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

Brianc

Active Member
Joined
May 22, 2019
Messages
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125
The advantage of the KSC75 hooks is you can bend them into shape to provide the correct amount of clamping force.
I even replaced the hooks on my KSC35 with the black ones from the KSC7X (which isn't as good as the old KSC75)
AFAIK the KSC35 is still sold new. Sounds slightly different from KSC75.
The silicone does get ugly over time.
Though the Koss are more convenient, I like these JVC Flats better for the sound and seal. On my second pair (pads degraded on first). I wear them on transit when I have a bag I can stick them in---the Koss only need a pocket. Amazon.com: JVC Black Flat and Foldable Colorful Flats On Ear Headphone with 3.94 foot Gold Plated Phone Slim Plug HAS160B: Home Audio & Theater
 

Mailen

Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2021
Messages
14
Likes
6
Location
Germany
Best:
- Nubert NuBox A-125
I really love these speakers. They are kinda cheap (400€), and sound very very good.
- SMSL Sanskrit 10 II
Its my first DAC and I'm very happy with it.
- Beyerdynamic T51i
I found them coincidentally and really love them. Only complaint: If you wear them for a while the pressure on your ears becomes a bit painful.

Worst:
- JBL Reflect Contour 2
Yes I know those are these kind of sporty in ear headphones but I thought they were good, but at the end battery life was poor and they sounded just not good
 

THW

Senior Member
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Joined
Nov 21, 2018
Messages
412
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630
mmmm, best is a fair number of things:
- Sennheiser HD 600
- Topping DX3 Pro V1
- Focusrite Scarlett Solo Gen 3
- Topping NX4 DSD

worst:
- FiiO Q5. don't judge me ok, I got it for way below MSRP. at least I didn't get that AM3D module.
 

Jayce996

Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2019
Messages
54
Likes
16
Best:
- Objective2 + ODAC headphone amp & DAC (best bang for the buck ever made personally) for less than 100€
- Superlux HD-330 (replica of DT660 from Beyerdynamics) for 30€
- UMIK 1 + Dirac Live, simple easy
- Hypex NC500MP dual mono amp (~600€)
- Raspberry pi 4 with picoreplayer modded with soundcheck'scripts, 50€

pricey:
- JBL XPL200
- XMC1 EMOTIVA

Worst:
- XMC2 EMOTIVA: moved from XMC1 to XMC2 for latest features, but too buggy, way too buggy ...
 

KeithPhantom

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May 8, 2020
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641
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658
Best:
Qudelix 5K, that PEQ has changed how I listen to music completely.

Worst:
Honestly, all the > $1,000 audiophile headphones I've bought. Not that they are bad, but they do not offer value and are even more deficient in some technical aspects to cheaper alternatives.
 

ksaugrin

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Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 2, 2020
Messages
18
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26
Location
France
Best :
Etymotic ER4XR : Amazing IEM !
Dan Clark Audio Aeon RT (closed) : Same very good headphone and extremely comfortable.
SMSL SU 9 + SH 9: An upgrade of SU 9 in term of functionality, i have stil my SU 8 for my second system with Geshelli Archel 2,5 Pro .
Qdelix 5K : RME ADI 2 Pro with bluetooth and in a small package
Sennheiser HD 560s : Neutral headphone, i can listen very easily and pretty comfortable too

Meh gear :
Etymotic EVO : Good IEM overall but lack the extension i want, also the cable is constantly tangled and i take every time 5 minutes to untangle that and that piss me off ^^
Fearless S8 Pro : Good IEM too but too shouty
Tin P1 : Lack of bass extension
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro : My reference years ago, but not very good compared to HD 560s
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro : So bright.

Bad Gear :
Monoprice Monolith 1060 : This Headphone sound simply bad.
One more Quad : It doesn't sound bad like M1060 but i dont really enjoy the tuning either.
Sennheiser TWS : Like other battery is killing the device, and tuning not very interesting.
Shanling MTW 100 (BA version) : Like 1060 simply sound bad.
 

raistlin65

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Nov 13, 2019
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Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle. I originally got one for my Android phone. Bought it when they were around $40. But they are still a fantastic deal at $60.

And it works great with my phone. But then I tried it in my desktop stack in place of the Topping D50S. As expected, it sounded the same.

So I sold the D50S and bought another Sonata HD Pro to use with my desktop. Which begs the question: Why do you guys want an extra box in your desktop setups for a DAC, when you can have a dongle that hides itself amongst the cables? :)
 

ksaugrin

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Joined
Mar 2, 2020
Messages
18
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26
Location
France
Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle. I originally got one for my Android phone. Bought it when they were around $40. But they are still a fantastic deal at $60.

And it works great with my phone. But then I tried it in my desktop stack in place of the Topping D50S. As expected, it sounded the same.

So I sold the D50S and bought another Sonata HD Pro to use with my desktop. Which begs the question: Why do you guys want an extra box in your desktop setups for a DAC, when you can have a dongle that hides itself amongst the cables? :)

Personally i have XLR Monitor and i want volume knob that why :)
 

Foulchet

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2021
Messages
84
Likes
50
Best :

- Sennheiser HD560S : the neutral, just a bit bright sound I was looking for at a low price
- Cabasse MT3 Antigua : I don't know why, but I love the sound produced by these things
- Marantz NR1200 : maybe a bit overpriced but it does everything I needed (stereo TV + streaming + Hifi) in a slim format

Worst :

- Marantz MCR-612 Melody X : with internet => bad Wifi reception (so unstable Airplay)
without internet => clock (and thus alarm clock) does not work without internet (LOL)
general => CD player is selective (if there is just a bit of fingerprints, it can fail while it works elsewhere). An overpriced crap (I prefer the Denon DM4* line).

I exclude products which are good but with a bad value (we are in the hifi world afterall...I speak about audible performance value, I exclude the materials etc.) and AKG 712 Pro which is not necessarily bad but just not my cup of tea.
 
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gsp1971

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May 26, 2021
Messages
471
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821
Location
Europe
Best
Oppo BDP-105D, ex-demo for €999 when it was retailing for €1,599. It plays everything. No need to upgrade this for the next 20 years.
Audioengine A2+, great desktop speakers with small footprint.

Worst
Bose Acoustimass V. Not bad for movies, but, my God, horrible for music. Sold them fairly quickly and bought the Bowers & Wilkins MT-25 home cinema system. Even though I am now looking to upgrade to a proper 2ch system starting with a good set of speakers, the MT-25 has given me many hours of listening pleasure over the last 12 years or so. Satellites are beautiful to the eye as well.
 

THW

Senior Member
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Nov 21, 2018
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630
Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle. I originally got one for my Android phone. Bought it when they were around $40. But they are still a fantastic deal at $60.

And it works great with my phone. But then I tried it in my desktop stack in place of the Topping D50S. As expected, it sounded the same.

So I sold the D50S and bought another Sonata HD Pro to use with my desktop. Which begs the question: Why do you guys want an extra box in your desktop setups for a DAC, when you can have a dongle that hides itself amongst the cables? :)

because I use an audio interface instead of a pure DAC :p
 

MCH

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 10, 2021
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2,581
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2,198
Mostly used or discounted. Probably a bit ecclectic and cheap for the audience here but it is what it is
Best:
-Allo Volt+D 70eur used. That thing sounds as good as its plexiglass box looks bad
-rpi zero w 11eur new + allo miniboss dac 30eur. now feeding the Volt, more than enough to rock my terrace
-panasonic RP-HJE125 headphone 6eur new. Still travels with me everywhere in a corner of my laptop bag. Saved my life many times over the years whenever i forgot anything else when travelling. Most comfortable iem i ever had
-inakustik LS1002 speaker cable. Bought the end of the roll from an online shop for peanuts, i think the bananas costed more, perfect stiffness and gives the impression that it will survive any hungry pet, cleaning robot, painting, adhesive, nuclear war...

Lets see:
-Topping L30 90eur used: influenced by this forum, so far so good in between the miniboss and the Volt. Soundwise great, gets a bit too warm that is ok but makes me feel suspicius... so let's see how long it lasts.

Worst:
-audioquest evergreen interconnect 20eur i think. Stiff, way too stiff, why did i buy this? I still dont know
-all bluetooth transmitters and receivers i tried over the years. Just not worth bothering in a house with wifi.
 
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Balle Clorin

Major Contributor
Joined
Dec 26, 2017
Messages
1,285
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1,184
WORST:
HIFIMAN RE400 in-Ear Monitor-Hi Fi 60usd.
Terrible sound

BEST:
*UMIK-1 +REW, 70USD, new
*Michell Gyro SE with SME V arm 2000USD used. my dream player., New price 11000 USD, arm not sold separately anymore!!
1627322382030.png

(Borrowed picture)


* Trinnov Amethyst, bought 5000 USD second hand, 12 500 USD new. Top DSP tool in a box, no PC!!
1627322577850.png


* Accuphase A-48 demo unit , mine for 6000 USD, my dream amplifier, international price 11 000 USD, add about 50% for USA price
1627322737208.png
 

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Ken1951

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Joined
Sep 28, 2020
Messages
850
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1,775
Location
Blacksburg, VA
Best:

Semi-recent: Adcom GFA-555. Bought around 86-87 to run my new Magnepan Mg-2B's. Now running my Paradigm Signature S8's. Has never missed a beat.

Ancient history: Infinity 2000A (Hybrid - used RTR electrostatic tweeters) bought used when I worked in HiFi. Sounded great with any and all amplification I used with them: PAS-3X (VanAlstine modded), Dyna 400, BGW500, SAE, Mc240, Citation 11, Citation 16 - didn't matter - they just sounded fabulous to me.

Worst: NAD AVR purchased in 2004. Buggy and eventually completely failed due to a parts defect. They fixed it no-charge, and when I got it back I immediately sold it on Audiogon. The Yamaha that replaced it works great. Would never buy an NAD product again. The NAD DVD player I bought at the same time was crap as well. Replaced it with a much cheaper Sony that worked great.
 
OP
LightninBoy

LightninBoy

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Joined
Jan 9, 2019
Messages
712
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1,458
Location
St. Paul, MN
Worst: NAD AVR purchased in 2004. Buggy and eventually completely failed due to a parts defect. They fixed it no-charge, and when I got it back I immediately sold it on Audiogon. The Yamaha that replaced it works great. Would never buy an NAD product again. The NAD DVD player I bought at the same time was crap as well. Replaced it with a much cheaper Sony that worked great.

My NAD M55 (universal DVD player) just up'd and died. Note from my first post that I also had an M15 go early too. Pretty disappointing. Great cases though.
 

ctakim

Active Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 3, 2021
Messages
148
Likes
195
Location
Menlo Park, CA
Best:
Loxjie A30, thanks to ASR
CSS P215 DIY Speaker Kit, upgraded crossover
UMIK1 microphone and REW
Outlaw 950 Pre/Pro, still in use
Oppo BDP-103, although I should have gotten the higher end model

Absolute Worst:
Toshiba A3 HD DVD player, bet on the wrong horse vs. BluRay. Thank goodness I was too young for the Sony BetaMax vs VHS war!
 

the_hamster 2

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2021
Messages
87
Likes
86
Best:
By far, Google CCA @$30 new
ADCOM 555 MkII, used, off Ebay…don’t know how many hrs logged total, but still cranks.
ADCOM GFP 750 preamp, new…25+ years of exemplary service.
a/d/s L1090 towers…new, 2 big woofers/speaker, smooth sounds, rocking out since 1986.

Worst:
ADCOM GCD 750 CD player, new @ $1200, wretched laser assy. kept failing after only a few dozen hrs of operation…after the 3rd failure, gave it away free.
 

Wes

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Dec 5, 2019
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Worst: used Sunfire pre-amp Theatre Grande off of evilbay - crackled & died
 
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