Amateur inherited an audio system...


Recently I've inherited an audio system. I have no idea of what they are, I have never heard any of the brand names before, but upon checking on the internet I've found out they are somewhat high quality units. It consisted of Meridian 506 CD Player, Forte Forty-Four Pre-amp, Forte Fifty-Five Amp, Velodyne Sub and a pair of Rogers LS3/5A speakers. Some friend suggested I check out Audiogon.com, but as far as I can see most of the stuff are WAY over my head. Now that I found out about their value, my girlfriend is pressuring me to sell it, my question is.. Should I keep the system or sell it? It sounds very nice but my girlfriend keeps saying I don't need anything this fancy. Also, if I am going to sell it, is it better selling it as a system or piece-by-piece? Is eBay good for something like this? Any idea will be appreciated. Sorry for being so shallow, I really don't know much about high end audio... Thank you very much in advance.
raycc

Showing 1 response by rcprince

Whether you need something this "fancy" is a question only you, not us or your girlfriend, can decide. What you have now is a very nice system and will beat any Bose or mass-market system soundly as far as fidelity to the source you're listening to and musical values go. But if you don't listen seriously to music, or have it on only for background listening and nothing more, then it is probably overkill for your needs and you might consider selling it and getting something that suits your needs better (exception being the subwoofer and perhaps the speakers, if you are more interested in a home theater/AV setup).

If you are going to sell, Audiogon is probably the best place for selling your gear, and I would sell the items separately unless someone gave you an offer for the whole system that was close enough to the separate prices to make the convenience of the sale worth the discount. If you do sell, though, be sure you know the condition of the equipment and fairly represent it, otherwise you're asking for problems after the sale. Most of these items are worth far less than when new, in case you were going from list prices, so you should check to see what others are listing/selling comparable units for. The Rogers speakers and Forte equipment should hold their current values well. The Meridian, if it's an older model as I suspect, may have reached its lowest value and, quite frankly, may be worth keeping if you can't get more than $500 for it, as it will beat most cheap modern players at least sonically. Oh, and don't forget the wires if you're selling the system--some of them may well have value too, in a set-up like you mention I'm sure the owner didn't skimp on cheap interconnects and speaker wire.