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Your worst HiFi/Audio purchases ever...?

Earlier this year I bought a Rotel A11 tribute to use with the Minstrels. Really didn’t like it at all. It made a loud clunk when being powered on and had garish bright blue LEDs. I didn’t care much for the sound. Replaced with a Rega IO which is a lovely little amplifier.
 
Linn Isobariks. I had been caught by the hype. I already had Linn amps and an LP12 and I’d received a bonus from work so I thought This was my chance. They were later versions with external (stand) crossover. No matter how I positioned them they sounded just plain dull. Doesn’t help when they are so ugly either.
 
I had a job at an appliance store as a callow youth & decided that replacing my lovely beautiful silver Technics SU-V3 amplifier with a current model Technics would help get my system into the 90s. Well, the new one had a hugely inferior phono stage that I couldn’t believe could be so bad! - really small & gritty sounding. Unfortunately I’d sold the V3 to pay for it.

I sold the new amplifier on, making a good buck on the sale as I’d only paid cost plus GST for it. A used Arcam Alpha took its place but it wasn’t for years that I got really good sound again, with my restored A60.
 
Lot of hate but where is the love?

My single best purchase and one of the most significant products in hi-fi history in my opinion. The eighties Rega Planar3/RB300.

My very first separates turntable was a Dual 505 but this piece of plastic junk was quickly replaced by the Rega. I had to save for it, I had to wait for it and I had to carry it home on the train but good grief was it worth it.

It's all blurred by the passing of time but it's important to understand how revolutionary the Rega decks were at the time There only were two, the Planar 2 and 3. Firstly, they didn't cost that much more than rubbish like the Dual and the difference in build and sound quality was night and day. You could plug a Planar3 into a revealing system and get proper hi-fi out. Lifetime warranty. Amazing back then and Rega still offer it today. And the design is pure genius.

The RB300 arm is a topic on its own but revolutionary doesn't cover it. So remarkable Rega have dominated the tonearm market ever since. For them to field tonearms that sounded this good with that ground breaking armtube at a budget price was mind blowing.

And the rest of the deck is a work of art too. It would be at home in a design exhibition beside B&O but it arrives at this elegance using solid engineering sense and clever solutions. A design so correct that improvements were incremental and today's Rega decks still look almost exactly the same. There is no part of the deck that is there purely for aesthetic reasons. Every part has a function yet the end result is beautiful.

Gripes? The three feet and lid hinges could trip up the unwary but other than that the deck was a joy to use and sounded fantastic for the money. Yes, my LP12s sound better but it was a lot more work and expense getting the same level of simple satisfaction out of them. The Rega's sins were of omission and the entire time I owned it the deck just worked. Not just went around but played every record you put on it and made you love it all.

Making great products that cost a lot is one thing. Giving people real quality and value at the lowest price possible deserves much more respect. That's what Rega did with these decks and they've been doing ever since. If they are not the best Hi-Fi manufacturer in the country I have no idea who is.
 
Mr Pig said:
Lot of hate but where is the love?

My single best purchase and one of the most significant products in hi-fi history in my opinion. The eighties Rega Planar3/RB300.

My very first separates turntable was a Dual 505 but this piece of plastic junk was quickly replaced by the Rega. I had to save for it, I had to wait for it and I had to carry it home on the train but good grief was it worth it.

It's all blurred by the passing of time but it's important to understand how revolutionary the Rega decks were at the time There only were two, the Planar 2 and 3. Firstly, they didn't cost that much more than rubbish like the Dual and the difference in build and sound quality was night and day. You could plug a Planar3 into a revealing system and get proper hi-fi out. Lifetime warranty. Amazing back then and Rega still offer it today. And the design is pure genius.

The RB300 arm is a topic on its own but revolutionary doesn't cover it. So remarkable Rega have dominated the tonearm market ever since. For them to field tonearms that sounded this good with that ground breaking armtube at a budget price was mind blowing.

And the rest of the deck is a work of art too. It would be at home in a design exhibition beside B&O but it arrives at this elegance using solid engineering sense and clever solutions. A design so correct that improvements were incremental and today's Rega decks still look almost exactly the same. There is no part of the deck that is there purely for aesthetic reasons. Every part has a function yet the end result is beautiful.

Gripes? The three feet and lid hinges could trip up the unwary but other than that the deck was a joy to use and sounded fantastic for the money. Yes, my LP12s sound better but it was a lot more work and expense getting the same level of simple satisfaction out of them. The Rega's sins were of omission and the entire time I owned it the deck just worked. Not just went around but played every record you put on it and made you love it all.

Making great products that cost a lot is one thing. Giving people real quality and value at the lowest price possible deserves much more respect. That's what Rega did with these decks and they've been doing ever since. If they are not the best Hi-Fi manufacturer in the country I have no idea who is.
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My first TT as a student was the plastic plinthed Dual 505- every dealer seemed to be flogging it. Kept it for about 6 years then bought a s/h red button LP12 with SME 3009 once I had a bit of cash. I couldn’t believe how good it sounded next to the Dual. I was smitten. I still have the rest of that first system in a cupboard- Pioneer SX757 and Castle Tynes. I need to get the receiver fixed and give them a listen.
 
Wilson Watt/Puppy Series 5. I was living in the US of A in the 1990s and Wilson speakers were considered the ultimate. A used pair came on sale and I bought them. I could never get on with them, despite trying to convince myself that they sounded good. Somehow the notes were all there but the music was missing. They just had no soul. Replaced them with a used pair of Proac Response 1’s and the fun was back.

I’ve now been the happy owner of Living Voice Airscouts for over 20 years and they are nothing if not soul.
 
TheDecameron said:
My first TT as a student was the plastic plinthed Dual 505- every dealer seemed to be flogging it.
Click to expand...

They were terrible but you could buy them anywhere. I had the deluxe which cost £20 more but looked a lot better. Rega only had fifty dealers at that point and a waiting list.
 
geofff said:
Wilson Watt/Puppy Series 5. I was living in the US of A in the 1990s and Wilson speakers were considered the ultimate. A used pair came on sale and I bought them. I could never get on with them, despite trying to convince myself that they sounded good. Somehow the notes were all there but the music was missing. They just had no soul. Replaced them with a used pair of Proac Response 1’s and the fun was back.

I’ve now been the happy owner of Living Voice Airscouts for over 20 years and they are nothing if not soul.
Click to expand...
I’ve heard a few Wilsons and they are very impressive. The problem, as you say, is they don’t play music, can’t carry a tune.
 
Alex S said:
I’ve heard a few Wilsons and they are very impressive. The problem, as you say, is they don’t play music, can’t carry a tune.
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I've only heard them once but that was my exact take. Great hi-fi but zero soul. A lot of hi-end kit is like that.
 
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