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Every make a purchase you truly regret?

Look, we've all done it. We read about that special piece of equipment that catches our eye. Every review seems to be glowing--never a discouraging word. So, after several weeks of reading about it but with no real opportunity to hear it, we decide to "just do it," and buy it, probably selling a vital piece of equipment to afford the new piece.

So we buy the new gear, plug it into the system, and bamm! It just plain stinks! No matter what tweaking we try, we can't seem to grow to like it. Now we're stuck, feeling like a "Class A" chump, another victim of the audio press.

Question: If this situation has ever happened to you, did you try to go back to what you had originally, or did you press on, trying something else altogether? Anyone ever start over completely?

Me? I always seem to try something else altogether, and it's starting to get expensive. However, I'm considering starting over completely. I mean, get rid of EVERYTHING and start from scratch. Any thoughts?
crazy4blues
mwilson
430 posts
 
Monarchy Audio SE-100 Deluxe. Sounded great, but it was a dodgy piece of engineering, and I found Mr. Poon to be a poor manufacturer/designer to interface with. I moved on and bought a Musical Fidelity A3CR, much happier. I was very disappointed by the whole experience, but that's history!
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Quad989, not the performance, though a bit darkish, its a true Quad, but its reliability and its interim noises: Popping, spitting, splurting, farting, sizzling, you name it. Raising the room's humidity helped and to be fair, there are plenty of others, who are completely happy with their Quads. I just did not strike lucky. The QC-people must have been drunk, when they released my pair. All the same, three cheers for Dr. Roger West and his Sound Labs. They just make music and never fart.....
jrde8a6
95 posts
 
a 200lb solid state amp that i can't move without hurting myself..i'd trade it in but i can't get up the courage to box it up....oh well, i guess i'll live around it.
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Jrd, you have my sympathy. I've just sold a pair of Gryphon Ref. Monos and I had to collect every trace of willpower to schlepp them around and box them up. Thankfully they are gone now. These are wonderful amps, easily putting some great SS names to shame in all the parameters we audiophiles deem necessary, but they just wouldn't shine with stators. So I suppose, good as they were, they also belong to this list of regretted purchases.
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
Yes, once upon a time I was resurrecting my Dual 1219 turntable after a period of inactivity. So it seemed like time for a new cartridge. Up to that point I'd had a Shure M91E, a parade of Stanton 681EEE's, an occasional Grado, and an Ortofon TM20U. I'd previously found the Ortofon at an appliance store and it was probably the best of the bunch. But by this time the appliance store had gone under. So I hoped to repeat my good experience with a trip to Circuit City. There I found an Audio Technica cartridge that spec'd nicely and cost over $100. Alas, after installing it the sound was thin, dry and void of bass. Although it wasn't a major purchase, I was shaken. So much for experiments!

Shortly thereafter fate smiled on my misfortune. I found a slide-mounted Dual 1215 at a garage sale for $3. One of its on/off switch contacts was misaligned so it wasn't working. It was an easy fix. Best of all, it contained a Shure M91ED that appears to have been protected from wear by the malfunctioning table. I slapped it into the 1219 and the full bodied sound returned! I've lived happily ever after :^)
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