[Chico Jim]

I recently decided to cobble together a summer system as my tube gear just gets too hot for summer use where I reside.  With that I found a Yamaha CX-630 Pre-Amp at a local thrift for the princely sum of $10.  It replaced my Modded Bottlehead Foreplay II and floored me on how transparent it was.  Found a Yamaha MX-630 amp on the ‘Bay for $240 shipped, it too changed my opinion of SS, I’ve tried to find flaws and weaknesses, none, in fact I really like the pairing as they sound every bit as good as my Audio Research VS110/Bottlehead combo. 

Today it was very slow work wise, so being that I work for myself, I took the day off early on.  I had a hair brained notion to head to a small town about 30 minutes away to hit their thrift stores.  The first one had a Denon DVD-2930ci that was priced at $160, actually not too bad, not a steal.  I was able to take it home for $120.  It sounds very nice and it too is comparable sound quality wise to my Ah! Tjoeb 99 that sports a sweet pair of E288CC’s.  Not at all sterile yet not colored sounding.  Big plus that it can read SACD’s and otherwise.

Running one through the Tape In without issues.

I’ve always prided myself on being a beer budget audiophile and am pretty darn happy with my summer system that cost me less than $400 to make my Magnepan 2.5’s and B&W subs put me in the happy place

I used to think you needed to spend dopey money to achieve audiophile nirvana, not anymore.  Way too much nonsensical hype and hoohaw that artificially inflates prices.  This isn’t to say mega buck systems aren’t worth the price of admission, rather it’s attainable for much less if you’re willing to be adventurous and trust your ears and not your emotions or ego.

[Chico Jim]

For reference I’ve owned some amazing gear like a pair of Marantz Model 9 Mono Blocks, McIntosh MX-110 preamp among others.   I’ve enjoyed my years of enjoyment of audio gear, but have a more honest understanding of it and what sounds good these days. 

[JLM]

Congrats on finding audio satisfaction at lower budgets.

As I mellow (age) I find myself more interested in music than gear and so my systems have gotten smaller/simpler.  Not quite within C&C guidelines yet, but frankly the uber expensive stuff is a turn off. 

[CanadianMaestro]

Well done!

I had a Tjoeb 99 long ago, and it sounded very nice.
Still have a Denon 970 in the closet, would still use it but the rattling is too much.
You never know what you might find just by browsing around.

[dB Cooper]

Congrats on finding audio satisfaction at lower budgets.

As I mellow (age) I find myself more interested in music than gear and so my systems have gotten smaller/simpler.  Not quite within C&C guidelines yet, but frankly the uber expensive stuff is a turn off.

As often happens, I find myself nodding in agreement reading JLM's post. As I've learned to let go somewhat of the recurring dissatisfaction that I used as an excuse to buy new audio equipment (and that the industry needs to feed in order to survive), I've actually found myself enjoying music more.

[Chico Jim]

I was totally lucky, that being said, I’ve always have been found of Yamaha Natural Sound gear.  Music is energy and if the energy in the room is good...I’m fortunate to have a good sounding room to begin with and that really helps.  The pre can be set “Pure Direct” and the amp is very beefy in its power supply and from what I can glean online, operates in Class A single ended unless you’re looking to go concert level loud.  The Denon is a total surprise sonically.  Frankly, it’s a very engaging system and is not even the slightest bit fatiguing.  There is life sans tubes at a modest price and I don’t feel like I’ve downgraded aurally.

[fredgarvin]

I have a Natural Sound receiver from that era in my shop system. It does sound very good. I picked it up from Goodwill when the Marantz amp I had in there died. It sound better than the Marantz did. The variable contour is very useful, I use it to cut the upper mids a little due to the reflections in the shop.