What makes you buy NEW HiFi gear ?

[Vinyleyes]

The thread on HiFi Choice to vanish has thrown up all kinds of debate on the state of the HiFi industry in general and what, if anything, can be done to arrest it's decline.
Given that HiFi magazines are also struggling certainly to attract any new readership .. and postulating that ONE of their main raisons d'etre is to spread awareness of NEW HiFi ... does this suggest that less people are interested in finding out about aquiring NEW HiFi equipment.

In my case ... whilst I do enjoy the eye candy of looking at majorly expensive new gear ( The EAR Yoshino V12 being a particular case in point) .. My system is made up from mainly vintage gear which I aquired 2nd hand and has had/having judicious modifications.

The only new major manufactured items I have are the Oppo 95 and a new cartridge for my 20yrs old SME deck.

The only other way I would pay for NEW equipment is when it is of bespoke design from people such as we are lucky to have on this forum who produce equipment which would cost much much more it it came from a major manufacturer.

My 18 yr old son and his music loving mates are also now aware that for under 500 quid they can assemble a pretty darn good multi source system off Flea bay with a little bit of advice from the hifi community ...

So if I am in any way typical of a HiFi enthusiast in this day and age .. then is it any wonder that the industry is struggling .. and is that perhaps a reason why manufacturers may attempt to go the massive profit off a few sales of "allegedly" hi end gear route .... instead of small profits off many sales of better value gear.
I realise there are a few exceptions out there but I am postulating a trend here ... and if it is true in a significant way then do we blame the manufacturers, effectively the hifi industry ... or is it due to greater lifestyle choices, less disposable income .. or simply the fact that the number of people who genuinely love music and will spend significant sums to reproduce it .. are and always have been .. a small group. .. :cool:

[Reid Malenfant]

The only thing that makes me buy something new is if i can't find the same or similar thing secondhand ;)

There are only a few bits of my system that i bought brand new, a couple are ex-demonstration, the rest are secondhand. I think the type of equipment we generally tend to purchase will last far longer than any warranty period as long as it's not abused & generally the type of person on the forum or who has a decent hifi system doesn't go abusing their kit.

What you might possibly have missed is that the person selling their equipment secondhand may well have just or just be about to purchase something new themselves :) The sale of the seconhand stuff facilitates the purchase of something new, or they might be after something secondhand as well like we generally do :eyebrows:

Manufacturers may well be having a tough time of it, so are consumers! I have sympathy with both, perhaps it's time they lowered prices & sold direct to the public like a good few firms appear to be doing these days to make ends meet? :scratch:

Assuming something is fully working i'd be happier to spend say 75% of the new price on the same thing secondhand rather than buy it new. This kind of holds up to a few hundred pounds, above this i'd expect a gradual reduction to say 50% of the new price even if the relevant item is bang up to date & still under construction by the manufacturer. I know this often doesn't hold true but i can live in hope :cool:

Not sure of the new price of say an Audio Research MP1 pre amp (today) but i got mine for half the retail price ex-dem (mint, boxed, instructions, remote etc).

[worthingpagan]

It's rare that I have either the money or motivation to buy brand new equipment. If I do buy brand new it certainly isn't going to be something that runs into a cricket score of £ signs. It's my belief that whilst there's no doubt that some of the high end gear is very well made and sounds very good, it is none the less vastly overpriced. That alone makes me wary. I remember walking into my local B&W store a few years back, the salesman came downstairs rubbing his hands together with glee, grinning like a cheshire cat. When I told him i was looking at buying a £500 Rotel amp, his attitude and body language changed to one of almost contemptousness :steam: and he became unhelpful & disinterested. That all but confirmed for me my suspicions that these people are really only here to line their pockets at the expense of hifi enthusiasts.

You only have to look at the almost doubling in price in recent years of DIY accessories. The industry has cottoned on that people want to try and make their own stuff to bypass their bloated prices, so they push the price of basics like a mains plug into orbit.

I have no sympathy whatever with retailers or manufacturers, their greed has brought about this situation where the majority of people appear to be now looking to value for money as opposed to questionable differences in sound quality. Economic problems seem to mean little or nothing to the people who are churning out the kit.

The first hifi mains cable I bought was the Isotek Elite, less than 8 years ago, paying less than £80. That cables now retails for £169! Why?

My advice to those in the know would be "get real", we're in the middle of a recession, show some humility.

Don't know that I've really answered any questions here, more like a rant I suppose, but they're my thoughts and i'm sticking with them ;)

[DSJR]

I wonder if my feelings are shared anywhere else, here or elsewhere?

I think the mid-audio market has collapsed because of the cheap far eastern onslaught of decent gear for next to nothing at the (Richer Sounds) bottom end, the huge market now in second hand gear in the middle (look at eBay prices rocketing in recent years) and as far as the hugely and often overpriced Top End, the people who buy this stuff are beyond value for money and in the UK, regard the likes of Kessler and Colloms as above the Gods, seems immune to a degree from the economic situation.. - IMO

[DSJR]

You only have to look at the almost doubling in price in recent years of the DIY accessories. The industry has cottoned on that people want to try and make their own stuff to bypass their bloated prices, so they push the price of basics like a mains plug into orbit.

My advice to those in the know would be "get real", we're in the middle of a recession, show some humility.

Don't know that I've really answered any questions here, more like a rant I suppose, but they're my thoughts and i'm sticking with them ;)

Don't forget the Techie accessory market now, turning a used bargain at £200 or less into a frighteningly expensive deck once you start on the ladder at £500 a pop for each "step" on the ladder. To me, it's early Linn/Naim all over again (these two vintage makers now charge thousands for each step up their product ladders..)

[Pete The Cat]

Rightly or wrongly, I believe that the pace of improvement in sound performance has slowed decade on decade to a point where in 2011 it isn't worth it to pay for many new items compared to paying for second hand market-leading items from a previous era. For this reason I rarely buy new.

There's so much great hardware from the past to play with and on, I figure I'll get 2011's best in another 10-20 years if I'm still around to do so.

The availability of cheap films on DVD has taken a lot of peoples' investment into home cinema.

A portable / docking MP3 player clearly doesn't represent good sound, but the fashion and cosmetics of the new media lure people.

I mainly just buy ancillaries such as cables new now.

Pete

[Stratmangler]

Don't forget the Techie accessory market now, turning a used bargain at £200 or less into a frighteningly expensive deck once you start on the ladder at £500 a pop for each "step" on the ladder. To me, it's early Linn/Naim all over again (these two vintage makers now charge thousands for each step up their product ladders..)

It's nothing like the Linn/Naim thing - most importantly Panasonic/Technics have sod-all to do with the mods, and have no vested interest in pushing them on the "faithful".

The other two manufacturers have always kept a eye on an obvious upgrade path.

[Marco]

It's nothing like the Linn/Naim thing - most importantly Panasonic/Technics have sod-all to do with the mods, and have no vested interest in pushing them on the "faithful".

The other two manufacturers have always kept a eye on an obvious upgrade path.

Indeed. Dave, sometimes you don't half talk a load of old pish! :lol:

Marco.

[John]

If I buy new I tend to perfer something that I have direct contact with the manufacturer

[jandl100]

The only thing that makes me buy something new is if i can't find the same or similar thing secondhand ;)


Yup, that goes for me as well.

A notable exception to my 2nd hand boxswapping being my speakers which simply don't appear on the used market except once in a very blue moon.

A recent purchase of a MF A1 FBP pre-amp is a special case maybe. Brand new in sealed box for just under 22% of its RRP. And very nice it is, too. :) That is a fine example of a manufacturer continuing its policy of crapping in its own bed! :eyebrows: I remain baffled how MF can sell any new kit when experienced punters know that there's a good chance that the stuff will be sold off with extravagant price reductions a year or so later. :scratch:

[Marco]

If I buy new I tend to perfer something that I have direct contact with the manufacturer

Me too - it's the best way! :)

Marco.

[Theo]

In the 80s, I was on the dreaded Linn bandwagon, and all upgrades were bought new (usually because of the attraction of the "free" service - yes, I can hear the cries of "Baaaa"). Since the 90s, the only hifi items I've bought new from dealerships are cartridges and cables, and even those I've looked for the best deals, never paying full mrp. All other purchases have been 2nd hand, ex-dem, or direct from manufacturers. This is not to denigrate dealers: one of my favourites is 2nd Hand Hifi in the North East - Simon is a gentleman to deal with, in as much that I can get a pretty good exchange price on gear I want to part exchange, making a purchase decision much easier. Therefore it still supports the industry.

What is the answer for existing dealerships if the enthusiasts, i.e. us lot, would prefer to buy second hand or direct from the manufacturer? Well, being on the High Street is never going to help (high overheads, etc.). Moving away from the main shopping areas to secondary locations perhaps with parking, forming JVs with one-off manufacturers, taking a reduced margin, selling a deeper range of second hand gear are all ideas I'm sure they've thought of already.

The key will be for the industry to somehow persuade people that music - and great replay systems - go hand in hand. However, all the industry seems interested in is the convenience as opposed to the quality, and while that situation remains, people will always be content to aspire to nothing more than the Zeppelin.

[jostber]

I guess there will be quite right buying new gear if the price is right regarding value, like the Croft and Apollon amps? There is a certain safety in buying from a hifi specialist shop that can give you recommendations and put components together that will work along nicely, instead of yourself trying to pick up all used stuff from ebay. The latter requires knowledge that not everyone has, and some chance-taking of course.