[Ron]

   Back in the 70's I owned a pair of Large Advent speakers. Great sounding speakers with impressive low bass output. The Walnut cabinets looked very nice too. Seems to me the price was only like $122.00 per speaker.

[rsa]

November 10, 2009: NIB AV123 X-Omni's for $99 a pair.

[Hank]

I should have mentioned the Large Advents in my earlier list.  I still have my pair of walnut veneer LA's.  I've upgraded the crossovers and will use them as garage speakers some day.

[S Clark]

I also had a pair of large Advents.  They could sure shake the house and still play clean.  Great speakers during my undergrad days.

[ratso]

dunno, but i am surprised (pleasantly) that their aren't a bunch of cords listed here.

[SoCalWJS]

Over the years, there have been products that were insane bargains.  AR turntables, Advent speakers, etc.  Since I'm putting this in Danny's circle, I'll lead off with:

1. The AV123 X-Static speakers new at $599.

Since Advents were listed in the original post (no specified model), I didn't respond, but since everybody's jumping in....

Started with the New Advent Large Speakers in High School which eventually turned into stacked bi-amped Advents (Dynaco Mk IV's on top, bridged Mono 120's on the bottom) by the time I moved into my own place in SLO while attending CalPoly. (there were a couple of years between HS and College while I worked at a Stereo store - learned the art of trading at that point  )

Very musical and I believe one of the best deals in Speakers from the mid 70's through the early 80's.  Loved those things. Sold one pair to one of my High School buddies, but I still have a pair tucked in at the bottom of a closet someplace. Probably need some serious work at this point. 

AR's were in the same category, but a bit more money as I recall.

[corndog71]

Bottlehead Quickie

[bdp24]

Introduced in '74, I think it was, the FMI (Fulton Musical Industries) 80. The 80 was also used as the mid-range driver in Fulton's Model J, a modular, 3-cabinet speaker system with RTR ESL tweeters on top and a separate bass cabinet. One of only a few really wide-range 20 to 20,000Hz speakers at the time. I sold my Magneplanar I-U's to get a pair, and wish I still had both! Whereas the "East Coast" sound (voiced as flat FR, but a little reserved/polite and dry) of Advents and AR's competed with the "West Coast" sound (FR less flat, forward, dynamic and brash) of the JBL L-100's and horn speakers, all the Fulton speakers had neutral FR and a liquidly transparent sound. Fulton the man also made great recordings, some of the best I've ever heard. He was a little ahead of David Wilson at both recording and making speakers, but was older and died not long after making a big splash.

[Scottdazzle]

+1 on the Large Advent speakers.  They brought a big taste of the (then) high end to a lot of young people with limited budgets. I wish I still had mine.

[jarcher]

4. Magnepan MMG $599

+1 I'd even include the 1.7s at about $2k.

I wish I knew of amplification / preamplification and sources that were also such a slam dunk. I'm guessing something like the Dynaco ST70 for amplification. Preamp, don't know - lots of good ones out there, but harder to say if they are "bargains ". The flavor du jour seems to be preamp / dadc combos, and this is probably a good place to start for bargains.

These days the best bargain source is likely to be a cheap computer with good player software (pure music / jriver / etc). I've always been partial to Mac Minis, but recognize that a Linux or windows box could be done that works well and possibly for less (although perhaps with more hassles).

[Toaster]

On the analogue side: The Systemdek IIX and Townshend Rock 2 turntables, the Rega RB250 and RB300 tonearms and Denon cartridges, particularly the DL110/160, the DL103 and the DL304. Also the RJM Audio VSPS and Phonoclone (kit) phono preamps. All of these are tremendous for the price. The kit phono stages are a bit of a cheat, since you have to build them yourself, but they really do sound superb. 

[Cheeseboy]

I have a recent addition to the list.   The Dragonfly USB DAC from Audioquest at $199.99 is a steal.  I bought one just to get me started down the computer audio trail until I can say I have a handle on what it is all about.   I am amazed at how good this thing makes even MP3 audio sound remarkably well.   Any other votes for this little wonderkind?

[jarcher]

I have a recent addition to the list.   The Dragonfly USB DAC from Audioquest at $199.99 is a steal.  I bought one just to get me started down the computer audio trail until I can say I have a handle on what it is all about.   I am amazed at how good this thing makes even MP3 audio sound remarkably well.   Any other votes for this little wonderkind?

I bought one about a month ago and I'm impressed. Question is - better than the competition from Meridian, HRT, etc?  I think Stereophile reviewing the new Meridian Explorer micro budget dac said that at this price point the similarities are probably greater than the differences, which sounds about right.

[Cheeseboy]

But the Meridian is $399.00 .

[jarcher]

But the Meridian is $399.00 .

True - it is twice as much, but sadly at today's high end audio pricing and increasingly devalued dollar, a $200 price difference doesn't seem that substantial anymore.

[RDavidson]

I have a recent addition to the list.   The Dragonfly USB DAC from Audioquest at $199.99 is a steal.  I bought one just to get me started down the computer audio trail until I can say I have a handle on what it is all about.   I am amazed at how good this thing makes even MP3 audio sound remarkably well.   Any other votes for this little wonderkind?

The Dragonfly is cool and has some nifty features, but I'd have to give the nod to the HRT Music Streamer 2 at $179. The original Music Streamer was among the first of its kind (USB powered portable DAC) and was considered a steal. Then the MS2 came out and upped the ante with the addition of Asynchronous USB (which I think was among the first, if not the first to have this feature in a small, portable, USB powered DAC). On top of this, I don't believe the price went up when HRT went from the 1 to the 2. I must ask, if it weren't for HRT pioneering the way (in the world of portable USB powered DACs), would the Dragonfly be what it is?

[persisting1]

I must ask, if it weren't for HRT pioneering the way (in the world of portable USB powered DACs), would the Dragonfly be what it is?

I understand HRT makes a great product, but I'm not sure you can state that just because they were the "first" means something can't be better. If this isn't what you mean, then please ignore this.

[mlundy57]

I have a recent addition to the list.   The Dragonfly USB DAC from Audioquest at $199.99 is a steal.  I bought one just to get me started down the computer audio trail until I can say I have a handle on what it is all about.   I am amazed at how good this thing makes even MP3 audio sound remarkably well.   Any other votes for this little wonderkind?

+1 on the Dragonfly   and you should hear what it does with HD files

I have it connected into a NAD C372 (150wpc stereo amp) which feeds a pair of N1X's and a sub. Very not bad 

[RDavidson]

I understand HRT makes a great product, but I'm not sure you can state that just because they were the "first" means something can't be better. If this isn't what you mean, then please ignore this.

No no. Both products have their qualities and I'm not necessarily saying the HRT is "better." To me, both products are close to an equal value (with one being perhaps a bit better for headphone use and the other being maybe better for home stereo use). HRT has played a larger role in the development of affordable high res computer based audio playback, because they've been in the game longer......not that this makes the HRT a "better" product. Both are MAJOR bargains, but when we talk about value, we aren't just talking about price or just quality. Like other products on this list, one must consider the influence on the industry and the influence the product made on the consumer. Like the NAD 3020, there are certainly "better" products than it, BUT few have had such a major impact or changed the face of home audio. HRT changed the game, Audioquest made further refinements to it. That's just how I see it. HOWEVER, I can certainly see where perhaps HRT has the bigger industry impact, but Audioquest has made a bigger consumer impact (especially due to the booming headphone market). So, my nod to HRT is weighted a bit in favor of industry impact........which is why I asked the question about whether the Dragonfly would even exist had it not been for earlier developments by HRT and others.

This is just my opinion, and I'd love to hear more about why you feel the Dragonfly should be in the top 25 all time greatest bargains list, besides the fact that it is low priced and performs beyond expectations. There are soooooooooo many products that could be on this list just based on those two factors, so further criteria or explanation may be necessary to assess top 25 all time bargain list worthiness.......especially considering that neither product has the historical significance of a NAD 3020 or Magnepan MMG. Know what I mean?

Regardless, at the end of the day I think we can all agree that both are influential products that perform at a higher level than their prices suggest. And as long as you're enjoying your gear, then it really shouldn't matter what I say.

[bdp24]

On the analogue side: The Systemdek IIX and Townshend Rock 2 turntables, the Rega RB250 and RB300 tonearms and Denon cartridges, particularly the DL110/160, the DL103 and the DL304. Also the RJM Audio VSPS and Phonoclone (kit) phono preamps. All of these are tremendous for the price. The kit phono stages are a bit of a cheat, since you have to build them yourself, but they really do sound superb.

Wow, somebody else knows about the Townshend Rock turntable! I've still got mine, with one of your other choices, the Rega 300 arm, mounted on it. Less than a grand for both.