Shopping at Goodwill anyone?

Pioneer HPM-100’s (200 watt C series)
KEF Cantata (Teak)
Realistic Mach 1 (series 1 original)

Too many to list so, go by brands, maybe...
Paradigm
PSB
Rotel
Denon
Sansui
Hitachi
Pioneer
Boston
Akai
Sony
Harmon Kardon
Luxman
Aiwa
Toshiba
Kef
Yamaha

& many many others

It’s difficult to not go back when it feeds you so well.....

Most recent: Technics SA-200, B&W 24" speaker stands, and a 24" set of UK made ’apollo Support Systems’ speaker stands

More Manfrotto Tripods than I can shake a stick at, even a brand new Carbon Fiber unit (in it’s carrying bag) worth $600.

Over a hundred quality 35mm Camera lenses. Probably closer to 200 (you look down into the display case and see a 200mm Pentax SMC takumar prime, for $15! Special day, fer sure...)

Probably close to 100 pair of quality binoculars.

I’ve got a big double cardboard box of a good..uhm..40+ camera bodys left over from selling off the lenses. Must be at least 50-60lbs of camera bodies.

It’s an addiction. But....It’s difficult to turn down such quality gear at such low prices. Candy!

However, it has really dried up in the past few years.

To clarify, this is the Ken Hotte part of Teo Audio, Taras K would never be caught dead in the goodwill store. He’s way too cool for that.

Me? I’m an audio guy, hardcore. I’ll willingly dumpsterdive if I think there is some deserted and hurt piece of classic audio gear in there, which I can save.. that I can somehow hear crying for it’s life (about to be crushed).

And there is nothing more educational in the world of knowing audio circuitry than fixing every fault and every quality aspect of every kind of circuit that's ever been made.

electronics usually go out to the shelves near last in the sorting, testing and pricing workday.

you have to go in at approx 2:30pm, and be there until about 4pm. Arriving past 4pm means you probably missed the good stuff.

the pickers (which would be you, if you follow that schedule) will get the best, generally, if you go to the given store past those times.

I rely upon people’s ignorance but the pickers are getting to be too good and too many of them.

by all means stop in if driving by. It’s like fishing. You can’t expect to catch your fish with one single cast. You have to cast that line lots of times.

This means visit. Often. And pick the right times and right stores.

My journey into the crazy world of hifi began when I picked up the iconic NAD 3020 at a Value Village (Canadian thrift store chain - not sure if it’s actually American?).

Now I make the thrift store rounds every few months, scouring the record bins for some mint Stravinsky or Kinks vinyl.

One day I walked into the local value village and picked up, side by side..a mint pair...of.... NAD3020 and a 3120. $14.99 each.

Last night....Picked up a Mint class d 150W 10" sub for $9.99...and.... a pair of Armani Sunglasses, $1.99. Oh the sunglasses. Dozens of sets of $200-600 a pair sunglasses. Mostly in the $200 range, but lots of them. The sunglasses in the car are worth more than the car....

Today, it was a Yamaha HTR-3063, a Denon UD-M31 (slimline/compact CD receiver), and a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze B1 speakers. Candy! All mint.

I mean, I have custom Skanning driver type systems at home with other world class bits.

It may be cheap candy, this value village stuff....but it’s hard to turn those sort of almost free toys - down.

Now I get to take the Denon apart and see how it’s made...maybe put a third system in at the shop....

snopes has no credibility......(not saying that I disagree, but snopes has been found to be a total crock, and run by nutbars :) )