2. digital
  3. 181735-435

Advise on buying electronics out of-the country

It was brought to my attention by several online and in our audio group several people bought LPS ,such as Ted Pardo,,  fidelizer and others ,and this applies to electronics ,if there is no service centers I advise against it . My friend bought  a   Fidelizer LPS which has a Horrible 1 year warranty and his failed within 6 months ,you-have to ship it back to Europe for service, Very costly  ,  with Digital finally Denafrips finally has a service  center in the U.S and does Holo Springs which is good. many people don’t think about this , if it’s under $200 then that’s not a big risk . that’s one reason I always check where I can get it repaired in the U.S or Canada if not I don’t buy it ,just  something to think about.

128x128audioman58
jetter
2,971 posts
 

@audioman58 Your advice is very important to those who are contemplating purchasing gear that cannot be serviced in the US for those of us living here.

To the posters above, while the title of the OP appears to be addressing all non US and Canadian purchases, the post further elaborates it is not about all foreign made gear or the quality of foreign made goods.

It specifically addresses non-US made gear where there are not service centers in the US so hefty postage costs are incurred sending it overseas for repairs, and is sage advice.

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carlsbad's avatar
carlsbad
1,551 posts
 

Just to be clear, the gear I mentioned above was bought from and shipped from the countries mentioned.

styleman
132 posts
 

I have purchased a few items from Canada. No problem except that on one of them I got nailed for customs.   I tried to purchase some vintage Tannoy bookshelf speakers from Japan but the shipment requirements were too difficult to deal with. I never tried to buy anything from Europe but I would chance it if I really wanted the equipment and I couldn't get it here or in Canada.

ghdprentice
6,483 posts
 

I think it is a risk tolerance issue. Personally, if I could take a total loss on the item and not blink an eye… then if there is some compelling reason to do so, I will. I would never buy a mechanical device from over seas. Too unreliable and too much hassle if you had to send it back. 
 

If I am buying a piece of audiophile equipment, no way. There are principle attributes of audiophile equipment: incredible sound quality, build quality, reliability, and absolutely no hassles. 
 

I used to own a Sonic Frontiers CD player (Canada), and every two years the transport would go out… I would send it up and they would replace it. I did this for nearly ten years. Well, life is too short… 1) I will not buy a major component from outside the US and 2) no more Sonic Frontiers… even though the fixed it. 
 

An audiophile piece of gear should be forever (if you want it to be) and completely hassle free… in 15 years is that 20% you saved worth the fear and uncertainty?

 

Your call.

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