What Was The Best Audio Deal You Ever Made?

[holyman772]

My best deal. This list of stuff from a nice couple who had this professionally installed in their duplex. Retail on this stuff totaled over $20K, he took $1000. Gave a few things away but using most of the pieces somewhere in my two main systems.

Denon AVR5805CI
Pioneer Elite Kuro 50" Plasma with wall mount
2x Velodyne DD10 powered Subs
Denon DVD2900
2x Niles in wall 2way 8" speakers with built in eq
Niles component twin cooling fan
Monster Power conditioner
Some fancy remote that was programmed to control everything

 

[ACHiPo]

In ~1978 I paid $10 for an AR-XA turntable from a friend of my brother's. I ran in to him earlier this year and he told me he bought another one (as well as the other vintage gear he had at the time) for a sound system at his lake house. I can't remember what I did with it, but I know that the cheapo Dual I bought to replace it sucked and only lasted 4 years before it died. Sure wish I still had the AR.

 

[Sieb Mulder]

Sony PCM-7010 professional DAT recorder. Advertised on auction site for 25 euros, broken. Picked it up and found the only things wrong with it were some cracked solder joints on a connector and a dirty head (head time counter said only 104 hours used). The unit came with all the operating and maintenance manuals. Now recapped, working perfectly. List price 20 years ago was $ 7.000. To complete the system I found 20 unused sealed Sony DAT 120 min tapes on Ebay for less than 5 euros a piece. Very happy with the sound quality and using the machine almost every day.
I had never used a DAT recorder before and only started doing some real research after I had bought the machine. It seems by pure luck I have picked up what many consider to be the most reliable and possibly best DAT recorder Sony ever made.

 

[soundmig]

Probably my best deal was the Nakamichi Bx-100 for $5 at a garage sale. I put $15 into new belt and capstan roller kit and it works perfectly. Such a deal!

 

[CLB3]

Promising my wife a dining room makeover in exchange for turning our living room into a dedicated listening room. Best...deal...ever!

 

[Opus]

First would be my Denon PMA-860 Intergrated from Goodwill for $35, 2nd would be Klipsch KG2 for $5.99 for both.
Then being a Garbageman a Denon W-1500 CDR and a Denon DVM 3700 5 Disc DVD for free.
Then a Customer on my Garbage Route stops me and offers his a/d/s L1090 Speakers for $70. I could not refuse.
My Son has the KG2 now.

 

[gizzyman47]

just this year. a McIntosh 1700 receiver for about $6.00 bucks. works great, looks great! Also a very nice Barzilay mid century stereo console for about the same price! And finally a Dual 1012 turntable for the same price. Best score I've come across.

 

[Eywadude]

just this year. a McIntosh 1700 receiver for about $6.00 bucks. works great, looks great! Also a very nice Barzilay mid century stereo console for about the same price! And finally a Dual 1012 turntable for the same price. Best score I've come across.

Where did you run across a Mac 1700 for six bucks???

 

[gizzyman47]

I found it at the local Restore. It and the turntable were in the entertainment console I mentioned. I bought all for $20. Also had the original user manuals for both pieces of gear. Got real lucky that day.

 

[Dazaa]

Back in the 1970's I was a nightclub DJ and used to rent equipment. One evening I rented 2 QRK turntables and it turns out one and a bad tonearm. Owner of the rental place offered me an SME 3009 series 2 improved as compensation for the bad turntable rental. I still have it on my Fons CQ30 today!. (Free SME!!)

At one of my recycling places I saw a pioneer turntable box, plastic 80's model, didnt open the box fully but saw there was a table inside and gave the guy £10...carried the box to my van and didnt open it till later that evening.


Inside the box was a MINT Fons CQ10 with an sme3009.
That was a nice flip.

 

[Northwinds]

Fisher 90C
McIntosh MC60
Jensen concert cab

$55 at a yardsale, their price not mine. No way to test it so I gambled

There was a Miracord mono TT there also but I left it

 

[doctor fuse]

Linn Sara 9s - FREE
EPI M180 - FREE
Optimus T100 - FREE
Dual CS-627Q - FREE
Technics SL-220 - FREE
Pioneer SX-737 - $10
Optimus 5B - $10

But my favourite - the venerable NAD 3020 for $69.

 

[FONSguy]

At one of my recycling places I saw a pioneer turntable box, plastic 80's model, didnt open the box fully but saw there was a table inside and gave the guy £10...carried the box to my van and didnt open it till later that evening.


Inside the box was a MINT Fons CQ10 with an sme3009.
That was a nice flip.

Set up right and with a great cart, this was hard to beat in the 1970's and 1980's.

 

[Jiheme]

A superb NAD 3020 my neighbor left outside the house with the Tuner and a sign FREE on it .

It only needed a cleanup and now it plays like a charm.

 

[djwhy60]

I would have to say my STA-78. I received it from a member here for shipping cost. It is my everday player in the man cave since.

 

[Todd Dodds]

I've been thinking about this thread for 3 hours, and come to realize that as a "returning listener" of only a year, I haven't made a good deal, or a find, or a score. I've bought a ton of stuff in the last year, and paid pretty much a fair retail for all of it. Actually, considering gas and travel time, probably paid too much for some K-horns. But there's no buyer's remorse.
I suppose the best deal I ever made was on my original basic entry level rig back in the '70's, one of those packages the stereo shops would put together. Those Large Advents, 40 watt Kenwood amp, and Technic turntable served me well, and have maintained a decent value, relative to their original price.
But someday, maybe tomorrow, I'm going to walk into some dank, dark little thrift shop, and find a dusty pair of Elecro Voice Patricians with rusty Fairchilds sitting on top, all for $80 because "...those old things been sitting here for years".

 

[elcoholic]

B&O Beovox M70's paid the full price of $900 40 years ago. $0.06 per day.

 

[dcreek]

Infinity kappa 8 s, $10 for the pair (at the restore)
Marantz 2230 for $ 20 (half price for electronics that day)

...ah, those were the days....

 

[jobrewer1983]

Promising my wife a dining room makeover in exchange for turning our living room into a dedicated listening room. Best...deal...ever!

Now that is a deal id take all day, every day!

 

[gbroot]

Onkyo A-10 Integrated Amp (Dual Mono) listed as non- working on the auction site. Purchased for 50.00. Needed jumpers!