Your most disappointing purchase or audition?


I've had a few.

bought a Naim Nait 3. Loved it in the store. Returned it within a week- way forward at home

Brought home some CJ preamp to audition perhaps 22 years ago. Noisy as anything and a turn off transient destroyed a tweeter (though years later i bought a CJ 17LS2 which I thought was the finest preamp I ever heard in my home)

Auditioned a VPI table (HW19) in a store- the store just could not get the belt to stay on. Bought a Rega instead. This was in perhaps 1990.

Fortunately, I never really experienced buyers remorse say 6 months or more after settling on a piece of gear.

Finally, there have been too many speakers that got stellar write ups which I just didn't care for.
128x128zavato
My biggest disappointments were: B&W 802s3, Naim Nait 5i, Magnepan 1.7, PAD interconnects (don't remember the model, price was about $1000-1500), PS Audio PCA-2, Musical Fidelity A3.5, Pass X2.5, Clements RT-7
Two pieces come to immediately to mind. First is the Rega Mira 3 integrated amp. It was not at all what I expected; a smooth, warmish amp. What it was for me was a tinny, no-bodied amp. Really surprised me.
Second, and a bigger disappointment was a pair of the Sequerra Met 7.7 Mk V speakers. I swear I've heard plastic computer speakers sound better than these things.
FWIW, both of these pieces were highly reviewed by Sam Tellig. I'm not saying that means a lot as I have used several products he recommended and loved them. Am currently using an integrated amp recommended by ST.
I bought a Yamaha sound processor once that I loved at first then fell out of love with as I started to detect various noise artifacts being introduced that were not there otherwise.

I've been very nuts and bolts about what I buy ever since and have never had any major disappointments.