Budget gear that has really impressed you

I'm sure we've all started somewhere on the budget rung of the HiFi ladder. What kit have you heard that has really impressed you? Any combinations which to your ears are simply a 'killer combination'?

My vote has to be the NAD C320BEE amp and C521BEE CD player. I've tried several budget amps, CD players and AV receivers and haven't yet (to my ears - yours may be different) found anything that has left such a lasting impression as this combo.



Detail from CD playback is very impressive - when I first had the CD player partnered with a Yamaha AV receiver, I noticed an instant improvement in levels of detail and warmth and body to the sound. Adding the amp has only added to this!

In summary, it shows how you can get a decent sound these days without having to spend loads of money on equipment. I was always (probably falsey) under the impression that one had to spend rakes of money to get good music playback performance.

** I'll also add that it has made a significant improvement to the playback quality of MP3s from my PC. Again, they appear to have more body, detail and warmth to them. I'm pleasently surprised that MP3 can sound so good through a dedicated stereo amp. The source, FWIW, is iTunes and a Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2.

 

Not heard any budget stuff of late, a couple of things i would call budget bargains, are the arcam 7se cd player can pick one up for £120, Creek 4040 amps £40 the Nad c340 C350 amps £50-£75 and Super dac that Will and Isaac have

 

Cyrus 3 amp and Arcam Alpha 9 worked very, very well together through Monitor Audio GR10 speakers IMO

 

sonicT + soundex speakers (+ carry case), all at £60, new!

 

lol...£500 amp and £1000 speakers are your idea of 'budget' are they

budget stuff thats impressed me....Mordaunt Short 902s@ £150 and a cautious recommendation to the Sonic T- i haven't really explored mine yet.

 

Hey they are not quite that expensive! The Cyrus 3 can be had for about £200 second-hand, the Alpha 9 (if you can find one) £400 and the GR10's for about £400. Together they make a very good budget audiophile system that is very hard to beat for pure enjoyment of the music.

The Cyrus 3 is the best bargain in the system I think.

 

well anythings 'budget' secondhand isn't it to be honest. I think Neil meant new budget although I could be wrong

 

Yep, I did - 'new' budget gear was what I meant

 

Nad 3020 .....the original one drove a coach and horses through the mediocre offerings of the time.

Sonic T-amp.........at $19 made several £1000 plus amps look very poor, I know I own one of them.

 

Dynaudio

I remember when I first played some familiar tracks on £400 Dynaudio's. It was a real wow moment! I could hear small breaths between lyrics and the wetness of the musicians mouth. The slippery slope had begun...

 

Another for the Sonic T-amp. I paid £26 for mine from a guy on ebay. does the hifi things and plays music and punches well above it's weight.

I use it in my second system with some Wharfdale Diamond 8.1 speakers - which aren't too shabby either for budget speakers.

 

This combo is cute too, which certainly does not hurt the WAF.

 

Old Quad amps 303,306
Audio Alchemy headphone amp

 

I own a lot of the budget gear that has impressed me - why pay more when these offer so much, for so little outlay?:

Pioneer DV-565 (£40 on eBay)
Sony NS900V (£150 on eBay)
Revolver R16's (£110 on eBay)
Pro-Ject Tube Box (£150 from distributor)

Struggling to think of a cheap amp that has been truly impressive. I did buy a MF X-A1 off eBay for £150, and that was very good for the money.

DT

 

the stuff I own I guess...otherwise I wouldn't own it..?

 

M-Audio Superdac as GAZZ mentioned though stock one isn't all that....if you can stretch to mods taking it to £200 total cost then its far superior (I still reckon a £200 DAC is very much a budget component based on most people here's impressive system).

NOS-DAC must be one too, £100 odd yet a chord dac64 beater to some people. Not heard one myself though - I'd be very interested in how it compared to my modded superdac.

 

getting a great sound is all about synergy with your components. it is no good say, having the best cd player ,the best amp and the best speaker if they are all on the bright side say, the sound will be terrible. buget gear can be as good as expensive gear if matched properly. i have heard some real high end gear in my time and thought that was aweful. 15 grands worth of linn gear for example, it was truely appauling sounding

 

Mordaunt-Short MS25is - groovy sound, even if soundstaging is crap.

NAD 533 turntable - even with a wooden(!!) platter, it rocks in the musical sense (he he!) - and with an Ortofon 520 cartridge is pretty damn good.

Rega Ela speakers (mk1) - OK, so they're not budget per se (£485 in 1988??), they're very good speakers for the cash. Even better if you can get a pair for £50...

 

Rudolph - agree that synergy can either make or break a system. I too have heard a few expensive systems that weren't to my taste. A lot of it too is down to personal preference in terms of the 'type of sound' you are after, whether certain kit has a 'house sound' or whether it's particularly suited to the genres of music you listen to.

 

Project Debut III turntable - a current item. It sounds much better than it should. In fact I was so impressed when I bought and installed one for my son-in-law that I had to return home to listen to my upmarket tt/arm/mc cartridge to reassure myself. At twenty times the cost it was not twenty times better.