Best Component Ever, for the money


The other thread with this title was corrupted in its inception. Let's do this one with NO cables, power cords, isolation devices or tweaks. My vote goes to the Connoisseur turntable (integrated with arm). I don't have it anymore and you shouldn't be able to find one for sale. High end perspective for $150.
paulwp
Detlof, has potential is an understatement. Bart has put a lot of time, energy and money into this pre amp and I can tell just in the short time I have had it that Bart's pre is on another planet from where ours will be until we hunt down the tubes that really belong in it. It is worth investing in the best tubes. I am just scratching the surface with this pre and the performance has changed dramatically. It will be very easy to spend over a grand on the right tubes which I definetely plan on doing. Once you start you can't stop! Could very easily be the best component for the money. If not, then it has to be way up there.
Isotek Titan... really makes everything sounds so right...! Far exceeded my expectations!!!
I used to have a pair of B&W DM302s. At $250/pair, they're able to hold their own against speakers that cost several times what they do. The low end is non-existent, but everything else about them is great.

The best improvement I've ever gotten per dollar, though, was $9 worth of acoustic ceiling tile screwed to the wall in the primary reflection point.
I paid $250 for a brand new pair of floor standing Whatmough from Audiolabs.
These have a very nice slender shape and very good sound quality. They are as good as my B&W 604-S4 speakers and they look better!
Trends Audio 10.1 integrated amp. I have had other integrated amps like the Rega Brio 3, Krell KAV-300i, and Cambridge Audio 540C V.2, and this tiny thing keeps up very well with them all. I would not say that it sounds better, but it sounds very close at a fraction of the cost.