Should I?

[Pursuitest]

Nooby here. I need some advice. I have come across a guy who is moving overseas and selling everything. I mean everything. He has already sold his 60" Plasma TV. Damn it !! He is selling a complete audio system though. Here is what he is selling. He wrote it down for me.

Rega P3 Turntable with a ClearAudio Auurum Classic Wood Cartridge
Bellari VP-129 Phono Pre-amp
Denon DVD 3910
Adcom GFP-750 Pre- Amplifier
Adcom GFA-7805 Surround Sound Amplifier
A pair of Paradigm Signature S2 Loudspeakers
Martin Logan Depth Subwoofer
Sennheiser HD-600 Headphones
Alpha Core Interconnects and Speaker Cables
Brick Wall PW8R Surge Protector

He is asking $6000 for the whole kit-and-kaboodle. I am considering taking out a loan to buy it if you guys think this is a worthwhile buy. What do you think? Should I?

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Nooby here. I need some advice. I have come across a guy who is moving overseas and selling everything. I mean everything. He has already sold his 60" Plasma TV. Damn it !! He is selling a complete audio system though. He is what he is selling. He wrote it down for me.

Rega P3 Turntable with a ClearAudio Auurum Classic Wood Cartridge
Bellari VP-129 Phono Pre-amp
Denon DVD 3910
Adcom GFP-750 Pre- Amplifier
Adcom GFA-7805 Surround Sound Amplifier
A pair of Paradigm Signature S2 Loudspeakers
Martin Logan Depth Subwoofer
Sennheiser HD-600 Headphones
Alpha Core Interconnects and Speaker Cables
Brick Wall PW8R Surge Protector

He is asking $6000 for the whole kit-and-kaboodle. I am considering taking out a loan to buy it if you guys think this is a worthwhile buy. What do you think? Should I?

I'd eliminate the turntable, headphones, interconnects, and surge protector from the loan (price does not equal sound quality here), then check on pricegrabber.com what the rest of the equipment is worth. The amps, dvd player, and sub are definitely worth some cash, but $6000 - you can do better than that. See if he'll separate some stuff, that way if you don't fall in love with it, you can dump it on audiogon or ebay.

 

[jaxvon]

I agree with Buck. That is some very, very nice stuff. If you can opt out of buying the stuff Buck mentioned, I think you might have the chance at an amazing system.

 

[Pursuitest]

Well I have looked at and heard all of the equipment. It is all <1 year old and sounds and looks fantastic even to my untrained ears and eyes. I do have many old well kept LPs and would love a good turntable. The Rega seems to sell new for around &700. The cartridge for about $200. I would also like a good pair of headphones and from what I could find out, the Senns are some pretty decent headphones. New for around $400+. From what I could find out on the net, and I am still somewhat of a novice at the computer, this equipment would sell new for around $10,000 +$500. The price seems to me to be reasonable considering its relative newness and he says very little use, like less than 50 hrs.
The temptation of getting it all at once versus months of research and single purchases is great. I can't decide. I'm afraid someone will grab up this deal if I hesitate too long. I also don't know what the wife is going to say. Hmmmm.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Looking at it from a different point of view, if you just inherited $6000, would you buy audio equipment? To take out a loan for that amount of cash to purchase audio equipment it a bit risky. With all the audio sites online where you can buy lightly used equipment, I'd say hold off and shop around. Never compare used equipment to retail prices. New auto's lose a large percentage of their value as soon as they're driven off a lot. Audio equipment is no different, especially when warranties don't transfer.

You said it yourself - "it sounds and looks fantastic, even to my untrained ears." I bet I could put together a system that would equally impress for under $2000. So could you with a little education online.

What model was his tv, and how much did he let it go for? Hopefully the warranty transferred.

Sometimes a great deal isn't so great if you really didn't plan on spending the cash. I think asking the wife will give you your best answer.

 

[highfihoney]

I can't decide. I'm afraid someone will grab up this deal if I hesitate too long.

good morning

first off you should SLOW DOWN & think this out,the worst thing you could do is to buy out of impulse thinking that the gear will be gone, impulse buying in this hobby will drain your wallet dry, next you should be looking at what the current used resale prices are & the availability of the exact same gear on the used market.

here are a few things for you to think about.

#1 this guy is moving to europe,he CANT use any of the gear in europe because of the costs to ship & voltage conversion will exceed the gears value. bad for him good for you

#2 entire systems are rarely bought by anybody on the used market unless the discounts are steep & it takes a long time to sell an entire system one peice at a time not to mention it being a royal pain in the a$$. bad for him good for you

#3 the gears newness has very little to do with its true resale value, warranties have little to do with resale value of gear on the used market.

#4 what other gear can you buy used that is better quality/sounding than the gear in question for the same price.

before you leap you need to look at what the gear will be worth a year or two from now, most of the gear you listed will bottom out in value to roughly 30% of its msrp on the used market within 2 years, orion blue book values are meaningless & worthless as a buying tool.

i checked the current used asking prices for all the gear you listed (including cables) on audiogon & this guys asking price is way out of line compared to other people selling the exact same gear, i came up with a total of $5,200 max resale value on the entire system & that is from sellers selling one peice at a time, REMEMBER YOUR BUYING BULK.

this deal is not a good investment for you, the seller is asking 60% of msrp for gear that is CURRENTLY selling for 40% of msrp right now on audiogon plus it will drop another 10% within the next year or two, you can do much better than the deal he offered you & if the seller wont budge then take your cash elsewhere, this system is worth no more than $4,000 max for the whole enchilada.

if your going to get a loan for $6,000 your cash can & will buy you a whole lot better system on the used market than the gear your thinking about buying as long as you excersise patience.

 

[Preetu]

Even I wuld agree with Buckeyefan 1……and wuld suggest to take ur decision ASAP …… ask him to separate some of that not soooooo good items like headphones, interconnects……etc and see if he can adjust with the price……

 

[Pursuitest]

Too late

An acquaintance of mine found out about it today, went over to the guys house, checked everything out, offered the seller $4000 cash lock, stock and barrel, and the seller took it. I was going to do the same thing. So, I guess I missed out. The acquaintance did say I could come over anytime and listen though. I said "cool". Oh well, the search continues.

 

[sjdgpt]

An acquaintance of mine found out about it today, went over to the guys house, checked everything out, offered the seller $4000 cash lock, stock and barrel, and the seller took it. I was going to do the same thing. So, I guess I missed out. The acquaintance did say I could come over anytime and listen though. I said "cool". Oh well, the search continues.

And next week the guy might have taken $3000.

Following week, who knows.

Not wanting to sound harsh, but everybody overvalues their used stuff.