Bang for bux ?

[SEAWOLF97]

Suppose I'm frugal. (true) , I look for best product for most reasonable price.

examples: was recently listening to some budget level Shure IEM's and was impressed, so I got out my much more expensive Shure IEM's (3x cost) and compared on same source.
Preferred the cheaper ones.

vehicles: in the market for a new SUV last year, lots out there to choose from. Looked at CR testing. One stood out against others that were 2x-3x times the price. Bought the recommended one and zero issues have presented. good choice.

SO , the Q is : what is there in the audio world (new or used) that fills the bang for bux answer ?

Unfortunately, classic JBL, Marantz & MacIntosh seem to have mostly been priced out of this category.

(tho I still regard JBL 120Ti's as "under the radar" and a B4Bux answer)

[DerekTheGreat]

Soundcraftsmen? Ashly? Emotiva? I've heard lots about their gear and the reading I've done seems to support that they make good stuff. Been waiting for an Ashly MFA-8000 to come up. A Soundcraftsmen A-5002 has a lot of rep to it as well. Someday, I'd like to confirm these things.

I think those 120Ti's are starting to creep up in price. The ads I've seen recently all quote the L112 and say the 120Ti is the next step up. Ain't so sure I agree, never heard one and in the words of Joe Walsh, "Ain't never been there, they tell me it's nice.." but I really like my L150A's. I wonder just how much better that titanium tweeter is and if the mid is any smoother or more articulate than the LE5-12. Might be a dirty word here but Klipsch Cornwalls and Chorus/Forte series can still be had for close to or less than $1,000 bux. I wrote a lil review regarding the Cornies vs the L150A and while the L's get my vote of approval, the Klipsch stuff was good enough such that I'm trying to get a hold of some Chorus II's...

New stuff? I dunno, I was looking into Emotiva stuff a month or so ago. Speakers though? Meh, don't like anything new, it's all Chinesium & Thaitanium. So are amps and stuff though now too.

[SEAWOLF97]

vI wonder just how much better that titanium tweeter is and if the mid is any smoother or more articulate than the LE5-12.

the 044Ti was their TOTL when produced .

[DerekTheGreat]

the 044Ti was their TOTL when produced .

That's what they say and what I've heard, but what does my ear think? I'd love to audition a set of something with that tweeter in them, like say some 240ti's but no dice. Not sure I'm comfortable just spending a cool $300+ on a set only to find I don't like them as much ya know? Could always resell them, but dealing with people from a seller's perspective has yet to be a positive experience for me.

[grumpy]

There is some crossover/EQ finesse required to get the best out of a 044Ti ... and the foam might be shot (same foam issue with an unmaintained 044).

I wouldn't personally recommend just dropping a 044Ti pair into a system designed for the 044, but one certainly could (watch out for threaded holes vs clear through holes re mounting).

[Robh3606]

I will cast another vote for Emotiva as I have some of their gear and it's well made and sounds great. Revel speakers even new offer really impressive performance I really like my Performa F206's The new near fields are well worth it as well especially on sale.

Rob

[rusty jefferson]

.....SO , the Q is : what is there in the audio world (new or used) that fills the bang for bux answer ?.....

A few things come to mind. Several models of Elac speakers would qualify. Also speakers from GR Research in Texas. They sell cnc cut flatpack diy speaker kits including the panels, drivers, and crossovers. Out of date website, but a good following, including a YouTube channel.

One of the best budget pieces has to be the Raspberry pi 4 with the Ropieeexl OS. Surprisingly good network music server that's worthy of combining with a high quality d to a converter, for about $100. Adding a battery supply in place of the smps or a LPS for the pi and a split usb cable improves performance remarkably.

Many pieces from ifi Audio have very good sound quality at reasonable prices. The idsd dac and itube buffer/preamp are good values.

[Don C]

Monoprice.