Highest-end gear you've found at a thrift

Walked into my local S.A. one day back in 2012 and there sits a Pioneer Spec rack, with the Spec 1 amp, Spec 4 pre, cassette deck and tuner (with the rack mount/handles). They weren't giving it away, but I knew the amp and pre by themselves were worth more than the asking. The store handyman was busy trying to get it working and I said don't worry about it I'll take it. He says "but you don't even know if it works yet". I told him it didn't matter, it would be working when I was done with it.
He says "We're not supposed to sell it if it doesn't work but ok, there's some more stuff in the back that goes with it". So I walk back and there's another Pioneer rack and the 8-band equalizer. Ok, this just went from a really good score to a major scroe.
Everything worked fine, just needed the deoxit and a few lamps. I recapped the amp, pre, and equalizer and replaced any other components with a bad reputation that winter, and have been enjoying them since. I've managed to fill the second rack with RT-707 reel-to-reels as well as the vintage Pioneer reverb amp and dynamic processor from the same era.
 
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10 years ago I walked into a local Goodwill and walked out with a rack full of mid 1980's Harman Kardon gear and a pair of Domus Mirage speakers. Cost me a whopping 50 bucks for all. Two weeks ago another local Goodwill netted me a pair of Snell E/III's speakers, a Yamaha CX-1000u preamp, and a B&K ST-140 amp for a whopping $40.00 for everything!!!
 

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A pair of infinity quantum kappa 8 s for $10!!!
They required a serious cleaning, woofer refoam, and (so far) a temporary polydome replacement.
I also deactivated the 12.5 mh coil from the woofer circuit to save my amp.

Might as well add a couple of others;
Pioneer sx 650 ($35) and marantz 2230 ($20)...
Jamo j-103 (3-way bookshelf with teak veneer) four of them for $28
Akai 2350,sansui 210,kenwood ka 701. ..

As well as numerous jvc, kenwood and yamaha speakers which have been handed out to friends who clearly needed to improve their systems - friends don't let friends listen to crappy systems, right?
 
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I've never found anything I would consider high end but have come across a few Pioneer SX series receivers, silver Marantz gear and a NAD turntable. The problem with my local Goodwill is that they look everything up on ebay and add 20% or more. I guess they like having that stuff sit on there shelf for months and months until they reduce the price several times. Right now they have a silver MCS tape deck for $150 that started out at $400. I did recently buy an Oppo multi player at the SA for $15.
 
Aesthetix Calypso with the box from a thrift basement sale when they were doing a major clean out. $25, they didn't seem to care one bit. There was also a lot of silver faceplate gear which was gobbled up with a quickness.
 
Aesthetix Calypso with the box from a thrift basement sale when they were doing a major clean out. $25, they didn't seem to care one bit. There was also a lot of silver faceplate gear which was gobbled up with a quickness.
They had no idea what it was worth.
 
I've never found anything I would consider high end but have come across a few Pioneer SX series receivers, silver Marantz gear and a NAD turntable. The problem with my local Goodwill is that they look everything up on ebay and add 20% or more. I guess they like having that stuff sit on there shelf for months and months until they reduce the price several times. Right now they have a silver MCS tape deck for $150 that started out at $400. I did recently buy an Oppo multi player at the SA for $15.
Wow!!MCS tape deck for $400.That is totally insane.My local thrift knows that tape decks are a slow mover and price most at 12.99.The salad days of thrift audio finds are pretty much over.
 
Two pairs of American Acoustics Acoustics speakers in great condition for about $30NZ, which I then sold at online auction for about $300NZ each pair. Two Sansui and One Marantz 6200 turntables for less than $40 each at auction - all onsold. Sansui SP30's for about $20 at auction (they were lovely). A pair of JBL TL-700's for $10 a pair that just needed a refoam. A pair of Pioneer HPM60's for about $30 (ditto). A pioneer C21 preamp in the local pawnshop for $104 NZD. NICE.
 
I found a Pioneer SX-780 receiver at GW a few months back for $13. Everything works and except for a small scratch on top is very clean. All the lights even work. Not the greatest but after I recap it, it will make for part of a nice first system for my youngest son. The only other was a Magnavox console for $50. The 9303 amp inside made a nice stand alone after a refurb and some mods.
 
Well lets see the list is very long, NONE. I have to agree with superdog those days are long gone and the small town I live in has very little if any audio enthusiasts. People I talk to or ask about this stuff think I am wasting time and money, may be true but it makes me happy. Oh I did get a pair of avid 100s for 14 bucks but I would not call that a score although they sound fantastic.
 
Denon DP 62L turntable
$10
Just needed a few missing pieces - additional counterweights, foot.
included a Denon 305 cart
 
Aesthetix Calypso with the box from a thrift basement sale when they were doing a major clean out. $25, they didn't seem to care one bit. There was also a lot of silver faceplate gear which was gobbled up with a quickness.

Sweet baby jesus.

I've been to every GW within 50 miles of me. Not one has anything. :(

Don't feel bad. The Internet has ended the days of rubes and yard sale know-nothings. Now, they THINK they know that their MCS tape deck should sell for 400, lol.
 
I'm not sure if I would necessarily call this "high end", but I found an Onkyo power amplifier one time for $20 at Goodwill. Got it home, hooked it up, it sounded pretty good for about five minutes, then one of the channels went out. Tried it again, a few hours later, the same. Put it on Ebay, and it sold for $20. So at least I got my money back, minus the Ebay fees. :)
 
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I got a Denon PMA -860 Intergrated Amp for $35 and a month or so later a pair of Klipsch KG2 Speakers for $4.99 from the same Goodwill. Then a Realistic STA -740 Reciever for $12. Found even better stuff in the garbage though. The best is a customer asking if I would be I would be interested in a pair of ADS L1090 speakers for $70. Couldn't say sold fast enough. Also a Denon CDR-W1500 CD Player and Denon DVM -3700 for free in the garbage. Then my Advent 300Reciever found in the trash.Great as a Pre-Amp/Tuner for my Audionics PZ3 Amp.

Opus
 
Triad mini monitors for 20 bucks. Accuphase T 105 tuner for 10 bucks. Pioneer sx 434 and sx 650. Hitachi ps 10 tt...basically nib from the mid seventies. I guess the Triad and Accuphase stuff might be considered high end.
 
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