Wisdom of buying hard to find high end equipment?

[PhotoMax]

I own a mix of Linn and Rega equipment. I am located in Seattle (USA).

Most of the better audio forums are located in the U.K. I just find the reviews and member posts to be more thorough and better written. I am new to Hifiwigwam and am really enjoying it.

The flip side to this is that much of the new equipment I read about is difficult to find here in the US. For example I would love to find a dealership that has Kudos speakers. No one seems to carry them. Other quality UK brands have a few scattered dealers across the country, but not in my area. 
 

Even if I took the risk of buying equipment without a listening audition I would be nervous about the support issues, expense and time without my gear if a component needed service?

I am not sure if I even have a real question here? I was just wondering if others had taken the risk of buying attractive equipment even though there were purchasing, location and service issues?

Thanks!

Max 

 

[Nopiano]

Hi Max, in the late 1990s I bought a Krell CD player and amplifier from the UK importers. The exchange rate wasn’t great and it was a costly decision - but only in £s.  I used both until a couple of years ago, and the player only needed a service once.  

I sold them for about 25% of their original price last year, which I thought was pretty fair.  Costed over twenty years they were a bargain!  Their longevity made me much more aware of warranty and support issues, however.  That’s why, amongst other reasons, I like ATC speakers with their 6-year warranty and UK manufacturing base. 

You've a wonderful array of great US products made at home, which in your shoes I’d be more focussed on than Linn or Rega. 

 

[PhotoMax]

Thanks! 
 

Which US companies would you say are on path with Linn, etc? 

 

[Nopiano]

Which US companies would you say are on path with Linn, etc? 

I guess it depends in which area.  For turntables, VPI are pretty handsome performers; amps, perhaps Mark Levinson, Audio Research or Krell.  Or almost everything by McIntosh?!  

There are lots of US speakers I’ve not heard, including the bargain GoldenEar series.  Magneplanar have always intrigued me, and JBL and Klipsch are classics. 

Am I warm?

 

[PhotoMax]

I have not listened to JBL or Klipsch in years. I met the owner/designer of GoldenEars a couple of years ago. He was one of the main guys at Polk for a long time. Interesting fellow.  Thiel Audio made fabulous speakers but the company fizzled away after Jim Thiel passed away.

Have never heard of Magneplanar so will have to look them up.  

 

[PhotoMax]

There are some very interesting tube amp outfits in the US these days. Some smaller outfits that get great reviews like Raven Audio. Finding locations to check them out in person is also a problem. 
 

Running “brick and mortar” retail shops is just a tough business these days. 

 

[Nopiano]

https://www.magnepan.com/models

There’s always Wilson Audio and D’Agostino if you’re felling flush?

 

[PhotoMax]

https://www.magnepan.com/models

There’s always Wilson Audio and D’Agostino if you’re felling flush?

LOL! The one main high end dealer in Seattle sells several models from both of these brands. The high end Wilson speakers look like a mix of Transformers robots and school lunchroom rubbish bins! Then there are D’Agostino amps: you better be certain your floorboards can support all that weight! The same room had a $150K turntable. I asked if I could hear it play? I was told “no” as the cartridge alone cost $25K and could only be demonstrated for “active buyers”. I was obviously not worthy...

 

[zee9]

LOL! The one main high end dealer in Seattle sells several models from both of these brands. The high end Wilson speakers look like a mix of Transformers robots and school lunchroom rubbish bins! Then there are D’Agostino amps: you better be certain your floorboards can support all that weight! The same room had a $150K turntable. I asked if I could hear it play? I was told “no” as the cartridge alone cost $25K and could only be demonstrated for “active buyers”. I was obviously not worthy... [emoji41]

I’d suggest having the wife call for your audition appointment. Have her mention “my boss the CFO of our hedge fund would like to come and audition some gear”

They’ll probably serve you some good single Malt as well during the audition

I love how salespeople immediately assume how valuable or invaluable clients are.

There’s a real story where an Indian King was denied attention at a rolls Royce Dealer back in the day. He returned the next day. Bought the entire stock at the showroom and had the cars used to transport garbage and the street cleaners.

Rolls Royce finally apologized!

 

[PhotoMax]

@zee9,

Cool report! Fun to read.

But, I need to add this: I am not a high end Wilson, D’Agostino, or Rolls Royce customer. I am a million miles from that. But I have purchased increasing levels of audio gear for decades from this same company. My tastes, interests and budget has evolved. Definitive Audio has given me the same level of service regardless of how much money I have spent when walking out the door. Very happy customer.

But what they have is limited. Most hi-fi shops carry a limited number of brands and models. As you move up the budget scale it becomes harder to compare apples and pears. 

I have not spent much time in the past reading reviews and forums. Now that I have it becomes obvious: there is a lot of nice looking kit that you guys in the UK have ready access to. 

First world problem I know...

 

[zee9]

@zee9,
Cool report! Fun to read.
But, I need to add this: I am not a high end Wilson, D’Agostino, or Rolls Royce customer. I am a million miles from that. But I have purchased increasing levels of audio gear for decades from this same company. My tastes, interests and budget has evolved. Definitive Audio has given me the same level of service regardless of how much money I have spent when walking out the door. Very happy customer.
But what they have is limited. Most hi-fi shops carry a limited number of brands and models. As you move up the budget scale it becomes harder to compare apples and pears. 
I have not spent much time in the past reading reviews and forums. Now that I have it becomes obvious: there is a lot of nice looking kit that you guys in the UK have ready access to. 
First world problem I know...

Just for reference I’m a million miles away as well. In fact my entire setup was bought second hand.

I’ll give you a heads up on what I’ve realized though strictly related to linn. The US does not have large quantities of linn gear as it’s an import and has a smaller following here IMHO.

Result:
Disadvantages:
1. lack of chances to demo linn gear
2. Lack of used linn gear

Advantages:
1. Due to the lack of info on the linn gear the second hand market in the US is cheaper than in Europe or UK.

So i’d say reading views on forums is not as good as demo’ing the actual gear but you can get an idea of what it might sound like. So it requires a lot of forum reading but at the end of the day it will cost you less.

If you’re ever in nyc i’d gladly invite you to hear my humble used setup. Not to show it off but maybe to learn something from your thoughts. The newer you are to linn the more unbiased opinion you might give me.

I’ve had experiences with various other brands but nothing has satisfied me like the linn sound. And if it did I surely couldn’t afford it.

 

[PhotoMax]

Very cool. 

We used to live in Greenwich, CT but have lived in Seattle since 1991. We visited NYC for the first time in many years last October to see Eric Clapton at Madison Square Garden.

I enjoyed your last post. I like my Linn gear. Reading about it requires venturing out to UK forums like this one though. 

All good...

 

[tIANcI]

I bought the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge when there is none to demo and there is no dealer where I’m from. Fortunately, it paid off!

I doubt I will do that again. We all have different taste in sound. It might be a good piece of kit but because it does not suit our taste, it’s going to be a problem.

 

[A.S.]

Thanks! 
 

Which US companies would you say are on path with Linn, etc? 

Spectral make fabulously engineered gear using phenomenal components. Their gear measures measures exquisitely and sounds brilliant, compared to a lot of audiophile bling. Long wait times though because they have enough work and aren’t fussed about expanding. 

 

[monya]

I guess here in the UK we are lucky to have dealers offering most products within a reasonable distance of travel compared with the USA.  Must admit buying blind doesn’t appeal on high end gear. Synergy rules ok.

 

[ChemMan]

was just wondering if others had taken the risk of buying attractive equipment even though there were purchasing, location and service issues?

I'm constantly moving from country to country every few years. I bought a new Arcam A75 and Rotel CDP back in 2001 in Malaysia and when I had a problem with the amp in 2011 in Peru, I put it in my carry-on, took it to Detroit (home base) and then mailed it to New Jersey to have it fixed.

I bought Kef LS50s and an Arcam A39 (without audition) and had them shipped from the UK to Prague.  They are now with me in Belgium.  I just bought The US made MA252 from McIntosh last year as well as the Canadian made Bluesound Node 2 and a the D7 speaker from Spendor in the UK. (all purchased from three different dealers here in Belgium) Mind you, heading to Ghent and Antwerp for gear from Brussels is a bit like you heading south for some Tacoma aroma.

Although none of the brands are terribly exotic,  I figure I am going to buy what I like and service issues can be worked out, one way or another, down the road. That's my advice.

I've been thinking long and hard about a Audio Research integrated from Minnesota.  It's expensive and I have to get up to the Netherlands to even hear the thing. I won't let that or other location issues stop me if I like it.

FWIW, we had Linn in the house growing up Sara, Sondek, Amp, Pre and it was my reference for years.  I recently had the Akurate 2200 amp and Akurate DSM with Kat hooked up to the Spendors.   Nice sound stage and it offered more space, and air to the music and, as one might imagine, had nice synergy with the DSM acting as source and pre-amp. It was a very comfortable way of listening to music. The instruments really had their own space. This is in comparison to the Mac and Node2.

 

[whitehart]

I bought my Accuphase amps blind, but generally speaking I wouldn't advocate it, I just felt confident on their reputation and write ups I read that I would be happy with the purchase and thankfully I was right.

Mac

 

[Bodgit]

I have a Wadia CD/DAC/Pre and Muse power amplifiers, both made in the USA. Got these by chance I'd say since that's what the dealer had in their [used] stock and they met my requirements/budget. I do find it a bit interesting that I've paired these with what could arguably be a very "British" speaker - ATC.

 

[Jazid]

Bryston are a Canadian brand with strong studio following, and a 20 year guarantee.

Canary Audio are a top California outfit for tube amps and Conrad Johnson for s/s and tube amps..

AR, Krell etc as others have mentioned. Frankly you've got more amp choices, and cheaper not just US exchange rate but the Chinese imports as well.

And then there's the Shindo/Kondo/Yamamoto/Hashimoto/ Airtight/etc imports from Japan, easier for you to get.

The only thing not so easy is British voiced speakers, though Harbeth (and I dare say Spendor, B&W, and Kef) have dealers for their excellent products in USA...

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