Albuquerque to Durango Colorado which is 3 hours each way to audition a pair of Cabasse Farella 401 speakers. This was at North Star Leading the Way which was the North America dealer for Cabasse and Jadis at that time.
Was so smitten with the 401's/Jadis that I bought and brought them home which resulted in a 4 year love affair with DHT SE 300B amps. Still have the 401's in storage with the intent to finish the outboard passive crossover project/upgrade to them that I started but my love for Alon/Nola is hard to shake :) |
I once brought a Music Reference RM5 mkII preamp with me on a vacation from Philly to LA and then drove up the coast to SF to personally deliver it. The buyer met me in the lobby of my hotel room and then when he showed up, he asked me about a discount (after the price was long ago negotiated), since he didn't have the opportunity to audition it.
I said, "you're kidding, right? I schlepped this thing all the way here, and drove it up the coast to bring it to you; I have no problem bringing it back home and keeping it." At that point, he paid the price that we agreed upon. |
My next one near 250mi one way to pick up record collection. Part goes to my shelves and part goes for sale.
This kind of trip is usual routine that happens at least once per week. |
I guess it would depend on how badly you want them. It will be a lot safer for the speakers to personally pick them up rather than worrying about a shipper dropping them.
Could you take the time to make a vacation out of it too?
Chuck
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Should I drive from Jersey to South Carolina for a pair of Aerial 7b's for only $1200? |
Albuquerque, NM to Arena, WI for a pair of Chapman Audio T77SE speaks. A buddy picked them up in Milwaukee for me. Took me a year to go get them. He took really good care of them by playing them constantly. I gave him my Vandersteen 2CE's in exchange for his "storing" them in his listening room. 2500 mile round trip, two days driving each way. Worth every second and mile to this day. (Although lately I've been thinking that change is good. . . ) |
longest I ever had anyone drive to pick-up something I was selling was Detroit MI to Stroudsburg PA (8hr, 550mi - one way) this for a pair of a/d/s L520's for less than $300 ... he was a collector of all things a/d/s and mine were mint :) |
My usual trip, made three times, (for speakers, an amp and lastly a turntable/cartridge), over the past 25 years, from Silicon Valley to Sacramento, about 100 miles, have been my longest trips for audio equipment. A couple of trips to San Francisco and one to Petaluma round out the trips I've made for this hobby. |
Seattle to Phoenix and back -- but it also gave me a chance to see my son and grandson. |
i pay a visit to Perrotta consulting down in Bethel Connecticut from Montreal
550 Km , 6 hours of driving one way worth the trip. A very nice guy to deal with |
I drove from Toronto to Montreal - 6 hours each way - to pick up speakers, and back home same day 1000 kilometer round trip. This was in '94. Two months later I saw another pair of the same speakers for sale ....40 minutes from home. |
You all beat me. 250 mile round trip was my furthest voyage, to pick up an 120 pound amplifier. |
A 2 hour or a 75-100 mile drive is my limit to buy audio gear, but I don't spend megabucks on this hobby. If I did, I'd be willing to drive further. |
Drove from Woonsocket, RI to Annapolis, Md for a pair of DeVore Gibbon 8 speakers. Was 850 miles round trip and I did it in 1 day. It was 2 days before New Years in 2009. Took me 18 hours to go an come back and I did it alone. Didn't care for the speakers and sold them 6 months later.....never again. |
Raleigh NC to Cape Coral FL to pick up a store inventory of nearly 48,000 records, 7"s, CDs, cassettes and other media. |
Good effort there! And no doubt well worth it, Krell Man...HRS is great, great stuff. Congrats and enjoy! |
"That was almost 2,000 miles round trip. It's a crazy obsession, isn't it!"
Not really. Just think about what it took to earn the money you spent. A couple of days in the car to be sure you get it right; no problem. If more people did the same, there would be a lot less crying and complaining on this web site. |
I rented a van and drove from Indianapolis, Indiana to Hartford, Connecticut for a load of Harmonic Resolution stands and platforms. I then drove back through Buffalo, New York to buy crates for them. That was almost 2,000 miles round trip. It's a crazy obsession, isn't it!
Chuck
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