I've just missed out on sooo many I'm curious what others have snagged. I've found some really good deals but have yet to hit the proverbial jackpot. I once got a Kenwood KD-650 TT w/granite base/ SME 3009 III/Shure V15MR MKV in immaculate condition with owner's manuals for $200.00. I also snagged a Parasound PH/P 850 Pre-Amp for $125.00 (when they were going for $450.00 new) I also once got a complete Adcom set-up GFA 545 II amp, GTP-450 Pre, GCD 600 CD Player with a pair of Paradigm Titan speakers for $400.00. How about you ?
I once helped someone move house and found a Thorens TD 125 turntable with a SME 3009 arm and a Stanton cartridge. The dustcover was damaged, so this guy wouldn't take more then 45 dollars, while the retailprice was around 1000 dollars. Who am I to argue with that?
If it weren't for "killer deals", i would not have been able to afford 1/10 the gear that i currently have. Anyone that talks to me on a regular basis knows how "lucky" i am at sniffing out "bargains". I have bought speakers that sold for $4000 for $200, digital gear that was $5000 for $450, a TT / Tonearm combo that was $5000 for $700, another TT / Tonearm combo that was about $7000 for $1250, $1000+ biwired shotgun speaker cables for $85, etc... I have even traded old radio gear that i had laying around ( valued at about $150 on the used market ) for $2500 speakers to one of my customers. I went to buy one piece of gear and the guy gave me a piece of gear that he no longer wanted or used. As it turns out, it was a professional grade audio / video machine that had special features used for doing business presentations. After doing some research, i found out that it actually retailed at $5000 !!! Also found a Fisher tube receiver that was completely functional with all original tubes in the garbage. Stumbled across a piece made by Sequerra for $3 at a local flea market !!! All i can say is, I HOPE IT NEVER STOPS !!! Bring it on, baby !!! : ) Sean >
In my original posting I forgot to mention on top of all the Adcom gear and Paradigm Titan speakers also included was an Alesis EQ-120 EQ, Middle Atlantic power line conditioner, a 72"(tall) Middle Atlantic 19" Rack and five steel Middle Atlantic rackmount CD storage units. This all came from someone getting out of A/V production and oh yeah all the Adcom gear came with the optional rackmount adapters. In all about five grand+ worth of stuff (new).
In my initial post, I should also have included the best bargain I got on video gear. Shortly before Christmas last year, a friend of mine gave me a tip that "uBid.com" had some Panasonic PV-HS2000 "Replay TV" hard disk recorders selling for $289 (MSRP was $600). The units came with a $100 rebate, which reduced the purchase price to $189, plus $25 shipping. In addition, these units came with a permanent subscription to "Replay TV" included in the price. I've been extremely pleased with the quality of the video, and the convenience is unsurpassed.
Was wrecking a house of a 91 year old gentleman who went to live with his 60 year old son. They took everything they wanted out of the house and said we could have the rest of what was in the house. An Altec 604B and Altec 604C, Mac 225 tube amp and Mac MX113 preamp, Thorens TD111 turntable, plus a University cornerhorn speaker that sold for $550.00 new in 1958. I found a match on Ebay for $185.00 and they are used in my garage system with a 6V6 amp. They sound great with their separate horns for mid and tweeters with 15 inch woofers. Just one bluesy sound.
I walked into a pawnshop in Key West, Fl and saw a Marantz 8B in perfect condition -playing. The price tag said $50. I didn't even try to talk the owner down.
An unkown buyer bought a single rare tube from me for $5. I sold it cheap since we were both regulars on this site. Well, it turned out to be for a very old friend of mine $1500 miles away. We keep in much better contact now and still laugh about his bargain!
A small independent store that I used to shop at for used CD's decided to increase their price to $8-$10 (this was a few years ago). I was a regular, and asked the owner if he could hold his price (I had been buying 5 to 10 CD's per week, and holding the old price would have meant NOT INCREASING by $1.00 per CD). Well, I got the standard, "my expenses have gone up, the cat had kittens, etc." Hey, I respect his right to conduct his business as he sees fit, since I have the right to shop elsewhere! As I was leaving his store for the last time, I spotted a MFSL Gold Disc, Santana's "Abraxis" for $9.00!!! How sweet my last purchase was! Happy Tunes!
I found a ReVox B-760 Tuner in a pawnshop in Bloomington, IL for $175. Retail was $1600. It has a few marks on it but sounds terrific. That was 10 years ago!
I've gotten a few killer deals here at the gon. I purchased a Sharp XV-S55U projector from a dealer with the factory waranty, retail price $8600, what I paid $1200 plus shipping- its still under that factory waranty fwiw and not an ounce of trouble. I bought an accuphase processor for 1/4 of its retail value(retail was 19k) that worked flawlessly and beyond my expectations- it was NOT a grey market component either. Recently I purchased a brand new un-used speaker wire pair for nearly half retail. There are plenty of good deals out there just have to jump on them when you see them. I saw a Koetsu rosewood cartridge at an auction with no reserve go for $580 and change- that is a steal! to bad I didn't see it till the auction was closed, I have never owned a turn table but I would have bought it any way.
The best deal I ever got was on speakers which were a gift to my son. I responded to an ad here on A-gon from an audiophile that lives in Chandler, AZ -- about 2 miles from my son's house. The seller was offering a pair of Vandersteen 3A speakers AND a Vandersteen VCC-1 center channel for a total price of $1500 -- and both speakers were only 18 months old. Since my son was able to pick up the speakers, there was no shipping either. Given that the MSRP on the speakers was $3300 (plus no sales tax or shipping), I thought $1500 was a hell of a bargain. Needless to say, my son was pretty pleased too!!
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