How many people here generally buy used?

Sometimes used equipment is the only way to fulfill dreams you dreamt years ago. When I was at university I became conditioned by those Mark Levinson ads to be found on the first pages of hifi magazines. But as a student you cannot afford machines for a few thousand bucks. Today I am a part time High End journalist, get a lot of gear for a short while on behalf of testing it. Three years ago I met Mark Levinson (the man). That reminded me of my old dreams and while it was around christmas time I started looking for used ML gear built in those years when I got into hifi - late Eighties, early Nineties. The first bargain I found on EBay was an ML 38s for 1500 €. A few days later I got an ML 27 for a mere 1600 €. In early January I bought a 390s - with some curable defects it cost me 600 € in the end. Around 3700 € for a working Mark Levinson system in good shape, later on completed with some adequate Infinity Kappa loudspeakers - never ever could have afforded this new. And it sounds competitive in comparison with new gear. I am well aware that there are better sounding machines out there but my vintage gear fits my needs - what more can I ask for?
Regarding cables: Some I bought brand new, some I collected over the years and today I have enough to experiment with. Strange enough: My Kimber RCAs that worked flawlessly in almost every other system didn't like the combination of Denon SACD CX-3 and 38s. It had to be Morrow Audio or Silnote.
My second system is a blend of used electronics - Sony SACD, Trigon "Snowwhite" preamp (for 500 € a double bargain), Audiolab power amp - and a new pair of KEF LS50s. The KEFs are on 50 % discount at the moment so you get them for just 666 €. And they still belong to the best compact designs you can buy. The apotheosis of bookshelf speakers... Buying new? If they discount the brand new Mark Levinson 5xxx universal player and streamer for me 😁😎😋

Greetz, Hans

I always buy used, the stuff I like has been out of production for years.
Mac MC40 monoblocksAudio Research SP8 preampAltec Valencia speakersJVC QL-A7 TTI use a new Denon DL-103 cart on the TTDenon AU-340 SUTEverything has been either rebuilt or checked to see if it's up to spec.System sounds awesome.
BillWojo

I always try to buy used, with the caveat that I either know and trust the seller OR I can visit the seller to audition and check it out myself.My system is a mixture of items purchased both new and used but people need to realise that buying new and re selling in the near future will result in a 40-60% loss on the price paid.

All of my main gear i purchased new in the mid-80’s. I just recently purchased an Emotiva CD/DAC to replace my Carver CD player. My Bryston 1B preamp i picked up from ebay ($350.00 vs 1800.00 new in the early 90’s). Much of my gear i have 'used' while working in college from a local audio store and i was able to borrow it and take it home. As my finances improved, i was able to look into buying the gear i had used as a poor college student. Now i am a slightly better off near retiree but i have the gear i want. Well except for an SAE amplifier. 🙂

Speakers is usually worth buying used because you can afford a much higher end model at half price if you are patient.Also speaker tend to last very long so it's a very good investment.I got my Thiel CS 3.7s half price at the time.On the other hand i tend to buy my amps and sources new.When possible i try to buy straight from the distibutor to get the biggest discount, same for cables.