Which components are "stupid good"?


Which components, known to be outstanding in their category, have a performance to price differential such that they can truly be called "stupid good?"
pmboyd
"Stupid Good" : Standard but good quality interconnects and speaker cables, which are generally available for less than $100 and appropriately specified for the equipment in use.

Plain "Stupid" : special cables and interconnects generally available for thousands of dollars.

Some may argue that cables and interconnects are NOT worthy of being considered as components....and they would be right!!!
I heard a pair of big buck Focal Grand Utopias recently.

Very good. Very expensive. Very BIG!

Came home and listened to my OHM 5 series 3 that cost me less than 1/5th what the GUs would cost.

Stupid good! At least in comparison in my room. I suspect the comparison could hold in most people's home listening rooms as well.

Maybe also the TAD 125 Hibachi mono blocks. Haven't really challenged these hard enough yet though to say. They are stupid good though I think for the task of getting a very involving sound out of my Stax sr-80 headphones. Also similarly very good with small, more efficient and otherwise tube friendly Triangle Titus monitors. They might be stupid good in comparison to some alternate considerably more expensive higher powered tube amps, against which these mostly SS amps are designed to compete.

Definitely the Squeezebox Touch. Probably also the Denon DL103R phono cart.
Used Apogee speakers. They may be a 20 year old design but they will still compete with cutting edge speakers of today with a little tender loving care.
I already mentioned a couple and agree with de Havilland Ultraverve preamp; but forget to mention Tekton Uruz speakers, if you listen to lighter fare,... acoustical, jazz, early music, & vocalists, etc. For the 1st 6 months I had to ask myself; "they can't be this good for the money, am I fooling myself?" Simply excellent with the lighter side!