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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
godunovs
3 posts
 
Low expectations, amazing results: McIntosh MC275. Sounded so-so in the store. Sounded amazing at home.

Highest expectations, failed hopes: McIntosh C2500 sounded great in store, very so-so when brought home even after 100 hours.

Amazing audition, blew my socks off: Audio Research Reference tube pre, Anthem solid state monoblocks, Rockport Avior speakers. Couldn't bring home because of a $100K+ price
limomangus's avatar
limomangus
1,286 posts
 
Wow ,you didn't like you Large Advents ,I always thought they sounded pretty good .I still have a pair but havent hooked them up in a while .I only paid like $80 bucks for them .
johnto
1,009 posts
 
Emotiva upa 1L mono blocks these amps blew about 7 times trying to power my Magnepan 1.7 speakers.
I had expected much better since they were rated so high in wattage at both 8&4 ohms.
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,932 posts
 
I've had a few bummers over the years. The two biggest disappointments that come to mind are the Pass Labs X250.5, and the Reference 3A De Capo.
secretguy
1,680 posts
 
When I heard Harbeths. My thought was "THIS is what all the hoopla is about??"
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