What are/were the best sounding cheap components you have ever had?

I should add the Nakamichi SoundSpace 5 to my list of good inexpensive audio.. 

My original Doge 7 tubed preamp from quite a few years ago

was relatively inexpensive and outperformed my Manley

tubed preamp by a large margin. The Doge was a bargain.

Agree on the PBJ

Kimber PBJ  rca interconnect 

Tiny Fosi integrated amp with Bluetooth.  $60 on Amazon. Can drive KEF ls50s very nicely which is not something just any amp can do.  Sounds very good. 

Nobsound Mini Amp- $45 new and can really play my rear surround speakers loud and clear:

QHW The Vinyl phono stage just a great sounding phono pre

A friend of mine in FL buys 'bargains' quite often. Some of his methods bother me though, i.e. to go to a hospice where they do have sales from the people who once lived there. I would gladly give more than the product is worth, but not to 'steal a deal'. Just something morbid about that. Or waiting until the end of the day so that the garage sale attendant will more likely settle on a lower price. The irony of it all is that he lives in an RV and has to rent a storage unit to keep his bargains.

 Yes, this is a bit off topic, yet do we tend to bend this way at times?

Easily the Sound Artist 200sa integrated amplifier I bought on Amazon for $399. Bought it just to use as a disposable test amp. Totally blew me and my friends away. Compared to my Pass First Watt F5 v2 it holds its own. Great remite, super heavy with huge toroidal transformer. A unicorn........second place would be a Topping MX3 integrated amp....

Townshend Rock II turntable

Second hand Thorens TD150 - add some chassis damping, a solid base board, new springs Armageddon PSU and a decent arm and you aren‘t far off a an early Linn

Robertson 4010A power amp - a Krell on the cheap if you get a good one

Marantz CD5000 - outperforms many high priced CD players, especially if you perform surgery and take the output straight from the DAC

I bought Pioneer SP-FS52 speakers designed by Andrew Jones at the recommendation of my brother-in-law for some cheap speakers in a secondary system.  I knew they were superb for their price pair with an old Hafler DH-200.  However, I recently brought them into my main listening room for some fun and Wow!  Admittedly, I am driving them with a Cary Audio SLI-100 which is probably unusual for such budget oriented speakers.  Nevertheless, these speakers have no obvious weaknesses and punch so far above their price point that it is hard to believe.  Hats off to Andrew Jones.  He is a master and the crossovers are dialed in.

Boston Acoustics T-830 series II speakers circa 1993. Still sound great!

Stax SR4/SRD40, although it seemed like a fortune to a kid just starting his career in 1975.

The KLH compact units were wonderful as were their radios.

Vintage Equipment, Intended Overhaul, Great Sound and Great Value

I took a chance on a vintage mx110z McIntosh Tube Tuner/Preamp. Enjoyed it as received for a few years, then sent it to Audio Classics for Overhaul. New capacitors/resistors/rectifiers/align tuner/all new gold plated rca jacks. 

Now, I advise: Prearrange with Audio Classics (or ____?, McIntosh: send directly to Audio Classics; They Overhaul it, ship to you.

You buy, you pay directly for UPS to pack and ship; seller simply drops it off unboxed at nearby UPS in your name.

i.e. my mx110z mid 2019, bought $1,200. Overhaul $1,200. Total $2,400. (plus tax/ship, any equipment needs that). Costs have gone up, so has new stuff. It is a tremendous way to get Old World Sound Quality and Full Features with New World Overhaul, for Far Less than New.

KLH model 11 record player my friend was working there and got it for me for half price, I'm wishing I had kept it. We had an attic room in my parents friends would get together play cards and listen to Cream, Bee Gees, Beatles, Lou Reed, Stones, maybe sneak in a few beers great teenage fun.

KLH stereo clock radio purchased in ‘82. Walnut cabinets( main unit had one speaker & then a separate speaker) & sounded really good. Obviously not extended at either end but very smooth & listenable. It was $200 which was a lot for a clock radio then but had it for over 30 years until I gave it to a friend to enjoy. 

The NuForce STA-200 was a nice inexpensive amp that audio advisor sold for around $500.00.

Well, in 1975 I bought a friend's 100 album rock vinyl collection for $10.  Paired with a Shure V15-III.  Great sound for a pittance.

 More recently I picked up a Qudelix 5k USB headphone amp/dac/dsp.  Shockingly good for $100.

Ocean Digital WR 10 Digital Tuner.

I bought it to dip my toe into the world of Internet Radio.

It was becoming impossible to get even a clean mono signal from WQXR in NYC ( yes it's a shitty 710 watt classical station) But there was a time when my Magnum Dynalab could receive it in Stereo BUT with all the new hi-rise construction in lower Manhattan those days were long gone....

I was told by one of the former repair techs from Stereo Exchange to just get  an internet based unit.

I didn't want to spend a lot so I went for the WR 10 based on reviews.

WOW it's a great little unit.

Mind you I'm just using it to  stream classical music ( Easy Classic French in this case) for background BUT WOW!

I replaced the wall wart with a $50 dollar IFI power supply,added a Monarchy DIP and have it running into my Kora Tube DAC - and it sounds AMAZING ...

The unit was under $150 bucks, the power supply another 50 and a used Monarchy DIP   $200 bucks. Another maybe 150 bucks for digital cables, which you would need in any case and you have a little world beater.
 

It sounds ridiculously good!

 Pair it with a a set of self powered speakers and it would be a fabulous, desk top, 2nd bedroom, work room sound system.  

KEF Corelli speakers knocked me out of the park when I wandered into a high end joint and listened to them after auditioning mediocre speakers at a Pacific Stereo. Was it at Northridge Audio? Anyway, it re-lit the high-end spark I got from my father when I was a kid. The spark hasn't faded since.

@nicolelynn_94115: Oh man, I forgot about the FMI 80! Talk about value!! I didn’t have the 80, but I had Robert Fulton’s Model J, which employed the 80 as it’s midrange reproducer. For highs it was the RTR ESL tweeter box (containing 6 ESL tweeters, the same ones David Wilson used in his original WAMM), for lows a transmissionline-loaded dynamic woofer. I don’t remember the price of the 80 (something like $200?) but in 1974 the Model J was priced at $1200/pr, itself good value

By the way, Robert Fulton was also an excellent recording engineer. His ARK label LP's feature fantastic recorded sound, with superb inner detail and natural timbres. His recordings are exclusively of local Minnesota choirs and church organists, good ones.

A speaker system that I still have in my bedroom is the Fulton FMI 80’s. I use it with vintage Harmon-Kardon 430 twin-powered receiver…it’s still very musical.

This is great stuff but what it makes me want to weep for is all the stuff in the last 50 years I've either left behind or given away to kids, step kids, grandkids, storage spaces never saw again and etc. Klipsch speakers, Tannoy speakers, old subs, cheap power conditioners, cables, cords and connects I may have paid a fortune for. o and a Krell 2250 I traded to Peachtree for $900. Do I miss it, I dunno I never had a Pre that worked with it anyway. Another trip down memory lane-Peace Out Bros,

Gifts, yard sales, inheritances, not the same as buying 'less costly' new and it sounded great.

Then there is unintended LUCK.

I needed a front loading TT for the Garage Shop system to stack stuff, keep dual cassette in for nostalgia and home made tapes. Sony PS FL-1, P mount.

I planned on getting it, converting the P mount with a 1/2" adapter so I could buy a better advanced stylus cartridge for it.

Darn thing arrived with a P Mount Shibata! AT 485U (didn't know they made them).

got what I wanted by pure luck

most similar I can find is this modified version, AT body, bonded shibata tip

Norh le amp monoblocks $400.I still have them.

Bose VCS-10 Center Channel Speaker, small, inexpensive

Only small fit, and it did not cost much, around $100. new. Surprisingly Good Sound

here’s one

New arrangement, bit more room replaced it with a Klipsch

’less costly’ tubes sounded better

My used Cayin amp had a pair of 6sn7 and pair of 6sl7, Cayin branded, no maker’s id, absolutely identical looking, but numbers were marked

Tested em all, incl power tubes. With my great experience I put two in wrong sockets and blew a 6sl7.

Put a used GE from stock, sounded great. 

Ordered matched pair Sylvania Military grade, cool looking chrome tops (wanted visibly different, so smart) They did NOT sound good.

Brent Jesse had me first break them in 60 hrs, still didn’t like them, he gave me full credit, I tried some GE, half the price, sound great.

Oh Happy Day!

My first Rega with a wooden base and an S-shaped arm, NAD 3140, and Allison Threes(the corner models).  When properly placed, the Allison's performed well above their paygrade.  Also my very first CD player; an early Magnavox/Philips built in Belgium and modified by one of Steve McCormack's early ventures, "The Mod Squad".  It died twenty years ago but recently I ran across an original un modified unit that looks like it was preserved in a time capsule since brand new.  Nearly bought tears to my eyes, I had to own it.   

https://imgur.com/mcnlNfc

https://imgur.com/zosIlPW

https://imgur.com/Ld9cvCS

Oppo @ MSRP or lower price. Bedini amps. Audible Illusions preamps. Meridian 504 tuner used. Basis turntables and Rega tomearms used. Totem speakers used(Mani II & Forest)

Audionut51

The one that stands out best in my mind was a pair of ADS bookshelf speakers, possibly the L300. They had a wooden veneer cabinet and a metal grill.   I recall a review about them that was full of praise and that said that in a dark room, the speakers seemed to disappear leaving only the music.  And, it was true.  They were in my second system In our finished basement.  The clarity and imaging were fantastic. I don’t remember what I was driving them with, possibly an NAD integrated amp, but, in a smaller space, the midrange and treble actually was a close second to my Infinity RSIIb’s, which were bi-amped.  Great little speakers.

Sennheiser hd580 and hd650 headphones.

Schiit modi multibit dac

Zu mission rca ic's, $25 new off eBay

Onix Ref 1 speakers, $400

Belles Soloist 5 Amp, $400

Creek  Classic 5350SE Amp, free! Needed repair.

1. Crown PL-1 Power Amp $400

2. Crown SL - 1 Preamp $600 with adjustable separate external MM phone preamp.

Building JBL Laners from the JBL blueprints and Buying the LE 14A, Le20,LE5H mid components. Total speaker cost under $700. 

No matter what cheap stuff you buy, over time, the cheepnis [ha ha]  will come to your attention.   And you will know you got what you pay for.

@chowkwan: are you sure about the $750 price for the ET LFT-8? It’s price at introduction 30 years ago (!) was to the best of my knowledge $1500/pr, increasing slightly when the -8A was introduced with improvements, and again when the -8b appeared. The -8b finally settled at a stable price of $2499’pr for years (what I paid for mine), and has now crept up to $2800. In the opinion of more than a few (Harry Wesifeld of VPI, Robert E. Greene of TAS---yes, there ARE persons of integrity at the mag, a number of UK reviewers, and myself. Reviews available on the ET website), the best speaker value on the market..

Then there is the new -8c, which incorporates a new dipole woofer, woofer amplification, and an active x/o with DSP (beating Magnepan to market with same), selling for $3900. The new woofer/amp/DSP is available separately for current -8b owners (a simple bolt-on replacement for the -8b's passive sealed woofer), at a price of $1500/pr.

While the ET-8 IS inefficient (mid-80’s), its modulus of impedance is quite different from that of Magnepans. The woofer and magnetic-planar panel present a fairly even load of 8 ohms to the amplifier, the m-p panel alone (when bi-amping) an almost purely-resistive 11 ohms, great for tube amps. Magnepans in contrast are a 3-4 ohm load, which is why they prefer solid state.

Easy. The current Sangea HDT-20 HD radio fm tuner. Unbelievable sound with attached indoor antenna for under $200!

iFi Zen Stream What a killer

Belles pre-amp I bought used $199

Home built jam kings based off Electro Voice SP12B BAM!

NAD moving coil cartridge

Grado G1+

Denefrips Ares ll DAC

some nova 6 [RS] speakers, mellow and surprisingly non-resonant [compared to their other speakers] first order crossover acoustic suspension design. a 1973 pioneer sx-737 35 wpc receiver which paired very well with the radshack speakers. a used akai 250D reel tape deck, solid tone with extended trebles. a technics sl-5 compact linear-tracking turntable with a shure m97HE cart on it. 

Also for me, the one that comes to mind: Hafler DH101

I don't like the word inexpensive either, I prefer inferior.

Purchased a Marantz 2235B receiver with Apollo speakers at Dow Sound in California 1970s. My friend purchased a Marantz 2275b and he thought my receiver sounded better even though it was less watts per channel.

I have owned at least a hundred components.

That possibly might account for why you haven’t heard anything that’s both great and cheap. I’ve only been back in this game for a decade or so and have easily gone through twice as many products. Despite my frequent gear churning I still attempt to seek out high value products with a goal of synergy. It’s possible you just haven’t been fortunate enough to encounter them yet, or you did, but they didn’t play well with the rest of your system at the time. It’s my opinion that never before has there been a better time to be an audiophile on a budget.
 

And it’s worth mentioning what can be accomplished through DIY. It’s possible to DIY a $1500 speaker that competes with $15,000 speakers all day. That’s no exaggeration. Sure, it takes some leg work, probably more than the well-heeled want to devote, but it is indeed possible to achieve great sound on a modest budget. 
 

Tekton Lore - $1080. Punches way way above its price. Pay extra for the grills if you don't like the looks. 

Van Alstine Vison SET 120 Power Amp. $1200. I haven't heard better at this price. 

Schiit Saga + Preamp. $400 If you like the sound of your power amp and don't want to change its sound, this pre is transparent and the build quality is better than $400.  

Aiyima A07 stereo amp  $85  I know, a communist product. But a big improvement over the NAD D3020 in my second system with regards to sound quality and power output. It's tiny and not much to look at. 

Around 10 years ago I bought my current Vincent SA 31MK hybrid tube preamp.  It has always been good especially when paired with the matching power amplifier the SP 331 MK. I went and bought it in a B stock sale, I was updating from my Rotel preamp in my second system .  I actually bought the SA 31 list $1399 for $699. When I got it home it was not the same as on the box. It looked slightly different and had a remote control. I thought at first is was simply a Mk 2 version however eventually I went to Vincent site and found out its a totally different amp.  The store was very local, less than 5 minutes drive. I went back and saw the young salesperson who seemed confused, however it could well have been embarrassment, he told be there were no B stock SA 31 MK's and  A stock was $1699. I said what should I do.  He went out the back, returned and  said it's the last one we are not a dealer anymore, it's easier for us if you keep it. Still got it.

Eminent Technology LFT 8 speakers. $750 a pair direct from manufacturer. They need big power so you’re gonna spend on the power amps.

Used Studer A80 two track quarter inch $2000. Back when analog tape recorders were being dumped. Prolly the price has gone up.

The BlueMeHD DAC, Shitt unpowered preamp, and 1984 Crown PS 200 amp. Under $300 for whole rat rod rig :)

- Shure A86A step up transformer. $125. 
- BBE 282ri sonic maximizer. $75.

All of the vintage CD players equipped with the Philips TDA1541A DAC that I’ve owned: 3 Magnavox models (all gifted to appreciative non-audiophool friends) and the Philips CD40 I have now. Honorable Mention goes to the Sumiko Blue Point Special and the original NHT Super Zero speakers.

Considering the company here, I would say the Tekton Lore Reference Be speakers ($1870) qualify. They contend for best speaker bargain I’ve encountered and fair well against most $5-6K/pair speakers available from the B&M dealers. What is really remarkable is the quality of their midrange and tone despite using a modest Eminence mid-woofer.

My KLH Model 5's, at $2000/pair when I got them, are the least expensive component in my system and the least expensive speakers I've bought in decades, but they sound great! 

Both the Coda 01p, $450 used, and the Threshold T3, $750 used. Exceptional Class A components and exceptional preamplifiers that can bring you 35 years of Audio joy. Tough to top. 

Yes, I liked my AR-Xa turntable in 975 for $95, but that’s nearly $700 today for an all manual TT. Same math with large Advents, where $250 a pair is about $1,800. So for modern gear, I think my $299 Musical Fidelity V-90 DAC was great. After auditioning much more expensive DACs, I finally bought and kept a PS Audio Directstream for, what, 15x more, and that was on sale. If you like Magnepans, and I do, then they are bargains.