Many audiophiles, by their nature, prefer cash for gifts. The cold, hard kind. The cash goes into our fund where we buy our gear. We research, we listen (hopefully), we choose, we go over budget, and we pray the wife doesn’t find out the true cost! That said, wouldn’t it warm the cockles of our heart if our loved ones indulged us with a cool audiophile gift this Christmas? What a surprise. What a lovely thought. And if they follow this list, we probably won’t have to fake a smile and quietly ask for the gift receipt!
Here are ten cracker jack audiophile gifts under 200 bucks. Ones that you can use and will improve the sound of your system. Nothing second hand, no major pieces of kit. I have used the kit or it has been recommended in Audiophilia. Enjoy!
In no particular order:
1. Cardas RCA Caps - 9 bucks a pair. RFI/EMI be damned!
2. Kontak Electrical Cleaner - enhance your signal flow! I’m sure some of you guys need this!
3. Aesthetix Demagnetizer - $200. In under the wire. Use a cartridge? Get one!
4. Acme Audio Labs Wall Outlet - what the hell? Cheap as chips. Couldn’t hurt, right?
5. iPhone app ‘Decibel‘ - 99 cents! Yes, cents! Works a treat. Accurate compared with Radio Shack meter.
6. Grado SR225i Headphones - $200. Grado makes outstanding headphones, for those who like headphones!
7. Purist Audio The System Enhancer Ultimate CD - $150. But the damn thing works. I hate break in. 5 hours instead of 5 days. Sold!
8. The Disc Doctor Miracle Record Cleaner - 25 bucks a pint. Best non-machine LP cleaner on the market.
9. Michael Fremer’s Practical Guide to Turntable Set-Up DVD - nicely done, Mikey. Professional. Informative. A nice visual in addition to our seminal cartridge setup article.
10. Your choice. Please add below in Comments. $200 or less. Many thanks, gang!
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A big thumbs up for contact cleaner … perhaps the single most cost-effective improvement you can make to the average system. My preference is for Caig’s DeOxit/ProGold kit; proven safe, easily applied and, as it’s sold through electronics hobby stores, doesn’t carry the outrageous price mark-up of products marketed directly to audiophiles.
I’ve used Caig, too. The little orange packets of magic.
11. Tea towel under loudspeakers - priceless. Just kidding ;)
Russ Andrews makes a mains filter called The Silencer for around $70 plus shipping.
http://bit.ly/81tTtX
Thanks, Matt. I’ll add it to the list for my wife to check out!
Tea towels! LOL
Cheers, a