2. best-of
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What are some of the mistakes, failures or bad purchases of your audio history?

Kind of the opposite of "best of".  I, like most, have made some mistakes or purchases that were poor choices. 

The worst were some speakers "I built".  Anything I owned that was "quadrophonic", Lamp cord for speaker wire, BSR turntables...yes they were in my "poor just home from Vietnam" days...but still.., early Japanese receivers that were not much better than appliances, ...and even though I got into some of the best in later years, some of my beginnings were more bad than humble,...but my taste in food, friends, mates and many other "things" went through what can kindly be called a "learning curve". 
  

jusam
lg1
199 posts
 

Going back aways here,… the Terk Pi amplified FM antenna. I got better reception with manufacturer included “T” wires tacked on the wall.

petg60
1,486 posts
 

B&W Matrix 803, Classe CA-200, Clearaudio Delta -S, what really hurts is that i bought them brand new. Fortunately sold them quick with min loss.

hilde45's avatar
hilde45
4,784 posts
 

Buying expensive speaker stands before I knew -- for sure -- I'd not be upgrading the speakers. I think it was a way of affirming my speaker purchase, but it was short-sighted and I regret it.

dekay's avatar
dekay
5,351 posts
 

Years ago I decided that I would try "free cryo" on a power cord (had 3 of the same model).

The instructions were to seal it in a plastic bag and freeze it for 24 hours, then remove it from the bag and let it set out for a day, or so.

I forgot about it and found the cord approx. 3 months later (pushed to the back of the fridge) with the plastic bag breached.

Let it set for a few days, plugged it into my DAC (Bel Canto 1) and found that it made my setup sound like a small portable transistor radio.

I then submerged both ends in a bowl of raw rice and came back to it a week later (still sounded the same).

Cut the ends off, tossed them, and saved the cable which was eventually used to snake our new @ the time water saving toilet.

I then tossed the cable.

It was one of the first Absolute power cords (sold on A’Gon) for $30/each.

I still have the other two, plus a third one I found @ a local thrift.

 

DeKay

 

PS:

Around that same time placed a photo of myself in a plastic bag and then into the freezer, but now don't recall what the purpose of doing so was.

I take the photo out for viewing from time to time (this is over a 20 year time span) and am still amazed that to this day I have not aged one bit.

cd318
2,636 posts
 

Every single CD player I bought proved to be disappointingly similar to the previous one.

Despite all of the glowing reviews they were getting.

My current machine, a Marantz CD 6000ki had nothing but wholly enthusiastic reviews yet it sounded remarkably similar to the Sony machine it replaced.

The Sony had several filters you could switch between but the differences they made were little more than subliminal.

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