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Amazing ''Overachieving'' products...your pick?

I have owned both expensive gear (and I do mean expensive) and ''budget'' gear. Many components are mind-boggling on a price-paid versus performance ratio. Three of my favorites are:

1. The Bedini clarifier. This gizmo just plain works. You may like - or not - the difference it makes on your cd's. In my case, it clears up a lot of fog. The cheapest upgrade to ALL my cd's.

2. The Cayin TA-30 integrated amplifier . So much performance and flexibility for so little money. Put it up against anything up to 3 times the price, musically and from a build-quality perspective. Just plain amazing.

3. The Apple i-Pod Mini. Yes, even from in an audiophile application, playing cd's (not downloaded MP3's). You can snob it but you cannot ignore it.

What are YOUR picks ?
sonicbeauty

Showing 4 responses by mrdecibel

mrdecibel
2,900 posts
 
I think Noel Lee's original Monster Cable and Steve McCormack's Mod Squad tip toes are two products that started the trend in tweaks, which we all know, as audiophiles, can really take a system to new heights.
mrdecibel
2,900 posts
 
Nsgarch. Point is well taken. However, it was Noel Lee and the 12 gauge speaker wire which started the whole wire thing and put Monster on the map. Interconnects came afterwards.
mrdecibel
2,900 posts
 
Nsgarch, Bruce Brisson might have designed the speaker wire design as well, but it was Noel Lee, as the head of Monster, with his "speaker wire", that started the whole thing. The speaker wire was his 1st product. Lee was a marketing genius, not just to the home consumer but to the recording industry as well.
mrdecibel
2,900 posts
 
The " original " Monster Cable might or might not have been time aligned (this was about 30 years ago) and I truly cannot remember. But the dealer networks (I was at one at the time) were sent this little Monster box display (it was clear to see through) that had a high quality switch with a 1 foot pair of this Monster cable and a 1 foot pair of zip cord. It connected to an amp (the amp was chosen by the dealer) and a pair of speakers (again selected by the dealer). It was easily apparent the improvement when switched over to the Monster.
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