Can we start a discussion on cheap but excellent sounding gear?

I have a bit of a thing for cheap gear that performs better than you'd expect for the price. I'm not against expensive gear or those that want to invest in it, but for me, I'd rather find the $300 phono pre or $500 speakers that kick ass. Examples would include the excellent Parasound Zphono and the Wharfedale Diamond series speakers.

So with that said, what are the cheap audio gems that you've heard?

 

Totally on the same page, my friend. And those are two excellent examples you gave.

 

I absolutely love my $300 Lounge MKIII LCR phono stage and around $120 Schiit Vali headphone amp. Also, I got a great deal on my EX+ conditioned Technics 1200 that I was able to upgrade the tonearm wires and RCAs with to make it sound even more amazing with my around $160 Denon DL 110 cartridge. I'm definitely an audiophile who is (currently) on a tight budget.

 

The Cambridge audio range offers a good bang for the buck as our friends across the pond say.... A "second" for the diamonds mentioned earlier: more than affordable,and they perform beyond their price expectation,particularly when placement is compromised due space constraints.

 

Cheap can have a different meaning to different folk, but on my secondary system I run a Marantz PM8003 ($1,000 list), a Music hall 2.2 (< $500 list), pair of Infinity IL10 bookshelves (just under $500 list - back in the day), and a Sony ES spinner ($400 list). Under $2500 and I really enjoy it!!! Hmmm, now to find a phono pre......

 

Agree re: Cambridge. Really keen to hear the Cambridge CP2 phono stage.

 

Highly, highly recommend the Lounge MKIII LCR phono pre. Unless your budget is far over $300, you'll be hard-pressed to find one better!

Lounge Audio »

 

Thanks, it's actually on the short list due to positive reviews on this forum. On this system I would like to keep it at $300 or under, see no advantage to going over that.

 

The definition, soundstage, and balance with the Lounge is superb. Only real downside is you cannot use LOMC carts with it, but they have a SUT you can add to it for LOMC carts that I've heard helps sound quality as well!

 

I've only recently heard about this unit but I'm extremely tempted to buy one.. Is it an exciting sounding unit or smooth and laid back?

 

Great question. I would say more on the smooth and laid-back side, meaning it doesn't seem to have any EQ bumps to make it sound more 'exciting' or 'in-your-face'. It is very balanced and does everything pretty darn well. It also has really helped tame annoying sibilance on many of my records. It adds a lot of depth to the sound. However, take what I am saying with a grain of salt. I am certainly not the most experienced in terms of knowing a lot about different phono stages. I too read a lot of glowing reviews and decided to go for it. I posted a 'wanted ad' here on the forum and a seller had a near mint unit I got at a discount. All I can say is that I am very, very happy with my purchase. I'm a proud owner and this unit will likely be one of the last things I eventually upgrade in my current setup once the budget opens up more.

This review helped me a lot:



Another glowing review: Lounge Audio Phonostage – 995, Analogaholic, Phonostages, Reviews | TONEAudio MAGAZINE »


It seems like this unit has been very carefully designed and a lot of care is put into making them. It also seems like they could easily be priced a lot higher, so get one at the current price while you can. The popularity of the Lounge only continues to grow. The designer of this unit is also a member here on the forums and chimes in to answer questions pretty often.

 

Yes, indeed! This is an excellent thread. I received the latest issue of an audio magazine to which I subscribe yesterday and glanced at it once again in dismay-cheap is now $3000.00? Huh? A bargain at $ 10,000? Huh? My objective with equipment has been to find good inexpensive but reliable gear. My buying over the years has also included vintage used, new, refurbished, B-stock , etc. Some of my great affordables are Jolida 102b, tube stereo amp, highly discounted Denon 100 year anniversary integrated amp, universal player( bought refurbished at 65% discount), turntable( bought new at 40% discount-same as amp). My point-there are bargains out there for those who search and one can get excellent sounding/ built equipment for low money. I look forward to your experiences.

 

The Rega phono stages get good reviews and lots of awards over here, either the £ 200/$ 300 Fono MM Mk 2 or the Fono Mini which is around half that. The more expensive one works with moving coil as well as moving magnet cartridges, the cheaper one just MM.

 

What are people's thoughts on cheap carts? Let's say, under $350. I know the Grado carts get good reviews as do the Audio Technica MM carts. I'd love to try a nice MM as I've never had much experience with them (went from an OM10 to a DV10X5 to a DV20X2L to a Benz MC Silver). Anyone have any suggestions? I'd like something that tracks really well and does heavy rock well..

 

I am a great admirer of the Shure M97xE, and own two of them.

Some caveats:

1.) They are sensitive to capacitive loading, requiring around 250-300pF. Too much capacitance, and they will sound dull/muddy/bloated, but get the cap loading correct and they are supremely musical, with unstressed top end, fulsome mids, and taut, extended bass.
2.) QC issues have been widely reported. A "good" example should track exceptionally well, so send it back if you get IGD or other tracking problems.

 

I am the T4P guy and I still love my Ortofon OMP30 cartridges !!!

 

Well I've pretty much always lived in tha 'Cheap' end of tha Hi Fi arena tbh, and still use my JPW ML310 Speakers, which I bought years ago(about a decade) for around £130 and when they was winning speaker shoot-outs against speakers of same price and a little more.. I did at tha time own a JPW Active Sub which filled in tha Bass nicely... ..but Hard Times and apart from the ML310 everything else was sold(Cinema System,tha Lot) Anyhoos... Waffling!! But back into Music in a BIG way, well I've bought more Albums and Vinyl Albums in tha last 6-12 months than in tha previous 10 years.. and tha System I listen to them on(see Sig) has Cost me less than £50-60. ...mind TT is getting Lions share of meagre Budget at tha moment. .. Started Today Listening with some Jean Michel Jarre..

atb

Great Thread!!

 

Great sounding cheap(er) gear:

NHT SuperZero 2.1 speakers: $198/pair

REL T-Zero subwoofer: $487

NAD D-3020 integrated amp (with internal DAC): $399

U-Turn Orbit Basic Turntable (including cartridge): $179

U-Turn Pluto phono preamp: $89 (can also be built into the U-Turn Orbit)

Any cheap disc player with digital audio out to hook up to the 3020 internal DAC.

 

It's nice to see two excellent, USA producers of audio equipment in a thread about being cheap or inexpensive.

 

Which are now discontinued. And this system lacks flexibility for anything but modern vinyl. Audio-Technica is the main T4p cartridge manufacturer left.

 

I'll throw the Denon 103 and 103R out there as an amazing "bang for the buck" cartridge. They punch way above their price point in my opinion.
NOTE: The Denon carts mentioned above are moving coil design and require a compatible MC phono stage or SUT to sound right.

Also, the entry level Audio Art interconnect cables and speaker wires are a tremendous value.

Final remark: I often buy high quality used gear, and this allows me to have equipment that I could never afford to buy new at retail prices. There is a always risk associated when buying used gear as it usually has no warranty, but the premium grade used equipment I have purchased has served me very well with no regrets on my part. Maybe I have just been lucky and should knock on wood.

 

High output moving coil carts, like the Denon DL 110 work great with the Lounge MKIII. Only if you want to use a low output moving coil cart will you have to get a SUT, which Lounge sells to pair very well with the MKIII phono stage.

 

PSB Alpha B-1 speakers, $299 per pair.

 

Also, PS Audio Sprout integrated amp w/DAC, $499.

 

Agree on the NAD. Stereophile had this to say:

I was impressed by the NAD D 3020's technical performance. It packs a usefully powerful amplifier into a tiny package, and offers digital performance that is close to the state of the art, though its USB input is to be preferred.

Read more at NAD D 3020 integrated amplifier Measurements »