(Real audiophiles buy used and we all know it. So here are some second-hand deals that caught my eye as I perused the usual sites looking for love in all the wrong places… no affiliation on my end and no guarantee of satisfaction in any way)
Holo Spring Level 3 Kitsune Tuned Edition – asking $1849 USD shipped at Head Fi. This DAC retails for $2499 new, but due to the multiple rave reviews at just about every audio rag you’d like to mention, $1849 shipped is about as low as you’ll see it on the used market and I imagine it will stay that way for the foreseeable future. I owned one and I thought it was… honestly it was kind of hard to believe. I can’t recommend it enough. Read the many reviews (here’s one) and think hard on this sucker, especially if you are a vinyl freak and want to have your world turned upside down. I believe this DAC could be the best value in audio right now.
Verion Mk I SUT, Type P – asking $700 CAD at Canuck Audio Mart. This is the first version of the fabled and relatively rare blue box Mitchell Cotter SUT so prized by vinylphiles. It’s type P, which is for low impedance carts, 2-30 ohms, so keep that in mind. You rarely see these going under a grand, and $700 Canadian is… I don’t know. Less than $700.
Paradox Pulse DL103 – asking $275 at Audio Circle. Seller says there’s about 150 hours on it total. Paradox Pulse is a slightly lesser known variant of the Zu mod that puts the much beloved Denon cartridge into an aluminum body, taming internal resonance and allowing for much sturdier mounting to the headshell than the flimsy plastic body and open bolt channels of the stock cartridge. I have never used one of these modded Denons myself, but given my feelings about the cart any improvements in performance are just more icing on an affordable and exceedingly delicious cake. Plus, $275 is less than the cost of a new stock DL103. Just saying.