Highest-end gear you've found at a thrift

My best scores always happen at garage sales or hidden Craigslist finds. Perhaps my best audio thrift find was a minty pair of JBL L100t3's or a set of Klipsch Heresy's.
 
Wow!!! Some nice scores, here.
I haven't had luck at thrift stores.... But over the years I've done OK at Garage Sales, Estate Sales and 'Lawnmart' (trash day finds). In no particular order:
Rega Planar 2 at a church rummage sale for $4
Carver C1, TX11, and 225 or 250 wpc amp at a Garage sale for $30 - Amp didn't work and was sold as 'boat anchor with meters' for $125
Realistic branded Teac Reel to Reel and about 4 metal take up reels on Lawnmart
Teac R to R 10 1/2 inch reels (don't remember the model) at a garage sale for $15
NHT super zero pair from Lawnmart
Parasound 2100 pre-amp and Adcom GFA 545 II at an estate sale for $100, and they threw in a VPI record cleaner.
A handful of CD changers at garage sales.

In the 80s as people were replacing their LPs with CDs - countless turntables for almost nothing, that were flipped.

There's more - but that's just what comes to mind.

Some of this was 'horsetraded' to keep this addiction affordable.
 
Friday I passed on a Yamaha CT-7000 Tuner at Goodwill for $24.99.Lit up when plugged in an thought long and hard about it, but, Radio Stations in Southern Oregon absolutely sucks.

Opus

These things sell for north of a grand all day on the Bay. The case would likely run over $100. I would have snatched that thing and paid for it ASAP and hope nobody mugged me in the parking lot.
 
These things sell for north of a grand all day on the Bay. The case would likely run over $100. I would have snatched that thing and paid for it ASAP and hope nobody mugged me in the parking lot.
Ouch!That was a mistake leaving that behind.To be honest I never heard of this tuner until now..
 
In order of recency .....
Yamaha TX-930, $23
Yamaha T-80, $15
Philips CD-60, $24 (absolute minty!!!! I mean perfect!)
HK 430, $37 (VG condition)
3D Acoustics 3d6 satellite speakers, $17 (with working tweeters no less!)
ADS L570, $34 (missing fuses for tweeters)
MIT MI-330 shotgun interconnects with CAMAC ends, $6 ea. (4x 2m and single 1m)
Madrigal interconnects with CAMAC ends, $6 ea. (2x 2m, 1x 1m)

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I remember off the top of my head.
 
The closest items to high-end that I've found at a thrift store are a Dual 1019 turntable and a Sony PS6750 turntable for about $45 each. I no longer have them.
 
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All it took was finding a Luxman R-115 I knew NOTHING about, at Goodwill for $24.99 to rekindle the love affair with hifi. Do you remember when AM radio ruled? The volume knob was broken and the tuner sounded scratchy but the more I listened to it the more I remarked at how good it sounded. Since then, the "chasing it" aspect of being an "audiophile" (whatever that really is) kicked in hard. Just in the last year I've tried to best the Lux with HK, new marantaz, Nad, Nak, vintage Kenwood, vintage Onkyo etc.

I was also lucky enough to find a Marantz cc38 for $7.99. My point to all of this is that if it wasn't for the thrift stores of the word, I would have forgotten the world of music moving the soul. That, and saving it from "the island of misfit toys" where society throws old things in the landfill because it's not "made for iPod"
 
I used to find quite a lot, here is a partial list. Mcintosh MC 240, MC 20, Harmon Kardon Citation II, Citation V, REL Precedent, Empire 298, 498 & 598. Altec Flamencos, NOS AR3a's, NOS Weathers Tonearm.
Magnepan MG III, Magnepan Tympanies, Thorens TD 124, Garrard 301, Miracord 10H, 50H and 770H, HK/Rabco, NOS Paco tube integrated and tube tuner (these were new in box never built kits), Dynaco Stereo 70,
Pas 3, FM3 and Pat 5, Technics 1300, 1350, 1500, just about every Dual turntable ever made, NOS Fisher tube mixer, Fisher 50, FM 90X, Apt Holman preamp. All of these were under $15.00 except the MG III's
which were $150.00. Most of it was $5.00.

Some stuff seen but not bought, Electro Voice Regency's, Bozak Concert Grands, countless Fisher, Sherwood and Scott tube receivers and integrateds and SS 70's receivers. ( I have never been into receivers/integrated's).

This was all from about 1978 to about 1992, and most of it was in what they called the as is section in the back where everything was $5.00 or less, stuff they considered to old to sell, and when it didn't after five days, it
went right into the huge dumpsters which is where all those Fisher receivers would go along with the Fisher Consoles and Magnavox Concert Grands.
 
I once found a pair of Technics SB-7 – magnificent speakers with a leaf tweeter! I didn't take them though as I already have a pair of SB-10. :p
 
I've not found anything you would consider 'high-end' in shops in England, but I have bought from a few. Cash Convertors had a few things lately, including:

Technics SB30A Surround speakers for £20
Sony D99 Discman for £30
Sony MDS-S9 minidisc player for £20

From the British Heart Foundation:

Technics SL-PJ44 CD Player £15
Technics ST-X302L Tuner £10
Sony CFS-W500L Boom-box £20

Found quite a bit at car boot sales:

Technics SB-F2 Speakers £10 (love these!)
Technics Cassette Deck (can't remember the model) - FREE!!!
Sony FH-7 MK2 £10 (another favourite!)
Pioneer CLD- D515 Laserdisc Player - £15
Marantz CD5001 cd player - £8, plays a bit funny though, first few tracks sound like its underwater, then ok after that, I must clean the sled one day!
Sony MHC-1600 system £18, another unit that needs new belts in the decks, but all works ok other than that!

Good Old eBay has turned some gems too

Aiwa 22 - £50, granted the tape deck needs new belts and I don't have the pre-amp either
Numerous Sony Walkmans - slightly addicted to these, along with Discmans and Minidisc players too!
Goodmans Mini 2X Speakers - £20 inc postage, I wasn't expecting much of these, how wrong I was! They are tiny with aluminium cases, measuring 188x122x96mm, these things ROCK! I need a new tweeter for one though sadly!

My best was actually given to me for free by a work colleague's father when he updated his system!

Spendor SA-1 Mini Monitors - I will never part with these, they are simply amazing speakers, even though they aren't currently set-up with any particular care!
NAD 3020 Amp - works a treat, connected to the Spendors.
Kenwood 3020 SE amp - I think that's the model number, can't remember off hand, its stashed in a cupboard!

I also bought from a different work colleague
2 x Marantz CD players
2 X Marantz Amps

Their model numbers escape me now, but was £50 for the lot with all remotes and cables!
 
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I used to find quite a lot, here is a partial list. Mcintosh MC 240, MC 20, Harmon Kardon Citation II, Citation V, REL Precedent, Empire 298, 498 & 598. Altec Flamencos, NOS AR3a's, NOS Weathers Tonearm.
Magnepan MG III, Magnepan Tympanies, Thorens TD 124, Garrard 301, Miracord 10H, 50H and 770H, HK/Rabco, NOS Paco tube integrated and tube tuner (these were new in box never built kits), Dynaco Stereo 70,
Pas 3, FM3 and Pat 5, Technics 1300, 1350, 1500, just about every Dual turntable ever made, NOS Fisher tube mixer, Fisher 50, FM 90X, Apt Holman preamp. All of these were under $15.00 except the MG III's
which were $150.00. Most of it was $5.00.

Some stuff seen but not bought, Electro Voice Regency's, Bozak Concert Grands, countless Fisher, Sherwood and Scott tube receivers and integrateds and SS 70's receivers. ( I have never been into receivers/integrated's).

This was all from about 1978 to about 1992, and most of it was in what they called the as is section in the back where everything was $5.00 or less, stuff they considered to old to sell, and when it didn't after five days, it
went right into the huge dumpsters which is where all those Fisher receivers would go along with the Fisher Consoles and Magnavox Concert Grands.
This time period was the time to be looking for thrift gear I've said to myself before.Unfortunately it wasn't a time when I knew about good vintage audio.It was a time for Kraco and Pioneer car stereo in my world.
 
Last week scored a Rotel RCD 990 HDCD deck with remote in excellent condition $15.00 GW..
Everyone toyed with it at the Good Will and couldn't get it to read a disc so they just passed it by!:crazy:
I took it home and opened it up whisked the lens and worked what appeared to be a perfectly working drawer a dozen or so times and it has been working and sounding perfect ever since.
Best piece I have picked up in a couple months, a keeper!!:banana:
Rotel.jpg
 
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