Should manufacturers lease speakers?

I don't think it is the financial economics that RGS92 is concerned with, it is having a low hassle avenue to swap out to a new model. If anybody wants a lease, just get the best monthly financing you can find, credit card, home equity, etc. Make your monthly payments and when your sick of your speakers, sell them on Audiogon (residual value), pay off as much as you can, and start over.

Sure. Rough example - Just charge enough in the 'up front' payment to cover most of his initial/purchase/dealer cost. For example - dealer cost on a pair of 10K speakers = 5k. The dealer could charge 4k up front, then charge the $100/month for a 3 year lease. His revenue = 7600 after 3 years, whereupon he gets the speakers back (sells them for 4-5K used/demo) or offers them to the lessee for around the same amount.

But IN regards to westborn's idea, the buy out would make the speakers 10 to 15% over value....who wants that? Plus if the dealer in turn sells the speakers then he made alot of extra money on an already inflated price....I see no good out of this idea....but I am poor and cheap.
Also with so many cases of upgraditis I think a very small section of the Audio comunity would be happy with that buy out.

There are planty of dealers that will repurchase your speakers from you, no hassle. Sure they only give you about 25% of retail. But I would expect the same from a lease (i.e., $10k speakers, $209/mo +tax for 36 mos, not $139/mo).

generally lease terms are dictated by the bank. Sure leasing is great if you can't haggle. But sheesh! What a ripoff. I'm time is valuable, but not that valuable.