McIntosh 1100 cd player

[Priaptor]

products, but their CD player is not one of them. Some of their tube amps are outstanding, although not the best tube gear out there.

 

Their preamps and cd players are mediocre by comparison to the equipment you are looking at, IMO.

 

[Priaptor]

were taking is a much better one.

 

I do like McIntosh tube amps, but it begins and ends there. And not all of their tube stuff.

 

 

 

[Priaptor]

bad time for dealers with storefronts. They have too many people using their demos and then searching the web to buy it at rock bottom prices. On top of that, McIntosh dealers are required to make a huge investment in their equipment and the company has no issue opening another dealer several miles away. Their aren't too many companies willing to help out their dealers and few really enforce their so called restrictive covenants with the dealers they sign up, so the dealer is in many cases getting royally screwed.

 

I am not sure what the right answer is but the storefront is going the way of the dinosaur.

 

[Priaptor]

what you are asking these guys for?

 

First, they have storefronts. Their overhead is significantly more than the guy dealing from their home or strictly over the internet. Secondly, they have to make a HUGE investment in the equipment they carry. No dealer is giving them DACS, speakers, etc. for free for carrying their line. They have to pay for it and have to sell at least 3 units just to pay for their Demos.

 

You yourself said you called 4-5 dealers demonstrating no allegiance. If I were a dealer and you wanted to demo a piece of equipment, not only would I ask you to pay for shipping but I would ask you to pay a non-refundable payment that would go towards the purchase of the piece if you choose to purchase it. No way, would I give a 30 day trial and be without my show piece with nothing to show for it at the end if you didn't like it or worse yet if you did and chose to buy it from the cheapest guy on the internet.

 

I understand your point of view, but to the guy with a storefront a 30 day demo with your only skin in the game being that you are willing to pay shipping is a nonstarter for almost everyone with a real store. This is why there are now just a handful of real storefronts and most demoing is done at shows or by dealers from their homes with minimal investments. Also why we are seeing more and more manufacturers selling direct.

 

 

 

[Priaptor]

what is, IMO, unreasonable.

 

I agree that if the customer has a relationship with the dealer, that relationship will be fruitful for all parties and the dealer should go out of his or her way to help the customer demo the equipment in the most appropriate manner possible.

 

However, in the case of this thread and not meant to insult anyone, if someone wants to literally borrow three or four $5-10,000 DACS, for 30 days from multiple different dealers with an no obligation to any of them and and feels their only obligation is to pay for shipping, that is not a relationship, but using the dealer who happens to be have the piece of equipment of interest.

 

Now if the manufacturer wants to provide the dealer with the DAC for free and as a commitment for being a dealer, that particular "Demo Dac" is to be made available for in home demos, so be it; then the obligation to oblige the customer is clearly there as is being requested on this thread. However, until manufacturers start doing that, providing their wares to the dealer without making them pay for it I don't see many dealers shipping their equipment to "potential customers" with whom they have no prior relationship.

 

 

[Priaptor]

If you have a relationship with your dealer that is one thing. I have a relationship and if I didn't I would expect to have some skin in the game for him or her to lend it to me.

 

For the record, I have never been given a car to just drive and told if you don't like it just return it and I have purchased a ton of cars.

 

If you email a bunch of dealers who you have no relationship with and ask them to send you a 12K Dac, like a Debussy for a 30 day trial, I am not sure you will find too many dealers willing to say, sure.

 

If you do, let me know, I wouldn't mind trying a bunch.