What's the most overrated or overpriced piece of equipment you own, have owned or come by?


This hobby of ours is extremely rewarding, but can also be very expensive. I don't mind paying the big bucks (if I can afford it) for better sound. But many companies out there take advantage of us poor bastards and sell us snake oil equipment at exorbitant prices. Well...This is your chance to share with other Audiogonners.

This is your chance to GET EVEN :-)
mozart4040

I went against my instincts once and bought "audiophile" speaker cables. Complete waste of money. I preach that any chance I get.

Ooops...I forgot about this. When I was very young (and poor and not very smart) I bought my first "good" turntable. A Garrard Zero 100. I think I was trying to be different from my friends who had Dual 1229s. What a total piece of trash. The motor (I assume) went bad almost immediately. Not to mention the arm (a nice idea, poorly executed).

Oddly enough, I have, in a bedroom system, it's distant cousin. A GT55, with a much refined arm. It runs fine (I had it cleaned and lubed) and actually sounds quite good, at least in that system.

I once owned an Esoteric X-05 and couldn't wait to get rid of it.  A beautiful machine and I wanted to love it, but after 6 months it still sounded dry and harmonically incomplete.  I sold it locally and I insisted the buyer listen before buying, but he bought it anyway and sold it shortly after.