@livinon2wheels re Hafler - it's a pretty amazing piece of hardware. I opened it the other day and it looks pretty old and rusty inside like if I had touched it, it would fall apart into ashes. BUT, it still sounds awesome
How cheap can you go and still be happy with the sound?
I would think many guys on this forum are spoilt by the gear they have and never listen anymore on cheap rigs.
I was listening recently on my younger daughter’s PC audio rig and got reminded again of how good it sounds. There is a fairly high level of clarity, detail, tonal balance and great bass in this rig.
- Yamaha HS8 powered monitors: $700 to $800
- Yamaha WXC-50 MusicCast streamer+dac+preamp: $450, often found on A4L for around $300
- Audioquest Powerquest PQ3 (was around $200 or so)
IMO, this would qualify as a high quality (sonically) charity price hifi rig for any younger or older person w.r.t small room nearfield or midfield listening.
What is the cheapest rig that has brought you happiness these days?
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@waytoomuchstuff - Yeah I get that for sure. In today's rather insane terms, my favorite driver is a 4 cyl subaru wagon. Albeit one with everything except the engine upgraded. So it handles, stops and has much better response to control inputs than the stock car it came from. Is it fast? Well, not in todays terms at all 0-60 in about 8 seconds is not fast but on a backroad where I do close to half of my driving, its a great choice. Great on the highway, at least here in VA where there are a ton of 55 mph roads and Interstate speed limits dont exceed 70. Its also reckless driving for anything over 75 regardless of speed limit...so its fast enough, torquey enough and enough fun to be a good all rounder. The more capable exhaust system helps it breathe a bit better than stock and make nice noises but its nothing raucous, just healthy sounding. My other wagon is an automatic and its dog slow. the BRZ is the quickest of the bunch but I like the ergos in the stick shift wagon the best. |
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