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


It is easy to like the best of the best, so to say.  However it is always satifying and memorable when an inexpensive product turns out to be very good to great. 

Some that come to mind from personal experience"

Large Advents (original)

Early Nakamichi SR receivers

Original Monster interconnects and speaker wire

Pioneer Pl-12 turntable

Shure M-95

Early Stax and Audio Technica headphones

MoFi "special" pressings

Magnum Dynalab Etude.  Yes some were better, but a real value

The Absolute Sound mag in the beginning 

Early Conrad-Johnson and Audio Research tube electronics

Early Classe integrated amps.

The original Sony Trinitrons

And there are others....but part of this hobby is enjoying the journey.

Have you had cost effective items that were successful for your enjoyment?

jusam

Used Marantz Model 7 for $200 in 1976!

Double Advents

Schiit Yggdrasil GS (biggest personal bargain)

2-way Pioneer stand-mounts (designed by Andrew Jones)

Topping Pre90 preamp

Schiit Freya preamp

NAD receiver from the 80s

NAD integrated from the 80s

Anticables SCs and ICs

Oppo 103 UDP

Vincent SP-331 amp

NAD 3155 integrated, bought as a floor demo in 1985 with an NAD 5325 CD player (same vintage). Both still performing flawlessly in the third system, what a deal.

Sansui AU-505, bought new in 1974. Amazing sound, currently being rebuilt.

I bought my 1984 Rogers LS3/5a from CBS studios in 1993 for $350.

 

they're worth more now 

herb

1976, Olm Walsh, new, forget model number, loved them.

1982, Stereo 70, second hand store, $25, worked, rebuilt and mild upgrades, sold years later for $500

1983, ADS (200?) little aluminum housed two ways, filled with sand, bought at yard sale $10, cleaned them out, upgraded caps, offered $500 from a higher end audio shop back then, I still have them.

OPPO bdp 83SE, bought new, going to sell it finally.

Most everything else was bought wholesale or DIY, very nice but moderate cost gear.

----

Car Audio

Eclipse 8443 head unit, had 6 at one time, $50-100 each, still dang fine sounding.

Image Dynamics R2R DAC, $1000, list price was $2500, 20v balanced outputs, blind tested against top line home audio DACs, it did quite well.

Image Dynamics rack mount EQ's and crossover (custom Yamaha built), 20v balanced through them. DAC and above where upgraded after bought as well.

Dynaudio, McIntosh(spelling?), Zapco, Arc Audio, Rainbow reference.....

With the right vehicles, very intense layout and install effort, one can do things in mobile system that are very difficult to do in a home audio system and for very CHEAP, under $2k though I have built a $30k mobile system that of course was better but not 15 times better.

 

Rick