Hifi Gear/Components that you Regretted buying.

[sandeepmohan]

And then not get swayed by the bandwagon, the hype or the bargains.

A large part of the problem lies here. If you are fortunate enough to spend time with the equipment, then I guess the blame falls on you.
However, with some equipment, especially loudspeakers, it is impossible to judge how they will respond in your room, without actually bringing it into your space.

It is just as hard with electronics as at the time you demo a certain piece of equipment, it is not with what you own. Its what the Dealer has or owns. You can't say how a particular piece of equipment will perform under your chain, cables, furniture, your furry dog or cat in the room. What have you.

Bargains are the biggest money pit. Its a mental addiction. You are swayed into something you probably don't need. This isn't relegated to audio video equipment. Its everything.

 

[G401fan]

Every single CD player purchased over the last 30 years: Sony, Yamaha, NAD, Cambridge Audio (the worst - needed repairs a dozen times), Soul Note (dropped dead one day), Quad and Denon - in chronological order. Transports, lenses and touch controls - maybe our tropical climate is just not suited.

Meanwhile, my non-electronic, all-mechanical, 67-year old Garrard 301 continues to wonder and delight,

 

[greenhorn]

Every single CD player purchased over the last 30 years: Sony, Yamaha, NAD, Cambridge Audio (the worst - needed repairs a dozen times), Soul Note (dropped dead one day), Quad and Denon - in chronological order. Transports, lenses and touch controls - maybe our tropical climate is just not suited.

Meanwhile, my non-electronic, all-mechanical, 67-year old Garrard 301 continues to wonder and delight,

Consider the transport mechanism a wear and tear item like a stylus. A new full sf-p101 mechanism costs about as much as a stylus. Stockpile a few, learn to replace them, or use your friendly neighborhood repair shop and you'll be happy.

 

[rwnano]

Regret buying Jamo small speakers. S602. They're alright for surround sound duty with a good tweeter.

 

[arunkvivek]

Mostly DIY components as I tend to overestimate my building abilities.
Tang band w5-2143.. got it with a intent to build desktop FR speakers.. Regret was not mainly because of performance but due to the fact that the design that I chose was difficult to DIY (XKi).. I have been postponing the build for 5 years now.

 

[Bhaskar Jyoti Talapatra]

So far I have never regretted buying any rigs except some NM condition vinyls (as cried up by sellers) which in reality appeared to have watched the great world wars yet survived kind of things tormenting both the stylus and my mind. However , after having spent my childhood with HMV fiesta i bought a philips hi q international when I got job and continued my vinyl journey. Back in 2017 I thought to upgrade my turntable and after searching i bought a Technics SL J2 quartz TT (pre owned) from kolkata. As I returned home and tried to spin records i understood i bought a problem . Instead of singing it began crying and I , a stupid buyer was further scolded by my wife for spending money for a crap. I was happy at the time of buying as I thought I was going to own the legendary Technics (which is my dream even today) but later I became sad. Later , i returned this TT to its owner and got back peace of mind. Moral of the story , vintage gears may be good but those are not everyone's cup of tea.
Regards

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Mostly DIY components as I tend to overestimate my building abilities.
Tang band w5-2143.. got it with a intent to build desktop FR speakers.. Regret was not mainly because of performance but due to the fact that the design that I chose was difficult to DIY (XKi).. I have been postponing the build for 5 years now.

I can sympathise with you

Anyone who thinks DIY is cheaper is just plain wrong. This is a proper time and money pit. The sheer choice of options is mind blowing from selection of drivers to baffle material to internal wire and even binding posts. One has to research everything. This is not like auditoning a speaker in a store and taking a call.

I've been reading and researching all my waking hours for close to a year now, and Iam still not wiser than when I started. Had I studied with the same gusto in my younger years, would have probably cracked UPSC. Not to mention all the money sunk in accumulating a cabinet full of drivers.

 

[arunkvivek]

I can sympathise with you

Anyone who thinks DIY is cheaper is just plain wrong. This is a proper time and money pit. The sheer choice of options is mind blowing from selection of drivers to baffle material to internal wire and even binding posts. One has to research everything. This is not like auditoning a speaker in a store and taking a call.

I've been reading and researching all my waking hours for close to a year now, and Iam still not wiser than when I started. Had I studied with the same gusto in my younger years, would have probably cracked UPSC. Not to mention all the money sunk in accumulating a cabinet full of drivers.

Thankfully, I finished 3 pairs of simple bass reflex for surrounds and Atmos..I am hoarding 2 pairs of tangband as of now.

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Thankfully, I finished 3 pairs of simple bass reflex for surrounds and Atmos..I am hoarding 2 pairs of tangband as of now.

Congratulations

I think Iam still atleast a year way from picking up the saw

 

[panditji]

This is a dangerous thread..Would advise to refrain from posting unless nobody buys the equipment you are selling and when you have exhausted all options to sell..

Also unfair to the buyers to whom you have sold your equipment and now they get to know its was the worst piece you had owned

 

[kapvin]

I can sympathise with you

Anyone who thinks DIY is cheaper is just plain wrong. This is a proper time and money pit. The sheer choice of options is mind blowing from selection of drivers to baffle material to internal wire and even binding posts. One has to research everything. This is not like auditoning a speaker in a store and taking a call.

I've been reading and researching all my waking hours for close to a year now, and Iam still not wiser than when I started. Had I studied with the same gusto in my younger years, would have probably cracked UPSC. Not to mention all the money sunk in accumulating a cabinet full of drivers.

It needn't be. the first point of DIY entry should be an established and published design. Of course, if one leaps at the deep end and tries to do a multiway with no prior experience with the drivers they choose, then it can be a hit and miss, but still a learning experience. I would not discourage anyone, just point to the complexity of the task ahead.

Most important, if you are going DIY is to throw some "audiophile notions" out of the window. Those get in the way of learning. Things that I would excise from a learners toolkit are 1. first order crossovers: create more problems than they solve; 2. Esoteric cabling for in cabinet connections, 3. multi-way systems - understand driver interaction in a 2 way first before adding complexity. 4. Vapourware or esoteric drivers - you'll be surprised how many budget drivers give outstanding performance and many premium drivers are notoriously troublesome (Seas Mg, I am looking at you)

 

[Kannan]

I have purchased and sold/gave off quite a few stuff over the past 3.5 deacdes but cannot say that I ever regretted buying anything in particular irrespective of the price point.
I generally try and squeeze the best out of what I have before letting that go.
However, recently I tried my hand at getting into vinyl as I got a bunch of vinyls at a cheap price. Even purchased a new TT, but within a couple days I realized it is not my cup of tea and it was soon gone along with all the vinyls.
Won't again use the word regret as the limitation was me and not the equipment.

However, it will also be interesting to discuss what ONE REGRETS LETTING GO....I have a few in that list,
One I can point out was the Truth Preamp that a procured from a FM (though it was for someone esle), I got to keep it for a few days before giving off, but really would have loved to keep it for myself.

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

It needn't be. the first point of DIY entry should be an established and published design. Of course, if one leaps at the deep end and tries to do a multiway with no prior experience with the drivers they choose, then it can be a hit and miss, but still a learning experience. I would not discourage anyone, just point to the complexity of the task ahead.

Most important, if you are going DIY is to throw some "audiophile notions" out of the window. Those get in the way of learning. Things that I would excise from a learners toolkit are 1. first order crossovers: create more problems than they solve; 2. Esoteric cabling for in cabinet connections, 3. multi-way systems - understand driver interaction in a 2 way first before adding complexity. 4. Vapourware or esoteric drivers - you'll be surprised how many budget drivers give outstanding performance and many premium drivers are notoriously troublesome (Seas Mg, I am looking at you)

Thanks for the sage advise. Makes sense and I fully agree with the same

Though implementation is the key to great sound. The idea was to build a speaker, I could never afford to buy. So it's been an ambitious build from the start. And it's easier to get carried away when a project is driven more by passion than dry sceince. And as a result, I ended up with what I've hoarded now. Atleast the final outcome, if disastrous, will be a result of poor implementation, rather than poor components I hope

Iam an advocate of copying successful designs. And there are plenty of them out there. So I will stick with them, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel with my non-existant knowledge. And for the sake of flexibility, for correcting any goof-ups I make along the way. This will be completely digital with active crossovers. Will consider making a passive crossover if I really like the outcome. But that is very unlikely at the moment.

 

[bornfi]

This is a dangerous thread..Would advise to refrain from posting unless nobody buys the equipment you are selling and when you have exhausted all options to sell..

Also unfair to the buyers to whom you have sold your equipment and now they get to know its was the worst piece you had owned

I think that is okay and folks should not take data from this thread to drive their decision-engine. Most of you would agree, that experiences shared here are just ones opinion, not the final judgement. We all hear/perceive audio differently, and very differently and, mano ya na mano, depth of the pocket($) always creeps in while you are making the decision. So, the lesson is that try to get something that you like, not what others like.

For me Auralic Vega didn't work but it has several very positive reviews all across the internet.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

This is a dangerous thread..Would advise to refrain from posting unless nobody buys the equipment you are selling and when you have exhausted all options to sell..

Also unfair to the buyers to whom you have sold your equipment and now they get to know its was the worst piece you had owned

I haven’t sold any of the gear I’ve posted that I regretted buying. But even if I did so tomorrow, I won’t mind telling the buyer that it didn’t suit my system/room or my taste - whatever the case may be.

The buyer shouldn’t buy stuff based on the seller’s recommendation anyway - conflict of interest and all that. I’ve done that in the past when I bought a set of speaker cables as a third buyer (at least) at 28k (by far my costliest cables) based on the reviews/feedback of its sellers before. Only to realise they were too unwieldy in my space and didn’t do anything perceivable in my modest system. There were absolutely no reviews of these long discontinued cables anywhere on the net otherwise. But I don’t put any blame on the seller(s). It was my decision and therefore my responsibility to assess.

For some reason buyers seek solace from the reason mentioned by the seller. So we hardly see any of the ‘for sale’ ads state the reason ‘don’t like’ when that’s usually a very common reason. We mostly read ‘upgrading’ or ‘have too many… ’.

 

[square_wave]

I am tempted to mention one or two names here, but I have refrained from doing so as they were all related to matching issues. Room acoustics and associated constraints, listener preferences, and gear match inconsistencies often play a significant role. Frequently, we attempt to retrofit something that is entirely incompatible with a system, leading us to the erroneous conclusion that the equipment is subpar.

Example - I once tried Naim amplification with Blumenhofer speakers. You can imagine!! I recently heard a full naim stack driving one of the most revealing active speakers ever, the Kudos Titan 505 active. Wow !! You pair Blumeonhofer with Valve or Class A low power amp and they sound like heaven.

 

[sunilmkhan]

I am tempted to mention one or two names here, but I have refrained from doing so as they were all related to matching issues. Room acoustics and associated constraints, listener preferences, and gear match inconsistencies often play a significant role. Frequently, we attempt to retrofit something that is entirely incompatible with a system, leading us to the erroneous conclusion that the equipment is subpar.

Example - I once tried Naim amplification with Blumenhofer speakers. You can imagine!! I recently heard a full naim stack driving one of the most revealing active speakers ever, the Kudos Titan 505 active. Wow !! You pair Blumeonhofer with Valve or Class A low power amp and they sound like heaven.

HI Square wave,
I'm relatively new to this forum. Are you the Uday Reddy who wrote in Soundstage? I have Leben CS600X and Sonneteer Alabaster amplifiers with Falcon LS3/5a GB. Planning to add a larger speaker in future when budget permits. Speakers in short list are Kudos 505, 606, Fyne F8 and Qualio IQ. Fyne brand suggested by Arj. Haven't heard any of these. Saw your comment on 505. Any experience with the others and how do they compare?
Sonneteer tune their amplifiers with Jamo Concert 8, Penaudio and an old Tannoy speakers. Any opinion on these? Tried Jamo used but no success as yet. Any favorite of yours from the above list?

 

[square_wave]

HI Square wave,
I'm relatively new to this forum. Are you the Uday Reddy who wrote in Soundstage? I have Leben CS600X and Sonneteer Alabaster amplifiers with Falcon LS3/5a GB. Planning to add a larger speaker in future when budget permits. Speakers in short list are Kudos 505, 606, Fyne F8 and Qualio IQ. Fyne brand suggested by Arj. Haven't heard any of these. Saw your comment on 505. Any experience with the others and how do they compare?
Sonneteer tune their amplifiers with Jamo Concert 8, Penaudio and an old Tannoy speakers. Any opinion on these? Tried Jamo used but no success as yet. Any favorite of yours from the above list?

Nope. I am not that man

I have heard all those speakers although in different conditions. Some at shows and some at dealers.

The amplifiers are really nice and deserve good speakers. If you're considering higher-end models like the Fyne F8, you might want to look at amplifiers that are a step above in the product line. The F8 speakers are super revealing and need to be matched with the best. You'll hear everything through those speakers.

The F8 is a brilliant speaker, perfect for a mature listener. It takes classical, jazz, and classic rock to the next level and works well with electronic music too. It needs a great amp and matching cables, which is crucial. The Leben amplifier might work, but it's a good idea to do some research to ensure compatibility.

The Kudos 606 is another very revealing all-rounder speaker, just like all Kudos speakers. Due to its low sensitivity, it may not pair well with certain amplifiers.

The Kudos 505 offers similar qualities but with slightly lower bass output. However, it still delivers impressive bass. It needs an amp that is not overly bright but still revealing and capable of high power delivery. Using a small amp with any Kudos speaker may result in a sound that is a bit bright with weak bass.

Old tannoy speakers are nice too. Talk to a few tannoy nuts to make sure you buy only the best models. Fyne will outshine "SOME" of the tannoy models so tread with care.

The Qualio IQ is also a great all-rounder speaker, doing justice to various music genres. I liked the tone of this speaker, and offers more bass and overall frequency coverage compared to other speakers. Adequate space is necessary for the bass to load properly; otherwise, it may overpower the room.

Do consider Kerr Acoustic K300 MK3 and Proacs as well.

 

[sunilmkhan]

Nope. I am not that man

I have heard all those speakers although in different conditions. Some at shows and some at dealers.

The amplifiers are really nice and deserve good speakers. If you're considering higher-end models like the Fyne F8, you might want to look at amplifiers that are a step above in the product line. The F8 speakers are super revealing and need to be matched with the best. You'll hear everything through those speakers.

The F8 is a brilliant speaker, perfect for a mature listener. It takes classical, jazz, and classic rock to the next level and works well with electronic music too. It needs a great amp and matching cables, which is crucial. The Leben amplifier might work, but it's a good idea to do some research to ensure compatibility.

The Kudos 606 is another very revealing all-rounder speaker, just like all Kudos speakers. Due to its low sensitivity, it may not pair well with certain amplifiers.

The Kudos 505 offers similar qualities but with slightly lower bass output. However, it still delivers impressive bass. It needs an amp that is not overly bright but still revealing and capable of high power delivery. Using a small amp with any Kudos speaker may result in a sound that is a bit bright with weak bass.

Old tannoy speakers are nice too. Talk to a few tannoy nuts to make sure you buy only the best models. Fyne will outshine "SOME" of the tannoy models so tread with care.

The Qualio IQ is also a great all-rounder speaker, doing justice to various music genres. I liked the tone of this speaker, and offers more bass and overall frequency coverage compared to other speakers. Adequate space is necessary for the bass to load properly; otherwise, it may overpower the room.

Do consider Kerr Acoustic K300 MK3 and Proacs as well.

Thanks for the detailed reply. Any amplifier suggestions from your side for Fyne and Kudos? Norma IPA140 ? Of the speakers mentioned above, which your personal favorite?

 

[square_wave]

Maybe move this to a different thread. This is very off topic on this thread. I will send you a message.