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Have you changed your mind about a brand? Was it you, or them?

I've changed my mind about many things.  Beer for instance.  Now I can really only drink IPAs and dark beers. Lagers?  Phooey.  This is very different than what I drank in my 20s though. 

Same for audio gear. 

So let me ask all of you, are there brands or equipment you've changed your mind about, for better or worse?  And if so, why?  It doesn't have to be a brand, it can be a TYPE or technology.

For instance, I used to love Ti and Be tweeters.  Now usually can't listen to them.

What about you?
erik_squires
mahler123
3,059 posts
 
Bryston.  They make great amps, and I love their DAC.  Their streamer is however poorly conceived, and I was dumb enough to buy their optical player, which basically can only be used as a CD transport .  They should stick to amps and quit trying to have a full lineup
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mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,223 posts
 
My most expensive mistake was Apogee Divas. They turned out to be very fragile and when I heard the company was going under I bailed. Fortunately they still had mythological status so I did not do too poorly. 
Back to my trust old Acoustat 2+2's. I came to the realization of just how special they are and use them to this day. In term of active companies that I would not do business with if they gave me the stuff? That would be Dan D'Agostino. I had my run in with him when he still ran Krell. I had KMA 100's and KR 2 preamp. One of the pots in the preamp started to fail. They were a special order part which Dan ran out of and would not order more. His response was to pick up a Pot at Radio Shack and "just mount it on top." The preamp was so thin regular pots would not fit. The shame is that the amps were truly special. As far as I am concerned Dan can go shovel sh-t in a corner. 
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,575 posts
 
I loved my Marantz Reference PM15S2b integrated when I first got it. When I got the Kinki Studio EX-M1, I liked that even more.

With some fiddling of filter settings on the Marantz SA15S2b SACD player, installing the Niagara 1200 power conditioner, using Isoacoustic Oreas under my gear, and turning off the darn LEDs on the Marantz gear, I now have almost the same see-thru of the Kinki with more body, warmth, and nuance from the Marantz, giving me a new appreciation for the Marantz, over that of the Kinki. 

A big plus is now it's all matching in the looks department and I'm now back to a wider range with the volume since it doesn't come on full song so darn early with the settings.

All the best,
Nonoise
djones51
4,947 posts
 
I've tried 4 dedicated streamers that cost up to $2100,  using them as roon endpoints and I've yet to find one that sounds any better than using a raspberry pi4.  I guess that's a type I'm about to give up on. 
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