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Your best ''outstanding'' products in last 5 yrs?

I have been reflecting on my biggest surprises and value-for-money purchases in the last 5 years - the ones that were truly impressive for the money, here are mine, and would like to find out about other maniac's choices! Stick to what you have actually purchased please! My top 5 (so far).

1. Yamaha AS2000 integrated amplifier.

Totally off the charts. This is an absolutely outstanding amplifier for the money - I cannot think of anything under $ 3,000.00 that is more refined, powerful, and full-featured all at once. Gracious looks and battleship build are a bonus.

2. Shanling MC-30 receiver.

It may look like a toy, but it sure isn't one. Wonderful musicality with a whopping 3 watts of power, sounds much more powerful than that. A steal at the price. Amp, cd, tuner, with the magic of tubes.

3. Yamaha AS1000 SACD player.

Only the second (along with the AS2000 amp) Yamaha component I have owned in my lifetime. Ridiculous price, amazing quality with the smoothest-operating load mechanism south of 5K. Someone told me that Yamaha's marketing mistake is that they should have invented a sister brand (like Pioneers TAD or Teac's Esoteric) for the AS series so that they could charge more. I agree, but in the meantine, the consumer wins.

4. Music Hall MMF-7 turntable.

No REGA or VPI bragging rights, but this is a BEAUTIFUL table worth every penny and more. Decoupled motor, classy acrylic plate, double-deck plinth, decent Pro-Ject tonearm, it just screams ''buy me''. Now updated to 7.1 - I listened to both, could not detect a sonic difference with the same cartrige.

5. Cambridge Audio combo of DacMagic and the new ID100 digital transport (check my review on this one). Roaming hundreds of free digital Web radio stations has become very enjoyable with not-too-shabby sound. Pocket change as far as audiophile budget goes for these 2 items.

Special mention to TT weights and their Classic model. Where else can you get a CNC-machined product from an avionics supplier for 60 bucks?

That's it for now - after mega-buck tube amps, cables, preamps and cd players - these top 5 are it for me, and have given me a break in my pocketbook with no regrets.

Let's hear your choices!
sonicbeauty
allchemie
118 posts
 
Just about everything Coincident Technology manufactures, from the great Coincident Linestage, the Coincident Phono Stage, both the Frankenstein & Dragon amplifiers, and the Triumph Extreme monitors-the Super Victory's-the Total Victory V-the Pure Reference-& the Pure Reference Extreme's.

Einstein The Tube Mark II preamplifier

Clayton M200 Class A 200 watt amplifier

Lansche speakers (No. 5.1 especially) with the plasma tweeters

Greg
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,925 posts
 
#1 Tonian Labs TL-D1 speakers

#2 Burson PI-160 integrated

#3 TEAC PDH-600

#4 Zu Mission cabling

#5 HiFi Tuning Fuses

Basically, the whole system. Assembled over the last 2 years. Unless I win the lottery, I feel no need to change a thing. This system gels so exceedingly well that its scary. More of a symbiotic relationship than any kind of synergistic one. An extended family rather than a gathering of components that happen to work, for the moment.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
The Coincident Statement linestage and Frankenstein MarkII 300b monoblocks.These two components are brilliant reproducers of natural sound and music`s beauty. They are absolute values given their performance/price ratio.
david12
1,454 posts
 
I don't buy hundreds of new items, I still buy too many, I think. The two that stand it and are definitely keepers:

Daedalus Audio DA-RMA monitor Speakers

Pathos Inpol2 Hybrid integrated amp, though it has had some technical problems.

Maybe I will shortly add the Ayon Spark integrated amp I am adding to use as a change of pace to the Pathos. I found an exdem unit I am picking up on Friday, but it sounded remarkable in the shop
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,067 posts
 
For me, the best value for money items that I have bought in the last several tears are 1) Klipsch Epic CF-4 speakers 2)LAT International IC-300 interconnects (presently awaiting arrival of their SS-1000 bi-wire speaker cables) 3)Starsound Technologies SP-101 speaker platforms.
I also wasted plenty of money on various components that didn't work out well in my system. A Reimyo DAC is the first one that comes to mind.
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