What is your favorite budget audio component?
Sonore ultraRendu network streamer is my favorite budget audio component. I'm 99% into digital audio for almost 10 years now. Started with iTunes and Airport Express. Upgraded my amplifier and used several dacs. Sonneteer Alabaster with Metrum Octave and now Goldmund Job INTegrated. Differences were rather marginal however. Never thought a digital thing like a streamer would matter much. When I upgraded from Pioneer N-30 to Aries Mini stereo image opened up. Upgrading to microRendu with LPS-1 again was a big improvement. Blacker background and even more detailed imaging. A few weeks ago I received the Sonore ultraRendu. Before it was hard to imagine how microRendu could be bettered. But ultraRendu is a big improvement again. Micro details are more tangible. So when streaming get yourself a high quality streamer! It's definitely worth it. |
Yamaha A-S500 Integrated: bought on closeout for $250, can compete with some $2K integrateds I’ve owned, all while doing it with a much lower noise floor. Kef LS50s: recently bought a pair for the holiday price of $999. The reviews basically mirror my experience with these speakers so far. Topping D20 DAC: a $120 Chi-Fi unit with a fluid, low glare sound. Not much different from my Line Magnetic 502CA. Shure M97xe w/Jico SAS stylus (approximately $350): an all-around great performer with effortless tracking and very low distortion. Beats my $1000 cart that now resides in a closet. Lounge LCR MK III phono preamp ($300): another component deserving of its widespread accolades. |
Wyred4Sound modded Sonos:CONNECT and Nordost purple flare power cord. The modded Sonos is a bit over or under $1,000.00 and the cord is another $75.00 or so.... depends on the sale. A bargain digital source, that I feel equals many more expensive streamers, and is not limited to Tidal. See DAR for supporting arguments and reviews. |
oops forgot these.... OK. here’s something everyone can afford and should have in their rigs or available. 1. Herbies Audio Labs – “Iso footers” – a series of three small poly or rubber bases in which small one inch round balls can be set and used as isolation devices. Excellent results for light to medium weight items. Not recommended for any heavy weight stuff like big 100lb. plus amps. Great for things under say 60 lbs or so, like CDP, DAC, line stages, receivers, tuners, PLC, Disc spinners, Personal confusers, etc. these came originally with solid wooden balls and or solid semi hard poly balls as the two options. Fascinating value. Incredible idea. The ‘ball’ itself changes things most. I preferred the Ebony over the ‘poly’. $20 ea. $60 for a set. When they were available. 2. Wooden block footers or varying compositions. Teak, Ash, Ebony, Apple, Maple, Cocobolo, Zebrawood, Myrtle, Mahogany, etc. Used as a set of 3 all being the same types as footers for any components aside from loudspeakers, of course. Just as fascinating results and each particular wood will introduce its own sonic flavor into the audio. Cut to two inches or so tall, by an inch to an inch and a half deep and wide. As with the HAL footers, arrange in a triangle beneath the component to suit. Usually, Free as waste cuts at wood working hobby shops. Not a lot more if you have to buy a stick and cut it yourself at only 9 inches or less overall. My EXP shows, the denser (harder) the wood, the cleaner the sound scape. As well, more pronounced or defined will be the leading edges of notes is often the realization. Shorter grain woods seem to add more color to the harmonic, like Mahog. Ebony for ex. Cleans up the images better. And if all are cut the same dimensions, its an attractive addition to the gear on the rack or stands. Removing OEM footers is optional. I would never have believed it but years ago, another member sent me several sets of various wood types to try. I did. I’m sold on these things ever since. Absolutely remarkable… and FREE!! Great for outboard power supplies too. This is said in spite of the fact I have iso footers like Black Diamond and Vibrapods, and other upscale cones, in house already. I mean for freee… why not? 3. Female NEMA to Male IEC 15A 125VAC adapters for burning in power cords, and not burning up the system. Connect to the pricey PC, plug into wall, plug refrigerator, freezer, fan or ??? into that and let it sit there for 10 – 14 days, then disconnect, and insert run in power cord into system. Leave alone and run rig normally for a couple days or so and either be impressed, awed or pack it up and send it back. With a few, of these adapters you can run in quicker still more PCs using but one appliance.. But always a big savings on your pricey outfit… tubes… light bill, etc. |
Your would be hard pressed to find a better budget pre amplifier then the deHavilland UltraVerve. Kara Chaffee the designer and yes she makes them by hand, and yes she can adjust the output to match for your amplifiers. As all of her products she lets the tubes do the talking and simply brings out the very best in them, noise free, big sound. http://www.dehavillandhifi.com |
Here's one - the Wand family of tonearms -- from less than $500 and up, great solid unipivot design but built like a tank, easy to mount and fully adjustable. The Wand+ bested an SME-IV in my setup, highly recommended https://designbuildlisten.com/ |
2 related components: Magnepan Unitrac 1 tonearm @ $300 for a demo in 1984 Dynavector MR23 cartridge re-tip @ $179 on the same day I finally was able to extract everything there was to hear in my vinyl collection. My first DV had been a revelation on with an old Rega 202 a couple of years earlier, but VTA on-the-fly with the Unitrac made me realize just how big a deal correct vertical geometry is. |
Forgot to mention one of mine, Magnepan MMGs at 599$ new. Really a great way to get into Hi-Fi without spending 1k$+. Let’s face it we don’t all have tons of cash for our audio systems. Why not explore budget gear that shines and many, many people can enjoy? BTW I had noticed Parasound and Bluesound mentioned. Two great companies putting out affordable stuff. I would like to add Schiit Audio. The DACs are very good indeed for the money spent. |
Yamaha A-S801 Integrated Amp ($899). Good sound, flexible, built-in 32bit DAC. Sonos Connect ($349) with Deezer Elite subscription ($20/mo). Easy 16-bit FLAC streaming. 35mil+ songs. One of the things I really like about Audiogon forums is you learn about gear you'd never heard of or considered. Based on this thread, I now might try the Omega Super 3i monitors in my second system. Thanks Audiogon! |
My latest purchase, Audeze LCD-2 headphones are really quite fantastic. I have never owned a really good pair of headphones before. Now that I have a baby asleep, my hifi sessions are limited :-( The headphones are opening up a new mode to listen to music! The Chord Mojo portable headphone amp/dac is another budget favorite. Though these may be budget cost items to an audiophile, one must note that $1,550 for headphones and a headphone amp is rather exorbitant. |
KingKo Audio KA-101 amplifier and CD-301 cd player. I own the CD player and it is superb! I also love the amplifier, but already own too many and my wife is stopping me from getting this one... Prices are fair and the quality of the equipment easily outperforms far more expensive gear. http://kingkoaudio.com/en/pages/KINGKO-AUDIO.html |
If the rest of your system is a good match and you only have 1 source, the Lightspeed passive LDR pre-amp is "stupid-good" at about 1/2 kilo-buck! Not quite as good as my 20X price actives, but surely a bargain of the century. Used Vandersteen 2ce sig speakers. McCormack DNA 0.5. Used Merlin TSM monitors. |
October 2016, Anthem I225 Integrated amp - $900. From Parts connexion with new Mundorf AG Capacitors. 1 year warranty. Still have the original Blue Nichicon Capacitors. New 1.5 meter Cardas Golden Reference Power cable and (1) pair- New 1 meter Cardas Golden Reference XLR interconnects for 55% off, also from Chris at Parts Connexion- $800 all in shipped. N |
If we keep it under $1000/component: APPJ PA0901A ($189) - this miniature SET integrated amp (3.5 wpc) is a marvel at it's price point. Price/performance is off the charts. Bluesound Node 2 ($499) - this streamer does so much right it supplanted my well-appointed Mac mini. I don't miss the endless rounds of Apple updates breaking something. Omega Super 3i Monitors ($695) - what more can be said about these single-driver speakers that hasn't already been said? The high sensitivity (94.5) makes for a nice match with low-powered tube amps. An absolute steal at this price. This is the core of my current system and I'm as happy with the sound quality as I've ever been. Amazing what can be had for so little cash these days. |
And this is something that might be an ultimate bargain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ8YIow9m2s&t=289s |
