Best Component Ever, for the money

Grado FTE+1 and the Grado entry-level cartridges that succeeded it (GTE+1, MTE+1, etc.) The FTE+1 was only $13 in the early 1980's and was the cheapest entry-level audiophile component that I can remember.

The original AR Turntable. I have heard AR tables were sold as low as $35 new. Maybe some senior audiophiles know of prices even lower than that. Ed Villchur's AR was an original, pioneering design that helped define the direction of future components (like Linn LP12 and Thorens). For a time, many considered it the best turntable to be had at any price. If I ever go bankrupt and lose all my other stuff, I'll try to put together an old AR turntable, an entry-level Grado cartridge comparable to the old FTE+1, an NAD 3020, and perhaps the original Advent Loudspeaker. Nowhere near state of the art, but all were outstanding for the money and I could definitely live with them.