Amazing ''Overachieving'' products...your pick?

Linn Ikemi
conrad-johnson 17LS Series 2
Cardas Golden Cross, Ocos cables
Magneplanar MG 12/QR
Spendor S3/5

I now what you are thinking, "these are budget gear".
Compared to what's available today $100, 000 speakers, $25,000 line stages, $30,000 amps, $20,000 cd players and $10,000 cables they are amazing value!

My "honor roll" of "overachieving" products would include the following; 1}MG 1.6s Great speakers at a reasonable price that compete with much more expensive speakers and sound better than alot of them.2}Placette passive line stage Sounds great and competes with much more expensive pre-amps.3}Bel Canto DAC2 Very reasonably priced and performs at a very high level even without a great transport. Add a power amp, transport,and wires you got a great system without breaking the bank.

Perp Tech P3-A DAC w/ full WrightMod - Used. I bought a Bel Canto DAC2 thinking it would be better, it wasn't. The PT sounded strikingly similar except for a more open and airy top end.

Placette Passive - I replaced it with Joule Electra LA150 which beats it and should for 5 times the cost.

Spendor 3/5 - I bought a new pair in rosewood for a second system and until I could find a good deal on Harbeths. However, now that the speaker has broken in it just keeps drawing me in and I'll probably wait awhile on those Harbeths (you'll need a good sub with the 3/5s, though).

Used Dynaco 70 - Never have had one but a trusted friend did and said it, heavily modded, was as good as a c-j amp at which cost 3 times as much and more musical than an Audio Research model at 4 times the price.

Audio Mirror D1 DAC. I compared this side by side with my Bel Canto DAC2 and to my surprice the Audio Mirror sounds better in everyway for less than half the price of the Bel Canto.

My second pick is Reference Line Preeminence 1B passive line stage. I've tried so many passive preamp and this is by far the best. If this only have a Home Theater bypass, I'll sell my Sonic Frontiers Line2.

Revox B-225 CD player - analog only from 1983 and it would compare well with any redbook CD playback system.
It's lacking on tracking (single beam) but excells otherwise. The market seems to have identified these recently, as their prices jumped to $400+.

Kenwood model 700C "control amplifier", aka preamp...
This was Kenwood's one-of-a-kind assault on the high-end in the early 70's. Unfortunately, the matching amps are not that great and gave the system a bad name.
The 700C has a great line-stage but a mediocre phono section. If you listen and it doesn't sound great, leave it running for a few weeks. That's typical for units that were stached in a garage for 20 years...
Again, the market seems to realize the potential as the last one on ebay went for $475 - well worth the price, and then more...

Infinity Monitor-II and WTLC speakers with Walsh tweeters.
Hard to find in decent shape and those tweeters are not available anymore. Both units are truly full-range, with the Monitor-II extending down to the mid 20 Hz range in an effortless fashion.
The Walsh tweeters are good substitutes to ribbon super-tweeters and perform about the same.
My friend that owns the Sonus Faber Amati Homage came for a listen. I played a few tracks and he had a big smile on his face. I said "They sound almost like your speakers..." and he replied "What d'you mean? Better!"

There you have it... All the "secrets" are in the open.
Amps?
Just pick any of the single-ended tube amps around. The Monitor-II's are playing in a smallish living room on 3 watts and not leaving you wanting much. I'd go a bit safer with a 300B, 6V6 or EL-84 single-ended amps.
These amps won't really give you the full bass response but they have a lively way of sounding musical and dynamic.
For more power, you should pick a Harman Kardon A-250 Epic with Tungsol 5881's or a pair of Dynaco Mk-III with a modified front-end (I published a simple zero-feedback front end for those that would be a one weekend project).

Plenty of "amazing" stuff for you nickel and dime...