What is the one piece of equipment you wished you never let go of?

musicphil

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We are are all looking for audio nirvana, many will have swapped / sold on lots of their equipment over the years looking for that audio nirvana.
What piece of equipment have you regretted selling on/trading in etc?
You might have one piece or like me, many pieces of equipment!
 
There has been a lot of kit shuffling here over the years. Some equipment I've sold without looking back, but there has been a few things I've regretted selling at various times.

The main 'parting regrets' have been for a Naim Nait 3, Thorens TD150MkII AB, Creek 4030R and Exposure 1010.

Finally these regrets are leaving me, as the system I've assembled combines all the qualities I have been seeking more completely than anything I've ever had.
 
I've only had three main systems my entire life (not counting a number of convenience music playing devices over the years, none of which made any lasting impression on me). And I still have two of them.

The one thing I miss most is my old Yahama TC-800D cassette deck. Not because I want to record and play cassettes now - I most definitely don't - but because it was so beautiful. So if I still had it, it would just be as a good-looking boat anchor.

But I'm actually 50/50 over whether I wish I hadn't got rid of it. It looked great externally, but internally hadn't stood the test of time. It would have needed new belts and new heads, and other bits of the mechanics were all gunged up and jammed. So if I had kept it, I'm sure I would have wasted countless hours trying to fix it, almost certainly without success. Still, if that's my biggest audio disposal regret, I suppose I'm pretty lucky really.
 
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Rotel RC-970BX & RB-970BX. Back in the nineties played music all the time but never properly listened to it. Replaced this with a Sony integrated for the convenience of remote control. Fool! Would love to audition it again today.
 
Around 20 years ago I gave away my first ever speakers to a work colleague (Wharfedale Lintons). In my memory from my mis spent youth they sounded amazing but I suspect there is a massive chunk of nostalgia mixed in there. The trouble is I now can't bring myself to get rid of anything so have boxes of old kit cluttering up the loft.
 
Fancied a change a few years ago to a Pre/Power set up and foolishly sold on my lovely Creek Evolution 5350 integrated amp (the last version, and the model between the Evo 2 and Destiny). That was a cracking amp and I regret to this day selling it on, rather than keeping it. That Pre/Power itch has now been well and truly itched and I'm back to a good old trusty integrated.
 
That Pre/Power itch has now been well and truly itched ....

I think you mean scratched ;)

Sorry to be pedantic but i had the same line said to me earlier today and i couldn't let that one go either :)

Not completely a regret but i should of put more of an effort to keep.
I had a pair of Proac studio 1 mk2 speakers which were very sweet sounding but the foam on both drivers had disintegrated and the tweeter gone on one of them. I bulked at the £500 cost to get them repaired by a Proac dealer only 3 miles from where i lived at the time. Looking back I wish i put more effort into getting them repaired or holding onto them until i could. They were much more worthy than just being sold practically as carcasses
 
2 Côme to mind....Jamo Concert 8 speakers and Anthony Gallo reference 3.1 speakers. Sadness all round when these departed. :(
 
Technically not hifi....but as you ask!

I'm going down a different path here and remembering good times I had with 'poor' gear. Good to me in the day only making 4-5 quid an hour..

Sennheiser PX200 headphones
Creative Zen Touch mp3 player

Me and it did many miles to and from work (2.5h round trip) and many walks across the city to visit friends.

Happy days.

Sadly the Zen Touch ended up in the washing machine and was was replaced by a newer/smaller Zen micro. Kept that til it was stolen.
 
I've had a huge turnover in kit over the last ten years, and still have a lot now.

The thing I really regret selling was my Onkyo PR-SC886 processor that had been modified by the Upgrade Company.

I really don't know what I was thinking when I sold that.

Nick
 
I upgraded my Dynaudio Excite X10 to Focus 160, but I think pound-for-pound the Excites were way better, they took up less space and looked gorgeous in cherry veneer.

I can't disagree that the Focus sound better, but it's not by much.
 
Sony SDP-EP9ES processor

Used with my laserdisc player for AC3 now would like to use again but can not find at a sensible price an AC3 demodulator :(
 
Optonica RP-7100 turntable - solid performance and so cool to have track selection on a record deck.

Joe
 
For me it was a Cambridge Audio 650A and 650C with Monitor Audio Silver RX1's. It was my first 'real' hifi and a lot of money for me back then.

In hindsight, I loved the way it sounded and looked. I remember listening to Run by Snow Patrol, live Mencap version and it literally gave me goosebumps. I have spent literally thousands on better speakers, better amps etc, and I have yet to find another pairing that has given me that 'goosebump' effect.
 
I didn't exactly sell or lose my gear, I more "left them" along with my ex wife..... The hifi itself was actually quite modest and would not now, be considered "audiophile" at all. It was a Denon D100 system coupled to a pair of Kef Q15.2 speakers. The Denon cost around the £600, I think the speakers were around £200, but the whole thing came together to provide the most detail via cd I have ever heard. Sure the Denon only had 40watts per channel and the Kef's were hmmmm.... unbalanced, but the detail......wow! I heard sounds on cd that just sounded so fantastic. Sure , with bright cd's it wasn't the best (however, the amp did have tone controls), but with well recorded source material, it was fantastic. Percussion and cymbals/bells/triangles were, well, brilliant. Almost makes me regret leaving the ex...(almost) 👍
 
I once sold a Marantz PM6010SE amplifier for £30 (in 2007) because one of channels would sometimes cut out. Since found out it was probably just the balance pot that needing cleaning. I replaced it with a Cambridge Azure 640A which died three years later. I now run a Marantz 6003 which is very similar to the PM6010 I sold :(. I also sold a Yamaha cassette deck at the same time as I thought I would never use it again. To be fair I was going on holiday to Berlin and a recent graduate I needed all the money I could I get :).

Not sold a single item of hifi since, as I always regret it unless it is something I know I won't miss.
 
For me it was a Cambridge Audio 650A and 650C with Monitor Audio Silver RX1's. It was my first 'real' hifi and a lot of money for me back then.

In hindsight, I loved the way it sounded and looked. I remember listening to Run by Snow Patrol, live Mencap version and it literally gave me goosebumps. I have spent literally thousands on better speakers, better amps etc, and I have yet to find another pairing that has given me that 'goosebump' effect.

Sometimes the lesson is know when to stop, after 20 years I still haven't learned that though :D
 
I didn't exactly sell or lose my gear, I more "left them" along with my ex wife..... The hifi itself was actually quite modest and would not now, be considered "audiophile" at all. It was a Denon D100 system coupled to a pair of Kef Q15.2 speakers. The Denon cost around the £600, I think the speakers were around £200, but the whole thing came together to provide the most detail via cd I have ever heard. Sure the Denon only had 40watts per channel and the Kef's were hmmmm.... unbalanced, but the detail......wow! I heard sounds on cd that just sounded so fantastic. Sure , with bright cd's it wasn't the best (however, the amp did have tone controls), but with well recorded source material, it was fantastic. Percussion and cymbals/bells/triangles were, well, brilliant. Almost makes me regret leaving the ex...(almost) 👍
I note there is some "laughter" at my post. Would you care to elaborate?
 
For me it was a Rotel 870BX pre/power and my TDL Studio 1's. Why did I sell? No idea, think it was because I moved from Durham (home) to Hull. Wished I still had those speakers, bought new in 1990
 
OMG, I have had lots of various pieces of equipment over the last 35 /40 years all to suit each of the music rooms in each Flat /houses etc I have had.
Things I shouldnt have let go.....
Hafler P225 power amp, lovely sound mosfet amp at the time.
MF A270 power amp plus a Harmon Kardon Citation 11 pre amp stunning pairing of amps
Magnum 300 pre/power amps - beasts !
And most recently an Icon audio 40 stereo valve amp.
Kef ref 104 speakers truly stunning in the right location.
My original Linn Sondek Ittok AT9 MC set up - sold complete with nearly 4000 vinyl albums back in 92/93....Having re purchased my Linn set up.😃
I have spent the last few years buying back my vinyl !!!!!!👏
Yep spent a bit on audio over the years but I must admit I have loved the journey ........
 
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