How cheap can you go and still be happy with the sound?


I would think many guys on this forum are spoilt by the gear they have and never listen anymore on cheap rigs.

I was listening recently on my younger daughter’s PC audio rig and got reminded again of how good it sounds. There is a fairly high level of clarity, detail, tonal balance and great bass in this rig.

 

- Yamaha HS8 powered monitors: $700 to $800

- Yamaha WXC-50 MusicCast streamer+dac+preamp: $450, often found on A4L for around $300

- Audioquest Powerquest PQ3 (was around $200 or so)

 

IMO, this would qualify as a high quality (sonically) charity price hifi rig for any younger or older person w.r.t small room nearfield or midfield listening.

 

What is the cheapest rig that has brought you happiness these days?

 

deep_333

Showing 2 responses by curiousjim

@deep_333
 

So sorry you can’t enjoy music in you car anymore.

When I’m mowing the lawn, music through the earbuds does make the time go by. Or when I’m in my car, I still tap my toe and slap my thigh to the beat, but I definitely prefer listening to music with my main system a whole lot more. 
 

Jim

I can be happy listening to the radio in my car. When I mow the lawn, I wear some $27 ear buds Bluetoothed to my phone and I’m happy. I have an old boombox in the garage and it makes me happy.  I have some ancient Yamaha two-way speakers plugged into an equally ancient receiver that’s plugged into the Sound card on my computer And it makes me happy.  I have a newer boombox that goes outside when we’re out there entertaining and it makes me happy.

I also have a rig inside that I listen to most of the time and it makes me happy.

 try to keep music in my life as much as I can, because IT makes me happy!