Norh le amp mono $400 Norh mine synthetic marble $900 from Thailand by Michael Barnes. KLH model nine,Icon ps3 phono pre at TMRaudio.Raysonic Tube Tube cdp from Paradygm audio dealer. Krell krc preamp from Saturday audio in chicago.Elac B6 .
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”what are your top "audio bargins" in your system history?”
Any POOGE unit. Recently sold a Van Alstine modified Magnavox CD player and purchased a Decware modified unit. One great unit sold, another great unit purchased.
Also the Hafler DH-220/200 amplifiers. There are many out there and lots of resources to repair, modify, etc. |
If I had to buy Everything New....I couldn't afford it, and I be typing this under a bridge on a nearly dead cell....*L* Or some sort of 'Other' exquisite torture from the spouse.... Rather stay on her Good Side...sometimes it flickers, but still comes back ;) Lets' see: Bought new, recent history; a purpose-built 'puter, digital crossover, a simple splitter/mixer, a rack to bind them 'in the darkness forever'... 😏 Earlier hist, an eq. and a patch bay....the latter, decades ago. It won't be cheaper. They aren't. Everything else is either used and bought, or 'gifted'. *S* The latter has been interesting; some from 'upgrading' by others, some from items audio that came with "...if anyone would appreciate This, it'd be you!" There's the ones' that stick, tho'.... A Parasound C-4, another pair of crossovers, one very....'obscure'...but much appreciated. *wry S* A pair of new large Heils', however....not from spouse,,,! *s* Us 'junkies' gots' to stick together and sometimes stun each other. :) Run whatcha' brung, and Enjoy, J |
Grace Digital Link internet Radio. Musical Fidelity v90 dac Shure m97xe cartridge Audioquest type 4 speaker cable Technics mk7
All the above are value for your money, I love them and would recommend the above components/cable to anyone. Their prices pale in comparison to my other stuff, by a large margin, yet provide me with great enjoyment. Bought most of them on sale or at a discount, even better! |
In 1982 I saw a pair of ESS TranStatics listed in The Recycler, priced at $400. They originally retailed for $1200 in the early-70's, when I had lusted for a pair. The speaker is a 3-way, the highs reproduced by three RTR ESL tweeters (the same tweeters Infinity was using at the time in their Servo-Static and 2000A models), the mids by a KEF 5" B110 driver, the bass by the renown KEF B139 oval woofer (used by David Wilson in his original 1970's WAMM) in a transmissionline enclosure. Still have 'em! |
My whole system from the used market. Intergrated amp at 45% retail, steamer-dac at 40% retail, speakers at 40%. 33 grand system for 15 grand. Plus 10 grand of cabling for 3. Only way to go on a disability pension over time. I was lucky enough to sort out getting my dream speakers when they became available, which was the game changer for me. Was seriously hard to do, but well worth it to me. |
I search for deals anytime I buy anything, which generally helps me get something twice as good as I can actually afford at that time. My two favorite finds were completely by accident though. One was a Dual record player that was in the prop room at our high school. The director thought it was broken and said it was donated for a past show, but if it worked I could keep it. It worked perfectly. The second was a pair of Dahlquist M909 speakers at a garage sale on my block for $150, essentially in perfect condition. Before I found them, I was stressing about what I was going to get once I finished my basement renovation. When I picked them up, I figured at least these could take care of us until I figured it out. They sound so good, I no longer feel any need to upgrade. It really feels like an endgame speaker for me. |
In my case it would be a tie between a Yamaha CT 1010 I bought second hand for about $30 in the mid eighties, and a Sumo Athena, which I picked up around 1992 for $100. Neither are the best of course, but I still use them every day, and have built the rest of the many system iterations over the years around the phonostage built into the Sumo. She's put up with all other replacements over the years, until seeming to say "all right, that's enough. It's my turn again". |
@tbaradet1 Nice! |
Was purchasing a beautiful Luxman L-100 in 2002 from a music teacher a few towns over. While there I was admiring some of his other pieces & we made a deal on his Sansui, AU-9500. Both great components. We're shaking hands on the way out when he points to a box on the floor. Tells me "why don't you take those too, now you'll have a complete setup". Box contained a pristine set of 11ohm Rogers, LS3/5A. I offered to purchase those as well and he replied, "I have bigger speakers now, you take those" pointing to a room filled with Gershman & ARC and a Baldwin, Grand Piano. There is no better deal than free, lol. What a wonderful old gentleman with great taste in Audio.
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Inexpensive is rather relative term... Any of this is not an necessity and not "must have", like food - which can, like right now, get unnecessarily expensive. While I am not wealthy nor rich, my understanding of a bargain in this hobby is directly related to the ratio of enjoyment to the price paid. Shorter period I kept it, less of the bargain it was. For the money: |
I'm lucky to live in the Philly/NYC megalopolis so good choice appear often. I bought all my gear used except for two SVS SB1000 subs. My first system Adcom preamp/ tuner GFP555, GCD575 cd player and the big GFA 555 amp for $600, from a guy who worked in an audio store. My speakers were a pair of pristine Snell C2 purchased for $1000 from a guy downsizing. This was my first real audio system. I was just out of college when I bought the gear and lived 20 min. from the Adcom office around new Brunswick NJ. So I stopped by cold with my gear and for a dozen donuts they went over everything replacing parts as need as I waited by the back door, lol. That gear lasted decades. I sold it only when I bought a Technics SUG 700 for $1400 which was just 3 months old from a guy who decided to go separates and Canton 9k reference speaker with stands for $1200 also almost new, both currently in use today. The down side when you buy like this you don't purchase the sound you like, you buy quality and you adapt to the sound you bought. The Snells were fantastic but to big for my wife's liking so after a decade or sooo 😉.I relented and sold this system only to have my wife say the stand mounted speaker were the same footprint, dah. |