Pick your cheapest and best gadget!

[Jasonovich]

This is meant to be fun. 🙀
Ok, here's the scenario or make up as we go along!

If you were an under nourished poor student who's main sustenance is a can of beans and buttered toast and you need to go to the car boot sales to shop for used HiFi but the dastardly landlord told everyone to vacate his land after someone started singing, 'It's Coming Home, It's coming home..."

What would you suggest to him (add your own pronouns) as an alternative to the car boot sale, that won't cost the earth and doesn't have to give up on his normal ration of beans and toast.
Yeah....AliExpress, this is really cool gadget, I think great for the impoverish student.
Mate did you just blew a candle? lay off the beans will ya!
For a mere £45, he can have this gadget, he would need to buy the headphones separate of course.

HiFi-Röhren vorverstärker Bluetooth 5.0 ge5654 Röhre USB-Musik-Plattenspieler es9023 dac xlr symmetrischer Ausgang ir Fernbedienung - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

 

[Ethics Gradient]

Alas my cheapest wouldn't be my best, and vice versa!

 

[jjbomber]

Cheapest would be a cable, but we don't want to go down that route!!!

 

[Cricketbat70]

Maybe this
Nobsound Lepy HiFi Stereo Multimedia 4-Channel Bluetooth Power Amplifier Audio Booster USB SD DVD CD FM MP3 for Car Vehicle Home Booster Remote Control & LED Display Screen with Power Supply https://amzn.eu/d/07G4o7G3

I once saw a YouTube video where a bloke reckoned to have made a half decent hifi with an older Lepy amp and some used speakers.
Not sure if I'd be confident in it though.

 

[Cricketbat70]

This is the older Lepy amp the bloke on YouTube used .
Deal: LEPY 2024A Plus Amplifier - Silver/Black https://amzn.eu/d/0eB4G274

 

[Dom]

Wiim are pretty.

 

[Gray]

This is the older Lepy amp the bloke on YouTube used .
Deal: LEPY 2024A Plus Amplifier - Silver/Black https://amzn.eu/d/0eB4G274

👍
Yes, when thinking about an answer to Jason's original question, I thought about the Raspberry Pi (such a reasonably priced streamer, I bought two).

But I overlooked the Lepy 2020A.
One or two QC issues, but their sound for the price I paid (£20 each) meant I had to buy another to try a bit of bi-amping of the Kef Q100:

 

[Rodolfo]

This is meant to be fun. 🙀
Ok, here's the scenario or make up as we go along!

If you were an under nourished poor student who's main sustenance is a can of beans and buttered toast and you need to go to the car boot sales to shop for used HiFi but the dastardly landlord told everyone to vacate his land after someone started singing, 'It's Coming Home, It's coming home..."

What would you suggest to him (add your own pronouns) as an alternative to the car boot sale, that won't cost the earth and doesn't have to give up on his normal ration of beans and toast.
Yeah....AliExpress, this is really cool gadget, I think great for the impoverish student.
Mate did you just blew a candle? lay off the beans will ya!
For a mere £45, he can have this gadget, he would need to buy the headphones separate of course.
View attachment 7062

HiFi-Röhren vorverstärker Bluetooth 5.0 ge5654 Röhre USB-Musik-Plattenspieler es9023 dac xlr symmetrischer Ausgang ir Fernbedienung - AliExpress 44

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Not sure how available these are wherever he or she might be, but if it has to be new, I regularly recommend these as the best buys in audio, and they'd complement your AliExpress suggestion nicely. I picked up a second set in black in December last when I saw them for $"U"S18 -the same that I had paid for my blue set in 2021. No LDAC, no ANC, etc., but they sound truly clean and rich. I recommend them even to big-spender Well-known members.

Amazon.com

 

[Cricketbat70]

Wiim are pretty.

And so tempting but as I've already got CCA's in the house I think Rach would kill me if I bought into the Wiim system😜

 

[Cricketbat70]

👍
Yes, when thinking about an answer to Jason's original question, I thought about the Raspberry Pi (such a reasonably priced streamer, I bought two).

But I overlooked the Lepy 2020A.
One or two QC issues, but their sound for the price I paid (£20 each) meant I had to buy another to try a bit of bi-amping of the Kef Q100:
View attachment 7067

I remember you posting about that set up on another thread and I said "I'd love to try something like that but wouldn't have the confidence to set up a raspberry pi as streamer". You told me not to be hard on myself (or something on those lines) and to give it a go. I still haven't.

 

[Jasonovich]

👍
Yes, when thinking about an answer to Jason's original question, I thought about the Raspberry Pi (such a reasonably priced streamer, I bought two).

But I overlooked the Lepy 2020A.
One or two QC issues, but their sound for the price I paid (£20 each) meant I had to buy another to try a bit of bi-amping of the Kef Q100:
View attachment 7067

That's amazing Gray. HiFi is also thinking out of the box!

 

[Jasonovich]

I remember you posting about that set up on another thread and I said "I'd love to try something like that but wouldn't have the confidence to set up a raspberry pi as streamer". You told me not to be hard on myself (or something on those lines) and to give it a go. I still haven't.

On AliExpress some sellers are selling Rasp-pi fully assembled streamers, though, not cheap. Half the fun really is assembling it yourself, I'm waiting to see how Risc-V develops as an alternative to Rasp-Pi and other ARM based derivatives.

 

[trevor_mechine]

Moondrop Chu II IEMs - £17 and they're smooth, great on vox and impossible to beat at that price. Only snag is they're a bit fiddly to put on, cos of the ear hook leads.

 

[Revolutions]

As we all know, quality is about the source.

I present to you a low-tech solution that won’t ever fail to improve your listening experience at the bargain price of eight British pounds:
https://amzn.eu/d/0djjAjUB

 

[jjbomber]

Cheapest:

Earpal Ear Wax RemoverDefault Title

Earpal ear wax remover helps safely extract wax build-up from the ear. Browse & order online today

www.hearingdirect.com

 

[Cricketbat70]

Cheapest:

Earpal Ear Wax RemoverDefault Title

Earpal ear wax remover helps safely extract wax build-up from the ear. Browse & order online today

www.hearingdirect.com

😂

 

[DCarmi]

Anker Soundbuds Slim. £16 in 2018 and in almost daily use. Not hifi but reliable comfortable, sound OK with decent mic.

I have other more expensive buds but these remain my favourite when out and about.

 

[Jasonovich]

Cheapest:

Earpal Ear Wax RemoverDefault Title

Earpal ear wax remover helps safely extract wax build-up from the ear. Browse & order online today

www.hearingdirect.com

And no wiring necessary

 

[Friesiansam]

Cheapest:

Earpal Ear Wax RemoverDefault Title

Earpal ear wax remover helps safely extract wax build-up from the ear. Browse & order online today

www.hearingdirect.com

"The safe way to clean your ears."

Poking things in your ears, is never safe...

 

[Jasonovich]

"The safe way to clean your ears."

Poking things in your ears, is never safe...

These are proper Puka for ear wax , I managed to push out the wax from left ear to the right ear. Though, my cognition has never been the same, every time I cleaned my ear.
Puka? Oh Jesus, I got Jamie Oliver screaming in my ear.