Yes, the CJ ART, various Audio Research were all great...but I do remember lower priced items that gave much pleasure for their price.
In no order, The Large Advent, DQ-10, Nakamichi SR receivers, inexpensive Nordost cables, many tuners giving good vibes vis "FREE" music. Also, in a different way, the Nakamichi TM radios and SoundSpace systems.
There was a solid state ARC pre that was very good....ls-12?
And I do remember "free" listening at some friends homes/systems that were great values. I was exceedingly lucky to have a best friend that bought most of my gear when I was "moving on". It gave me the chance to listen to what I had had compared to what I currently had....at least once what I had sold to him was better than what my replacement gear was...........the old "live and learn".
My best bang for the buck in a speaker is my most recent purchase , the Studio Electric M4 Monitor. Phenomenal sounding speaker. Speakers are such a personal taste but these check all the boxes for me in a small speaker. Really good value.
Check out the Studio Electric room if at Axpona. They will be launching their new statement speaker there.
About 12 years ago I picked up a vintage Kenwood KD-650 turntable for $150-. After a complete detail and polishing it is absolutely perfect. I installed the entry level DS Audio E1 cartridge and power supply, a perfect match. Sorry,
@jjss49 Thanks! Much of the enjoyment has to do with the B&W 685s which to my ears sound wonderful under the open air environment. I believe the balance between bass and treble is improved. The 100wpc provided by the 701 delivers the volume required with volume control never reaching 12 o'clock. I live in the country so can play it pretty loud. I have not measured the dB level at the listening position however.
Not sure about that adaptor. I put in a dedicated line run off a sub panel for the outside system.
Well I have a secondary system that I set up on the back deck for open air listening. I set it up yesterday as it was 70+ degrees in southern Illinois. I am always impressed with the experience, tuneful, dynamic, great sound stage and imaging. I view it a great system for the $$$.
B&W 685 speakers, bought used on AG, $300 shipped to my door.
Yamaha A-S701 integrated, bought used from a friend I made through AG. $250 shipped.
Pure Music playback program on a Apple Mackbook pro playing CD ripped AFFA files. $129.
M2Tech USB/SPDIF converter, bought used $90. (701 lacks USB input)
I bought used Dominus Rev B interconnects for like ~$1500. I own and have owned other down-range PAD models. When I plugged the dominus in the first time, I could not believe how good they sound. While ergonomically a pain, I seriously doubt I will ever sell them.
If you asked me last week I would have said, and probably said in the past my Quicksilver Mid Monos are the best bang for the buck. Great amps, awesome value new....incredible value used like I bought mine for $1050
However I just replaced my preamp with a Zesto Leto Preamplifier.... $3500 is not cheap , but I had the opportunity to buy a NIB new old stock unit and it is incredible.... Easily the best money spent on hi fi in a long,long time. Literally sounds like I revamped my whole system, its that good. Zesto support is top notch too.
Bang for buck. Would have to be the Schiit Audio Modi Multibit. Dac bliss that beats all of the Chinese Toppings, etc. that are made in China and still cost more than the Modi.
2 years ago I bought a custom amp from Tweakaudio.com It's a dual mono class D based on IcePower AS1200 modules, which he then sprinkles lots of pixie dust on. 1200wpmodule at 4 ohms. Not only is it powerful, it also allows for very delicate instruments/sounds to have a fantastic presence
Incredible detail from top to bottom, throws a believably large sound stage with fantastic imaging (when combined with great speakers) through my Emerald Physics 3.4s open baffle which, sadly, are also out of production
If you don't need massive power he has moved on to other class D amps that he says sound even better.
I have to add this. I bought a Technics SL 1200 MK2 for $600 that came with a Zu Audio Denon DL-103. The cartridge sounded like crap and at first I thought it was just a bad match with the turntable, so I put something else on and put the Zu in the closet, where it sat for months. Out of curiosity, I recently decided to the cartridge on another table. It sounded like crap there also, lots of distortion in one channel. I sent it off to Andy Kim who worked his magic on it and for less than $500 I have a cartridge that is in the same league as other cartridges I own that cost from 2-4 times what I spent to have the ZU DL-103 brought back to life. Big props to Andy Kim!
My Best Bang for the buck so far has been my McIntosh C28 for $800.00. I hope to beat that soon on something new. I've got some Vandersteens on the way (2Ce sigII's). I gave $1400 for them, but if the reviews I've read are accurate, it might be in the running.
Hard to choose just one. But initially, I thought: what can vibration control really do? Found that the answer is A LOT! Stillpoints under my $30k speakers turned them into $50k ones. No exaggeration, 3 $125 Ultra Minis tightened up the sound and increased the detail like crazy. And I had a similar experience with the $1500 SRA VR platform under my Woodsong Garrard 301. Amazing improvement. Night and day!
A pair of Klipsch CF-2 speakers I picked up for $75. They were a little rough around the edges. I enjoyed them for a while and then sold them for quite a bit more.
For me, it has to be the large Advents. They were the best sound I could afford on a college students budget back around 1970. Not only did they serve me well for many years, but they were the thing that started me down the HIFi road nearly 50 years ago.
When I was in college, at a party I met someone who was moving and needed to get rid of stuff and FAST and sold me a McIntosh MC275 power amp for $75! (the original model) and a few months later I was offered $375 for it!
I bought my son-in-law an 18 month old Yamaha AS-1000 integrated amp from a guy who didn't have a box, so had to be "local pickup" for a ridiculously low price, what he asked for. These high end Yamaha's are just awesome!
As for the "Pamela" comments, the prettiest women I have been with or married to were more expensive than any audio gear I have ever owned...including items like the CJ ART.
As for the "Pamela" comments, the prettiest women I have been with or married to were more expensive than any audio gear I have ever owned...including items like the CJ ART.
Check out Sweet Vinyl products. Their 'click and pop" removing components work magic on noisy vinyl. Allows one to listen to older, oft played discs, without all of the inherent noise on second hand recordings....but one still needs to clean their vinyl to rid the detritus usually found on used discs.
Picked up a Adcom 555Mk 2 amp for $50 at a yard sale - owner said it stopped working all of a sudden - got it home threw a couple fuses in it and it has been working daily for me now for 18 years
I've had quite a few "Bang for Your Buck" deals in the last 6 or so years since I first started rt buying, selling, repairing (and as my girlfriend will say) hoarding home stereo equipment but the deals that stand out the most all came from a local pawnshop here in Mississippi. Back in 2010 I got a Lexicon RV-5 receiver with the original remote, calibration microphone and original manual in almost mint condition for $175.I have owned at least 15 to 20 different receivers in this time period and the Lexicon was easily the best sounding one yet, still regret selling it to this day. Not to long after the lexicon purchase, I strolled into this pawnshop and walked out with a beautiful pair of jamo d450 tower speakers and matching jamo d4sub all three finished in the dark apple wood I paid $200 cash for the lot and still have them. And last but not least my jamo are powered by an Audiocontrol Pantages Amplifier that I have $145 invested in. I just can't overstate how much I love my monthly visits to the local pawnshops you just never know what you'll find.
My best "bang for the buck" actually wasn't my purchase, but my wife's. Somehow, before we met, she had attended the closing of tech hifi in Durham, NC and purchased a JVC TV, amplifier and cassette deck (1984 by the way) and a pair of Ohm Walsh 2's. All for less than $1,300. The MSRP for the speakers in 1984 which was around $700 per pair. 26 years later and they still sound great. I know they can be upgraded, but I actually like the way they sound now that I have a proper amount of the right kind of power.
I think the one piece I will never part with is my 1974 Pioneed SA 8100. It is such a great piece, no it does not sound as good as my tube gear, it just never disappoints and never quits, at the moment it is running outdoor speakers for my pool. Everything else I own I am already planning their replacements.
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