Used equipment

July 11, 2006

You get a lot of letters asking about various pieces of used equipment that people are considering buying. Overall, do you feel that the used-equipment market is a good place to find great deals? I mean, specifically, better than buying discount new gear on the Internet.

Rob

Used equipment can be a viable alternative for the budget-conscious audiophile, but there can also be pitfalls. Generally, most audiophiles look into used gear when there is a specific model they might be looking for that is either not available new or is prohibitively expensive new. There also seems to be a renewed interest in building systems comprised of classic gear such as that from McIntosh, Marantz, Luxman, and others. The pitfalls are that you might buy something that doesn’t work as well as it should, is hard to get fixed if it breaks, or that just doesn’t sound as good as something new (particularly the case with really old speakers, for example). The service issue seems to be the problem I encounter the most. For example, I often hear from readers that just can’t find service for Luxman gear; however, McIntosh is easy to get fixed/tested. Used gear doesn’t always mean classic gear, though. Websites like www.audiogon.com are chock full of current-model audio equipment just waiting for new homes. So, yes, used gear is a viable alternative to new; but it’s not without its problems. You need to be an even more wary shopper if you’re buying used.

Tandberg and Luxman

July 7, 2006

What is your opinion of Tandberg and Luxman components, particularly their classic integrated amps? I want to buy something that is better than the current crop of A/V receivers and these brands are available on eBay at pretty good prices. Thank you for a great website and your advice.

Mike

Both Luxman and Tandberg were highly regarded in their day. I’m sure you could build a nice system around either brand. The issue, if there is one, would be service. I had a friend who owned a Luxman receiver that quit working and he could not find anyone local to him that could work on it. So although you might find a great piece of gear on eBay, before bidding call around and see if you can have someone lined up just in case what you buy needs some tweaking, or worse, comes in not working. Personally, I’d rather have a vintage McIntosh system, though you will pay higher prices for the brand. The catch is that the company is still around for repairs.

Two-conductor, solid-core wire?

July 4, 2006

I recently rewired my garage-door opener. I used two-conductor, solid-core copper wire with a white sheathing. Would I be able to connect my surrounds with that wire? I hate to buy the same thing over again just because it comes in a package marked "speaker cable."

Randy