Cheapie audio equipment you love as much as the more expensive stuff

I love the little Lepai LP-2020A+ mini amps so much, I bought 2 of them. They were about 20 bucks when I bought them and they haven't gone up in price too much beyond that. I've got one powering a couple of small Sony bookshelf speakers in the kitchenette dining area of our home, listening to them as I type this post.

So, do you have any audio pieces that were super cheap (new, retail price) but you enjoy and use frequently and feel their value is quite a bit more than what you paid, regardless of their lack of "high end" status?

 

I have a $15k+ system in the other room but right now I'm listening to Steve Forbert on a pair of Squeezebox Radios wired in stereo and it sounds just fine.

 

I'm enjoying a couple of cheapie class D amps with my AQ Dragonfly and Dayton B652 speakers:
Modded TPA3110D2
SMSL SA-36a TPA3118D2

 

On this very forum there are those who would add together the entire amalgamation of all my audio equipment (new & vintage) and count them as cheep. Or lets say cheeper than a couple of good interconnects or one nice speaker wire.

 

Those Andrew Jones designed $200 Pioneer speakers are crazy good for the dough. I don't listen to much surround sound, but they sound very nice when playing behind me with my Linn speakers in front. In fact, if anything happened to my main speakers now, I think I could live with those Pioneers until I eventually upgrade to Sonus Faber or Tannoy for my mains.

 

G'day all, as far as cheap (inexpensive) phono stages are concerned, my little TCC TC-750 (with a few simple modifications ), is very nice indeed. Regards, Felix.

 

At my office I connect my MacBook Pro to a Topping VX-1 amp/DAC connected to Polk Monitor 30s and it sounds great.

 

I sold my Rega Mira 3 when I heard the Topping tp60 in my system. It still resides there today. The t amps have a sound I am addicted to Also any paradigm speaker monitors-high value.

 

There has been a lot of stuff over the years from the classic NAD 3020 integrated amp to the more recent AudioQuest Dragonfly DAC

 

Shunyata Venom power cords and usb cable.

Grado SR225 headphones

Caig ProGold

Cardas IBE disc

Denon Music Player app

Amarra playback software

Get Better Sound book

 

My PSB Image B6 Bookshelves are stupid good speakers for the money. Rock solid. They really do nothing wrong.

 

$60 Sennheiser headphones.

 

Apple TV 3, £100 great value for money, very versatile and sounds good streaming music off my iPod Touch.

 

This TPA3116 class d amp for $13 sounds just as good as my Marantz PM5004. The best deal in audio today by a long shot. It will run circles around the Lepai and other t-amps.

 

Nope. sorry I do not have any cheap things except stuff like $1 footers instead of $50 a pop footer..
My stereo is about $50K and it works nice. yeah something in the $20K could be nearly as good. But that is not cheap nor what this thread is about. I am not trying to threadcrap, just saying no I do not have any magic low priced components.
though a used $50 CD changer through a pair of $150 computer speakers can sound reasonable for the price.

It really is about compromise. Some folks can give up something easily if the cost is a fraction of what it takes to get the whole thing.
Like my system is excellent at certain things I find very important. But rather weak at others I do not care about at all. For soemone else my system would not be very good. My setup is all treble finess, and zero bass slam. So for a bass nut my setup would SUCK. No problem. Find your own heaven.

 

I guess I would say that my Sony SCD-5400ES is a good cheap player - it's certainly the cheapest component I own at $1500. Based on retail prices, the speakers are four times the cost; the preamp is six times the cost; the amps are twenty times the cost.

 

JL audio interconnects.
http://www.wwstereo.com/JL-Audio/90416?gclid=COrPpYHL6r4CFdNzMgod-3wAog

 

Nope, can't think of anything cheap that I would use the word love with, but my little I-Pod has been worth the price of admission.

 

I cannot see why I would love expensive stuff more than less expensive? I see no connection really. I think I like the ones that sounds best to me the most.

 

Being taught how to solder has opened a world of possibilities. From modding a Dynaco, building a crossover for my Altecs, to Bottlehead kits (or whatever kit floats your boat) this has allowed me to experience the magic of high end audio at a fraction of the cost. Befriending an electrical engineer who can read schematics didn't hurt either.

 

My total expenditure on my set up is around £25,000 but the key unit is a Behringer DEQ2496 digital equaliser costing £250.

 

I like 12 AWG power type cable -- pretty much any sort/brand with good copper -- for speaker cable.

 

my S.M.L.S SA-S3 t-amp and HIFImeDIY sabre dac sound way better than their price point may suggest.

 

It's all relative I suppose, but there are a few strange views on "super cheap" in this thread.

 

Record Doctor record cleaner.