Should I buy this?

[ImcLoud]

OK, A friend of mines father in law is selling his 2 channel system, and offered it to me for a price {not sure if I would call it good, but he paid much more than he wants about a year ago}...

Marantz-
sc 7s2 preamp paid $6250
sa 7si cd player paid $5900
sm11s1 amplifier paid $4000
tt15 turn table paid $1500
pair of psb T2 towers paid over $3000 he couldnt remember exact amount.

Then he has nice cables he paid $1000 for but wants to keep, but said he will sell for $900 with the system, I wouldn't buy them though,{ Ill spend $100 on cables that will do the same thing}

He wants $10K for everything, I never heard the system together, since he has the PSB's in his theater and them electronics are powering a set of Thiel 3.7's {he wont part with, he bought them not long ago for $15K I think}...

He is upgrading the electronics to McIntosh and has made a good deal with them but wants to get rid of this before he pulls the trigger on that...

I really don't want to spend that kind of money, I am going to have to go listen to it this weekend and see how I feel after that...

I'm thinking- offer him $8000 with out the turntable {i dont own any vinyl}... and I may be able to sell what I don't want...

What would you do?

PS- I was going to buy a pair of mono blocks and a pair of Jade 5's for my guest parlor so I am kind of in the market for a 2ch setup...

 

[KEW]

Most important question is do you like the speakers?
His allocation to spend so much on electronics and so little on speakers is unfortunate. Personally, spending $5900 for a CD player is ridiculous.
You might get on audiogon and see what the price history is on those items (I think it costs something like $60 to have access to their "blue book" sales history - worthwhile if you are considering reselling some of this gear).
I love the look of the Marantz top end gear, so that would sway me. (in truth everything except the speakers is too much money for my budget, but you obviously are in a higher income bracket).
Maybe my ramble will help you in some abstruse way!

 

[PENG]

Not sure about those marantz amps you listed but I can tell you the SC7 and SM7 are desirable. They may offer a tube like sound as claimed but I think they actually sound better than some Mcintosh tube amps that I have heard. So may be go for the amps only.

 

[Irvrobinson]

I say don't. Nothing really special there.

 

[zieglj01]

He wants $10K for everything, I never heard the system together, since he has the PSB's in his theater and them electronics are powering a set of Thiel 3.7's {he wont part with, he bought them not long ago for $15K I think}...

I'm thinking- offer him $8000 with out the turntable {i dont own any vinyl}... and I may be able to sell what I don't want...

What would you do?

Offer $3,500

 

[ImcLoud]

Most important question is do you like the speakers?
His allocation to spend so much on electronics and so little on speakers is unfortunate. Personally, spending $5900 for a CD player is ridiculous.
You might get on audiogon and see what the price history is on those items (I think it costs something like $60 to have access to their "blue book" sales history - worthwhile if you are considering reselling some of this gear).
I love the look of the Marantz top end gear, so that would sway me. (in truth everything except the speakers is too much money for my budget, but you obviously are in a higher income bracket).
Maybe my ramble will help you in some abstruse way!

The speakers aren't the ones he uses with that system he uses thiel The psbs are from his theater. I am actually not a fan of psb. But I like how his system sounded with the thiels

 

[ImcLoud]

Offer $3,500

I offered 8000 and he said no So I think I will pass. I'm going to get a set wharfedale jade 5s I think.

 

[zieglj01]

I offered 8000 and he said no So I think I will pass. I'm going to get a set wharfedale jade 5s I think.

He may have that equipment for a long time. Most people
are not spending that kind of money these days.

 

[ImcLoud]

He may have that equipment for a long time. Most people
are not spending that kind of money these days.

A local shop offered him $8000 for the preamp, amp, and cd player... a cd player and preamp sold on ebay for $8000 about 2 months ago...

Its not a bad deal, but I went and heard it with the psbs hooked to it and I think my wharfedale 2.2 sounded much better, not a little better but much better... So thats not going to do it for me, Honestly one of the only sets of speakers I have heard that sounds better than my cheap o music setup is the Jade 5's {obviously I found a few but the jades looked the best and cost almost the least} and I think Im better off buying a set of them and pairing them with a pair of subs... it will be much less and I like my music speakers just to reproduce the music not to add any of their own attitude...

Jades are about $3000 I have a pair of cheap Carver a/b monoblocks that sound awesome and will have plenty of power for the jades... Just add a pure dock and Im in business... I hardly ever listen to cd's anyway....