Really Inexpensive Systems That Sounded Great?

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…

The KLH Model 20 "Amazing Music Box" was my first experience with hifi sound. A buddy was telling me great his new stereo system sounded, so I decided to drop over after school for a listen. Here was this dinky little chassis with a turntable stuck in the middle of it with cutesy little knobs. Speakers were not small, but lacked the awesomeness I that I envisioned. The expectation of a mind-blowing musical interlude had already dropped to near zero as he cued up the music on this glorified table radio.

Then, he played WIth a Little Help from My Friends, a song I’d heard on my dad’s dual chassis 12" 4-way Admiral console stereo many times before. There was a delicacy to Ringo’s voice I hadn’t heard before. Hum? Other selections revealed details and the feeling of "being there". Okay. This was IT. I was hooked.

Chromcast audio ($35) streaming Tidal to my Sony AVR ZA3100ES ($400)and Klipsch KG 5.2 ($350) superb sounding