What was the best money you ever spent on audio?

Marbles · « **Reply #60 on:** 10 Nov 2008, 02:56 am »

The music lessons for my kids..daughter on piano, boys on guitar.

A close second would be an Onkyo TX-3500 MKII receiver I bought about 1978...still going strong.

I have a pair of Sansui XP-S9000 speakers I got from my Brother in law for $50..what a great deal that was..almost as good as the Sansui 9090B receiver he gave me a few years ago.

S Clark · « **Reply #61 on:** 10 Nov 2008, 03:08 am »

Quote from: Marbles on 10 Nov 2008, 02:56 am

The music lessons for my kids..daughter on piano, boys on guitar.

Now THAT'S money well spent

twitch54 · « **Reply #62 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 01:04 am »

ALL the various pairs of speakers I've owned over the 40 years that I have been enjoying this hobby, for each and every one has given me listening pleasure that exceeds the $$ spent.

dorokusai · « **Reply #63 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 02:14 am »

Quote from: twitch54 on 12 Nov 2008, 01:04 am

ALL the various pairs of speakers I've owned over the 40 years that I have been enjoying this hobby, for each and every one has given me listening pleasure that exceeds the $$ spent.

I agree. This hobby has been awesome and gear has came and went, with no regrets. I'll continue to listen to as much as possible and final decisions are for when I can't hear anyways. My best purchase was the amplifier, followed by my introduction to planar loudspeakers via the 3.5R.

The only reason that I have my CTC BBQ amplifier, is due to a cool and patient seller(Rhino) from Audiogon. It was a fluke and as a Parasound fan I emailed him. I told him I couldn't afford it, which was true but it was something very unique and offered a payment plan. He accepted and couldn't have been nicer.

This amp isn't going anywhere, anytime soon....tho' my wife keeps F'n with me and says she'll drop it off at Goodwill. I never find that as funny as she does.

Mark

JIMV · « **Reply #64 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 02:17 am »

Quote

What was the best money you ever spent on audio?

My PrimaLuna amp because nothing I have ever owned has had as big a sonic improvement.

Before that a set of Maggies I got used for $300

SwedeSound · « **Reply #65 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 02:19 am »

That's what I'm talking about!

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #66 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 03:28 am »

Quote from: GBB on 10 Nov 2008, 02:24 am

a McIntosh MR78 tuner, and some Altec 755C full range drivers.
---Gary

I also think that the MR-78 I got off from the back of a van from a Russian ebayer from upstate NY is a story that needs to be retold. I got the item in the middle of Winter back in 2001 or was it 2002? I am still enjoying its signature sound. And, also thanks to Gary my own pair of Altec 755E waffles, all variations of Altec 755s are becoming increasingly scarce.

I also owned a set of Racing Cones under an old Pass designed Nakamichi PA-7s. They provided the most slam I have heard for the price back around 2002.

Sometimes I feel we spend more to get are more refined sound at the expense of soul. If I had kept my 2002 system, I would have saved quite a bit of $$$, but heck, this audiophilia is an expensive disease.

JohnR · « **Reply #67 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 11:17 am »

My AKSA 55s (still got 'em)

woodsyi · « **Reply #68 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 02:10 pm »

$400 for a pair of Sound Lab A5's, 2 SVS subs, pro sub amp, MIT cables, Marchand crossover.

A gentleman posted FTGH (free to good home) notice right here on AC and I was the first to respond. It helped that I was local as he was not shipping them. The gentleman, a math professor at the University of Maryland, had promised his wife that he would get rid of the big speakers the next time they needed service. The time came and I pounced on it. He was glad that I was going to set it up for my mother (who loves operas and symphonies) to enjoy the gear. I had to repair/upgrade the transformers from Sound Lab but they are now set up nicely for my mother in her basement. I recently added Duke's Audio Kinesis Swarm subwoofers and they are doing great.

This kind of thing is what makes me pay forward audio good will.

macrojack · « **Reply #69 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 02:52 pm »

Woodsyi- Thanks for sharing that story and the preamp you loaned me. Good things happen to good people.

Brown · « **Reply #70 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 08:07 pm »

For me the very first money we spent on a higher end system. at the time anything was better than the sony rack system. first sysyem was Maggie 3As, Classe DR25 and VAC preamp. Money well spent. Todat I would say the Mac laptop in lieu of the transport. Use a hagerman USB port for the theta 5A. OMG, yes its that good.

acresm22 · « **Reply #71 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 08:38 pm »

Quote from: drphoto on 8 Nov 2008, 04:37 am

Maybe one of the drawbacks of eBay and the internet, is everyone now knows what stuff is worth. I keep hoping I'll run across some vintage Fender guitar amp for next to nothing, because the owner thinks no one is going to want that 'old piece of junk'. Ain't gonna' happen.

Back in the early 90s, I picked up a 65 blackface Fender Princeton for $50. This was when vintage amps were already getting a lot of buzz, but well before eBay.
Also around this time I bought an Ibanez TS808 tube screamer from a local pawn shop for $20.
You're right, those deals are a thing of the past : - (

TONEPUB · « **Reply #72 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 09:40 pm »

Actually about 20 years ago, I traded my local dealer straight across an old
pair of JBL L-26's for a pair of original quads...

Ugh. Wish I still had the quads!

Wayner · « **Reply #73 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 09:46 pm »

In the late '90's I talked my wife into letting me buy a pair of Martin-Logan reQuest speakers for $4500. Lots of money for a stupid pair of speakers. Still have them and they still sound breathtaking. Everyone that hears them even today, can't believe how good they reproduce sound. The see-thru panel usually brings questions.

Wayner

Mike B. · « **Reply #74 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 10:26 pm »

dorokusai, Good chance your BBQ amp was Bob Crump's amp. He was the designer of the mod. Rhyno was a good friend and bought some of Bob's stuff after he passed on.
Personal favorites. Kimber TC series speaker cable, and old Fisher tube tuners, especially the B series

joc3721 · « **Reply #75 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 11:00 pm »

Over the past few years, I've bought a bunch of Blue Circle gear, electronics, cables, power products. It's all been excellent. Not cheap, but compared to some of the really pricey stuff I've owned in the past, a real value. Very impressed with the design, build quality and sonics of all their products I've tried.

zapper7 · « **Reply #76 on:** 12 Nov 2008, 11:15 pm »

2-Manifold dual 15" driver in-floor IB subs, DIY for $1000 total.

I was cutting my hardwood floor after months of reading and reseaching saying "These better kick ass", and they do.
Started listening to them with just the movies, incredible with the floor shaking ability. Then turned them on once when listening to music, and they were so effortless and seamless, couldn't belive it. They come on every time now.

See, sometimes things do actually sound like people other say, thank God.

Brown · « **Reply #77 on:** 13 Nov 2008, 12:42 am »

Quote from: Wayner on 12 Nov 2008, 09:46 pm

In the late '90's I talked my wife into letting me buy a pair of Martin-Logan reQuest speakers for $4500. Lots of money for a stupid pair of speakers. Still have them and they still sound breathtaking. Everyone that hears them even today, can't believe how good they reproduce sound. The see-thru panel usually brings questions.

Wayner

A classic speaker. Still cannot forget hearing them biamaped with a Audio Research VT100 [ top] and a Bryston 4B [bottom] with no crossover. A Klyne SK5a preamp and a VPI TT. A sound to cherish. Viva martin logan

zacster · « **Reply #78 on:** 13 Nov 2008, 02:25 am »

Probably the $30 or so with shipping I paid for the Russian K40Y-9 PIO caps that I put into my highly modified no-longer-a-Dynaco-ST70. Previous to those I had orange drop caps in it. The sound just snapped into tighter focus.

Second would be the Aikido pre-amp I built from the board the John Broskie sells. It isn't much on looks but it sounds good.

Third would be the tubed Monica Dac that I bought on DIYAudio for $100 or so. The parts alone would go for way more than that.

I could go on...

sbrown · « **Reply #79 on:** 13 Nov 2008, 05:13 am »

For me, the best money I've spent on audio has been distributed over the last 30 years building my music collection. Equipment comes and goes, but I still have the first record I ever bought when I was in high school. And the second, third and about 5000 to 6000 others that I've accumulated over those years. Pulling one out that I haven't listened to in a while is just like getting reacquainted with an old long lost friend. The joy in this hobby for me is the discovery of previously unknown music and through the process of collecting, getting to know a widely varied cast of characters that are now close friends.

Scott