I’ve dealt with Music Direct and purchased lots of expensive gear. When I return an item it then pops up as open box, which is reduced in price. Their return policy equally applies to a $100 item, or a $12000 cartridge. I found a sales rep that is very knowledgeable and has proven to be an invaluable resource. So, nothing but positive things to say regarding MD. If you look on my virtual system, power conditioner, all cables, turntable and cartridge were through MD. Many times I upgraded and returned items. My Ethernet cable was a return and I purchased it as open box. Hard to believe that such a high end item was returned, but it was and it made a real difference in my system. All of the power and interconnects were purchased as lesser cables and refunded as I traded up. I purchased my DAC directly from the manufacturer and both the phono preamp and streamer from @blisshifi . Again, nothing but praise for Juan at blisshifi.