Oddly, I have never had a "worst purchase" until two months ago. I bought a Monster Power HTS3500 line conditioner after reading Robert Harley's rave comments in TAS about the HTS2000. I assumed that since the HTS3500 offered another filter stage, it had to be better than the HTS2000. WRONG!! When I installed the 3500 in my system (which is a pretty decent one with Bryston amps, Vandersteen 3A Signature speakers, etc.), there was a noticeable deterioration in the overall sound quality. My wife said it sounded like I had substituted some really bad speakers, or a bad preamp. After several weeks, I read a couple of comments in "AudioReview" by other owners of the HTS3500, who had the same experience I did. At that point, I sold the 3500 and bought two of the HTS2000's. BIG DIFFERENCE!! The sound quality of my system not only returned to its previous state, but showed improvements in the deep bass and high end, plus an improved video quality on the TV. So, I guess the lesson here is that more features and higher cost doesn't guarantee anything. For anyone considering the purchase of the HTS3500, I'd strongly recommend getting the HTS2000 instead.
