Your most disappointing purchase or audition?


I've had a few.

bought a Naim Nait 3. Loved it in the store. Returned it within a week- way forward at home

Brought home some CJ preamp to audition perhaps 22 years ago. Noisy as anything and a turn off transient destroyed a tweeter (though years later i bought a CJ 17LS2 which I thought was the finest preamp I ever heard in my home)

Auditioned a VPI table (HW19) in a store- the store just could not get the belt to stay on. Bought a Rega instead. This was in perhaps 1990.

Fortunately, I never really experienced buyers remorse say 6 months or more after settling on a piece of gear.

Finally, there have been too many speakers that got stellar write ups which I just didn't care for.
128x128zavato
Ohm speakers. They sounded shut in. They weren't omnidirectional since the rear of the speaker was closed off and sound could only radiate from the front. Plus, the speaker cabinets looked like they were from a high school wood shop project. The finish on them had runs and drips. They were returned after a phone call to explain my major disappointment. They did return my money.
Sonus Faber Aida's. In my room, they were not as good as the Sonus Faber Stradivaris I replaced them with.
Musical Fidelity A120 Awful would be an understatement.
Tried it on all my speakers and they all went into flapping fits.
Yet they have no problem with any other amp I have tried including a $150 mini chinese valve amp.
Several years back I drove 100 miles to hear the Aerial 7Ts. I went expecting to buy. Very disappointing. I auditioned Magnepan 3.7Rs the same day. They ran circles around the 7Ts.