Update 4/6/11: It is with tears in my eyes that I must report that my recently purchased 2nd generation IPOD shuffle, which I bought online this week to take on my trip to Thailand and Nepal (Everest Base camp, Mera Peak, and Island Peak)
, just bit the dust on my second run at about mile 4
. Perhaps when I placed my Part Express order this morning for Caps and resistors I should have ordered extra parts for the shuffle
. I have a 9:15 appointment at Apple store for a replacement (3 of 3 failures, who is the fool here, and who’s jumping back into that briar patch you ask?
). Perhaps Bryston should start making a “shuffle” type of player. James is there anything in the works?
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I like to buy my gear used, at a deep, deep, discount, and in bulk if it brings the price down
. I like to keep as much of my money as I can
. I also have no use for the attitude at most of the “Hi-Fi” stores. My experience is they are mostly little “pricXs” working there with attitudes that can not be justified
.
My background is as a logger
, them military
, and then worked my way through college
, and then law school :
, and then my wife went to law school
. Over this period I have experienced folks looking down, and I have been around many folks with egos and attitudes out of proportion to what they should be. The Hi-Fi scene is also a great place to watch the attitude at work (or the car lot).
They ran me out of their stores with there attitudes many years ago. It is funny who gets the last laugh. Magnolia Hi-Fi ran me away with their superior attitude many years ago. Recently they closed a few of their local stores. HaHa. I used to own Krell products which Magnolia sold (and sometimes I even bought their demo stuff). I do like Krell, but for extended listening it causes me to want to rip the hair out of my head by the handfuls (I really love it for shorter listening sessions). I searched for a product that was a bit more laid back for extended listening. I came across Bryston products (no local Bryston dealer) and started purchasing used Bryston everywhere I could (If I had of found some Classe products at that time they might have had an opportunity to get me hooked). No need for me to ever even step into their store again. But wait, recently I wanted to hear the new 801 diamond and possibly get a pair. I walked in with my 5 year old boy the other day for a listen. It took me no more than 5 minutes of attitude to turn my hat around and walk back out the door. They had my boy hooked because he thought they looked cool as if it was a gun on top.
As a side note: I wonder if the Hi-Fi industry is trying to con the youngsters into thinking purchasing audio gear is an “investment.” I read these forums where everyone is slapping each other on the back about their recent “investment.” Audio is a pure waste of money, and nothing more than enjoyment. Nothing wrong with it, but that is what it is. I recently bought three 5 year old 7bsst’s for $4000 delivered from the original owner (5 year old units). I sold one and it has cost me $2088.70 for the pair in my living room (the 5 year old 4bsst in the living room cost $850). I believe (according to the receipt) the 7bsst’s were $3349 ($10,047) each new. It cost the original owner $6047 to own these amps for 5 years, or $3.31 a day (about a $100 a month, just for the amps alone). Now that does not look like a good “investment.” I love to invest, and over a 5 year period my $10000 usually grows and becomes mucho grande. Anyway, I think we need to make sure we are looking at audio through clean lenses, and not those provided by the industry. A little heads up, if you can not pay cash for your audio purchase, it is not within your budget!
I do like folks to continue to buy their products new from the retailers at full MSRP. It keeps the Companies in business, and keeps good used audio flowing into the used market. I will always give those that buy their products new and at full retail a pat on the back. But do remember that a pat on the back is only a few vertebras away from a kick in the pants.
More fun, less attitude…
I will be listening to my “new” (bought from the military commissary tax free, and $5 off) 2 GB IPOD Shuffle for 6 weeks in the mountains of Nepal. Not Hi-rez, but you might say it will be “High-Fi”. Also, I bought a brand new subwoofer with 5 years warranty the other day. It was the discontinued model and was 1/3 of the original price.
Carry On!
