larry7995 said:
They have really low prices on Klipsch here, I know the Klipsch website says don't buy from unauthorized dealers but hey $729 for a RF-7?
I wonder if they are same quality as one I would buy at an authorized dealer or not...
You pose a good question. The answer is -- you don't know until you get them and hook 'em up. And even then you might not know.
Buying from an unauthorized dealer is "buying a pig in a poke." You don't know what you're getting. You could be getting brand new Klipsch speakers or you could be getting used speakers. You could be getting "knock offs" made in Outer Mongolia. You could be getting stolen speakers that have had the serial numbers obliterated. Who knows what you'll get. I can tell you one thing you won't be getting and that's a warranty from Klipsch.
A lot of folks buy audio gear from unauthorized dealers. Some have no problems with it and are very happy with the money they saved. Others have had major headaches and are very unhappy. I've done a fair amount of research on the Internet on these unauthorized electronics dealers and in general it's not a pretty picture. Many of the e-stores (curiously, almost all of them are located in Brooklyn, New York) conceal the fact that the gear they sell is not warranted by the manufacturer (at least the language is buried somewhere in the fine print on their websites). Some even go so far as to say that all of the gear they sell carries a "manufacturer's USA warranty", whatever that means. In any event, there is no question that virtually all reputable manufacturers of audio gear will decline to warranty any gear sold by an unauthorized dealer.
The Internet is replete with horror stories about unauthorized dealers. They often tell you something is in stock when it isn't. They often use high pressure sales tactics to pressure you into buying overpriced peripherals like cables, etc. There are many stories where people order gear, then, after the unauthorized dealer has charged their credit card, they find out it's not in stock. There are stories where people order gear only to find out that the box has been opened and/or the gear does not bear a serial number. Then when they contact the dealer, they're given the royal runaround. Many of these dealers can be rude and less than honest. There's no question that if you buy speakers from them and it dies after a month, it will be your problem, not theirs.
Now, you might order these speakers, get them, hook them up and hear what you believe to be genuine Klipsch speakers. They look like Klipsch speakers. They sound like Klipsch speakers. Only they're not. That's like buying what you think is a Rembrandt, hanging it on your wall and enjoying it even though it is a fake. Many would say, "He's happy. What's the big deal?" The problem is, you will have paid $1.5 million for something that is actually worth $125.00.
I don't know if you'll have problems dealing with the company you mentioned. You pays your money and takes your chances. If you want to save money by purchasing from unauthorized dealers and take a chance on dealing with rude and unscrupulous people only to discover (or maybe not discover) that your hard-earned money has paid for junk, then knock yourself out -- it's your money. As for me, I would no more purchase expensive audio gear from an unauthorized dealer than I would buy a watch that says Rolex on it from guy standing on a steet corner.
