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Audio bargain fad components

winters860

winters860

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I've been on AK long enough to see the rise and fall of the Entech 203.2 Number Cruncher ebay DAC fad, the Insignia speaker craze, and ripples of enthusiasm for the cheapie Toshiba DVD players, the T-amp, the Oppo line of players, and that stillborn Audiosource class-T amp that pops up on ebay.

Encrusted are the remains of fads for similar products - lots of Minimus 77 speakers or that Optimus discman everyone was so excited about out there.

All these products had in common a perception that they were available for far less than they should be. All clock in at price points low enough that the common man can afford and thus become internet fad fodder. I've bit on a couple and might bite on a couple more.

I'd have to ask myself though, if these components represent a significant step up from my current rig to warrant the cost, or if a better value might be had buying vintage. A lot of the above products fail one or more test for me.

Anyone care to pipe up on their fad audio experiences, good or bad, or nominate a new bargain fad audio component?
 
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Very generous of you to open up your post to such artillery. I can say in confidence that all you will have to do is be patient and the next fad will certainly arise. By the dozen. Some will stick and others won't, but then again, there are a lot of opinions out there, because of different styles, hearing, combinations, budgets, etc. One shouldn't worry himself in such a manor; You'll do fine by catering to your own preferences. Just IMHO.
 
The Entech Number Cruncher is dead? Oh crap...I just ordered one :tears:

Then again...my favourite movies usually involve things rising up from the grave. Might be a match made in heaven or would that be...hell?
 
Ive taken the bait on several of these fads-The Insignia speakers,the T-Amp,the Toshiba Dvd,and the Oppo DVD players.The only one of these Ive really been disapointed with were the Insignia speakers.Personally,I wouldnt really consider the Oppo a fad,since the prices of these are anywhere from $150-$200.To me,these are just the modern equivelent of that long standing audio tradition:the good audio value.Some examples have included the H/K 330 receiver,the AR turntable,the EPI 100,The Original Advent,and the KLH 6.These are all products that were considered cheap for the value they offered,and all won awards and accolades from customers and the press alike.The Oppo,to me,is just following in that same tradition.
Jimmy
 
fad; noun: an interest followed with exaggerated zeal.

Fad in this context does not denote "bad". The Toshiba player is certainly a fad under this definition - so is our craving for vintage audio!

The only modern "fad" I've participated in so far is the Insignia's. Do I use them every day? No. Am I glad I have them? Oh, Yeah! They really do sound good, and I can haul them anywhere for anything and I just don't worry about them. Very handy, nice size, no "real wood" veneer to worry about chipping or scratching, very utilitarian to me.

Next on my list: The Oppo.
 
40 years ago, while growing up in Sacramento, Ca., I made a skateboard out of ash & mahogany, with wide hard-rubber wooden trucks (wheels).
Skateboards were the "fad" (along with hula hoops) back in the early 60's.
Now in my mid-50's, I still go skateboarding with my 17 year-old daughter.
Being so "retro-looking", it gets alot of admiring glances (me too I hope).
One day a guy about my age walked up to me....pulled out $100 cash....and wanted to buy that old skateboard on the spot!?
When I declined....he pulled out another $50 cash.
That old skateboard is still in my possession.
Lesson learned?
One man's fad.....is another man's treasure.

Steve
 
Oppo is hardly a fad. They have been big for several years now. I still don't own one.
 
Dunno that the Minimus 7's should be in this list.

They have been popular since their inception for the simple fact that they delivered nothing spectacular, just good, clean sound from a small enclosure at a reasonable price.

And, twice as reasonable when the shak put 'em on their two for one sale.

And, for their size they are still hard to beat.
 
A somewhat more subtle fad involves certain inexpensive full-range speaker drivers. The most salient example is/was the Radio Shack 40-1197/Fostex FE-103 family. The 1197 was all the rage around the turn of the century :-) for full-range projects... I've probably got 10 of them in my basement, but I'll tell you, it's a tizzy, flawed driver (at least in its 1990's R/S incarnation). Some of the other "fad" FR's (e.g., R/S 40-1354 and the PartsExpress "69 cent wonder", p/n 269-469) were much superior IMNSHO.

All fads, though.

That being said, TQWT's with 40-1354's are my everyday speakers in the LR.
 
and that stillborn Audiosource class-T amp that pops up on ebay.
Click to expand...
While I cannot speak for the other "fads" The Audiosource Tripath amp is pretty amazing. I own one and it has replaced some very highly regarded amps. Ones that have their names tossed around and labeled as "Classics" or whatnot...
Is it just a fad, maybe. But I can tell you that it is for real as far as price and performance are concerned. I feel that I have found an amp that I can live for a number of years without having to feel the need to change or upgrade....

Bill
 
I think all of the specific items mentioned attained "fad" status because they were all inexpensive enough to be approachable by ordinary lovers of hi-fi gear, and they offered the possibility of real performance at that lower than expected price. It's not often you get to try out something hot and new at, essentially, a no-risk price.

Some panned out, some didn't.

Personally, if something keeps its desirability and credibility over a long period of time, through several model iterations, (I'm thinking the Tosh DVD series), then it's past the point of being a fad and has become a standard. Even if every single buyer didn't necessarily like theirs. Not everyone likes everything.

I was really interested in the Oppo, but after reading about how difficult it was to set up, need a TV to do it, I decided to take a pass. Prices on the darn Entech jumped so fast I never got one!
 
The Entech DAC has been around for some time if I'm not mistaken. I remember reading about it several years ago. If you want to place it in the "fad" catagory, it should be there because of the price it was selling at for a time.

Nice little DAC for the original asking price from what I understand. I don't own one by the way.

RC
 
How do we delineate between what is a "fad", and what is a new concept or technology?

For instance, was the 8-track cartridge a "fad"?
 
Anyone tried the newer OPPO DV-981HD model? I need a new player and just wondering what your thoughts may be.

Sorry if this takes the thread somewhat OT.

Barry
 
I'm not trying to discuss "fads" as if they're a bad thing. Usually, for these components, the mania surrounding them is a recognition that they're under-priced for what they deliver and that they're cheap enough that a lot of people can afford them.

The Entech is maybe six or seven years old, but the fad came with its NOS availability on ebay for $50 last year.
I'm still waiting for someone to nominate the next one...
 
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