Vintage prices/shopping around

BamaBilly

Motorcycles and Music
Hi all, new here and this will be my first post besides my introduction. I’d like to pick your brain on pricing. Let’s say I find a pair of speakers locally that are listed for $200 on CL. I then see that 15yrs ago they sold for $1100. In my head I’m thinking “man if they’re ready to rip that’s a smoking deal”!!! Then I’ll get on AK and guys are saying things like “ I’d never pay more than $80 for those and you could probably find something better for that price”. Have I just not been doing this long enough? Am I looking in the wrong places? Very interested in what you guys have to say on this subject. Thanks ahead of time.
 
Gear goes for prices that are supported in the market. Although this might be a discussion for Dollars and Sense forum, it isn't about a particular unit.

Some gear goes for more than new list price, these are the items folks lusted for as teens + 10 years and now can afford. We talk like they have a tax associated with the name. Pioneer, Sansui and Marantz electronics are in that group but the 70s gear not the mid-80s on gear.

Speakers some are known to sound great but don't get any more, DCM Time Windows and Dahlquist DQ-10s are some. This because they made 50,000 of each of them. Some brands carry a premium like some JBL models.

There is so much to the pricing question that you just need to surf the usual places to find sold prices (ebay) and look at CL to see what folks ask, from low to multiple times their expected selling price. Lots to learn. But to discuss pricing of a particular unit, the $&¢ forum is where to ask. Watch out for the folks that got something free or very cheap and claim that is the value, it usually isn't.

Welcome to AK. Good Luck. There will be much more discussion on this one.
 
One thing about AK is that you'll almost always find someone who bought whatever you're looking at for a song, or got it free. And as you said there are always some who will say 'I wouldn't pay more than $X for that." Take all that with a grain of salt. If you're satisfied with the price for that item in your market compared to other stuff that's available, then buy it. If not, keep looking. Your own tastes and what you're willing to buy and what you'll pay for it will change over time anyway. The fact that you're thinking about it and not just buying everything that's for sale is a good sign. You'll be fine.

What AK is also great for is helping sort out which of two $100 pairs of speakers is worth buying and which one isn't. The kabuki Sansui or the EPI's? EPI of course. And when you get into $400 territory it's even more important to know collectability/name recognition/cult status vs. great quality for the money.
 
Just keep in mind also, just because they sold for $1100, doesn't mean they sounded that good.
As anything, there are usually better sounding speakers for cheaper/bang-for-the-buck. Same is true
in the vintage realm.
Back in the day, very few people would even consider MCS components, unless tight budget or
using their JacqPenna' card. Now folks are digging those MCS receivers.
 
Thanks so much for the reply’s guys. I'm a motorcycle guy so I understand being patient and smart purchases. I DID luck out a week or so ago with a CL ad. I got a pair of really nice Advent 6003’s for $100. I know they’re not “real Advents” because they’re three way but man they sound GOOD. Plus, half the fun is the hunt and then telling all your friends how cheap you got it, right??
 
I'm finding that a lot of the usual suspects that sold for $500 a pair and under still bring their retail price. North of that I'm not so familiar with.
If someone says a $1100 pair is not worth $200 maybe they don't like the way it sounds. Maybe they're used to the speakers they have. Maybe the speakers they have produce booming bass and screaming highs and they think it's the living end. And your new suspect is smooth and flat and extended...….
And the dude with the bad speaker just doesn't know a good speaker when he hears one.
I wish much fun with your search, it is.
 
You will never be satisfied(that being said a thousand times), once you've got the "itis", all bets are off. You'll find yourself buying stuff you neither want nor need because it was such a good deal. Your house will start looking like an electronics warehouse and you will end up having to rent storage space to store all your gear. Your wife will threaten to kick you out and your kids will think you're crazy. But is all good 'cause you have a lot of enablers here at AK.
 
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My 2 cents...when it comes to speakers, they lose their value substantially simply because they are costly to ship. Often times shipping costs more than the speakers are worth so you can find good deals on speakers, particularly large ones locally. The big auction site is loaded with flippers looking to make a quick buck or people who don't understand vintage equipment. If it says Marantz, or McIntosh they think they've got gold and assume they will get retail prices. Most of the time it's not worth retail prices because it's old and it needs work. That's why pricing on this site is more realistic. If there is something I want, I prefer to buy it through an online reseller that's reputable. At the end of the day, I know where it comes from, I know it's been tested and I know it will arrive in one piece. It's just not worth a couple of bucks to roll the dice and end up with a great vintage piece of gear that needs a ton of work. It always ends up costing more than if I bought it through a dealer.
 
You are not destined to have piles of gear, half of it broken and the other half no better than what's in your system now. Some of us are like that, but there are many other ways represented at AK. Some people have ONE very good stereo, they don't rescue broken or banged up gear for restoration, and every time they upgrade, they sell what they replaced. I am much more like the former than the latter, and would like to make some movement in that direction. You can make your own way, do whatever you want. Just keep in mind that having 10 pieces of mid-fi gear does not make a high end stereo even if you stack them all up together. :D OTOH you may like that gear just fine and you may want to take turns listening to that stack of prized receivers. It's all good.
 
You are not destined to have piles of gear, half of it broken and the other half no better than what's in your system now. Some of us are like that, but there are many other ways represented at AK. Some people have ONE very good stereo, they don't rescue broken or banged up gear for restoration, and every time they upgrade, they sell what they replaced. I am much more like the former than the latter, and would like to make some movement in that direction. You can make your own way, do whatever you want. Just keep in mind that having 10 pieces of mid-fi gear does not make a high end stereo even if you stack them all up together. :D OTOH you may like that gear just fine and you may want to take turns listening to that stack of prized receivers. It's all good.

I am the same way. I like what I like and I buy what I use. I have a few extra pieces that I have shelved because I've upgraded, but I'm not going to hoard them. I'd like to sell them to someone who will enjoy them rather than let them collect dust. I've given nice equipment to people because they didn't have the means to buy something and I didn't need the money. As far as broken or banged up stuff, no thanks. I can handle the cosmetics but I'm lost with the electronics beyond desoldering and re-soldering. I'm not buying anything just because it's a good deal.
 
Vintage audio gear is like real estate--location, location, location. Based on what market you live/shop in, and what kind of dealer network was out there (when the gear was new) makes some stuff really rare (and expensive) in certain areas, but plentiful (and much cheaper) in others. And like any other "collectible" or "vintage" item, it may be worth pennies on the dollar, or more than MSRP when new--just depends.

The one important thing that I will try to pass on is to stay focused in your "journey"--pick what you want/need/like. Just because you "can" get something for dirt cheap does not mean that you "should". That's how you end up with closets, a basement and/or garage (or God forbid a storage locker) full of stuff that you'll never use. I'll admit to being a "sucker" for a smokin' deal, but I have also gladly "overpaid" for something I really wanted that doesn't turn up too often, and I've been trying to "thin the herd", or at least keep it under control.
 
I've never had a pair of speakers shipped in. It's not cost effective for price item speakers. So I get them local. As for receivers ebay has been just fine. Last week I received a lovely 1965 Kenwood 60BU. It sounds really good,,,, and the FM/AM don't work. Back it went, no cost/no questions. The seller had to pay the round trip ticket for me to test it for them.
To bad so sad.
And as others have said, if it keeps coming in maybe it should keep going out. Big fun if our the curious type. Another facet to the hobby. And helps one learn how to listen.
 
you will end up having to rent storage space to store all your gear. Your wife will threaten to kick you out and your kids will think you're crazy. But is all good 'cause you have a lot of enablers here at AK.

I resemble that remark! I will say that once I found my current speakers (after a long wait) I quit searching for speakers. Not a screaming deal, but I'm done searching. Enjoy your Advents and if you get the itch or see a "deal", go for it!
 
Lots of good info above. Speakers, especially big vintage type, are more locality-dependent for price than any other component. The same speakers may be worth only a little where you are and worth much more somewhere else. And speakers are also the most variable when it comes to your ear and your listening preference. If you are new to vintage speakers (some will define this as hoarding) the bigger the speakers you are interested in, the better the pricing if you can wait.

If you don't know what sound you like almost any decent functioning speakers are a good start, especially if they are cheap. As you try a few pairs you will both develop your ear and decide what you like and what you don't like. You may like strictly neutral speakers or speakers with enhanced midrange or enhanced bass. You might like speakers that fill a large room or need speakers that work well in a small space. If you play with big solid state amps you can delve into inefficient speakers. If you play with tube amps you might need very efficient speakers.

Most expensive older speakers had a following and an optimal pairing to equipment and one or more styles of music. Make sure you know your ear, you listening environment, and what sounds good for your musical tastes. Try out a few less expensive pairs so when you want to upgrade you know exactly what you want.
 
Just because you "can" get something for dirt cheap does not mean that you "should". That's how you end up with closets, a basement and/or garage (or God forbid a storage locker) full of stuff that you'll never use.

I would like to qualify this by saying that having a hoard of stuff is caused by a lack of output just as much as an overabundance of input. If you buy things dirt cheap but don't sell them, you end up buried. If you acquire broken things thinking you'll fix and sell them but there are not that many hours in the day, things will pile up. Bottom line, nothing wrong with acquiring as long as things also go OUT.
 
Ever watch that TV show American Pickers? I am amazed that there are so many people who have building upon building full of junk and there property looks like a junkyard. They refer to it as their "collection." No it's not a collection, it's acres and acres of junk.
 
Great discussion, and I'm in the group that buy something because they were cheap and broken, and end up selling them years later, still broken. But pretty much nothing is going out.

Back to OP's "$1100 price 15 years ago"...typically those were list prices, but many stereo stores had "big" discounts due to competition during the '70s. In the Bay Area, there was Pacific Stereo, and Cal Stereo on Van Ness, and every Sunday, they would have full page ads and many Marantz receivers were sold at a discount. I had a discussion on FB group about the price of the Pioneer SX-1980, and one guy posted a picture of his receipt, at $700!

I would say if you buy some vintage gear for a couple hundred dollars, but listen to them most of the week for a couple of years, and sell it back at a loss, you're still ahead...
 
I have NEVER bought a single piece of audio gear as "an investment". A lot of stuff has passed through my hands over the years--fix/flip, just play with it for a while to experiment, keep it, whatever, but I have never banked on getting a huge profit out of it. Sometimes you win (sell for more than you paid/have in it after restoration), and sometimes you lose. It is what it is, and what the market will bear at any given time/place. I've sold stuff at a loss, but at least I got to play with it for a while--but I have also sold stuff for 10X what I had into it because someone wanted it more than I did--I miss my Apogee speakers, but bought 4 other pair of speakers from the proceeds, just because someone else wanted them more than I did.
 
I have NEVER bought a single piece of audio gear as "an investment". A lot of stuff has passed through my hands over the years--fix/flip, just play with it for a while to experiment, keep it, whatever, but I have never banked on getting a huge profit out of it.

This is where I am too. This is a hobby for most of us, not a business. A big part of the enjoyment is to experience the variety of vintage and newer gear. It's not necessarily to come away with a monetary profit.
 
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