It would be a HUGE mistake for bryston to take trade-ins ( imho). I have always wondered and speculated what companies do with such trades.....get it? I think it could actually hurt Bryston's rep as then people would start saying bryston is stripping the units and using second-hand parts to make their new units...
Sell it and move on.That is the nature of technology.....
I don't agree. Bryston has always followed a different approach regarding product upgrades or if technology advanced compared to other manufacturers. I think customer swallow too much if they accept that they should dump their equipment and are supposed to throw in their money on a yearly basis due to technology changes.
- First, Bryston technology is sonically superior to most of the stuff out there to an extent that frequent changes of the gear are not necessary to stay on top.
- Second, Bryston keeps to its word. And the promise was that the modular design of the SP-1, SP-1.7 and SP-2 allowed for upgrades as technology advanced. Now we are at a point where an upgrade of the older units isn't feasible anymore. I think, Bryston won't promise such an upgradability again for the SP-3, just as they reduced the warranty on the digital components to 5 years (the SP-1 had 20 year warranty on everything!), but I expect they still would honor the warranty on a SP-1 if it was 19 years old. With the SP-3 upgrade, whatever it will look like, it is not to make big bucks, but to keep a promise.
- Third, if you label a product as 'refurbished', everybody knows that it has been used before. If it comes with a check-out sheet from Bryston and is covered with a warranty from Bryston, customers won't mind that it has been used before, because Bryston guarantees that the unit is and will remain within specification. The reputation wouldn't suffer if it is made transparent what the traded-in units are used for. There wouldn't be any room for speculations...
I think that once Bryston has disclosed what the terms of the upgrade/trade-in are, every owner of a SP-1, SP-1.7 or SP-2 can decide for himself if he stays with Bryston and whether trading in the unit or selling it is the better solution. The trade-in would certainly be more convenient than selling it yourself.
Another 2 cent contribution.
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