Perhaps this B&M dealer really doesn't have the expertise that he needs to set up a cartridge like a Koetsu! If that is the case, he would be wise to disclose that to you...OTOH, he did say he would do it at full price, which leads me to question his business acumen.
Koetsu's enjoy an enormous mark-up in this country. If you look at some of the Japanese audio sites, you can see the same models for mere fractions of what we are expected to pay in the US. The middle man is wringing his hands in glee when these cartridges ( and a lot of other Japanese sourced models as well) get sold here through a US dealer.
Yes, i am aware that they have to stand behind the product and so forth, BUT the additional costs of getting the cartridge from Japan to here, plus the dealer servicing cannot explain the mark-up! IMHO.
Koetsu's enjoy an enormous mark-up in this country. If you look at some of the Japanese audio sites, you can see the same models for mere fractions of what we are expected to pay in the US. The middle man is wringing his hands in glee when these cartridges ( and a lot of other Japanese sourced models as well) get sold here through a US dealer.
Yes, i am aware that they have to stand behind the product and so forth, BUT the additional costs of getting the cartridge from Japan to here, plus the dealer servicing cannot explain the mark-up! IMHO.