Best bang for the buck


What’s been the most cost effective item you purchased for your system? 
I will go first- a Zerostat I bought 40 years ago. Next most cost effective purchase has to be a Denon DL103R cartridge which I bought new for $300. 

zavato

BAT VK-P5- $600

Odyssey Audio Stratos- $225

Mytek dac- $300

Denon dp-57l- $250

Audiolab 6000cdt- $275

Belles Aria integrated- $900

All used of course, but every single piece in pristine condition. It pays to be patient.

great find. I need to redefine the bargain. 

The definition of bargain changes with your ability to fix your own gear.

Almost all of the used prices listed above are only 15% to 36% of the original MSRP. For pre-owned units in pristine condition that require no repairs, such prices are virtually unheard of. If someone were to make such a lowball offer, I would turn it down without a second thought.  

 

@lanx0003 ,

That’s why it pays to be patient!

And yes, none of this gear has so much as a scratch, bruise or pimple. I take that back, the Denon does have a tiny veneer chip on one corner.

The Mytek and Audiolab were USAM finds. The BAT, Aria, and Stratos were Craigslist. People discount Craigslist as a dumping ground for cheap junk, and that’s generally true. But it depends on your location. My local Craigslist has McIntosh, Belles, Ohm Walsh, Proac, Apogee, Thorens, Atma-Sphere, Bel-Canto listings right now just to name a few. A lot of well to do guys who just want stuff gone. I picked up the dp57-l by luck. Was at a fella’s house looking at a pair of Avance speakers when I saw it just sitting in the corner. Asked him about it and he said he never uses it and told me If I want it, I can have it for $250. No brainer!

Had to drive from southeast CT. to the Berkshire Mountains in Mass. for the BAT, but totally worth it. Guy owned a recording studio in a ritzy hamlet up there. He bought an old church and converted it. Nice fella. Stratos came from a guy who’s dad passed. He had to ask me what it was for, as he wasn’t sure. Aria was a shorter trip to Mass. None of these were lowball offers. They were right at, or just a touch below asking price, and none required any type of repair.

As they say: Location, location, location!

 

The Carpathian is correct. There is good gear out there to be had for very reasonable prices.

I have a shelf half-full of vintage gear I got for free. Some are humble and serve to hone my skills, but some are perfectly desirable audiophile pieces that were turned down by repair shops.

Lanx’s fortitude vis-a-vis lowballers is admirable, but if no one reaches out to buy his gear he’ll just sit on it. Some folks want theirs gone, and sometimes that includes hifi shops, who aren’t exactly value-naive.