What's your best audio deal ever?

BottomFeeder

Yo DB!

Another hot score!

Now you've got 2A's & 2B's! What're you gonna do w/all those SDA's???

Can't wait to hear them!

kuntasensei

My audio deal for the year: I bought an Onkyo 705 receiver for $679+tax at CC. Three weeks later, a guy over at the AVSForums screen-capped a 4 hour long price drop to $549. Using his scan, I got $136 back.

So I got a THX Select receiver with Audyssey MultEQ XT for $549+tax. Can't beat that with a stick!

And I took the money I got back and bought a Harmony 880 to replace my Radio Shack 1994 remote.

danger boy

i replaced the SL2000 tweeters in the SDA2B's and used a mid driver from the 2A's and fired them up.. wow.... very nice sounding... much better sounding then the 2A's.

billbillw

I usually get good, if not great deals on everything I buy, otherwise, I don't buy it. So, rather than go into every deal, I'll just post what I think worked out to be a couple of the best deals.

My Denon AVR-4802. Bought it used for about $450 (was $2000 new in 2002), which was a great deal by itself. No remote, so I forked out about $90 for a brand new one. I also wisely paid about $20 for a Squaretrade warranty. Turns out there was a minor problem with the receiver. On first powering up (from cold) it takes about 4-5 minutes for the digital coax to work. After that, it works perfect. I lived with it for a while, then contacted Squaretrade about the warranty. Took it in to get diagnosed and was told it needed a new DSP board at the cost of about $600 installed. Zoiks! Squaretrade "settled" with me and I ended up getting the full purchase price back, and got to keep the receiver. Its been more than 2 years now and the problem hasn't gotten any worse. Just takes 5 minutes to warm up! So, I my deal is an almost perfect 4802 for the cost of a remote and an SQ warranty!

My VPI HW-19mk2. Bought it, there was some damage in shipping. At first it looked like it needed a new tonearm, as well as a dustcover. I ended up fixing the tonearm (it was just loose) and snagging a used dustcover for pretty cheap. Also found out it needed a bearing, but that wasn't related to the shipping damage. Prior to fixing, I filed a claim with USPS. I got a repair estimate from a local shop. Their cost to repair was about 90% of the cost I paid for the table. Eventually got a check back from USPS. Net cost for the VPI, which had a new motor and a nice Sumiko FT-3 arm, was about $250 after I put the dustcover and a new bearing into it. I have to live with some fairly minor cosmetic damage though. Most of the damage is on the back side, so I don't notice it.

warlocks1

I have received some great deals over the past year. Below are a few:

1.2TL's for $1100.00, seller threw in a bunch of Pioneer Elite components that I sold for $1,000.00. Ended up paying $100.00 for mint 1.2TL's

SDA SRS2 for $400.00

Martin Logan SL3's for $250.00. ($3600.00 retail) Owner said they were broken. All it was one solder joint failure. Sound terrific

Last week I bought 2 Martin Logan Fresco speakers for $300.00, (retail 2400.00 a pair), 1 Martin Logan Gratto Sub for $100.00 (retail $1200.00) and a Denon 3806 for $425.00 (retail $1300.00). Seller moved into a condo.

I am using on of the Fresco's as a center and will sell the other one.

I now have the joy of deciding where to hang out. I can go into the basement HT room and listen to the power and soundstage of the 1.2's or hang out on the main level and listen to the perfect sound of the ML's. They both sound totally different but equally as good.

lightman1

Pioneer 707 rtr (and the counter still works!!!!!!) and two carver M-200t's. $400. Almost pissed myself.
Any 909's out there?

Tred

My best audio dollar went to a fair condition 1987 Linn LP12 turntable with no tonearm and dust cover for just $175 last year. All it needed was a new motor and a thorough tuneup. I ended up with a perfect running LP12 for the final price of $350.

hearingimpared

Now you're talking steal!

ilikesound

300 smackers for a pair of RTi8's, CSi3, FXi3's, AND 200' of Monster XP. I also got my Martin Logan Dynamo fresh outta the box for 150. How insane...

lightman1

Just scored a pair of flawless moni 5's. $40. The guilt alone will haunt me.

danger boy

why do I even look at garage sales anymore?? :rolleyes:

today's lovely finds..

1. Pioneer silver faced TX-7800 tuna - $5 (8/10 on condition)

2. Pioneer Elite A-88X integrated amp 120wpc, with rosewood side panels $15 (8/10 condition)

lightman1

danger boy wrote: »

why do I even look at garage sales anymore?? :rolleyes:

today's lovely finds..

1. Pioneer silver faced TX-7800 tuna - $5 (8/10 on condition)

2. Pioneer Elite A-88X integrated amp 120wpc, with rosewood side panels $15 (8/10 condition)

Bonus Round!!!

danger boy

a couple pics of the Pioneer Elite A-88X integrated amp. 3 transformers, 7 power supplies. and I think dual mono amps, 120wpc. 40 lbs of full throttle muscle

billbillw

danger boy,
Those pre-elite Pioneer reference are very nice units. Very good build quality and nice sound from what I've heard. $15 for that amp is a steal! If its working good and cosmetically clean, you can easily get $200 on Ebay for that.

George Grand

Mr. Codder sure does pay top dollar for his stuff.

I don't really feel like making a big list again. A good standout would be the Marantz "Esotec" preamp and 100wpc power amp combo. Both flawless, in the orig. boxes with manuals and wrapping. $5 for the two.

Does it count when people just leave tube equipment on your desk at work?

BottomFeeder

George Grand wrote: »

Mr. Codder sure does pay top dollar for his stuff.

I don't really feel like making a big list again. A good standout would be the Marantz "Esotec" preamp and 100wpc power amp combo. Both flawless, in the orig. boxes with manuals and wrapping. $5 for the two.

Does it count when people just leave tube equipment on your desk at work?

Ah, yeah! Our judges say they'll accept that!

WilliamM2

I think the best deal I ever got was my SDA-1C's brand new for $1550. Might not seem like the best deal anyone has got, but they have kept me smiling for almost 19 years now. How can you beat that?

bondslex

I got a pretty good deal on a demo Velodyne spl1000 for $688 from Tweeter about a week ago. The retail was $1299.

I also bought a new pair of lsifx speakers for $599 from Onecall.

capecodder

George Grand wrote: »

Mr. Codder sure does pay top dollar for his stuff.

Yeah, some of my finds are pretty good but there have been a bunch of others listed that make me envious.

That score by danger boy is very nice. That would be a wonderful start of a vintage 2 chnl set up. There is an amp just like it on ebay right now with a start bid of $299 and BIN of $345. The TX 7800 tuner should also be pretty good. It got a nice write up on the fmtunerinfo web site.

http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/pioneer.html

danger boy

I cleaned up the outside of the Pioneer A-88X amp last night.. and today i'll hook it up and take her for a test drive. The guy I bought it from had it since new.. so i'm only the second owner... he had it hooked up to some Pioneer speakers while I was there.. and I tested the buttons and knobs and didn't find any static or crackling going on.. all lights work. It needs a good inside cleaning now...

this may be one piece I end up keeping and not selling, depending on how well it drives the SDA 2B's
not that this is a big deal.. but the RCA phono inputs are gold plated it looks like.. while the rest of them are not.

ka7niq

I have SOO much stuff, so I wont go into every deal.
Tops on my list would be the used JVC 200 disc CD changer I gave 35 dollars to a pawn shop for.
I PLANNED to only use it in a spare room system.
However, when I compared it to TWO high end transports I learned something.
There is NO, zero, none, NADA difference.
Jitter MAY be happing in a "changer", but you can't hear it
Several blindfolded test we did among hard core audiophiles proved it to ourselves.
I dumped both the Krell transport and the Cal Audio Labs too, and use the JVC CD changer, with a great external DAC, of course.

Second would be the 100 dollars I spent for Parasound P/SP 1000 pre amp.
It has a unique feature, remote control of sub woofer output level.
ONCE you get bass level exactly right on EVERY recording, there is no going back IMHO.
I have two huge 9.5 cu ft 15" corner mounted subs that are powerful and go way down.
The Parasound is a surprisingly decent sounding preamp amp, not QUITE Tubes or a Klyne, but still decent.
The remote control of the bass level is now a MUST for me.

Third would be my two Ashly FET 500 amps, bought em for 100 each on Ebay.
Bridged, they do 1500 watts into 4 ohms!
They are old can type Mosfets amps, warm and sweet.
Built like Tanks.
Bulletproof.
I use em on only my subwoofers because I have so many amps and they are a pair.
I NEED the power.
A real shame to have em doing subwoofer duty only.
They are a REAL sleeper of an amp, easily as good or better then most so called "high end" amps.
Unfortunately, they are the ONLY pair of amps I currently own capable of this kind of power.

Fourth would be my LITE Audio DAC 72 Tube DAC.
Bought it new from China off Ebay for only 300 bucks delivered.
With NOS Mullards in it, it kicked the **** out of any and all Dacs I had.
ONLY it remains, out of 4 Dacs I once owned.

55LS70

Back in about 1980 or 1981 I picked up a working Marantz Model 8B for $50. I later sold it for $375.

George Grand

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I think the best deal I ever got was my SDA-1C's brand new for $1550. Might not seem like the best deal anyone has got, but they have kept me smiling for almost 19 years now. How can you beat that?

By getting a pair of Carver Amazing Platinum Mk.IV's delivered brand new to your home from the Carver factory for $1,156, in 1991. NEXT!

George Grand

Or how about a NAD receiver, B&O turntable, Yamaha cd player and cassette deck, all mint, for $2.50?

I may have overpaid for that one.

hypertone

$2.50? What crackhead did you by that from!

George Grand

My favorite one.

TroyD

Guys, compared to George......you are all rank amateurs.

Even El Roma's mediocre deals are better than yours (and mine) best deals.

BDT

Face

$200 for a Camelot Arthur v3.0 new in box.