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Highest-end gear you've found at a thrift

other than what I have bought new pretty much ALL my stereo gear came from the thrift store's.
I bought my near mint Mac-1900 at SA.
I bought my near mint Technics SL-1100a at the church bazaar.
Bought my nice but not mint Pioneer Sx-890 at a cat shelter. ( I go by there once in a while just to give the guy money for cat food )
Bought a lot of other stuff at a now closed GW bargain Barn
Yamaha CR1040
Yamaha CR1020
Yamaha CDX-1100u Needs repair
Denon DCD-3000 that also needs repair
Sony D335 discman with digital output.
I doubt I spent more than $100 on all this stuff.
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The highest end stuff I've seen in a thrift store was a Yamaha system comprised of a C-70, M-70, T-70, and a K-2000. It was also by far the most I have spent in a thrift store, and if I sold it now, I'd take a loss, but it seemed like an OK deal at the time. I was probably swayed by the fact that I had never seen anything that nice at a thrift store. I don't think I would have payed that much on Craigslist.
 
Goodwill: (many recent)

McIntosh ma6100 $2.99
Pioneer Sx1250 and pl 530 $30 (total)
Bogen db130- $5
Realistic Mach two And Boston a60's for $27- mint but needed foam
Dynaco a25s $5
Dynaco a35's $8.99
Pioneer elite CLD 79 laserdisc $8
Pioneer plasma controller $11.99
University 6201's $40
Pioneer Hpm 40's $9.99
Celestion dl8's $9.99
Plus I've bought numerous reel to reels, organs, and test equipment that has yielded telefunken, mullard, and amperex tubes at goodwill.
Barn finds/estates:
Gates preamps $10
RCA lc1 in original cab from original owner- $200
RCA 20 watt tube monoblocks $75
Ads l520's and a box of tubes for $10
Craftsmen 500 with genelex kt66's and a grommes lj6 for $200
Did some repair work on a guitar amp and the guy said he'd trade ne this old tube amp. Turned out to be a rough, but complete mc75!
Traded a little antique radio repair for some *old speakers* turned out to be Jbl c70 alphas from the original owners!
 
The most originally expensive gear, that I've ever seen in a thrift was either a Sony TA-8650 about 2 years ago, or Yamaha B-6 about 3 years. Both were encountered before I knew about either. So I passed.:tears:
 
Just last Monday I bagged a Sansui 9090db for $25. Cosmetically perfect, very dirty/dusty. Haven't plugged it in yet, because I'm still auditioning the perfect Sansui AU-D7 I picked up at the same time, for $75.
 
i missed a denon dp 60 by seconds for about 35 at a goodwill

it must have not been meant to be because i ended up with vandersteen 2c's shortly after for $24 because of missing it, which will stay till they are destroyed, the denon i may admit would have been swapped at some point

then a technics sp-15 for not much more then the denon made me a believer again!
 
cheapest finds

Nak 680-ZX cass. deck, w/ a Nak sound reducer. Both for 29:banana::banana:
 
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Accuphase E-204. Lunchtime about a year ago. Was on a lower shelf, face to the wall. I walked past it on the way to the electronics section, didn't see anything there so I went back to check it out. $29.99 & I had a $5.00 0ff coupon.:banana::banana: I still haven't cleaned it up or used it:tears: I am afraid to ruin something.......
 
Marantz 1070 in working order, $20.
KD550 Turntable and Ortofon cartridge, near mint, $100.

St. Johnny, too bad you didn't get that TA8650 Sony! I love my TA4650 Vfet.
 
Coral Beta 8s for < $20.
Carver MX-130 $25
H/K T-403 $10
A/R TSW-510s $20 (rotted foams and dead tweeters)

Most of my other good stuff was free on bulk trash day:

Fisher 400c Preamp
KLH 17s
TSW-410s (swapped the tweets to the 510s)
Infinity RS-6s
Pioneer SX-780
AR-3a's $5 (yard sale)
EPI 100M and 100Vs
 
Back in 2004, at a local flea market, I found a California Audio Labs Delta CD transport (working), still had protective plastic on the display. MSRP: $900. Also included the matching CAL Alpha tube DAC, non-working, had been dropped and the transformer had pulled off the circuit board. MSRP: $1500. Came with a $150 cable to connect the units. The transport had a Beach Boys Pet Sounds CD in it. All this for $20. I traded it all here on the forum for a really nice Technics SL-Q2 turntable which I still use in my office system.

I've had some other great thrift finds, some are still with me and being used, some were passed on for a little profit, some were sold for OUTRAGEOUS profit. But nothing that I'd really call "high end" in the audiophile sense except the CAL stuff.
 
Stephens 206ax coaxial driver in a Electovoice Regency enclosure.

EDIT: More recently I came up with a Denon DP-35F with Grace F9 cartridge. Saw it hidden amongst other stuff and at first just assumed it was another silver plastic piece-o-crap. But curiosity won out and I dug it out. I was shocked. No price marked so I asked. The guy at the counter said "Record player? How about $9.99?" Sold my friend..... SOLD!
 
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I found a pair of IMF MCR2A's at a thrift. They were $100 so not cheap really but a fair price for some great speakers. I also found an Adcom GFP-750 preamp for $75 at a pawn shop. These still sell for up to $1000 used and is a very highly regarded preamp.
 
I got a Technics ST-G7 from America's Thrift Store in Chattanooga, and a Pioneer CT-3070R from a private thrift in Sevierville.

I must have been a compulsive puppy kicker in my past life.
 
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Most desirable things I’ve seen: over the past couple of years a local for-profit thrift has had two very nice monster receivers (one Technics & the other maybe a Kenwood); both priced well above e-bay.

Highest end thing I’ve bought: Yamaha MX-630 for $60. There was a CX-630 and a T60 also but the pre wasn’t working and I already had a T-80, so I left those for someone else.

Highest list price I’ve bought: Cute little Denon HTIB unit that had a stuck CD tray for $6 and change. Replaced the belt with one salvaged from a trash-bound BPC unit and it works although it’s slightly sticky. Does everything, (CD, DVD, receiver, 2.0 and 5.1 output), but nothing especially well and build quality is rather poor. I was shocked to find it originally listed for $1k.

Priciest audio related thing I’ve seen. My local GW had a pair of NIB Di Vinci tower speakers with a price tag of $500 on each one, along with a slightly condescending note saying to ask the manager if you wanted to look at them and you’d better be serious about buying them. I considered asking to see the manager and advising him/her to google “white van scam”, but it was getting late and the store was busy, so I just shook my head and went on my way.
 
Hard to say, don't remember them all. Maybe these?

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