[Ben Henry]

Having read some of the great info on this forum site, I've decided to go with separates. I am looking at the new Rotel pair up consisting of the RSP-985 pre/pro and Rb-985MKII amp. Firstly, any opinions on that? Second, where can one buy the higher-end stuff online? Thanks for any input in this regard!!


[This message has been edited by Ben Henry (edited July 02, 2000).]

 

[baimo]

Many of tyhe upper-end manufacturers don't allow online sales. It is really just a way to keep the prices high. They pull the line of products from dealers that discount too much. IMO very unAmerican.

baimo

 

[eaadams]

I prefer to buy in a store from a salesman who is on commission but I refuse to buy products that are not listed online at competing prices. Sony is my one exception. It is just too big a company for me not to buy some stuff even though they are TOTALLY price fixed.


------------------

Evan Adams

[email protected]

 

[Bob Sorel]

Bud , I considered buying similar gear from Rotel recently, but I couldn't find any more than $200 off TOTAL for both the RSP-985 and RMB-1095 TOGETHER, so I decided to by the RX-V1 from Yamaha. I ended up getting the $3200 Yammy for $2349, and now I am glad that I did http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

[eaadams]

check out cyberteria.com


------------------

Evan Adams

[email protected]

 

[Nick Satullo]

Try Uncles Stereo in New York. 1-800-978-6253. Their deals are not quite as "super" as they were a few years ago, but they'll get down to the lower price areas for you. I know they used to get Rotel, quite a few other lines as well.

 

[Bob Sorel]

Jared, go to www.downtownaudio.com to get their phone number. Call during the day and ask for Steve, the day manager. Tell him Bob Sorel sent you and you would like the same deal as him on the Yammy and I'm sure he will take care of you http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

[CraigG]

Ben,


I'm not sure if you are aware of this. Rotel is having a summer promotion to move stock. I just bought the Rotel RSP985 pre/pro, RB993 200x3, and the RB991 200x3 for $2800. Retail is $4500 for this combo. Rotel is reducing the retail to $3000 for July only. This combo is a great deal at $4500, at $2800 it is a steal. I was not even in the market for a new pramp or amps. I have powered speakers and the Sony 9000 pre/pro. When I heard of this deal I could not help myself.


Nothing under $5000 even comes close. High power seperates for the price of a receiver. There are no substitutions on this deal. There is another deal on the RSP976 pre/pro and the RB985 110x5 amp but I don't know what the new prices are. If I was you I would forget about mail ordering Rotel and just buy it local. At these prices even local dealers can compete and you will get a lasting relationship that you can't get over the net to boot.


Craig http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif


[This message has been edited by CraigG (edited July 06, 2000).]

 

[RickS]

Just a note!


Alan, the owner of this forum is a dealer for many "Hi-End" products! He just ordered my Cinepro 3k6II Amp that should be in very soon. So, if you are looking for pre/pro, amps etc, drop Alan an e-mail to check with him while your doing your research. I'm glad that I did. AV Science has always been very price competitive on every item that I have purchased http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif


------------------

Thanks

Rick & Carey's Home Theater

 

[Alberto]

If you don’t care about warranty you can get very good prices on line, but then hope everything works OK

Alberto

 

[Ben Henry]

CraigG,

Thanks so much for the info! I had no idea there were any promotions on Rotel right now. I went to their website the other day. Maybe it was me, but I didn't see even a hint about any of this. I have to quit typing so I can RUN to my local dealer!

Benjamin

 

[CraigG]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ben Henry: I had no idea there were any promotions on Rotel right now. I went to their website the other day. Maybe it was me, but I didn't see even a hint about any of this. I have to quit typing so I can RUN to my local dealer! Benjamin

Ben,

The promotions are to the dealer (kind of like dealer incentives on cars). My dealer showed it to me but covered his cost. I tried to get it for $2500 but the lowest he would go was $2800. Print out the page from the following link. http://www.audio-logic.com/

Scroll down to the Rotel specials. Good luck.


john_wong,

I did not notice the delay on the demo. Maybe all the current pre/pros have the newer chip already. Thanks for the tip.


Craig

 

[CraigG]

John,


I currently have powered speakers. I'm using the Paradigm Active 20 for mains and a Paradigm Active CC450 for the center. For the rear I have an Adcom 5300 amp running unpowered Paradigm ADP surrounds.


As I noted above, I have just purchased the Rotel RB993 200x3 and the RB991 200x2 amps. They are on order and should be here Tuesday. I wiil be using Martin Logan Aerius for the main and the Martin Logan Cinema for the center. I wiil not be purchasing Martin Logan rears because I have already gone over budget. I was planning on using the active 20s in another room but my wife is making me sell them. Apparently its not a good idea to replace your whole home theater in one week. She is mad.


I will post a review of the Rotel setup with the Martin Logans soon. Even though my previous home theater was oustanding, I always loved the sound of electrostatics. I decided to make the jump now because DVDA is finally out and the price of SACD is coming down.


Craig

 

[Nick Satullo]

Quote:

Originally posted by Xstick: "High-end online retailers" has to be the best contradictory statement I've heard in a while!

Not my experience. In fact, it's only been through the competition of the internet that local dealers have, every now and then, been willing to sell something to me for the price I'm willing to pay.


For some products, I have enough confidence in my own know-how, the reputation of the internet dealer, and the recourse I have in any event, that I don't even consider looking at the prices at a local dealer. Too little risk in the purchase, and too much money being asked by the local retailer. I'm much better off purchasing over the internet.


I view this strictly as dollars, cents, and sense. It is sad to see the posts invariably written by retailers that castigate the internet shopper of consumer electronics, as if there were some moral obligation to support your local audio/video retailer. This is a matter of personal finance, and the risk that a buyer is willing to assume. This is a primarily adult male forum, and there is likely plenty of affluence here, or certainly the means to afford the kind of expensive toys that some would consider affluence. If the people here decide to risk the purchase of a product on the internet, you can bet it's being done by those who have the good sense to know what risks they can run, and which ones require a local dealer in arm's reach.


Certainly, the local retailer can legitimately complain about the users, the few who might come to their store to "try," but go to the internet to "buy." That's just rudeness, though, and nothing will stop that. But I'm honestly growing weary of hearing about how bad or wrong it is--for whatever reason--to shop for your audio/video wares over the internet. If I have a bad experience, I'm a big boy, I counted the cost, and I got burned--hasn't happened yet, over the last 6 years. But I assure you the last thing I'll do, if I get burned, is rush to my local audio/video retailer to complain about it. Which is why I really don't want to hear retailers complaining to those like me who choose the internet over them.


You can get high-end equipment over the net. Usually, the seller at the other end is one of those very retailers that is working a private deal, or someone who's been smart enough to tap into a good product that can be priced to move. If I were in the business, it would upset me too.


By the way, there's been a huge movement, for many years, to lower the outrageous cost of legal fees. I'm certainly hoping that all of you out there will resist that movement, and support your local lawyers by paying them all the fees they want, and by seeing them for services more often than you do. Don't you feel morally obligated to do that?

 

[Bob Sorel]

Very well said, Nicholas. I couldn't agree more. Recently I wanted to buy a complete B&W speaker setup, and I did not require any showroom demos, trade-up policy, etc. from a dealer, but just wanted to get the factory warranty and a good price. Because of B&W's strict price policies, I could not find a dealer who would be willing to give me a decent price on 5 speakers (plus a sub) to upgrade my system. Every dealer I spoke with explained to me their utter fear that they would lose their prized B&W line should the company ever get wind of the fact that they gave me a deal (yeah, right....I was born yesterday). As a result, I am now the proud owner of a complete set of Dynaudio speakers which perform better and cost me less than the B&W's, and which I purchased over the Internet (No, I did not unscrupulously go hear them at a local dealer's place first). Sure it is B&W's right to sell whatever way and at whatever price they see fit, but if enough people like me are turned away by their business policies, there might not be any more B&W around to worry about the prices charged any more.


Bob


[This message has been edited by Bob Sorel (edited July 09, 2000).]

 

[Ted White]

Xstick,


I see that on this thread and several others you have a somewhat one sided, pessimistic view of the internet as a retail vehicle. You're rather quick to condemn them all. I can name several brick and mortar operations that have seriously inadequate service. I'm sure you can too. I'm sure you'd find several hundred satisfied customers for AVScience, which is a dominant internet entity.


I see from your profile that you are a "B&M'er" I assume you have a traditional shop. That's great. It helps explain your viewpoint.


I'm a B&M'er too. 45 stores in the Midwest. I'm going full bore to offer internet service. I'm going to seminars, networking to see who the future competition is, and having open forums with my customers, big and small. There is absolutely no stopping the internet. Consumers demand it as a vehicle of distribution.


I want to be a very viable part of internet commerce in my industry. Badmouthing it won't make it go away.


Ted

 

[Ted White]

QUOTE: "By the way, if you have 45 stores, you're either:

a. In over your head, or

b. Don't really need the Net for anything other than to disseminate information."


Why thank you. I had no idea you knew my business so intimately.


I wish more of my competition would think the way you do. I believe that buggy whip makers had a similar lament with the advent of the automobile.


I'll leave you with an observation I recently had at a seminar that you should have been at. There were 1000 attendees, where only 300 were expected. I was one of three retailers. The rest were my customers AND the manufacturers.


Good luck.


[This message has been edited by Ted White (edited July 09, 2000).]

 

[Nick Satullo]

Quote:

Originally posted by Xstick: Purely Internet "shops" simply run out of operating capital quickly (remember that "warranty an e-shop promised you? They probably won't be there very much longer to enforce it!) Many manufacturers are actively taking steps to insure that the B&Mer is supported, and you'll find the wiser party will insure their purchases through coming into B&M stores.

I see. And local stores don't go out of business--much less local stores in an industry that is under siege by the internet. The reality is that, for the most part, you get the manufacturer's warranty through the internet, and that is really no less than you get from the local retailers.


But even if you ran that risk--which at times one admittedly does--then please listen: I'M A CONSUMER AND I AM WILLING TO RUN THAT RISK. If you think I'm the exception, then I can only say you know of a different group of buyers than I do. The overwhelming majority of people who comment on this subject on this board alone have no compunction about buying off the internet, usually because they trust in their own judgment, and the reliability of the product they purchase.


Don't you think the horses have already left the barn?

 

[Bob Sorel]

Hmmmm....XStick, when I read your comments here I picture the B&M'ers as a bunch wearing white hats and the Internet dealers as having long handle bar moustaches witht black hats. Well, believe it or not, the honesty or dishonesty of any dealer has nothing to do with where he sells his product. His morals were formed a long time ago as a small child when he either shared his candy with the kid next door or stole it from him for his own gain. The WAY that he treats customers means more to me than WHERE he sells to them.


In my previous example (which is a true story, BTW), I had approached my local B&M'er (whose facilities I did not need in order to make my speaker choice) for a price on the B&W's. I had spent thousands of dollars in his store in the past years and felt that I was a very good customer, so he would not hesitate to give me a good deal on the speakers, even though I was aware of B&W's price policies. After all, he has known me for years and knew that I would not be telling everyone and his brother about the great price I got, thus getting him in trouble with B&W. WRONG! He politely explained to me that 10% was the best discount he could muster, and that I should be grateful that he would give me that much off.


Well, as I said, I ended up buying Dynaudios from an Internet dealer who gave me a very good price on them. Since then, I have also bought a Yamaha RX-V1 from him, and I feel that I have found a new place to make my high end purchases. Just to show you that these guys don't all have black hats, when my Yamaha ended up shipping 2 days later than the day it was supposed to ship, the dealer sent it OVERNIGHT, thus arriving at my doorstep a day EARLIER than it would have normally, and he sent me a free DVD of my choice just for the inconvenience. He also made a follow up phone call to me to make sure that I had received the unit on time and then another follow up call to make sure that I was happy with the unit. This is the bad guy I'm supposed to watch out for? My local B&M'er, on the other hand, won't be seeing me in his store any more, so he won't have to worry about me asking him for a better price again.


The point is, it's not WHERE you buy a product that is important, it is WHO you buy the product from. Ted and Nicholas, I really like your attitude towards business. I would be honored to be one of your customers.


Bob

 

[Ben Henry]

Hello Everyone!

It is fitting irony that among the foment which has erupted from my post, I now relate to all of you this story-

CraigG was kind enough to tip me to a promotion on Rotel products which is due to expire shortly. The relative merits of Rotel notwithstanding, I went to the local dealer to inquire about the promo. His retort was short and not so sweet. I was informed that he did not move enough of Rotel's gear to justify his purchasing this product on special from Rotel to sell it on to me. I'm in Wichita Kansas, pop 400,000 or so, but he is the only dealer. He had no interest in calling Rotel on my behalf, and further explained he was planning to drop the line altogether. Here is where the fun begins folks. (CraigG, skip this part. I whined to you about this already.) NONE of the dealers within a 200 mile radius of me as listed on Rotel's dealer list, either knew about the special or had any gear left on promo to sell me. Now, part of this is poor planning and deployment of said mystery special on the part of Rotel, but here is the insult to injury. There is a dealer CraigG turned me on to in Des Moines which HAS the product AND the special, but having called Rotel, were told they could not sell to me as I was out of there territory Further, I have found no one who is allowed by Rotel to sell on the internet outside their local territory. Wow, can you beleive this!?! The only way I can give Rotel my money is to drive six hours to Des Moine to buy from the only B&M retailer I've found who has this stuff. You can bet the local retailer who was as apathetic as a gelding in a barn full of mares will never see me again. You can bet Rotel is going to hear from me, and loudly, for that matter. And you can bet that no matter everyone's personal opinion on the subject of internet sales, I would have been well served in this instance to be able to order Rotel products from an etailer. Maybe I'll just sell my car and go Theta!!!




[This message has been edited by Ben Henry (edited July 10, 2000).]