am having a bit of a dilema and don't know if there is a solution but maybe people would share their feelings. All names and numbers have been changed to protect the innocent
I am moving into a new house and have been given permission by the "finace chairperson" (read wife) to make a home theatre room out of the basement. I already have some equipent from my modest HT in our flat. I will keep my front, center, sub (the rears are going upstairs for my wife) and my DVD. I want to get a RP HDTV, New rear surrounds and a reciever that has both more power, better sound and more features than my current 1603.
Here is with my problem comes in. I am on a budget with a fairly rigid cap. I want to get THE BEST most satisfying grear I can within that budget. Because we are moving we want to have everything put in before we move everything into the house so a slow upgrade path will be a pain. Old gear in then old gear out, mount new gear move stuff out of the way for TV etc.
I have a couple local specialty dealers I have dealt with. Both I find are very knowledgable and friendly and have been far with me. I WANT to buy from them. I don't mind spending a little extra for their service BUT with the advent of online retailing even here in Canada pricing is becoming an issue.
I could buy a model XYZ form my dealer for $1850 tax in or get it online in Canada with warranty for $1500 at my door! That $350 savings would represent nearly 10% of my budget. The dealer just can't match those prices. If it were a difference of $100 I'd just do it but when it starts to be $300 (that would be enough to have a 6.1 vs 5.1 setup) I have to question how much I am willing to compromise my setup to buy localy.
Sorry if this is long but I am really torn between supporting guys I like, getting great service or getting a (I think) much better collection of equipment that I may be happier with. What would you guys do and how do you feel about how much extra you are willing to spend to support your local guy?
I am moving into a new house and have been given permission by the "finace chairperson" (read wife) to make a home theatre room out of the basement. I already have some equipent from my modest HT in our flat. I will keep my front, center, sub (the rears are going upstairs for my wife) and my DVD. I want to get a RP HDTV, New rear surrounds and a reciever that has both more power, better sound and more features than my current 1603.
Here is with my problem comes in. I am on a budget with a fairly rigid cap. I want to get THE BEST most satisfying grear I can within that budget. Because we are moving we want to have everything put in before we move everything into the house so a slow upgrade path will be a pain. Old gear in then old gear out, mount new gear move stuff out of the way for TV etc.
I have a couple local specialty dealers I have dealt with. Both I find are very knowledgable and friendly and have been far with me. I WANT to buy from them. I don't mind spending a little extra for their service BUT with the advent of online retailing even here in Canada pricing is becoming an issue.
I could buy a model XYZ form my dealer for $1850 tax in or get it online in Canada with warranty for $1500 at my door! That $350 savings would represent nearly 10% of my budget. The dealer just can't match those prices. If it were a difference of $100 I'd just do it but when it starts to be $300 (that would be enough to have a 6.1 vs 5.1 setup) I have to question how much I am willing to compromise my setup to buy localy.
Sorry if this is long but I am really torn between supporting guys I like, getting great service or getting a (I think) much better collection of equipment that I may be happier with. What would you guys do and how do you feel about how much extra you are willing to spend to support your local guy?