Really Inexpensive Systems That Sounded Great?

20wpc Philips receiver paired with Epi 100 speakers.  

Problem was, once they heard it, it embarrassed a lot of people who spent a lot more on big, fancy, expensive, and/or blingy stuff... 

I still have those Epi 100 speakers to this day, though updated the simple capacitor crossover... and they still challenge speakers far more expensive and larger speakers.  Plus, they are attractive to look at, modest in size, and flexible and non-picky in placement.  The Epi 100 has a practically hemispheric high frequency dispersion, tight low musical bass, and a wide off-axis response.... all while being sweet and non-fatiguing all day long with whatever type of music one chooses.

@clydeactor 

@gents 

@tomcarr 

+1 to all

Fosi Audio TB10D (upgraded version) $80

Wiim mini streamer                              $80

Geshelli Labs J2 Dac                           $250

Klipsch RB5II                                       $250

Decent sounding budget system IMO

@brad18loseke

I have a little Fosi amp as well in one of my systems and was shocked to hear how well it does with kef ls50s. I’ve heard some way more expensive amps fail miserably at that task.  A no brainer for <$100. 

Lots of new equipment sounds nice if well matched thanks to trickle down…my thoughts go back to the old days of Hafler pre and amp, Dahlquist DQ10s or Roger’s JR149s (a friend is still using my old ones and they sound great). Tough to evaluate how inexpensive these pieces were given decades of inflation, but I could afford them new and used when I was pretty poor…