What's happened to the used high end market recently?? Sales are tough....:0(

I've noticed very high prices for quality used gear on Ebay.   My Nakamichi 7A cassette deck I purchased for $700 in 1990 is now $1,500 to $5,900 averaging $2,500 (more than new), my Marantz 7T pre-amp I purchased for $150 in 1995 is now $1,200 to $3,000 with several in the mid-$2,000s, my Mac MC30s which I was given in 2000 are now $1000-$2000, my SME IV which I paid $1100 in 1989 is now $4,700 NEW (and being used on the latest SME turntable).   

So, some high end older audio gear has vastly appreciated in the current market.  I think speakers have dropped the most unless they are Tannoys or Altecs from the 50's and 60's.  My Legacy Focus speakers sold today for $12,000 are not the same as my 25 year old pair which now resell for only $2200-$2500 (a bargain).   

If I replace my speakers, I'm looking at $50-60K for Einsteins, Luminwhites or Von Schweikert VR55Ks.  That's high end dollars.

Garages have to be larger due to the proliferation of owning popular pick-up trucks and SUVs compared to compact cars.  

Video screens have grown monumentally in the past several decades. Now, a 55, 65 and 75 inch screen is common. Back in 2002, the largest common screens were 40 inch. No room problem complaints by millennials about that except that the new TVs mount on the wall, are relatively lightweight and don’t dominate a room in bulk.

There is a misconception concerning space. Homes are 1,000’ larger than they were in 1973. http://www.aei.org/publication/new-us-homes-today-are-1000-square-feet-larger-than-in-1973-and-livin... This is especially true outside of major urban areas. So, space is expensive (but same price per square foot), but plentiful, for homeowners. This line that space is more expensive and limited is like saying that taxes aren’t high enough. My equipment back in 1980s and 1990s was about the same size as it is today. I used to own Acoustat 2&2s and Martin Logan Monolith IIIs. They are not small speakers. My amps were monoblocks then and now (three changes there too). My homes have gotten larger by 1,000’ each time, three times from the 1981. So, that reasoning is irrational. People live in larger condo space than they used to live in apartment space over the past quarter century as well.

There is a problem with HEA.  That is summarized in today's article from Enjoy the Music:  Come Admire My Hi-Fi Jewelry Roger Skoff writes about what things cost, and why.   This essay delivers an important message about many HEA manufacturers (and their clients).  The equipment must appeal to the eye/visually or else it won't sell, regardless of audio quality according to many HEA manufacturers.   
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0618/HiFi_Jewelry.htm  This is probably why there were so many new (and differently conceived) turntables at the recent Munich audio show.  Just check out Michael Fremer's AnalogPlanet.com site for several hours of exploration of the new LP spinners.  For some, looks mean almost nothing.  For others (and generally very expensive) the visuals are striking.  

I just sold a friend a Yamaha CR-1020 and a pair of Dynaco A-25 speakers for $450.  He needed the amp to run two pairs of average efficiency speakers.  Overall, a nice musical sounding combo with a good phono stage (he is buying a turntable soon).  I wanted these mint pieces of equipment to go to a good home.  (P.S. he returned a crappy $400 85w. multi-channel receiver that weighed 8 lbs. after I told him it wouldn't power even one set of speakers very well).  When I decide to sell my Fisher 400 and 500 receivers, McIntosh MC30s and assorted other high quality old gear, I won't be looking for the top dollar but rather to sell at a reasonable price.  Who wants to have the equipment sitting on ebay forever.

As far as a great CDP, two EAR Acute sold on Gon a few months ago for about $1800 and $2000 each.  They are fabulous players.  I highly recommend them as a last player you'll need for CDs.  Get NOS 6922s and a high end power cord to get the most out of it.  I auditioned 30 CD players prior to 2006 and was dissatisfied with them compared to my analog gear until I bought the EAR Acute.  A new one called the EAR Classic, which I heard with stock tubes and an upgraded A/C cord sounded great as well but sells for close to $6K.  It has digital inputs for streaming.

EAR CDP can be run direct to amplifier(s) with the volume control.  Otherwise, the recommended setting for output is at 2 o'clock.  There really wasn't an EAR Acute 2, it skipped up to Acute 3 with digital input, then the two box version and now the one box EAR Classic.  The E.A.R. Acute l and  III begin life as an Arcam player. The transport mechanism and logic circuitry, including the latest Wolfson DAC, are retained, but everything else is replaced.  I heard the Classic with Prana speakers and a Class D amp with stock tubes and my CDs (Ramsey Lewis Down to Earth, Ellington & Basie Bands) and it sounded excellent.  The original Acute l sells for $1800 to $2000 used on GON.  Possibly more for the Acute lll.  They are analog-like sound with great dynamics and frequency response.  Truly amazing CDPs. 

That is a very big YES. It is as resolving as most if not all my analog (a mod VPI TNT VI w/mod SME IV and Benz Ruby3). I listen to a lot of Contemporary CDs and they rival my original stampers. It’s all in the remastering with Phil De Lanci hit and miss (his The Poll Winners Ride Again is as good as my original pressing LP, his Kid Ory Creole Jazz Band a bad transfer, the LP is sooo much superior) while Joe Tarantino is generally excellent (L’l Abner) and dependable. The first thing I put on my system for guests is CD jazz recordings, they are so good. Hearing Shelley Mann is a delight. The Les Baxter Skins Capitol CD has so much ambience, micro-details and micro-dynamics, it is superior to the LP pressing (never as quiet either).  I have about 1,500 Jazz LPs and 1,200 Jazz CDs.