Most Underrated Audio Component(s) of All-Time?

And sativa

 

Well I think the Scotch whisky covers more genres. To be on topic I loved my pocket transistor radio.

 

London (Decca) positive scanning cartridges. Some of the most lifelike, vibrant, dynamic, and mostly ignored, cartridges made today.

 

A room with a wooden floor, furnished with a healthy dose of books, LPs, sofas, some heavy drapes, wooden furniture, etc.

Does wonders to the sound.

 

SanDisk Sansa Clip+

 

Speakers:
Advent /3
Optimus LX-4
KEF 103.2
Epos ES-11
Reynaud Twin and Trente
Spendor BC1
NHT M00 powered

Amps:
Musical Paradise MP-301
Don Allen Cakepan
Dynaco ST-35

CD Players:
Mick Feuerbacher mods to Sony Playstation 1 SCPH-5501 and SCPH-1001
Don Allen modified Phillips CD changer
AH! Tjoeb

 

I don't know if they are the MOST underated but certainly Nagaoka cartridges do not get much attention from "serious" audiophiles.
Stereophile and TAS have never reviewd them as far as I know.
Still, Nagaoka offers a wide range of affortable MM catridges from the MP-110 to MP-500, that sound great and can compete with catridges many times their price.

 

Another unbelievable performing product is an Allied 333 (Pioneer SX-34) receiver. Not sure of the amp only version. It does need certain tubes and upgraded coupling caps though. After that, I have not found a better sounding vintage amplifier, but there are a lot of amps out there. It is in part the simple one tube preamp driving the power tubes. I never seen a one tube preamp/phono amp section before in any amp. Technically it should not have enough gain, but it does. A more direct & simple amplifier must make a huge difference. The design reminds me of Bottlehead products.

 

The late model (ie, LVIII), Linn Ittok tonearm. An absolute monster. Also, the Heybrook HB1 loudspeaker. Had a pair for almost 35 years - at £99 (in 1984), an absolute steal. Fast, detailed, fun, revealing. What more could one ask for?

 

Still have a V15VxMR. Doubt I'll ever get rid of it.

Probably the most affordable piece of audio gear I've ever bought that does such a fantastic job.

Not the be-all, end-all in the world of phono carts, but for the money it was and still is a champ.

 

I had one and loved it. To nitpick a little, during its time it was hardly underrated -- to the contrary, it was regarded as one the best cartridges available -- the best that a working person could afford.

 

Yeah, I was off there -- both then and now people cite it as one of the best, affordable carts ever. So you're right -- not underrated. Maybe fading from memory?

 

By far, the compact disc/player.

 

You’re joking, right?

Hard to think of a more heralded tech in audio over the past 35 years than the CD, really. Even if new-CD sales have taken a tumble in recent years.
.

 

Ya, and most dvd players will play cds, so the CD is not going to disappear any time soon, even if "cd players" become scarce.

 

Direct drive turntables. Klipsch speakers. Jolida tube amps.

 

There is a stand-mounted speaker made by Strumenti Acustici Precisione around ten years ago that is simply amazing and so obscure that you can Google all day and not find any reference to it. It is a 2.5 way speaker--a small bass/midrange driver, a tweeter and a Murata super-tweeter. The speaker had a dedicated stand and a magnetic suspension made the speaker part "float" above the stand. If you pushed on the speaker it moved back and forth; I called it the bobble-head speaker.

A local dealer has a pair that he will not part with for almost any offer. Those of us who have heard it kept telling his two young assistants how good the speaker sounded, but, they were utterly surprised when they actually heard it at the shop. It was set up to be compared to the Audio Note AN-E. I like the AN-E, but, to me, the bobble-head utterly crushed the AN-E--it was more lively, immediate and engaging. The young guys were also shocked, as they are big fans of the AN-E. One asked about how long he would have to work at the shop to buy the pair.

 

Wrong. Indica.

 

A couch and a good Company.

 

Crosley turntables.

Haha, just kidding!

 

adcom, without question.

 

Have no idea how they were rated by others, but I wish I still had my old Carver TFM-15 amp. I thought it was a nice amp for the money, especially for a college student like I was at the time.

 

+1 .. and for such a paltry sum. It's amazing paired with a good DAC and software (e.g., Hi-Fi Cast).

 

Sativa for when listening to jazz, Steely Dan ect…
Indica for reggae, Ozzy ect…

 

That’s a fair point.