2. best-of
  3. 169420-162762

Biggest "bang for the buck" audio gear you have owned(in your history)?

This is very subjective, and your opinion on your own systems/items is all that really counts.

From the beginning to now, these would fit that category for me: (in no order)

Original Large Advents
Dahlquist DQ-10
Conrad Johnson ART pre.
Original Monster interconnects and speaker wires.
Nakamichi SR-3a
AR Turntable
ADC XLM II
Audio Research LS-12
Magnepan 1.6
Magnepan 20
Wireworld Gold Eclipse III
Audio Technica Electret Condenser headphones 
Magnum Dynalab Etude and 108 tuners
Magnum Dynalab Receiver (original)
And in those "early days" special pressings and imported Jazz albums. 

There may be others I am forgetting, but these were very good items along my journey. 





jusam
mglik
888 posts
 
Without doubt, for $2400 I completely transformed my system with Townshend Seismic Podiums under my speakers. The improvement in SQ is more than any component. Followed closely by AGD Audion mono blocks. By far, the best amps I have experienced in 50 years.
Then, for sure, bang for the buck is Silversmith Fidelium speaker cables. At $1200, they can be favorably compared to the $80K ones.
knotscott
813 posts
 
@ tooblue

B&K ST140 power amps....

I knew the B&K guys back in the mid to late 80s, and owned a Discrete Technology LS-2, which was a modified ST-140. I was thrilled to find one of the latest versions of ST140 power amp for $140 recently. Mint shape....added it to my son’s system as a grad school graduation gift. Great amp, great guys. Was sorry to see them pack it in.
arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,549 posts
 
 B and K  - Pro10 MC. 
Old pair realistic 12 inch floor speakers, been in garage for 20+ years, dry rot surrounds, but low volume, still sound good.
must be over 30 years old easy!
    Who made the realistic speakers? Mach 1, 2 etc etc. 
they were good speakers, they bested many of the so called upper echelon loudspeakers of the 80s’. 


lukaske
307 posts
 
Ilumnia Magister MK2 speakers ( the best !!!)
VAC phi 300.1
Metronome Technologie C6
Daniel Hertz M6L 
Audio Note CD 2/two
Moon streamer (drive)
Audio Note M6
Ear audio by Paravicini !!!
Wavac M 805
Weiss

Never again:
McIntosh
Musical Fidelity 
Unison research …
ohlala
1,232 posts
 
Ikea Lack is best deal in audio I know. I have owned five racks, including fairly expensive to me Finite Elemente and SRA. The lack makes high performance shelving accessible for everyone.

Another one is 47 labs OTA cable "kits" with the caveat that need stay under about 2 feet in length to avoid frequency imbalance. For the price, though, their tone is great, they and crush my drawer of high profile branded cables for similar cost.   
More to discover