Luxman T-117 Tuner

I noticed the above commentor has zero feedback, so far, on Audiogon. So I thought I would offer this perspective from my years on Audiogon. $225 was the y 2001 average (the thread above is 1.5-years old) according to the internet survey done by Audiogon.com (the owner of this forum) for a T-117 in average condition on venues like Audiogon where Hello was selling their tuner. The price of the T-117 like other things on Ebay is not necessarily reflective of what they sell for on Audiogon and other venues and visa versa (the worlds could not be more different on many types and pieces of equipment). Do this with enough equipment and you will know this is true. If the T-117 is in excellent to Mint condition of course they will sell for more. ESPECIALLY in the euphoria that can get people swept away past sanity on Ebay. In fact, back when Hello was advertizing their tuner Audiogon had one sitting around for nearly 30-days unsold in Mint condition for $200. Context is everything.

By the way, the T-117 is a very fine, albeit somewhat cheap looking on the outside, tuner.

The fact that I have no feedback just means that I have never used Audiogon to buy/sell anything. It does not affect any of the things I said about T-117, which were simple facts and not involved any opinion. Everyone understands that there is a range in sale price of any used equipment. My point was simply to observe how the average has risen over the 2 year period tracked by Audiogon, and even Nanderson was bidding 30% more, and still not winning one. I didn't think the eBay sale at $400 was particularly "euphoric." One before it was $350, and others I have seen were generally over $300. Is it still possible to get one at $289 or $225, sure. I know at least one person who got it for under $100 in the last year, and it's in near mint condition.

Perhaps another point should be added to my last post. The price info on Audiogon really should not be overly depended on. Most items do not have enough statistics (less than 4 or 5 sales) to have a graph, bcs I have seen many graphs with as few as 4 or 5 sales. In many cases, I'm sure there were just 1 or 2 sales. I wish they would state the number in the database and people can see how unreliable the figures are, though they are still better than nothing. The other problem is that even with enough cases, the average was taken over 2 years, which often do not represent the "current" or "recent" market. A newly discontinued/replaced model would see price drop quickly over the period, and some old model may get rediscovered and become "hot" again. So if one pays price that's 50% higher or lower than what's in the Augiogon database, it doesn't necessarily mean that one is overpaying or being lucky. As long as the buyer/seller are willing and happy, it's a fair deal.

FWIW I have a T-117 and a Sansui TU-717 that I have AB-ed in the same system. The Luxman sounded better- not by much, but definitely better. Slightly "fuller" and richer in the midrange as I recall.
I live in a city with lots of stations, so I've never really tried pulling in distant stations with either.

Willing to pay more for a tuner is, at least, determined by the perceived value of an item in certain skewed venues. Hence, you can be reasonably assured you can recover your money if you don't like it or does not fit into your preferences at the moment. Meaning: If Ebay'ers pay much more for certain items than people on Audiogon or other venues or visa versa that does not mean that Ebay should be used as a guage for what an item is worth almost any place else. And sometimes not even remotely close: I am sure many of us listened to the recent Sunday morning broadcast on NPR talking about the guy who sold his whole life's possesions on Ebay including hair clippings, an old standard clay brick, and, if I am recalling correctly, his used underwear. He later went on to write a book about it. Then he made even more money on the book. On the other hand, Ebay can be a great place to buy things that are not on the typical Ebay'ers radar screen and, hence, you can find some really fine values if you pay attention who you are buying from. I truly appreciate the recycling aspect of Audiogon and Ebay rather than a throw away society. You just have to be smart about when is the best time to be in a particular venue.

On a related note: Audiogon's Bluebook service is really a good start in determining value but it should not be the only factor. I commonly pay more from trusted Audiogon'ers or Ebay'ers etc with an extensive positive record and a caring about their equipment. I have had so many really great transactions made with real people. So Regarding venues: Viva la difference (and know there is one)!