new gear vs used gear

50/50.

Hmmmm, very interesting, lets see....

CDP-new
DVD-both new
Processor-new
Amps-1 used 1 new
DAC-used
Power Conditioner-new
Speakers-all new

14 pieces total. 12 new. 2 used.

Good grief I am a retail buyer, I am off to scour the adds. Most of my decent cabling is used though.

MOST of my gear was bought USED. Only because you can find
the pieces that you want for alot less money.
Spending less money on pieces, means that you can get
MORE pieces.

50/50/50
1 new
1 used
1 gift

Marakanetz, I disagree that new is ALWAYS overpriced. When I initially graduated from "upper mid-fi" to "high-end", I was lucky enough to find a dealer that worked with me. It is hard to put a value on the knowledge that I gained from the dealer's expertise. In addition, a dealer's loyal customer will usually get first crack at a trade-in item, a demo that has to be sold, or an item that the dealer or a salesman wants to sell from their personal rig. I was also advised to stay away from a popular speaker line that the dealer was auditioning (shoddy cabinet construction). Warrantee work on a new item, although rare, can save you some SERIOUS money that would otherwise be spent for repairs on a used item. I was very lucky to find this dealer, as my previous experience with 2 other high end dealers were less than satisfactory, to put it mildly. As I got an education, I shifted to buying primarily used or demo gear. Personally, the only items that I would be somewhat reluctant to buy used would be a turntable or a phono cartridge.