Share your best “bargain of my life” story.

[AdamG]

Finding ASR and all you Smart fellas, and becoming a Member. For free if you don’t want to donate. The value is still accumulating. The cost savings since becoming a member are priceless.

 

[tmtomh]

Putting aside gear that was given to me for free, I don't have anything close to what I'd describe as a bargain of a lifetime.

I feel I got a good deal when I got a pristine Adcom GFA-5400 power amp for $150. And I guess I got a pretty good deal when I bought a non-functioning Marantz 2230 in otherwise nice shape off Facebook Marketplace for $20 and got it fully restored for another $225 or so.

My experience has been more about excellent value for money - relatively affordable gear that performs very well and lasts for years or decades.

EDIT: @AdamG has the best answer!

 

[Blumlein 88]

A friend purchased a fully working pair of Quad ESL-63s at a police auction for $30. Which cost me because after hearing them I purchased a pair at far more than $30.

I purchased a pristine McIntosh MC240 and the matching MX110 tube preamp tuner at an estate sale for $200. I was about 30 seconds late to purchase a Marantz 8B and model 7 preamp for $100 at another estate sale. It was mounted in a custom cabinet and they were really selling the cabinet for $100. They thought the gear inside was worthless and hadn't even opened the door so no one knew it was there.

 

[mmshah]

Got a pair of non-meta KEF R3's for $337+tax in excellent open box condition they might as well have been mint.

 

[SIY]

A friend purchased a fully working pair of Quad ESL-63s at a police auction for $30.

I lose.

 

[AdamG]

I lose.

Especially if they were stuffed with white powder and associated Vit ta mins…… Bonus points if they are filled with cash and precious gems/metals.

 

[JeffS7444]

I don't know about best-ever, but while staying at my mom's place, I've scored a current-model Sony boombox for $12 (USD), C. Crane CCRadio2e for $4, Hafler DH101 preamp for $7, and a fancy Zojirushi rice cooker for $12. Actually spotted the same model of Sony boombox on 3 different occasions, and at last sighting, it was $7.

 

[Prana Ferox]

I don't know about best-ever, but while staying at my mom's place, I've scored a current-model Sony boombox for $12 (USD), C. Crane CCRadio2e for $4, Hafler DH101 preamp for $7, and a fancy Zojirushi rice cooker for $12. Actually spotted the same model of Sony boombox on 3 different occasions, and at last sighting, it was $7.
View attachment 343616

Why are you lowballing your own mother

 

[JeffS7444]

Why are you lowballing your own mother

 

[Dougey_Jones]

When I was selling HiFi back in the early aughts I had a customer trade in a McIntosh MX-118 AVP/Pre towards other gear. The shop I worked for didn't care about it and I ended up paying $200 for it. I later sold it for almost $2k on eBay.

It didn't do anything special besides the glowing glass front plate.

 

[williamr]

I bought all the back issues of Audio Amateur from the #1 to around whatever the latest issue # was around the year 1995 for less than a dollar an issue. Fascinating reading.

 

[bargainguy]

A decade ago, I was in a thrift store when I spotted a pair of black Ohm Walsh 4 speakers. I had a pair of Ohm G's with Walsh drivers in my youth, so I was familiar with the brand.

Each speaker had a price tag of $45. When it came to check out, the employee couldn't figure out whether the $45 price applied to each speaker or both, and it was so early there wasn't a manager on duty.

In the end, I proposed meeting the employee halfway at $65 for the pair. Done.

For 1996 technology, I'm still happy with the way they sound in my living room.

 

[Platypus20]

I once got a milling machine, worth about $15,000, for removing it from the manufacturing plant

Audio wise, I ordered a Sumiko Blue Point Special, it arrived, 2 days later a second arrived, with the same invoice number, I called them, they said they would get back to me, it been about 25-30 yrs, still no return call.

 

[MaxBuck]

My wife.

For audio, I have to say my entire current system, which cost me a grand total of about $8,000 and sounds wonderful.

 

[SIY]

Why are you lowballing your own mother

Hey, everyone else is.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I once got a milling machine, worth about $15,000, for removing it from the manufacturing plant

Audio wise, I ordered a Sumiko Blue Point Special, it arrived, 2 days later a second arrived, with the same invoice number, I called them, they said they would get back to me, it been about 25-30 yrs, still no return call.

I a few years ago ordered one of those optical headphone jack adapters needed on Macbooks. Remember when the optical toslink was in the middle of the headphone jack. They sent me a bag of 500. I contacted them and they said shipping was too much for me to just keep them. Made me think the $2.89 I paid must have a lot of profit if they didn't want 500 returned to them.

 

[hello_there]

$75 for a working Olympia Cremina.

 

[Chromatischism]

My best audio bargain was my refurbished Denon X4500H I paid $900 for in 2020. It was basically new. It's been perfect for my 11.1ch system with 2 subs and I'll get many more years out of it.

Non-audio related, I scored a $12K Sharp multi-function color laser copier for $2k off-lease.

 

[JohnnyAudio]

Korg MS-10 analog synth 50$

 

[Chromatischism]

Zojirushi rice cooker for $12

That's a good deal. Those things make perfect rice; I got a new one from Amazon for around $100.