What was your best (and worst) audio purchase for the dollar?

[ivayvr]

Probably the best, back in 1982 I bought NAD 3020 replacing Sansui A60 and I couldn't believe the improvement that move made.
The worst? Money was almost always very tight, so that saved me from doing stupid things like buying some fancy cables...

 

[Sal1950]

I have used the Roon platform for about 5 years and am comfortable with it and have 4 zones.

I can see where it would be very useful as distribution software for a multizone system.

 

[mr-audio]

Best:

• NAD 3045 integrrted AmP I bought in college and still sounds great https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/nad/3045.shtml
• NAD 4030 Tuner which was the best tuner I have ever heard
• JVC KD-65 cassette deck was tuned to great specs and sounded awesome
• DBX 118 Dynamic Range Expanded worked wonders on everything above
• Klipsch Forte iii speakers I have now and love
• Merdian audio in cars (try it, its fantastic)

Worst

• Modern Denon digital receiver that sounded awful no matter what I did, returned it
• A Yamaha receiver that died WAY before it should have
• Almost any Bose system in any car (haha)

 

[CleanSound]

My worst: Musetec (formerly known as LKS) MH-DA004. The manufacturer straight out lied about the spec, and not just a small lie, but extremely and foully (is that is even a word) lied.

 

[Liya]

Worst - AVI DM12. £3000 of nightmare.

Best - Neumann KH150

 

[majingotan]

Best: Campfire Bonneville

Worst: Campfire Comet

 

[Ordin Aryguy]

Worst: I DIY'd a sonotube subwoofer. No matter how much time and money (and it really wasn't a lot of real $$) I poured into it, I simply could not get it to be much more than a one-note-wonder.

Best: This is actually two things-
Onkyo DX-C370 - 6 CD Transport. I bought it used via a Craigslist ad from a wanna-be Russian gangster. It's a funny story, but not for here. Anyhow, this thing has been an absolute workhorse for many years now and I will shed real tears when it decides to go to electronics heaven.

MiniDSP 2X4 HD - The flexibility and functionality built into this device is mind boggling. I'm using it for PEQ to adjust the sound of my system to how I want it to be. It's also a crossover, funneling low frequencies away from the "main" speakers and towards the subwoofer. On top of all that, it's the only DAC in my audio chain as both the CD transport and Bluetooth receiver in my system are using optical (toslink) outputs into the MiniDSP... And this little unit has FAR more buried capability than I am using.

 

[Elder]

Best: My DIY 350mm deep porous absorption panels.

Worst: A pair of "Wintel" branded tower speakers that I saved up for when I was a teenager. Speakers were basically falling apart within months of purchase and the front baffle would vibrate like crazy, making a horrible sound. I still thought they were really cool at the time though!

 

[mr-audio]

Here is a recent take on a couple 'surprising' best/worst:

Best:

• Prima Luna Evo 400 integrated amp...outperformed an equivalent McIntosh in an A/B test in an excellent listening room with speakers and music I'm familiar with. The PL had great spatial separation, made the Mac seem very flat (not bad...just surprisingly unimpressive compared to the PL Evo 400)
• Marantz NR1200 streaming receiver - got it on a sale for $400, planned to just use in my garage. Was astonished when I listened to it with my main audio system. Very nice and includes AM/FM (rare these days) and the HEOS streaming platform.
• The original Yamaha R-N803 I had - Thought it was a wonderful deal, good streaming capability, and very nice sound quality esp in Direct mode...until (see below)

Worst

• Marantz Model 30 integrated amp - this 'hand tuned' integrated amp was no big deal to me, and is a straight analog amp, no streaming or DAC. I liked the sound of my NAD C 3050 LE better, it includes a nice streaming platform, and its about 1/2 the price. I returned the M30.
• Hegel H95 streaming integrated amp - this review was astonishingly bad. Been a long time since I have seen a piece of gear measured so opposite of what popular online perception is.
• The original Yamaha R-N803 - Yamaha started to slip on its streaming support for it (especially Internet Radio) and then the hardware died just a couple years on. Had to junk it.

 

[Talisman]

I update my worst and I already know that many will turn up their noses.

Svs pb1000.
Paid 530 euros new and inserted into my system with already two subs, an Energy exl10 paid 50 euros used and an Elac debut 10.2 paid 200 new.
The impact of the new sub on my system went from almost irrelevant to zero, the music I usually listen to has practically nothing below 35 Hz and the two cheap subs already did their job more than well.
An almost non-existent improvement for 530 euros, despite the product itself being valid

 

[wandulus]

Best:

• Acoustic Energy Aegis One speakers: About 20 years ago, open box item for like USD 250. Love those speakears, keep in use for like 18 years before moving out of country. They are still delivering hours and hours of enjoyment to the new owner. Also, my first HiFi item.
• Focal Chora 806: Two years in use, love the soundstage and sound they have. Still no need for replacement!. Bought for EUR 500.
• Loxjie A30: Extreme bang for the buck! (EUR 170)

Worst:

• Denon AVR, Don't remember the model, just a basic one from 2013, purchased new for USD 350. With less than a year, 2 channels had problems on start up (some times, 20 starts ups needed for starting that channels). Finally died with less than 2 years.

 

[AudioEnthusiast]

I never purchased these, but an on-line friend was such a believer that when I suggested that he might be wasting money on his expensive and poorly designed Mapleshade RCA interconnects he sent me a set to try.

In my system I had no RFI or other noise issues, but when I told him that they sounded EXACTLY like other properly functioning interconnects, he got angry with me and thought I was intentionally ignoring the sonic benefits of the cables he sent me.


View attachment 329349

What's going on here? It uses copper kitchen foil and wedding veil fabric? I'm not sure what I'm looking at.

 

[antcollinet]

What's going on here? It uses copper kitchen foil and wedding veil fabric? I'm not sure what I'm looking at.

They are ugly interconnects - and where is the second conductor?

 

[Angsty]

They are ugly interconnects - and where is the second conductor?

There is a very small gauge enameled copper wire in the bag as the secondary conductor.

These are an extremely bad design that sneer at known tenets of electromagnetism. The fact that they are not a disaster in most systems is a testament to the robustness of most audio electronics.

 

[Mr. Widget]

What's going on here? It uses copper kitchen foil and wedding veil fabric? I'm not sure what I'm looking at.

The RCA connectors looked like they were fashioned out of the brass tubes sold in hobby stores. These were soldered onto copper ribbon conductors that were individually wrapped in mylar or some other insulating baggy... by the nature of their design there was no twisting of the conductors so these were potentially excellent RF antennae. All in all a very fragile and bulky design that in my system performed as well as any other interconnect, but I could imagine them being problematic in a noisy environment.

 

[Angsty]

This is an obvious case where being iconoclast is useful in capturing market attention even if the principles employed offer no substantive benefit.

 

[DonR]

I just picked up a portable BT speaker for less than C$5 at a dollar store. Incredible value. Has an SD card slot and USB host port and even has an FM tuner. Gets plenty loud with acceptable distortion. Only thing it lacks really is bass as I doubt it goes lower than 120-150Hz and the battery dies after about 3 hours.

 

[MattHooper]

(Pictures included, since I think I'm not the only one who enjoys accompanying photos).

BEST:

1. My Room. Re-designed in 2009 with the input of a professional acoustician. Lots of cleverly hidden acoustic treatment, including in the ceiling build-down which is actually stretched felt not solid, and hides acoustic treatment there too. Every speaker I place in there sounds great to me. And though it took ages to design and remodel, it was worth it; perfectly suits my aesthetics and comfort buttons, so it always feels like being in the perfect zone for me to enjoy myself. Not to mention it's function as my home theater

2. My faithful Conrad Johnson Premier 12 tube monoblocks. I got the tubes bug early, and started out with a 55W/side CJ MV55 amp, which ran out of some steam on some of the larger speakers I'd get in my room. I wanted to keep the tube "sound" but have more power reserves, and the Premier 12s hit the spot: There hasn't been a speaker of any type or size that they haven't been able to drive to great satisfaction. I've owned them for around 25 years.

3. Transrotor Fat Bob S turntable (acoustic solid 12" arm/Benz Micro Ebony L cartridge). It's amazing how much this turntable, and getting back in to vinyl has, injected fun and satisfaction in to my hobby:

4. Joseph Audio Perspective 2 speakers. Extremely happy with the last speakers I purchased (and probably my last speakers):

WORST:

Honestly I can't think of any equipment I've had that I regret. Except one absolutely crap purchase:

Uptone Audio ISO Regen (from Amir's review):

I barely even know why I bought it, but soon after it arrived I read Amir's review (thanks Amir!) and decided to sell it. I hadn't even opened the box so I could sell it in brand new condition. But what happens? The buyer contacts me afterwards saying it was defective and wouldn't even work. So I had to refund his money. Yeesh.

 

[Jaxjax]

In the last 4 years
Best- Dynaudio core 59's @ $7k
Worst -Focal twin 6 BE @ 4k

 

[Dunring]

Worst was the 7hz Timeless AE which has a dynamic driver for bass which makes them sound like everything else (no PM bass slam).

Best was the stack I just put together, a silver Topping A30Pro with fantastic channel balance on this one (.1db) and a Topping D10b for simplicity at $223 for both used. No BT antennas, MQA stickers, remote controls, or menus to navigate.