Well it's not my favorite piece of gear, not by a long shot - but purely based on "bang for the buck" I am hard-pressed to name anything that has squeezed out $400 of value as much as my old Bluesound Node2 that I picked up 5+ years or so ago.
Biggest "bang for the buck" audio gear you have owned(in your history)?
This is very subjective, and your opinion on your own systems/items is all that really counts.
From the beginning to now, these would fit that category for me: (in no order)
Original Large Advents
Dahlquist DQ-10
Conrad Johnson ART pre.
Original Monster interconnects and speaker wires.
Nakamichi SR-3a
AR Turntable
ADC XLM II
Audio Research LS-12
Magnepan 1.6
Magnepan 20
Wireworld Gold Eclipse III
Audio Technica Electret Condenser headphones
Magnum Dynalab Etude and 108 tuners
Magnum Dynalab Receiver (original)
And in those "early days" special pressings and imported Jazz albums.
There may be others I am forgetting, but these were very good items along my journey.
From the beginning to now, these would fit that category for me: (in no order)
Original Large Advents
Dahlquist DQ-10
Conrad Johnson ART pre.
Original Monster interconnects and speaker wires.
Nakamichi SR-3a
AR Turntable
ADC XLM II
Audio Research LS-12
Magnepan 1.6
Magnepan 20
Wireworld Gold Eclipse III
Audio Technica Electret Condenser headphones
Magnum Dynalab Etude and 108 tuners
Magnum Dynalab Receiver (original)
And in those "early days" special pressings and imported Jazz albums.
There may be others I am forgetting, but these were very good items along my journey.
105 responses Add your response
Rectilinear 3A speakers Rectilinear 7 speakers GAS Son Of Ampzilla (original) Power Amp Large Advent speakers Nakamichi Dragon Cassette Teac A3400 Reel To Reel Accuphase T100 Tuner Thorens TD125AB MK II turntable and arm Shure V15 Type 5 Ambient 66 Speakers Audioquest Indigo Blue speaker cables Odyssey Stratos Extreme Power Amp Golden Ear Triton One speakers |
Placette passive Remote Volume Control--replaced a $15k Mark Levinson preamp back in 2001 and sounded better. $1295. http://www.placetteaudio.com/remote_control.htm used it for 3 years and loved it in the context of a $250k system. |
Carver C9 Sonic Hologram Generator $299 in 1982...still using this device now with Magnepans. Absolutely turns 2 channel stereo image to a 3 dimensional Soundstage when speakers are placed as the manufacturer recommends. In all the years I have been into audio this was and still is to me a giant killer! Push a button to completely remove it from the circuit and that huge image disappears back to flat 2 channel music, press the button back to holography...its a huge instant sonic upgrade. |
Noe there's a brand you don't see very often. How did you end up with it? Are you near their shop? I check out their website every once in a while. Their range of product is impressive I was looking for a new tube preamp and didn't want to spend a fortune, they had a lot of positive feedback and a used qa112 for $750 so I bought it. I also found a used separate power supply for it at the music room for $450, it's called a super rectifier and uses large 4 pin half wave rectifier tubes. |
Bought a Parasound JC5 at release, owned for 2 1/2 year, sold it for nearly same price as I gave due to increase in prices. JC5 is such a remarkable amp for the money that I today own 2 x JC1+!! These cost me an arm and a leg, even tho they outperform in every way the JC5 will have a special place in my heart. It's just the best companionship I ever owned "bang for the buck" and it only cost med around $120 all inn all. Can also mention a used JC2 I got cheap. I now run a ARC pre (the other leg and arm) with the JC+, but JC2 is actually thar good so its tucked away in 2 brand new Gant towels and stuffed under the bed as addict is to variable to temperature summer to winter. I just know to the bone that it will come handy some day..... I'm 38 years old so who knows what future brings. Prebs |
Magneplaners, of course. Love to see the large Advent's mentioned. Mr. Kloss was a pretty smart guy--I mean, he invented the acoustic suspension speaker...where would be be today without that? Unfortunately, those speakers have been passed by in today's world, but KLH and Advent and the Videobeam are clearly major milestones in the industry and Mr. Kloss will always be remembered as the amazing pioneer he was. Now, as for Jim Winey, well, he simply moved the bar so high that, thus far, no one has figured out how to move it higher. Cheers! |
Bloody hell man, It has all been best bang for the buck since day 1.
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About 14 years ago +/- I bought a pair of McIntosh Mc501 mono block amps to drive my 3.6 Maggie’s. The make the Maggie’s sing as they have the power and current to feed them what they need. I bought them used, they are still in terrific condition and if I were to sell them (Not!), I could get what I paid all those years ago! That IS getting your money’s worth out of a product!! |
Jeff from Silversmith recommended this with an explanation that the common ground added extra length to the signal path and degraded the sound so a $2.99 3 to 2 prong ungrounded adapter would provide similar benefits as a high end power cord and that many cords actually just remove the ground. I finally dug up an adapter and inserted it between the poser conditioner and the wall. Worked for me. It's bigger with a quieter background similar the the change his $1200 speaker cables made on a demo I listened to. I don't own his speaker cables but will buy him a beer if we meet up again. |