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What's All This Hubub About "New" Stuff?


The History Kid

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Haven't seen this so much on the forums here as elsewhere and on Facebook groups, but there seems to be some odd fixation that people "have to buy new."  I totally get people wanting to have a product that they know the history of, but a lot of these people are complaining about budgets and wanting the "best bang for their buck."

 

I'm sure there's an instant gratification component too, but a lot of these people seem to be younger and more inclined to buy the cheap Pioneer or Sony AVR at Best Buy and/or the entry level Klipsch speakers or Polk line over a deal 5 minutes away from them on the local CL.  Sure it makes it easier for us looking for deals, but it still strikes me as odd.  

 

I can count on one hand in each of my setups how many items were bought new vs. used in the whole chain.  Amps, speakers, components, the whole lot in some of them...

 

Is it a culture thing?  An age thing? What are your thoughts?

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2 minutes ago, CECAA850 said:

It's an education/exposure thing.  Some people just don't know any better.

I thought about that too.  But I'd be under the impression one would want to learn more about a product they've bought...so why not do the research before hand?  I can't be THAT old fashioned, can I?

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Probably a whole suite of things contributing to it (age, education/experience, DIY skills, etc.). The debut of the Forte IIIs really sparked my interest in acquiring a really nice set of speakers that I would likely pass down. I'm 34 by the way, don't know if that's old or young around these forums. So, I really liked the idea of having a brand spanking new roll-out product from Klipsch, but the more I researched and considered other options, I finally ended up with a pair of unmolested 78' La Scalas. Paid what will probably be less than half of street price for the Forte IIIs. Did I lose half of the potential sound quality or build quality for that matter? I seriously doubt it. Sure I don't have that new speaker smell or as much bass that the IIIs will put out, but I am happy.

 

Also for consideration, not that this applies to the Klipsch family, but we unfortunately must admit, that a good majority of things manufactured today are not done so with longevity in mind. 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, haydukej said:

Also for consideration, not that this applies to the Klipsch family, but we unfortunately must admit, that a good majority of things manufactured today are not done so with longevity in mind. 

I think I comment this every time I buy a product be it used or new.  We live in a throw away society at the worst possible time indeed.

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As a kid of the age group you guys are talking about, I feel much safer purchasing off of eBay, Amazon, and in stores where I have a guarantee to get what I want, when I want, in the condition that I know it will work in than risking it buying it used from someone else not knowing the full story. I got screwed on my LaScalas being told they were functioning perfectly. Ended up both tweeters were dead. I had other speakers "closer" but were not in as good of condition. Not that it matters now that they are getting refinished.... Not making that mistake again. Yeah I would say its instant gratification. My age group (mid 20s) were the last ones to not be surrounded by things (tablets, iPhones, etc...) that would allow us to do whatever we want in the click of a button. Think of how easy it is to buy something off of Amazon and have it in 1-2 days some places with some items in an hour, and then think of having to find that said item in a local brick and mortar store or someone local selling said item. Its a waiting game not many in my age group are willing to play.

 

Graham

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3 minutes ago, haydukej said:

Paid what will probably be less than half of street price for the Forte IIIs. Did I lose half of the potential sound quality or build quality for that matter? I seriously doubt it.

As do I.  That's the issue with Klipsch.  Most builders don't build lifetime quality into their product, so they have to be replaced.  Klipsch Heritage has been built so well, so long, that there are more out there, mostly from dead people, than they produce in a decade.  And, they are for all practical purposes every bit as brand new off the line.  They are their own competition. 

 

Dave

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5 minutes ago, Innocent_George said:

 

We're in the same age group.

 

I've been burned on deals too.  I had a Marantz AVR that showed up with a bad HDMI board, and more recently I had an RC-7 show up that was so full of rat droppings it sounded like a maraca (let alone the drivers were smashed to hell).  Still, fixing those issues still brought up less money than to buy a new product.  I had no issues replacing the drivers and cleaning out the RC-7.  I kicked the Marantz back out the door and found another used deal.  I like to think the issues where people are dishonest are far and few in between, with a handful of them being honest errors on the part of the seller.

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1 minute ago, The History Kid said:

We're in the same age group.

 

I've been burned on deals too.  I had a Marantz AVR that showed up with a bad HDMI board, and more recently I had an RC-7 show up that was so full of rat droppings it sounded like a maraca (let alone the drivers were smashed to hell).  Still, fixing those issues still brought up less money than to buy a new product.  I had no issues replacing the drivers and cleaning out the RC-7.  I kicked the Marantz back out the door and found another used deal.  I like to think the issues where people are dishonest are far and few in between, with a handful of them being honest errors on the part of the seller.

I have had it only happen twice to me as well. The LaScalas and some jerk who didn't give me my gamecube on eBay :( I wanted to play Mario kart so bad. I would agree with you on fixing the problem is way cheaper than buying new. I also agree with before that a lot of new stuff isn't as good of quality as it was before. I know people where I grew up would 1000 times over buy a new washing machine, computer, speakers than take it apart and fix it. 

 

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I don't know what it is either.  I'm a bit older than The History Kid & Innocent_George, in my mid-50's.  there is some attraction for me to buy something new but I hate taking the hit on depreciation.  like many, I do want the most bang for my buck, and am more than willing to buy used.  I have gotten burned a couple times, and have lucked out a few times too - not having done a complete due diligence before arranging a meet or agreeing to buy.  but most have turned out solid deals.  and yes, I too want to believe that most people are trying to do the right thing, and anything else in a deal is more attributed to a mistake or oversight rather than an intent to get over on a buyer.

 

and I do love the fact that Klipsch builds so much into their product, agreeing with Mallette that in some ways they are their own competition.  but that may not be such a bad thing, eh?

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4 minutes ago, -js- said:

I do love the fact that Klipsch builds so much into their product, agreeing with Mallette that in some ways they are their own competition.  but that may not be such a bad thing, eh?

They know this, and would rather be their own competition than lower their quality and standards.  That's the PWK legacy in action. 

 

Dave

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2 minutes ago, Mallette said:

They know this, and would rather be their own competition than lower their quality and standards.  That's the PWK legacy in action. 

That's the reason I never have the issue of going in and committing to buy a used product from them too.  There's a massive support pool for them too outside of their own customer support that is rivaled by few.

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@Mallette - I'm sure they do know it, and as you said, probably relish the fact that they are probably among their own top competitors.

 

I think there are still a lot of folks, like myself and probably you guys reading this thread, who are willing to pay a little more or even substantially more for something that will last much longer vs. save money, pay less, get it now but will only last a short period of time.  working in IT, you know we have many acronyms.  I've believed & followed the principle of ROI - return on investment - since LONG before I ever saw an acronym for it.

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20 minutes ago, The History Kid said:

You know, after I got that RC-7 cleaned out and everything, it still smelled like new speaker...

You must be getting old.....them darn kids!

Some people just don't want to invest any time in his endeavor, or they want that quick purchase.

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When you're 65 years old like I am, you don't have enough time left on Earth to spend it screwing-around with fixing stuff that doesn't work right when you buy it, so I buy NEW, period. New cars, new drums/cymbals/gongs, and new audio equipment, although I rarely buy audio gear — occasionally for my studio, but the only non-studio audio gear I've purchased in the last 21 years was a JBL 4641 subwoofer for my home theater back in 2014. (New, of course.)

 

And when I buy a new car I ALWAYS get the longest extended warranty I can. Every time I've purchased a new car since 1983 I also bought the extended warranty, and with EVERY car I've had to use it and it more than paid for itself. Hope that's not the case with my 2-month old 2017 Chevy Volt, but it's covered bumper-to-bumper for 100,000 miles. (Did I mention that I HATE screwing-around with fixing stuff?)

 

Of course, if I win the lottery I'm buying the cherry-ist 1963 Chevy Corvette split-window that I can find. (I know a very good mechanic and I'll pay HIM to screw-around with fixing it...)

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28 minutes ago, Ceptorman said:

You must be getting old.....them darn kids!

Some people just don't want to invest any time in his endeavor, or they want that quick purchase.

I've been told that.  The body is already feeling old thanks to genetics!  I'll be having to pay off the neighborhood kids to lift and bring in the Khorns soon...

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