what are your top "audio bargins" in your system history?


It is great to have all the money you need to have the best and endless upgrading.  But what about the components you've had that were inexpensive that turned out to be favorites of yours?

jusam

Silverline Boleros. Bought about 10 years ago and have used them exclusively since. Excellent combination of clarity/resolution and musicality. Easy to drive, perfect for tubes. Unfortunately (for others) they are rarely for sale used and a tad expensive new. They replaced a slew of panels/electrostats, and boxes. And, FWIW, they actually look quite nice (for boxes).

Seems like the best stuff I naturally no longer own. 

-SpeakerLab K's- Corner horn kit- built all-in for $450 in 1973

-Oppo BDP93 $17 with remote from Goodwill 2020

-Audible Illusions L Preamp brand new $2,000 2018

But I do still own:

-Fritz Carrera 7BE Speakers $2,200  in 2022

-SolidSteel tables $350 in 2023

-Innuos Zen Mk3 Streamer,Ripper,Storer $2,200 new in 2019.

-Pass Labs INT25 $5,300 3 months old in  2020.

A pair of JBL 4430s (Dollys) in a pawnshop for $450.

Marantz AV7701 for $100. I’m still using it. 

Too much work to recall it all but a few stand out.

Early 80's, ADS aluminum cabinet mini car audio speakers, $8. They felt way to heavy, opened them up, filled with sand! Cleaned them out, upgraded caps and resistors, offered $500 for them a week later at local audiophile shop.  I still have them, used in several different garages and shops for decades.

A couple of years later a little passive subwoofer with crossover, used with the ADS and good car audio head units as above. I still have it as well but do not remember brand.

ST70 in very good condition for $25 at the Navy base thrift store, refurbished it, used a few years, sold a couple of years later for $500

Mostly into car audio for a long time at a level many believe impossible to achieve but I can setup an incredible system far less costly and less work than a home system. Lots of deals, including sponsorship when competing, best speakers were Rainbow Reference, retail was $7k, I paid $4500 which was below what the distributor paid for them.

Everything I own now was bought wholesale or used at great prices though getting back into DIY speakers, I used to build quite a few.

I do have some little KEF line arrays I got for around $300 I really like with a decent sub, going to sell as no place to use them.

Best current deal was Martin Logan Vision X sound bar, dang fine and perfect for our full time RVing remodel until I get a proper system setup in it, $225.

 

 

 

Forgot these!

Directly from Bruce, got to know him quite well. Edgarhorn Slimline with upgraded huge oil filled caps and higher end Foxtex tweeters, demo set so needed recovered, $800 shipped. Still have them though not likely to work well going to try them in the RV I spent several hundred hours adding to the length and area mods to do so.