What is your favorite budget audio component?


Just wondering for the sake of curiosity and general sharing and education among audiophiles, “What is your favorite budget audio component?” And as a bonus, “Why do you consider it budget and why is it good?” 
Since budget might be relative, I would say audio gear like MBL, Wilson MAXX speakers or anything ultra high end should not be considered.

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Good question.

My immediate response was “what’s the budget”?

But OK…. I’ll go with $1,000 as the limit.

Are we supposed to name drop here or merely pick out the generic item or device?
I’ll go generic.

Of all the things I’ve bought the most thru the years for under a grand over and over, it has to be ‘receivers’. Either 2 ch or multi ch as time passed, but it was always the first link in the chain.

They always trickled down into another room somewhere.

They offer immense flexibility and possible arrangements. Often decent ones can be had for well under a grand. $700 to $900 lands some pretty decent tech in just one box.

Besides that, I’d say headphones.

VPI HW-16.5. Your music library is a more valuable possession than the gear made to reproduce it, imo. If that library includes LP's, you NEED at least a vacuum cleaner. The 16.5 is a real good one, at a price affordable to all.