Downgrade Suprise?


Has anyone downgraded according to price and Stereophile grade and been surprised or that it surpassed performance of the other?

I'll throw out my scenario considering a supposed "downgrade" from Revel M20 to Triangle Zerius 202; reasons are many but not a factor in my general question.

I always here about the traditional price/review class upgrade success stories but I thought the other direction success stories should be heard.

Cheers!
enobenetto
OP-

Revel speakers are room/gear dependent. OTOH, Triangle speakers are a great value, plus, have a very nice presentation.
I have things that would be considered a downgrade in systems at home. I think for what I've spent, they are surprisingly good. Are they better than my reference gear? No. It would be great to find something like that. At my price point, (modest compared to many) I don't think it's possible.
I was auditioning some Audioquest DBS cable (Meteors, Gibraltars too, I think) when I switched to Anticables. They were just as good. Threw in my Kimber 4TCs to compare and they were not as good as Audioquest or Anticable. Given that Audioquest is many times more than Anticable, I was happy.
I have owned both Traingles and M20's. The Triangles are faster, far more efficient and amp friendly. The M20 has more body and bass weight with the right amp. The M20's do't respond well to amps such as gainclones or small tube amps that don't have much control. There is a big difference in sound between the two pairs, but both can be excellent when matched with the right gear and room.
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