Discount Stores, i.e. newaudiovideo.com

The big discount sellers are often not authorized dealers and the manufacturer will not honor the warranty if you don't have a receipt from an authorized dealer. I've even seen a manufacturer say they wouldn't fix grey market gear if you paid them.

I don't know how the unauthorized dealers get their products. You'd think the manufacturers would know where the stuff they're selling is going.

The big discount sellers are often not authorized dealers

That is not always true. Some manufacturers do sell to (or at least tolerate) web discounters, either directly or indirectly, as a way to deal with old, B-stock or overstock goods.

and the manufacturer will not honor the warranty if you don't have a receipt from an authorized dealer

Ah, that's a whole different kettle of fish. The so-called "Grey Market" has changed completely since I was selling camera and audio gear in my college days (early 80s). This is a topic for a separate, long discussion, but I will say that for every manufacturer who decries the unauthorized market, there is another manufacturer who uses it to their own advantage. Multi-channel marketing is a reality of life - different buyers paying different prices for the same product. The retailers do it too; google the term "dynamic pricing".

But with regard to the warranty situation, this was pretty much settled years ago (in most states and in federal court) during the spate of Grey market lawsuits in the 1980s.

In general, if the *manufacturer* is responsible for the repair of an object and the customer can prove that they purchased the item new, the manufacturer is responsible for the repair.

If the manufacturer's distributor (can be a whole or partially owned subsidiary) is responsible for the repair, then the distributor can refuse repair for any product sold outside it's disty/retail channel. This is why many manfacturers use 3rd party distributors or set up their own.

There are several exceptions to these generalized rules, and many manufacturers post rules that are simply not true or legally valid. As a consumer, I would say that this is an assumed risk proposition: how much risk am I willing to take. If I am looking to buy a pair of $600 KEF speakers, I might be prepared to take more risk than if the item was a $6,000 tube amp.

Caveat Emptor!

I thought it seemed very dubious, given the website half works, among other things. After reading the PayPal buyer protection conditions line by line I decided to go for it anyway. I ordered three Anthony Gallo Strada 2 speakers. The dispatch guy called me to check what I wanted declared for import purposes, and they were delivered to me in Australia almost exactly 2 weeks after placing the order.
The Stradas sound fantastic.

I just wanted to add my story to this feed. I, just today, received my KEF LS50 from Newaudiovideo.com.

First off, yes, it took a week and two days (with the weekend) to get my speakers from Los Angeles to San Jose, but yes, they did arrive. They were packaged from KEF with the KEF embossed tape that was wrapped all around the box. The packaging had never been removed and it was even the newest production of the speaker (without the Anniversary Model silk screened below the driver).

In reference to the comment about the surliness of the person who answers the phone. Yes, he isn't always in the best of moods, but he delivers good customer service. When I received the speakers I was concerned about the the fact that the silk screening was wrong and thought perhaps just maybe they were old production, or God forbid, bootlegs. He took the time to surf with me on the web to find out exactly what was going on and we discovered a blurb by the marketing director of KEF who said that yes indeed the wording had changed on the newest production run.

So, I cannot say anything bad about this dealer. The price was unbelievably good and the customer service was just fine and in the end I have beautiful new speakers. So I say, go for it and enjoy some new equipment!

I used this dealer as well to order some Monitor Audio Silver 10 speakers. I called them a few times to order the speakers in a different finish than they listed on their website ( I wanted Walnut, they only offered black oak on the web).

The guy was a little surly but he did offer very good overall customer service and got me exactly what I was looking for. Was direct, to the point, and had no time for "niceties."

The product took a few weeks to actually ship, but was brand new. All original packaging and perfect condition when it arrived.

Couldn't be happier with the speakers.