Amateur inherited an audio system...


Recently I've inherited an audio system. I have no idea of what they are, I have never heard any of the brand names before, but upon checking on the internet I've found out they are somewhat high quality units. It consisted of Meridian 506 CD Player, Forte Forty-Four Pre-amp, Forte Fifty-Five Amp, Velodyne Sub and a pair of Rogers LS3/5A speakers. Some friend suggested I check out Audiogon.com, but as far as I can see most of the stuff are WAY over my head. Now that I found out about their value, my girlfriend is pressuring me to sell it, my question is.. Should I keep the system or sell it? It sounds very nice but my girlfriend keeps saying I don't need anything this fancy. Also, if I am going to sell it, is it better selling it as a system or piece-by-piece? Is eBay good for something like this? Any idea will be appreciated. Sorry for being so shallow, I really don't know much about high end audio... Thank you very much in advance.
raycc
Whether you need something this "fancy" is a question only you, not us or your girlfriend, can decide. What you have now is a very nice system and will beat any Bose or mass-market system soundly as far as fidelity to the source you're listening to and musical values go. But if you don't listen seriously to music, or have it on only for background listening and nothing more, then it is probably overkill for your needs and you might consider selling it and getting something that suits your needs better (exception being the subwoofer and perhaps the speakers, if you are more interested in a home theater/AV setup).

If you are going to sell, Audiogon is probably the best place for selling your gear, and I would sell the items separately unless someone gave you an offer for the whole system that was close enough to the separate prices to make the convenience of the sale worth the discount. If you do sell, though, be sure you know the condition of the equipment and fairly represent it, otherwise you're asking for problems after the sale. Most of these items are worth far less than when new, in case you were going from list prices, so you should check to see what others are listing/selling comparable units for. The Rogers speakers and Forte equipment should hold their current values well. The Meridian, if it's an older model as I suspect, may have reached its lowest value and, quite frankly, may be worth keeping if you can't get more than $500 for it, as it will beat most cheap modern players at least sonically. Oh, and don't forget the wires if you're selling the system--some of them may well have value too, in a set-up like you mention I'm sure the owner didn't skimp on cheap interconnects and speaker wire.
You've just inherited a very nice little system. Most of the pieces are considered some of the better values in high end audio. Who ever put this together really knew what he was doing. Most of this stuff will not depreciate much in the near future. In the big scheme of things this system isn't all that "fancy", just well thought out best bang for the buck kinda stuff. I strongly recommend you give it a whirl. You'll have very little to loose trying. As for selling it, well aound here whole systems are a hard sale. Breaking this system up would be a bit of a shame. You've been blessed with a rare opportunity. Very few of us get such a nicely thought out system dumped in our laps. Most of us spend a great deal of time and money pursuing such a system. Give it a chance, you may very well be delighted by what this system will do for you. I think you will find the members here very generous with set up advise. Good luck and good listening.
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