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Buying demo or brand new power conditioner/amp

Hi all,

My dealer has put together a package. 1 store demo- Furman Reference 15i and store demo Rotel RMB 1565 Class D amp and provided his price to me. The Furman has 2 scratches on it. One on the faceplate and a 3/4 inch scratch on top of the unit. Both on the silver portion of the Furman. The Rotel demo is in great condition. For this he reduced it 125.00 off the regular price. The furman was reduced by 450.00 off the store price.

I would be saving 575.00 as opposed to buying them brand new(not including taxes). I have 3 pieces of gear he is willing to take on trade in for 1800.00 total either on the store demo package or brand new.

If you were in the situation, what would you do? Go for the demo or buy it brand new? Appreciate the forums thoughts and opinions on this one. Thanks in advance.

2007audioman
2007audioman
jwong
56 posts
 
Demo usually implies one year old and not used too extensively. Solid state components like a power conditioner shouldn't be a problem and should be fine even if two years old. However, I'm more cautious for anything over two years and anything more than a year old with moving parts more like a turntable, CD, speakers, or TV. It's like buying a used car so amount of use is an important consideration. Finally, be cautious about 10+ year stuff. Classic amps, reel to reel, etc, are going to need refurbishing (belts, lubrications, capaciters, whatever). Most of my gear is used and demo carefully chosen for age/price. However, anything with a motor I buy new or no more than one year old. Equipment older than two years runs risking extra money to update/repair which might eat up your original "savings". Finally, used cables (IC, power, speaker) are often the best buys and get borken in for you too. Good luck.
2007audioman OP
80 posts
 
Wow, thanks for the responses. Seems like the majority is for buying the demo package. I did give it some thought. I am trading in a Rotel RMB 1095 amp, RB 1090 amp and my Furman 15 PFi power conditioner. I need the space in my bedroom that is why I have chosen for the smaller Rotel RMB 1565 amp. I am still thinking about it right now but am leaning a bit toward buying them both brand new at this point. Partly because the scratches on the front and the top is not very pleasing to the eye. I like showing my gear to my friends and the position of the scratches are right there and are noticeable to the naked eye. As for the power amp, well I think I can eat the 125.00 dollars for a brand new factory fresh amp.

Opinions are still welcome though. I will be getting back to him this week. Thanks in advance all.

2007audioman
2007audioman OP
80 posts
 
Update. Well my decision is firm as can be at this moment. Spoke with my dealer today and he offered me a 100 bucks more on my trade in for a brand new RMB 1565 and a Furman Reference 15i power conditioner. I am out of pocket $1338.75 including taxes. I think he is being as fair as he can be and I'm getting 2 brand new pieces of equipment. A power conditioner that will more than provide all the beautiful clean power I can ask for and a 5 channel 100w per channel class D amp that will integrate nicely in my bedroom. They should be able to push my Def Tech CLR 2500 Front and Right speakers with no problem and my small Paradigm Atoms v.1 with no issues.

So I just wanted to thank everybody who responded and providing your thoughts to my situation. It is much appreciated in every way. So there you have it. My final decision. :)

2007audioman
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