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High End is Dead?

Browsing used audio sites such as Audiogon and the Marts, high end gear ads are dominated by several dealers. Non-dealer ads are usually people trying to push 15+ year old off-brand junk at 60-70% of MSRP (when they were new). They don't sell anything. You could slash Wilsons, Magicos, etc, 50% off retail and no one will buy them.

No one buys if it costs more than 1k. It's not that they're not interested -- the ads get plenty of views. It's that the asking prices are just way over the ability of buyers to pay. Fact is, if you see a high end piece for sale it's probably by a dealer, often times trying to push it at 15% off retail because its a trade in, but also often they are taking a good chunk off the price 30, 40 sometimes 50% off. They can be famous brands with a million positive reviews. No buyers.

Are we just poor, and that's all there is to it? 
madavid0
oblgny's avatar
oblgny
848 posts
 
...”Remember when?...  All it takes is hearing that first note on a higher quality sound system and you are hooked...”

Oh yeah. 

That’s IT!  (Lucy shouting as Schroeder angrily pounds Jingle Bells on the keyboard)

A crazy high school English teacher with a tube amp and Dahlquist DQ 10’s spinning a Charlie Parker record for me and my friends one night...I got it. 

Finally hearing Jimmy Page’s electric guitar underneath the acoustic on “Ramble On.”  Jeeze-Louise - ya mean that was ALWAYS there???
trelja
3,223 posts
 
@michaelgreenaudio I feel both thankful happy to read everything you've put forth here over the past several weeks.  Thank you for your perspectives and contributions 
michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio
1,019 posts
 

Thanks trelja

It's been very nice reading the emails I've been getting from the members. And, nice reading the responses here on the forum directly. AudioGon forum mods deserve a thank you as well for letting me come up a share so much of the Tune with folks. I'm still very much pacing myself because I'm sharing some pretty bold ideas to folks who maybe haven't had the opportunity to dive into the variable side of the hobby all that much.

I'm also looking forward to sharing more on the thread "the method of tuning". I'm getting folks emailing me after starting to tune and they range from "never knew this existed", "been tuning for years and love it", "how can this be happening"....and on. It's nice seeing listeners looking at this hobby practically and empirically.

thanks again trelja

Michael Green

www.michaelgreenaudio.net

noromance's avatar
noromance
9,857 posts
 
@schubert Don't let the dumb majority get you down!
A friend of mine posted in FB last week that he was delighted his family had chipped in and bought him a new turntable. He was so proud, he posted a photo of the new gear. A fifty buck Crosley. 
I met a guy with a decent hifi in a record store. He was so tight-lipped about discussing his kit, I gave up. You'd think the guy would jump at the chance to talk hobby. Sigh.
chayro
2,998 posts
 
Forget it Schubert.  We live in an age where it is no shame to be stupid.  Jack Nicklaus once said he won because he was too ashamed to lose.  We can't all be him - well, none of us can be him, but you get my point.  I hope. 
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