@dover I care less about your opinion because you are an ex dealer of high-end gear, probably you are retired dealer, you said many times that you are an ex dealer. As you know, dealer’s margine is more than 30%, sometimes much more like 50%, so please do not tell me about prises, $30k for a turntable is insane, tell your wife if you think it’s normal. No, it’s not normal, especially when a buyer have zero experience and zero knowledge about turntables, tonearms and cartridges! Every week I read posts from rich people on audiogon, they know nothing about analog gear. It’s so weird that being an old dudes (most of the posters on a’gon are retired people) whey are discovering analog later than yourger generation. Their guide is only price tags and an opinions of some other unknown sick audiophiles.
But it’s not about musical enjoyment or a well balanced system, great and reasonable priced high-end gear everyone can buy elsewere, but NOT from the dealers! In fact dealers often know nothing about great produscts, their own experience is limited and their target is a profit and huge margine they got from the manufacturers of overpriced modern high-end gear. Reviewers support this business model. This is how it works nowadays, weird business model! Maybe your own experience is better, but you are retired dealer! When I ask simple questions to the younger dealers they can’t answer even about the basics, sales man like a dealer is not an audiophile or analog enthusiast, often it’s a businessman first. Higher price and higher margine is better for them, always, so this stupid propaganda claiming that more expensive gear is a better gear is 100% BS in my opinion! Normally high-end is expensive by default, but some high-end is simply overpriced to the highest level today (absolutely insane prices).
Used market is an opportunity for enthusiasts like myself or anyone else, if you don’t know how to use this opportunity then you only limit yourself, but who cares?
When you are trying to tell bad things about ebay or some other auction platforms, where not rich people people are buying and selling their own good stuff, you only demonstare to other that you are a snob!
There is nothing wrong to sell or to buy privately from other enthusiasts (not from the dealers), no matter vintage records or audio gear. This is great for everyone, it’s an open market! You are trying to say the opposite and it’s crazy. If you want dealers to rip you off with a 10 times higher prices then go on, it’s up to you, but this is not a good advice to wise people like most of the “normal” people who also enjoin’ high-end, believe it or not.
I’ll tell you one thing: without an opportunity to buy from Japan or from a private enthusiasts worldwide you will never get a good prices for high-end gear unless you are a dealer with 30% - 50% discount from the new manufacturer looking for a dealer in specific region. But there are always better and cheaper stuff that you can’t get from the manufacturer as a dealer, cos there are discontinued classics, not available rare stuff, you know?
If you want to buy a brand new $30k turntable than can be outperformed by a $3k secondhand turntable (same about cartridges) then you know who you are. A wise people already made their choice.
