If you had to pay full retail, would you...???


I recently got the Music Direct catalog in the mail. Lots of cool gear, interesting tweaks, awesome LPs. Looking over the catalog several times, I said to myself, "man, there are a lot of expensive tweaks which the un-initiated must think is simply crazy". What also struck me is that all the stuff I want, is ultra expensive and the stuff at "real-world prices" are nothing really spectacular. Even at the low end side of "high-end" gear, I would be laying out considerably more than if I went to Best Buy and bought an All in one system.

So, here is where I am headed. I have put together a pretty nice system, almost entirely found here on Audiogon, over back in the day at Audiomart. I scored my amps which retail for $13,000 for $4000. My speakers retailed for $7500 and I got em for $1500. My turntable was $500, which retail was $2500. If, I bought a new $500 turntable, I would get like a Music Fidelity MF, entry level one.

if you bought most of your system used, if you had to start from square one and had to buy Full retail, would you still be into this hobby?

Entry level high end gear really does not interest me. it lacks pizzaz, like the Avid Reference has. For what I paid for my AudioLogic tube DAC, I could only afford a Mid-level Marantz. I beleive I would still be a Music lover, but if forced to spend Full retail for high end gear, I think I would opt for mass market mid-fi, or simply do a laptop based digital system through a mass market company.
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Man, that Music Direct catalog is like audiophile pornography. I love looking at it, but I can't imagine buying much of that gear at full list price. Someone must be, right? Does anyone know if they, or Acoustic Sounds, will discount if you call them?
Audiogon exists because of all the wrong mis-matched equipment/set-ups. Many people spend way more in the long run by not just going to a dealer and getting it right to begin with. It amazes me that people who say they love this hobby won't support a local dealer...and then will one day wonder why there is NO place to look at/hear all the stuff and have fun and share their hobby by making a lasting relationship. Why would you want to lose places like these is beyond me...Must be this website sums it up: www.officialdudley.com
If you had to pay full retail, would you...???

Would I be in this hobby? No

Would I still listen to music? Yes

I would just some mid-fi rig and live on in oblivion, not knowing what to do with all of my extra time and money.

Yes, I 'save' money by shopping here, just like my wife 'saves' money when she goes out shopping. :)

To be honest though, I probably wind up spending more $$$ to get a better deal. If you're saving 40/50/60%, the more you spend the more you save. If your paying 100%, you're not saving anything, so there is no temptation to 'save' (or spend) more.
In the days before Audiogon and Ebay there were better deals to be had locally on used equipment. These are better days in most ways, but I don't plan on finding another MC-2205 for $500 in my local newspaper. I wonder what the discount is on a Magico Mini? Do folks pay $22,000 for a hot item that is about to go up in price?
I'm quite comfortable paying full retail for the gear I buy from my local dealer. He's one of those rara aves who has complete integrity, stands behind everything he sells and has the technical backup to fix it if something goes wrong. He also has proven to have the insight and experience needed to make recommendations that are good both for my system and my tastes. The hobby isn't just about buying and selling components. Helping a dealer make a living in return for a solid set of tangible and intangible value-adds beyond the moment of sale has a great deal of value for me.

It doesn't take many "discount mistakes" to offset the cost of a paying a good dealer his markup.
Though I can't forsee any circumstance where I would be unable to get a reasonable discount on equipment, I would definitely not pay retail. Still, even a decent discount from retail won't get you nearly as much bang for your buck as AudiogoN.
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There was a time when there was no Audiogon! It's hard for me to imagine that now--it has changed my buying habits so much. If I could only pay retail, boy, it would be hard. I'd probably stay in the hobby and go totally for "internet" products--stuff that either started on the internet or that are sold mostly on it (at retail). Stuff that doesn't get reviewed by the big mags. And see what happened. It used to be that even in retail stores you would get discounts on new stuff. I don't know if that's true anymore. Great question!
No, the equipment I buy now as opposed to when I started is more than I would spend retail. If it weren't for Audiogon and the contacts I've made with dealers where I've gotten some stuff almost at cost and plus the used stuff I purchased from Agoners, I would not have the majority of my gear and cables.
You almost never have to pay full retail. Most dealers give you a discount around 20-30% off retail. It's like buying a new car, where you never pay sticker.