How do you tell if your local authorized dealer ..

Well, if its ARC, you can look at the box. There is a big checkbox that says "Factory Refurb" or something like that. Other manufacturers might do the same thing...

All the box are brand new sealed when receiving with dealer ship to address,dated shipped, date to received by Fex Ex, so I am pretty sure they are A stocks. Thanks for the infos.

Call the manufacture of the product.

Live and learn. Read the fine print. Some state has lemon laws to protect customers such as in TX there is 30 day lemon laws covering certain transactions however some dealers will put in "15 days clause" for return or exchange and some dealers will not allow return or exchange on special orders. That is a catch 22. Most small MOM and POP dealers don't or cannot afford to stock hi-end gears as a result customers have to " special order" certain products, therefore, the products cannot be returned or exchanged even when the gears function improperly. There are only two dealers in Houston area that I know of ( Tweeter and the Home Theater Store) allows return or exchange with no hassle on hi-end gears within a time frame limit. Good discount is great to have but I have learnt a good lesson that I rather pay full sticker price but having a no hassles return policy just in case the gears not function properly. The relationship between customers and dealers is not before and at the point of sales but after the sales. Caveat Emptor.