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Amazing ''Overachieving'' products...your pick?

I have owned both expensive gear (and I do mean expensive) and ''budget'' gear. Many components are mind-boggling on a price-paid versus performance ratio. Three of my favorites are:

1. The Bedini clarifier. This gizmo just plain works. You may like - or not - the difference it makes on your cd's. In my case, it clears up a lot of fog. The cheapest upgrade to ALL my cd's.

2. The Cayin TA-30 integrated amplifier . So much performance and flexibility for so little money. Put it up against anything up to 3 times the price, musically and from a build-quality perspective. Just plain amazing.

3. The Apple i-Pod Mini. Yes, even from in an audiophile application, playing cd's (not downloaded MP3's). You can snob it but you cannot ignore it.

What are YOUR picks ?
sonicbeauty
karelfd
476 posts
 
In the large ticket category: AMR CD-77
In the mid price category: Subbase écho platforms: extremely effective resonance damping platforms, up there with the very, very best; customized constructions, each one a piece of art; not sure whether Thomas exports, though. Website in German only, I'm afraid http://subbase-audio.de/index.htm
In the amazingly affordable category: edenSound solid brass and TerraStone vibration isolators http://www.vermontaudio.com/index.html
metralla
945 posts
 
I don't know about amazing, but it's very good - the Sony SCD-XA5400ES.

In standard form it is almost the equal of my much modified (by Ric Schultz) Sony XA777ES - which was $1900 plus $1500 mods.

The Sony is $1500 from Crutchfield, although there are cheaper outlets (that I can't recommend).

It is a fine player for both CD and SACD, and has a nice balanced output stage that's done pretty well. Not as solidly constructed as the XA777ES, but it does multichannel over HDMI.

Good platform for modifiers.

Regards,
jfz
570 posts
 
Cerious Technologies interconnects !
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
I would nominate the Music Reference RM10 MKII ($1,950) which may very well be the very best sounding 30-40 watt amplifier there is (The Atma-sphere S-30 maybe as good and possibly better with some speakers, but quite a bit more expensive). This RM10 with the right speakers and passive preamp like the Lightspeed Attenuator is world-class in almost any way that I can detect, matching equipment I have and had several multiple more expensive. It is also overachieving in the sense that it is less the 10lbs and about the size of a hardcover book, it looks too small to be great, but great it is.
rleff
1,065 posts
 
I also agree with Pubul57 and would add the cable that Ralph from Atmsaphere recommended;Mogami Neglex.
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