Your most disappointing purchase or audition?


I've had a few.

bought a Naim Nait 3. Loved it in the store. Returned it within a week- way forward at home

Brought home some CJ preamp to audition perhaps 22 years ago. Noisy as anything and a turn off transient destroyed a tweeter (though years later i bought a CJ 17LS2 which I thought was the finest preamp I ever heard in my home)

Auditioned a VPI table (HW19) in a store- the store just could not get the belt to stay on. Bought a Rega instead. This was in perhaps 1990.

Fortunately, I never really experienced buyers remorse say 6 months or more after settling on a piece of gear.

Finally, there have been too many speakers that got stellar write ups which I just didn't care for.
128x128zavato
Nmmusicman,
Thanks for reminding me about the Krell Kav 300i! I forgot all about it. I borrowed one for a week from a high end store in Pa. years ago when Stereophile was singing its praises. My feelings echo yours almost exactly. Thin, sterile, completely amusical. Unlike you though, I didn't find the bass noticeably better than the McIntosh that I was using at the time. A member here, (Dave b) has often spoken of a different Krell integrated, a 400xi or something like that, and still swears that it is the best amp he has heard. (I saw a recent post on another site) Apparently, on the strength of his positive feelings for that integrated, he is buying a new one that they are coming out with.
I can only think that the one he has is an entirely different animal than the one I tried, because that was awful.

08-06-14: Lloydc
my ex-wife.
Lloydc (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

BEST answer yet!!!
Audition - Linkwitz Orion speakers (original design IIRC). After reading all the science behind them and several stellar reviews I was so excited for the opportunity to hear them. Very disappointing. Cannot recall exactly why because I forget by now, but do recall being both underwhelmed and irritated by their sound at the same time. Of course, since these were a kit, perhaps the builder messed up.
I look forward to talking to you melbguy1, I always have believed you are very knowlegegable of high-end audio, we need you here on audiogon!
I concur with Musical Fidelity. A friend lent me his MF amplifier for a few months while he took a trip outside the country. 1970s Japanese solid state from the likes of Kenwood, Pioneer, and Sansui runs circles around it. The owner knowing how to schmooze a few Stereophile writers obviously doesn't correlate to good sound.

Acoustic Zen loudspeakers are horrendous. More than a disappointment, they're a disaster. Some of the worst sounding loudspeakers ever foisted on the high-end. I can't believe anyone could actually live with them.

However, my biggest disappointment vote goes to Legacy loudspeakers. Nice cabinetry, midlevel drivers, some of the most disappointing sound from a guy who knew how to write great ad copy in the early 1990s by claiming superiority over named competitive products. I was all ready to buy a pair until I actually heard them. Totally opened my eyes about audio, as I learned to forget about drinking by the label, or reading the magazines.