Bowers & Wilkins - B&W

The advantage of not being offered a price less than retail is that you don't have any pressure to make a quick decision. The price won't change so see what else is out there.

When I purchased my Focal speakers the I would have paid retail for them, but was offered the MAP (minimum advertised price) that was about 10% under retail. The salesman told me straight up that if I opted for a Cambridge Audio receiver there was some flexibility, but if I chose an Integra product the MAP was the same as retail. I know a dealer can sell for lower than the MAP price, but I'm sure very few do unless there's more to the story.

I don't know how MAP compares to retail for B&W products.

If you really love the sound of the B&W speakers then a few hundred dollars won't matter as soon as you pay the credit card bill at the end of the month. If you pay cash you won't care the minute you set them up at home. I'd suggest finding a Focal dealer for a listen, but if you love the B&W sound you might not prefer the Focal sound.

blackm, this may be a blinding glimpse of the obvious, but why not buy used? there's a number of cm-series speakers listed here on agon at deep discount off SRP; you could also run an ad in the "wanteds".

I will eventually be listing a pair of CM9s as a normal for-sale item in the next few days if you're interested?

I'm interested in selling my B&W CM9s through audiogon, but as a new user to Audiogon, what's the general practice for establishing one's self here before selling a higher-priced item?

Thanks for the feedback Elizabeth.