How to buy used amp? (1 Viewer)

[Joseph Anlacan]

What are the things I need to know when buying used amps? I'm planning to buy 2-channel amp, about 150-200w/ch, any brand. But I saw a Hafler 200w/ch for $300. Is that a good price?

 

[Saurav]

Try www.audioreview.com for user reviews of lots of components. These reviews should be taken with a grain of salt, IMO. This site also gives you some idea of what other people have paid for stuff.
Try the search feature on www.audioasylum.com - they have a fantastic archive, where almost everything under the sun has been discussed. You just need to make sure you search in the appropriate forum(s).
Try searching through completed auctions on www.ebay.com to see if any turn up. The serious drawback here is that eBay only keeps 1-2 months of completed archives searchable. If they kept the whole thing available, that would be fantastic. Or if they turned their database into something like a blue book, that would be even better.
Try www.audiogon.com Link Removed and www.audioshopper.com and see if any are on sale - that'll give you an idea of prices too. AFAIK, these are the 3 most popular online sites for used audio gear.
[Edited last by Saurav on August 16, 2001 at 09:35 PM]

 

[Drew Eckhardt]

1. What the amp sounds like, which you can only do by listening to another example of the make and model. What you think is acceptable I might find offensive, and vise versa.
2. What a real market price is. The audiogon blue book seems to reflect reality although I haven't the foggiest how it gets updated.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

You should also check www.ecoustics.com for reviews, and Link Removed too. And then depending on how new/old it is, check old Audio magazines, Stereo Review, and then all the rest (WSR, SGHT, S&V, HTM, etc.). I don't have the reference at the moment, but a dude out there Roger Russell has back issues of Audio, Stereo Review, and High Fidelity (!) and makes copies of the reviews for a small fee.
Here's my set questions when I buy used gear:
1) Why are you getting rid of it?
2) Come with original box, manual, and remote (if applicable)?
3) Was it in a smoking, or a smoke free household? (Very important to me. Bought an amp once from a smoking household, stunk up my entire family room when it was turned on.)
4) What is the physical condition of the unit (scratches, etc.)?
5) Is it in perfect working order?
6) How old is it? (Sometimes I also ask for the serial number if I have something to compare it to.)
Some equipment has a manufacture date on the back (Velodyne, Pioneer), so I'd ask for that if applicable.
DAT decks keep track of the total hrs of use, so I'd ask for that (if applicable).
Some pre-pros/receivers can be software upgraded, so I'd ask for the what the software rev is (if applicable).
I really like buying from places like ebay and audiogon, because you can slam the person with negative feedback if they screw you!
And then if there's any doubt, talk to the dude (dudette) on the phone. Some people present very differently on email vs over the phone.
------------------

 

[Martice]

Go to ecoustics.com and go to the amplifier section. When you get there look up amp articles and they have a collection of very valuable articles written on amps and what to look for and how to purchase them.
Good Luck
------------------
What if it gets no better than this!?!