performance vs. resale

I tend to lean toward Pawlowski6132's sentiments, although I haven't always followed the advice.

Several times in my own enthusiasm I have overestimated the demand of a component only to later take a significant loss.

I try very hard to limit these experiences. The sonics are rarely worth the fiscal penalty.

For me? The wonderful sonics are worth the fiscal penalty. If you buy used: $$ hardship usually won't be a problem.

Buying used keeps the ratio reasonable. I tend to buy and hold, so it's not a big issue to me, so my equipment is a mix of new and used.

To the extent that you're uncertain about a component you should lean toward buying used. It's not unusual for high-end components to lose 50% of their value once used, no matter how vaunted the marque.

Dave

I'm a bottom-feeder BUT I have found too many great pieces that are "unknown" and are harder to sell (once I've found something even better).

On the otherhand, I have been burnt so badly by cottage designers (like Tube Technologies) to deal with them in the future.

I would not purchase equipment of that type if I couldn't audition it in my system first.

If that piece gives me the synergy that I wish to achieve, the price would matter little. The resale value would be a small concern simply because the gear is delivering the magic I was seeking.

I normally won't purchase a piece of gear unless I can get a track record on it on pricing, resale value and performance first. Even then it's a gamble. Who is to say it will perform well with your speakers, interconnect, speaker cables and other. Just do what's comfortable for you and don't have any regrets.