Posted by Brian Frederiksen on April 13, 2001 at 20:33:55:
In Reply to: Re: Stereo equipment poll posted by Joe S. on April 13, 2001 at 19:12:53:
Joe brings up a great point here!
While some of us have been on the stereo thread all day telling of our fancy stuff (I was doing it on breaks from replacing my office ceiling tiles), there are a lot of students out there who would rather bankroll their education rather than a state of the art stereo. However, part of their music education is listening to all kinds of music which requires a stereo system.
While the overall price of new equipment has gone down over the years, real bargins can be found. The used market always has great stuff that can be had cheap. You may have to put up with a few scratches in the case or invest in a can of tuner spray but it can get you through college. This is great for amplifiers and speakers but watch out on CD players. It is unfortunate that they do not show wear and it is a risk buying a used one.
One thing you notice about the people that have lots of stuff - there is a seperate system for listening to movies vs listening to music. Personally, I am not into having a piece of electronics simulate a hall, jazz club or whatever. Forget the surround sound and just get a normal stereo. Problem is many manufacturers only make surround equipment. On the other side, there are those who "upgrade" to a surround system making a lot of older used amplifiers on the market.
So where to get deals? In Chicago there is a place called the Saturday Audio Exchange (www.saturdayaudio.com) that has new and used stuff and am sure other cities have a place like this. I have bought a lot of B stock from them for clients. Most of the time the only problem is a scratch on the case but the savings is there. A number of companies such as Harmon Int., Denon and Onkyo seem to dispose of their extra stuff on Ubid (www.ubid.com). They put a refurbished tag on the box to get around dealer contracts but most of the stuff is brand new. The only downside is their shipping charges are in orbit, watch out.
Here is the other side of the stereo jungle, stereo on the cheap! You dont need a tube amp with the best speakers in town and a cartridge on a turntable that costs a small fortune. All music students should have a stereo along with a horn and car and . . .