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What are/were the best sounding cheap components you have ever had?

It is easy to like the best of the best, so to say.  However it is always satifying and memorable when an inexpensive product turns out to be very good to great. 

Some that come to mind from personal experience"

Large Advents (original)

Early Nakamichi SR receivers

Original Monster interconnects and speaker wire

Pioneer Pl-12 turntable

Shure M-95

Early Stax and Audio Technica headphones

MoFi "special" pressings

Magnum Dynalab Etude.  Yes some were better, but a real value

The Absolute Sound mag in the beginning 

Early Conrad-Johnson and Audio Research tube electronics

Early Classe integrated amps.

The original Sony Trinitrons

And there are others....but part of this hobby is enjoying the journey.

Have you had cost effective items that were successful for your enjoyment?

jusam
rbertalotto
137 posts
 

Easily the Sound Artist 200sa integrated amplifier I bought on Amazon for $399. Bought it just to use as a disposable test amp. Totally blew me and my friends away. Compared to my Pass First Watt F5 v2 it holds its own. Great remite, super heavy with huge toroidal transformer. A unicorn........second place would be a Topping MX3 integrated amp....

4krowme's avatar
4krowme
542 posts
 

A friend of mine in FL buys 'bargains' quite often. Some of his methods bother me though, i.e. to go to a hospice where they do have sales from the people who once lived there. I would gladly give more than the product is worth, but not to 'steal a deal'. Just something morbid about that. Or waiting until the end of the day so that the garage sale attendant will more likely settle on a lower price. The irony of it all is that he lives in an RV and has to rent a storage unit to keep his bargains.

 Yes, this is a bit off topic, yet do we tend to bend this way at times?

jtsnead's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jtsnead
217 posts
 

QHW The Vinyl phono stage just a great sounding phono pre

kota1
2,706 posts
 

Nobsound Mini Amp- $45 new and can really play my rear surround speakers loud and clear:

 

mapman's avatar
mapman
21,819 posts
 

Tiny Fosi integrated amp with Bluetooth.  $60 on Amazon. Can drive KEF ls50s very nicely which is not something just any amp can do.  Sounds very good. 

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