On Rowland: if you look at many "hi end" markets, not just audio, you can see this initial erosion in consumer confidence and buying power. For instance, last month wine auctions at ChristiesNY were off considerably on Bordeaux even though bottles submitted for auction were also up precipitously. Certainly, the richest will keep buying the Screaming Eagle Cabernets, but Rowland is not a Japanese AudioNote Kondo SE amp, and the wealthiest discriminate against the difference in terms of cache (which, without commenting on the relative merits of a Kondo vs. a Tenor, can be translated as, what will produce another of my socio-economic stata to covet what I have). Rowland falls in the demographic of upper middle class to upper-upper middle class, as far as price goes. It is this strata that is just beginning to feel the erosion that is moving up from the bottom stratas - even as the upper middle class deny it in default to the droning light ray connected from FOX News to their foreheads.
I can not say for certain that the Rowland situation here is necessarily following this trend, but many other such products are following similar arcs and market weakeness trends on ebay.
If there are any collectors out there with other hobbies, I would like to hear their comments on this.
Ohn: you are a paragon of restraint :0)