Do you have any gear that was outright given to you?

Perhaps a more interesting question is does anyone have gear they’d like to give me? 🤪

Ok, seriously now, I have both given and received. I’m not sure which I like best, though the joy in both is priceless. Best thing about every exchange is the relationship that comes with the gear.

My last receipt was a Bluesound Node2i and a Gigafoil Inline conditioner. I bought the Wireworld cables. It was a great introduction to streaming, born of a conversation with a new friend. Thanks Bob!!!

Yes…an AR sp10 from a very good friend an a Fisher 100 integrated amp from my dad…

My father-in-law worked for a company that used McIntosh tubes as instrumentation amps. They went solid state and were throwing macs in the dumpster. he saved quite a few and gave me two sequential MC 30s. The older ones that still had the 5U4 rectifier tubes.

No one has given me gear.  I have given away a lot of stuff or lent stuff that was never returned.  This includes the following:

VPI HW 14 Mark IV turntable with Graham 1.5t tonearm and Lyra Helikon cartridge.

Mark Levinson No. 32 preamp

Audio Note Kageki monobloc amplifiers

Martin Logan Quest speaker

Deja Vu pushpull 45 amplifier

Magnum Dynalab Etude Tuner

Lyra Titan Cartridge

Yes, my dad offered me his Garrard 301 with SME arm and Shure cartridge when I was on a round-the-world business trip, just after my stereo has been stolen, and just after CDs came out.  I bought Quad electrostatic speakers on that trip and had lots of spare weight on the freight bill!  The amp and pre-amp were hand baggage.

Shocked at how much old Garrards are now worth, I have recently spent a lot of time ’fettling’ the Garrard (new bearings, idler, plinth internals, etc.) and it has got me back into vinyl.

He also gave me a Technics tuner, on the proviso that I never told mum how much it cost.  I had the change the mains plugs on everything to suit Australia, and stuffed up the Technics. In the end, it had to be sent back to Japan and came back six months later with a small plastic bag of burnt components plus a bill for A$30.  That’s good service.  I still have it, and it still works