Hard Drives:
East Digital - the “pulls” section (i.e. freshly pulled out of a server) have the most value.
Dusty Dust:
XPOWER’s A-2 line, or their A-5 for extra power (and convenience).
Mice:
AliExpress Mice FTW (read the comments for more discussion).
E-Mount Shopping List:
- Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC
- Viltrox 75mm f/1.2
- [Viltrox 27mm f/1.2](https://viltrox.com/en-au/products/viltrox-27mm-f1-2-e-z
- Viltrox 56mm f/1.2
Audio:
Headphones/Earphones:
- The Hifiman HE400SEis cheap, has plenty of headroom for EQ, and has replaceable cables. Very nice, very wow. Aim to get them between 130 shipped.
- The Truthear Gateis a reference-quality IEM and $30ish shipped. Comes with a wide variety of ear tips and an excellent cable that is easy to manipulate. Headphone/IEM DAC/Amp:
- The Topping DX1is a cheap DAC/Amp and it gives you a volume knob on your table and that’s very very convenient.
- The TRN BlackPearlexhibits great performance, has a balanced input, and features a built in EQ you can program with a phone app. Desk Speakers:
- For 200 speaker is very good. It also has Bluetooth support and touch controls.
- The Adam Audio D3Vis an insane offering at $450, having a response that’s even more neutral than the M60s and going 20hz lower (rolloff at 50hz). This is probably endgame if you’re looking for speakers on your desk.
- An honourable mention goes to the JBL LSR305 and its newer model LSR305p MkII(they both sound the same). These speakers can often be found on Facebook Marketplace for $200-300. They have slight audible hiss on the tweeters nearfield, but if you have the room for them and you can find them used, they’re probably the best value out of the bunch.