My first amp, the nad 3020. Listened to lots of amps that cost more and was happy to plop down about $150 plus tax for the one that sounded the best. With my Frazier Concerto speakers and Thorens TT I was rockin!
That was over 20 years ago, today I would say the Transcendent GG preamp. And on the used market, Musical Fidelity E624 cdp. |
A sublime Accuphase T-100 tuner. And better yet is listening to WBGO -Newark , NJ Jazz station on it. The Accuphase rivals CD and WBGO rivals CDs |
my vote goes to the "stereo compact"- a receiver with a top- mounted turntable w/cartridge, 10" 2-way or 3-way speakers, cables included. harmon kardon used to make one with a dual-1219 turntable. my parents bought the fisher- i think we're talking $300 tax included. |
The Original Son of Ampzilla |
|
Cousinbillyl - you have good taste. I just sold a Super-It along with an old Sota Sapphire. It was a fabulous piece of cheap gear. Lovingly remembered by all who owned one, I'm sure. |
There used to be a phono only pre-amp with a volume control. It was called the 'Super-It'. My first taste of true highend audio. |
Nothing in my experience has been higher value than my current Canary CA-339 amps. Pricey, but worth every nickel. |
A pair of Vandersteen 1Bs for $200. Mind bogglingly great for the bread. |
NYAL OTL3 amps or the Sonic Frontiers Power 2 |
To me, best value for money is some cheapish trannie radio. You get a tuner, antenna, amp and loudspeaker in one package. You don't have to buy software, it's all around you. Doesn't come cheaper..... |
Hafler DH-200 with lots 'o Musical Concepts mods thrown in. Perhaps the start point of this downhill slide... |
Giffin Powerwave amp with madisound BK-16's
430 dollars for an amp and a set of folded horns |
Jolida 102b Integrated all-tube amp. $580. Hands down.
Bonus: Stock EL84 (and other) tubes are now Sovteks, BTW, so you don't have to sub out the Chinese tubes anymore. |
At the moment DACs are real steals.Seems like the best in a teechnology always occurs at the end if it's life.TT's and Cartridges are examples ,but now they are specialty items that go for outrageous prices.
DAC's
ART DIO--Modified
Scott Nixons tube DAC
Speaker's
Accustats 2+2 for $300 10yrs ago,but I did not buy them.Did not have the room.
NEAR M15's I got with 2 extra set of modified driver's for $350.Excellent speaker's which I would need to audition speaker's in the $2K+ range before I could even find a comparable set to replace them.
AGON--There are steals all the time,but you have to be there to get them.Last good pickup was 47Labs OTA Cable for $300 that went for $700 new with additional RCA Jacks. |
two more bests FOR THE MONEY:
1) The Apogee Scintilla. Can be had for little more than a grand. It is a Quad on steroids, and it does go down down down to 20 Hz.
2) I want to nominate the very cheap Jolida 100. With the right tubes, mind you. I have yet to hear finer sounding digital on my system. |
For a large Room Maggies (They sound like large LS3/5a's)
For a small room LS3/5a's (They sound like baby planars)
When I saw this thread I had few components in mind and finally decided to rate the two above for specific use.
I have a NAD 3225PE which is a variant of 3020 and it is an absolute gem. You must not listen to it unless it is warmed up for about 30 minutes, the sound after warming it up opens up so much, that it starts sounding like a different amp altogether compared to when it was switched on. My son uses it in his room hooked up to the Mission 760iSE's for the computer use. Once in a while I end up in his room and I am always awestruck at the musicality of the combo. |
Jjjj, funny, was going to post here and found that you have practically said it all. Cheers, |
There are many components that I have loved: AR SP-10 preamp,Jadis Ja-80 amps, Koetsu cartridges, Dynavector DV 507 arm, however, for me the Quad Esl-63 (in any of its versions, Crosby mod, Pro, USA monitor, 988)is the finest. For those who need deeper bass or a louder system, add a subwoofer. Nothing I have heard is as accurate,coherent and musical as the Quad. Period. |
Shahinian Obelisk loudspeaker, which has been in production since 1977, and still is an amazing speaker that puts to shame many more expensive ones |
Ascend CBM 170 speakers @ $320 a pair new in 2003. |
The original AR Turntable. I have heard AR tables were sold as low as $35 new. Maybe some senior audiophiles know of prices even lower than that. Ed Villchur's AR was an original, pioneering design that helped define the direction of future components (like Linn LP12 and Thorens). For a time, many considered it the best turntable to be had at any price. If I ever go bankrupt and lose all my other stuff, I'll try to put together an old AR turntable, an entry-level Grado cartridge comparable to the old FTE+1, an NAD 3020, and perhaps the original Advent Loudspeaker. Nowhere near state of the art, but all were outstanding for the money and I could definitely live with them. |
The NAD 3020 has had multiple votes. A popular choice. I think the $13 Grado cartridge has to win hands down if it was a high-end component. (I never owned one.) Since I dont think amps matter so much compared to sources and speakers, I am inclined to stay with the Connoiseur BD2a integrated table I owned long ago, or in a more modern vein, my Harbeth speakers. Not exactly an economy model, though not expensive at $2,000, the Harbeth Compact 7 is the best purchase I have ever made. |
Ever? For the money? NAD 3020 (especially modified). |
Audio Research PH3, you need $$$K more to beat this one. |
Best Component Ever, for the money??
(01). McCormack Power-Drive DNA-0.5 Power Amplifier (never owned one, but always wanted to own one).
(02). Adcom GFP-750 Active/Passive Line Stage Preamplifier (currently own one, and have no plans to part with it either).
(03). Magnum Dynalab FT-101/FT-101A/Etude FM Tuners (currently own an FT-101, and what I said about the Adcom GFP-750 also applies to the FT-101 as well).
(04). NAD 3020 Integrated Amplifier (never owned one. But could very well be the best VALUE component ever. I haven't heard about anything else coming along and topping it ever since it was discontinued and removed off the market almost two decades ago).
(05). Vandersteen 2 Speaker System (never owned a pair, but I have listened to this speaker system over and over again, and I am seriously thinking about getting a pair (FINALLY (!!!!))).
I think that's about all I can think of right now.
Happy Listening!!!!!
--Charles-- |
Grado FTE+1 and the Grado entry-level cartridges that succeeded it (GTE+1, MTE+1, etc.) The FTE+1 was only $13 in the early 1980's and was the cheapest entry-level audiophile component that I can remember. |
Denon DL103 cartridge. Best $200 cartridge ever made. |
2nd the Connoisseur table. Too bad that lightning hit my house.... |
magnapan speakers,in particular the 1.6 model.at $1400 to $1600,these speakers blow away ones that cost many multiples more.just need beaucoup current/watts and these babies sing. |
my G&D modified adcom preamp. it beat the living crap out of my joule la-100 mk2, and it cost only $700 used.
i'd put this preamp up against anything under $4k. the CTC and maybe, maybe the herron is better. but they cost a LOT more.
rhyno |
Musical Fidelity A1 25w pure A, very hot.
You can roast steak on its top
It accompanied me with a Ruark Sabre amd Cal Icon2 for my university life.The happiest time I ever have in my life. |
Wadia 9 + 7. What others bring hi-fi, digital, critics, etc... to you. This combo bring the concert hall (OC Performing Art Center), the symphonies, the operas, the composer, the pianist, and finally the music. Cheers. |
Creek integrated, never owned one, but have always admired there value. |
Aloia amps are still a steal |
|
ZERO autoformers. www.zeroimpedance.com Will transform most systems. |
Sold a Rogue 66 for $900. and bought a Rogue 99 for $1100. Spent another $350. for the Magnum upgrade which brought the total price for the Rogue 99 Magnum to $1450. ($2400. retail)! Have been happy ever since. |
Alon II speakers.I have never heard anything better for the money.Bought mine here for $500.There is a pair right now available for $575. |
Pass Aleph 3, Quad ESL-63 (used), Oracle Delphi mk. V. and Metaxas electronics (havn't heard their speakers).
For the more expensive but still good value, due to very high sound quality: CAT (all models are fantastic), Atma-Sphere (All models), Avalon Eidolon, Soundlab M/A/U-1.
Cables: Argento (no one comes close). |
Rogers Ls3/5A speakers, Quad 53/63, Linn LP12, Nad 3020, AR sp6, Goldmund ref TT, Cello Audio palette, Goldmund mimesis 7.1 pre, OTL amps (Futterman), Metaxa amplification... Many were not inexpensive -- but had trend-setting &/or distinguishing factors that were unique at the time & many hold their own today. Later products may include Soundlab U & Genesis 1.1 (very expensive) |
Vandersteen 2's I have never owned them, but have always admired there value. |
No doubt, while not real cheap, the P.S. Audio Powerplant!!! |
Creek OBH 10 volume control... less than $200 new |
Best deal(s)? I bought an Aragon X5 HT amp, Soundstage preamp and cables for $4,000, split them up and sold them the next week on eBay for $6,700 -- then used the profit towards a Sony SCD-1 my highest end piece. Net result of this was the Sony SCD-1 for $400! Best deal dollar wise? A Marantz 14EX on Audiogon for $1800 after selling my Marantz SR18 for $1600 -- cost of upgrade was $200. Folks, the road to high end bliss is a well-traded one on audiogon and eBay. |
I'd agree with Jim on this one. I bought one new back in 1981 or 2 for $189.00 and it was a mindblower. A couple of years ago I took a trip down memory lane and bought a used one for $50.00, I put some AudioQuest pre-jumpers in and this little guy still holds it's own. Great phono stage (Thomlison Holman design) and it could drive any speaker on the planet. Dollar for Dollar the best of all time IMO. |
Thiel 3.6, a model that has been in existence 9 years with no upgrade - could easily sell for 2 1/2 times IMHO. |
Since the best value item I have ever purchased is not eligible for nomination on this thread, I nominate my second choice, the N.E.A.R. 50Me II loudspeaker. I purchased mine new for $1,600 in the Rosewood finish with some very slight blemishes. My brother purchased a black ash pair new for $1,200. They are no longer in production, and these were closeout prices. They are transparent, dynamic, with very good frequency response, and also possess excellent spatial rendering qualities. Truly excellent performance and value. I'd also like to mention Atma-Sphere electronics. They are not inexpensive, but I believe they offer exceptional value for their performance level. God bless. |
|
Best value by a wide margin is an Audiogon classified for 2 bucks! Best deal I ever got was an VPI HW-19 with ET-II arm and Signature DTi for $1400, then my ex-wife discovered the meaning of the legal term, fungible. Best component value, a used Music Reference RM-10 for $600. |
