What was your most inexpensive or most cost effective HiFi discovery

[Dom]

Today I optimised the cable management in my computer. It looks very tidy and thoughtfully arranged, leaving no stone unturned.

So the DAC might have a subtle crispness in the upper frequency's, but otherwise seems like a very decent investment. I'm genuinely impressed by the budget offering and provides an enjoyable listening experience.

I don't see any reason to pursue another DAC at the moment (Plus i'm poor as hell.).

 

[Deleted member 201267]

Hang on I got to bend down low, glad I had an early breakfast 🙂
Courtesy of AliExpress and eBay - see below:

Some of the mains cable, the silver coloured ones in the photo, I made myself about half the price as the one's listed below.
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Just to add if any of you were thinking about purchasing the Audiowalle Mains Filter power protection (eBay), it has six UK plug sockets and four US plug sockets. It's really bizarre on Aliexpress the UK plugs are more expensive than the US ones (I use both), and it's made from the same mains cable, how odd?

Is there any reason you have so many different makes / models in use, and instead, not just different lengths of the same cable model such as these :-

RS PRO IEC C17 Socket to Type G UK Plug Power Cord, 2m | RS

uk.rs-online.com

 

[Jasonovich]

Is there any reason you have so many different makes / models in use, and instead, not just different lengths of the same cable model such as these :-

RS PRO IEC C17 Socket to Type G UK Plug Power Cord, 2m | RS

uk.rs-online.com

I kind of purchase these adhoc. I had in mind to try one, and one became two etc.
I just love the look of these, beautifully constructed. I'm not sure it offers any real benefits to the ones sold on Radio Shack
I sort of like the different patterns than boring black ones. Its more visual but I understand, some people would rather have something less stated, less conspicuous. Just me I guess a bit nutty 😂
There are two mains cables that are the same, a couple also I made from the same cable and the others from different manufacturers. I started with UK plugs and moved to US type because these were sold cheaper.
I never really had in my head to buy so many but it kind of evolved.
In hindsight, it makes perfect sense to have purchase all in one go 😊

 

[Deleted member 201267]

I kind of purchase these adhoc. I had in mind to try one, and one became two etc.
I just love the look of these, beautifully constructed. I'm not sure it offers any real benefits to the ones sold on Radio Shack
I sort of like the different patterns than boring black ones. Its more visual but I understand, some people would rather have something less stated, less conspicuous. Just me I guess a bit nutty 😂
There are two mains cables that are the same, a couple also I made from the same cable and the others from different manufacturers. I started with UK plugs and moved to US type because these were sold cheaper.
I never really had in my head to buy so many but it kind of evolved.
In hindsight, it makes perfect sense to have purchase all in one go 😊

Thanks for the further detailed reply.

 

[Shrek]

£12.99 HMV

 

[Shrek]

No cables here lol .

 

[Cricketbat70]

£12.99 HMV

Good grief Colonel Abrams haven't heard that in years "huh huh I'm trapped"🤣

 

[Cricketbat70]

£12.99 HMV

We'll have to get together and have a rave🤣

 

[Jasonovich]

£12.99 HMV

Mighty fine. It's all about the music, if you don't have the needle on the record or the laser in the ditch or the flash in the letterbox, then the candy you call your HiFi becomes excess luggage 😊.

 

[AJM1981]

Thank you for your comments but the buck stops here with me 😊
I will not be party to another dreaded cable debate. 😂
I am nevertheless appreciative of your feedback.

I have cable preferences but not in an audible sort of way.

I like cables in which the cable itself is as heavy or heavier than the banana plugs.

And what counts more is that they compliment the design of the loudspeaker in some way. Might sound ridiculous to people who mainly put audible faith in it but mostly they also end with good looking cables.

When given that any modern loudspeaker is optically designed for grilles off ("old" loudspeakers were made for grilles on) and the backside looks as slick in design as the front, you don't want to have something that looks like string and rope attached to it.

Unfortunately for me and this point of view, changing a speaker cable is like changing a power cord for its thickness and color. Yes, it could be, but In practical sense it has no potential 'wow' effect so spending anything on it feels like throwing money into a void.

 

[Jasonovich]

I have cable preferences but not in an audible sort of way.

I like cables in which the cable itself is as heavy or heavier than the banana plugs.

And what counts more is that they compliment the design of the loudspeaker in some way. Might sound ridiculous to people who mainly put audible faith in it but mostly they also end with good looking cables.

When given that any modern loudspeaker is optically designed for grilles off ("old" loudspeakers were made for grilles on) and the backside looks as slick in design as the front, you don't want to have something that looks like string and rope attached to it.

Unfortunately for me and this point of view, changing a speaker cable is like changing a power cord for its thickness and color. Yes, it could be, but In practical sense it has no potential 'wow' effect so spending anything on it feels like throwing money into a void.

I hear you and its not strange as it sounds, I can identity with that. The visuals are important too but granted not everyone cares for it.

 

[Rui]

Pioneer a400 off my dad for £ 1.40 🤣 as a 14 yr old and a pair of mission 760i's I saved my £ 1.40 p for agessssss to acquire, I loved my hifi as a kid but believe it or not at 40yrs old still use the exact same a400 on occasion and still love it, very good buy for £ 1.40 🙂 it started me off on my hifi trail

The A-400 is Pioneer still built with some quality not common this days it as the problem of being direct but a equalizer would make it play with perfect sound any style of music or type of recording ,

i myself have a similar system or from the same years ,more or less , like a A-656mk II with some Mission 761(before, use to have a SA-608 from 1978 ,which was incredible better) ,

this 760i aren´t the 761 but 6ohms impedance that shows it at first listening by the detail of sound, maybe in this range amongst the best speakers ever made,

my father also left me very good components that otherwise i wouldn´t have access to the same quality today, Pioneer is one of the brands he used to buy,

the prices are ridiculous, brands seem to evolve to much less building quality and soundwise be in a point of not possible to decrease,

the reason why this Pioneer A-400 integrated amplifier and mission 760i speakers are today above average quality, and will last a lot of years if well kept, today that will not happen

 

[Rui]

I hear you and its not strange as it sounds, I can identity with that. The visuals are important too but granted not everyone cares for it.

yes, i put quality of sound above aesthetics , not always together not meaning that is not possible but by seeing some friends equipment they put on top aesthetics to sound quality , example: this deck looks amazing good with all others i have , your´s might be better but looks bad or i don´t like this brand design.

Music is to be listened not showed, cables are important but the way they look does not make`em better

 

[Rui]

I have cable preferences but not in an audible sort of way.

I like cables in which the cable itself is as heavy or heavier than the banana plugs.

And what counts more is that they compliment the design of the loudspeaker in some way. Might sound ridiculous to people who mainly put audible faith in it but mostly they also end with good looking cables.

When given that any modern loudspeaker is optically designed for grilles off ("old" loudspeakers were made for grilles on) and the backside looks as slick in design as the front, you don't want to have something that looks like string and rope attached to it.

Unfortunately for me and this point of view, changing a speaker cable is like changing a power cord for its thickness and color. Yes, it could be, but In practical sense it has no potential 'wow' effect so spending anything on it feels like throwing money into a void.

"old speakers were made for grilles on". Never seen that some even look a lot better without grilles as today´s speakers too, the only reason that i use grills is for the protection of the speakers ,nothing else.
As an example i use to take out the grilles on my HPM-150 but due to at a certain hour in the afternoon ,normally when i was at work, the sun burned a bit the woofer but no quality affected only a diferent shade of white is very noticeable as dust gathered along all this years also make them not look as nice as when they were when new,
when sending them to be restored i didn´t even thought of that but only it´s drivers capability that allthough i didn´t notice, when returned was crystal clear ,so to speak, the improvement in sound quality not that it sounded bad before but the treble knob used to be a litle more higher than today´s position, in defeat they release a very good sound but notice some litle detail lost , the reason why i increase a bit the treble as diferent recordings have more or less high´s and depending on it some detail is lost ,with top quality equipment that wouldn´t be a problem but with my amplifier it needs to be as i described, some are really almost perfect and all frquencies are heard clean, higher or not , are there without help.