluidity is unsurpassed and when regarding the high excessive cost of valve amplifiers, really good trannie amps are just as costly. The difference of course is that the market is flooded with cheap, nasty trannie amps of very low cost and performance. The same is not true of valve amps numerically.

I had an Art Audio Jota single ended Class A 22w 300B-XLS valve amp. The new price of the current version is about the same as my Dev 250 Pro, about £12,000. The Dev is ClassA/D hybrid. Besides the Dev being a better amplifier, it also includes a state of the art DAC, phono amp and steaming and only requires speaker cables and speakers to form a system.
There are also a lot of exceptionally good value for money solid state amplifiers from the likes of Yamaha and Onkyo, but I doubt many people here would consider them.
The problem with valve amplifiers is that good transformers, such as from Sowter, are expensive, so many have poor transformers and therefore are not linear.
I have no doubt that you can put together a really good valve system, I reckon it could be matched by solid state at 25% of the price or less, which is why valves wond cross my threshold again.

[Pharos]

I have a hard time trying to evaluate mid, it is relatively easy to do so with top and bass, but mid usually is a complexed waveform and the many components are spread wide.

The result for me is that solo piano is the main tool, it is so revealing of lack of integration/fragmentation of the tones.

The ATC SIA2 gained numerous awards internationally, and the mid was especially praised.
Do you valve lovers like/dislike or even despise ICEpower amps? I would in theory and bias, until I owned them.

There were also very good Jap amps in the 70s and onwards, the Sony ES range comes to mind.

My 'Benchmark' friend also has had many speakers, most of the BBC/Rogers heritage, several Harbeths and KEFs, and has now settled on some top JBLs with 15" units and 4" voice coils going up to 800Hz.

[Macca]

My 'Benchmark' friend also has had many speakers, most of the BBC/Rogers heritage, several Harbeths and KEFs, and has now settled on some top JBLs with 15" units and 4" voice coils going up to 800Hz.

He's a wise man.

[Barry]

For me the best test of the midrange is the human voice. That's why the BBC had to develop their own speakers, as most commercial designs were found wanting.

[struth]

Two best for checking is Frank Sinatra and Eva cassidy. Both distinguishable and hold perfect key

[montesquieu]

The dog's bollocks:

EAR Acute CD (mkI)
EAR V20
EAR 861
EAR 890 (hmm I think there's a theme emerging here)
Radford STA25
Tannoy GRFs
Leben 660p
Townshend Glastonburys
Townshend Rock Reference
Audio Note Io 2 / AN6s SUT
Hashimoto HM7
Quad ESL 57 and 63
Audio Origami PU7 12in
Fidelity Research FR64S
Audion Silver Knight 300b PP monoblocks
Audion Quattro preamp with phono stage
Aurorasound Vida phono stage
47 Labs Shigaraki transport
Longdog MM valve phono stage

All would be welcome again if I had the space/cash

Just bollocks:

Unison Research S8 what a total pile of shite
Whest PS20
EAR 509 monoblocks - boring
Audio Note AN-Es - tried them repeatedly at ever increasing price points I just can't abide the singalong cabinets
Audio Note Meishu - zzzzzzzzz and floppy bass
Krell KSA 50
EVA2 LDR preamp
Lyra Helicon
Glasshouse passive preamp

.... to my ears in my system ymmv blah blah