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Benefits of Buying Used Equipment of Age

Hello Fellow Audiogoners,

My lack of ability to demo used equipment vs new equipment is bringing me to ask the following questions.

The following is an example:

Is it silly to buy 10 or 15 year old McIntosh (i.e. C41 and MC 7300 combo) vs brand new NAD (i.e. C165BEE C275BEE combo)

Silly meaning why buy something much older (yes one brand has benefits over the other on opinions I suppose) but from a design build and resolution, dynamic range?

What is the smarter purchase? Something that's been used for 10 or 15 years or something new.

I know it comes down to me but I am sure many people have this question because it was asked to me by a friend.

He said why would you spend 2k on a preamp that's 10 to 15 years old? And I said cause its McIntosh reputation etc etc, but he said SO haven't designs changed for the better? And I couldn't answer him party because to make a valid argument I would need to have lengthy experience with multiple products from multiple manufactures.

So I am reaching out to get some opinions about what would you do or better yet are the products of today better designed and you would trade older products for today's designs...
128x128thegoldenear
inna
7,296 posts
 
Speaking of beer, Australian in this case, I left an open can of Foster's overnight in refrigirator many times, and though in the morning it was not quite as good as in the evening before, it was still good.
Since I recently bought eleven years old Australian integrated, Redgum, I got in touch with the firm and asked them about capacitors and any other service recommendations. Do you know what the designer said? He said that it is very unlikely that I would have a need to do anything within the next ten years or so and told me not to worry unless I hear a change in sound, amp getting much warmer, noise from transformer etc.
Good older stuff is good. If it can be fixed I have no hesitation of getting it. In fact, I would only buy new if what I want is unavailable used. Except cartridges perhaps.
honest1
586 posts
 
If you know what to buy, used stuff can be way better than new. My favorite example is the Spica TC50 speakers I bought in 1986. I tried a number of new, expensive speakers that were lateral moves from these. Typically, the newer sepakers had greater extension in the bass and treble and better dynamics, but much less natural sound. Other favorites of mine are Pass Labs Aleph amplifiers and Atma Sphere amplifiers, which, regardless of age, and for a price, can be brought up to the very latest standards.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
tonykay
1,301 posts
 
"Mac's are great for sound, not value."
Really? I believe it's the sound that creates the value. McIntosh products are built to last a lifetime, thus the pride of ownership perception. Just look through the ads here on Audiogon for vintage McIntosh gear and the prices they are asking. Many are higher that they sold for new! Who's looking for vintage NAD, or Cayin for that matter? That's not a criticism of those two products, but if you are looking for the definition of value, if resale prices aren't an indication, what is?
loomisjohnson
1,943 posts
 
i wholly agree with tonkay insofar as mcintosh value--mcintosh pieces are expensive but hold their value as well as anything on the market and aren't subject to the steep depreciation that affects almost everything else out there. (c.f. my 6-7 year old denon gear, which is probably worth 10% what i paid for it). given the choice you posed between older mac and newer nad i'd opt for the mac in a heartbeat--it's more reliable, better built, looks better will (to my ears) sound better and will be worth alot more when you're ready to sell. that said, there's a lot of hugely undervalued older stuff out there that's available for cheap and will still compare favorably to pricy modern gear.
thegoldenear's avatar
thegoldenear OP
121 posts
 
i love this site, you get great answers that help soooo much. I think I know what I'm gonna do, I also want to add the Ryan from Audio classics has been awesome awesome awesome.
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