Best Component Ever, for the money

Audio Research PH3, you need $$$K more to beat this one.

Ever? For the money? NAD 3020 (especially modified).

The NAD 3020 has had multiple votes. A popular choice. I think the $13 Grado cartridge has to win hands down if it was a high-end component. (I never owned one.) Since I dont think amps matter so much compared to sources and speakers, I am inclined to stay with the Connoiseur BD2a integrated table I owned long ago, or in a more modern vein, my Harbeth speakers. Not exactly an economy model, though not expensive at $2,000, the Harbeth Compact 7 is the best purchase I have ever made.

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.

Ascend CBM 170 speakers @ $320 a pair new in 2003.