Best Component Ever, for the money

My first amp, the nad 3020. Listened to lots of amps that cost more and was happy to plop down about $150 plus tax for the one that sounded the best. With my Frazier Concerto speakers and Thorens TT I was rockin!
That was over 20 years ago, today I would say the Transcendent GG preamp. And on the used market, Musical Fidelity E624 cdp.

04-27-01: Lev335
Mark Levinson 335 Running a Mark Levinson 39 cd player direct. The sound is so Natural.
Lev335 (Threads | Answers)

Can the Mark Levinson be found in $100-200 range ?

My Supratek Chardonney has made the biggest improvement in my system,

Harvey Rosenberg's SuperIt phono stage. I bought one used for about $100 back in the late 80's, hot-rodded it and used it with good Grados for years. What a delight - slightly warm but natural sound, lots of detail, not finicky about the tubes I fed it. I recently sold it with my old SOTA/Alphason/Grado combo - it needed a new wall-wart, but then it was back in business, playing music for a new generation of audiophiles.

AR-9 Towers from Teledyne anyone? $1600 new , I see them listed in top 10 speakers of all time about 6 times!