Best deal(s)? I bought an Aragon X5 HT amp, Soundstage preamp and cables for $4,000, split them up and sold them the next week on eBay for $6,700 -- then used the profit towards a Sony SCD-1 my highest end piece. Net result of this was the Sony SCD-1 for $400! Best deal dollar wise? A Marantz 14EX on Audiogon for $1800 after selling my Marantz SR18 for $1600 -- cost of upgrade was $200. Folks, the road to high end bliss is a well-traded one on audiogon and eBay.
Best Component Ever, for the money
The other thread with this title was corrupted in its inception. Let's do this one with NO cables, power cords, isolation devices or tweaks. My vote goes to the Connoisseur turntable (integrated with arm). I don't have it anymore and you shouldn't be able to find one for sale. High end perspective for $150.