Is it too much to ask....

.

I am not interested in just dumping it off on the first fool passing by.

There needs to be a whine catagorey so people can get their whine on.

but there was a time when Audiogon had sophisticated buyers and sellers.

Hey, be a true audiophile and be self taught about this activity and hobby. You have to pay to play.

And thus I never had to deal with some whiny idiot. LOL.

this site was cool before but you knew it couldnt last but thats progress.Anytime something good gets going and the masses find out it naturally starts to decay.Witness the whiner who begs for a meaningless clue

...what an amazing bunch of imperious, derisive, condescending pompous asses.
.

Smile when you say that!

Mitch4t, your post says it well. Music and the love of music is the foundation for places like these forums. Music as an art form is beautiful, but some of the thoughts expressed here are just plain ugly. What a dichotomy!

Yes it is!

Why is it that our national sense of entitlement manifests itself even in the sale of audio equipment? Is there no respect for private property any more?

The amp is owned by the seller, and last I checked (it has been a while though), the seller pays the fees. If you don't like the ad because the seller won't list the ratings, then move on to the next ad. As you indicated, there ARE plenty more to look at. Why get all worked up? If the amp doesn't sell because of a poor listing, that is the owner's consequence, not yours!

In the past couple years, AudiogoN has moved from an enthusiast focused community to market place community focused on bringing buyers and sellers together. The responses to this post make this pretty clear...in my opinion.

I have a thought about all this but you all should know what it is, so i'm not telling. Ha!

If we take the emotion out of it, there are two types of buyers on the 'gon, those that are looking for a specific item and and will attempt to buy it when it becomes available, and those that would like to select an item from the currently available stock.

I don't have a political agenda or philisopical bent on this subject; my perspective is based solely on experience. That experience is twelve years here, and approximately an equal amount of time before that selling in AudioMart.

I like to enjoy what I buy, and I always want my trading partners to enjoy what they buy from me. Until now, although I do not publicize it in my ads, I will take back anything for any reason and pay shipping both ways. Hey, I'm nuts, but you do business your way, I'll do it mine. My feedback reflects this policy.

When I have had problems - problems that have cost me a bit of money over time - it has been with a subset of the later group. A small percentage of them do not understand how the product that they are purchasing impacts their system architecture and therefore the sound that they will get.

My experience leads me to making the jump that these buyers did not do sufficient research or were simply impetuous in their purchases.

I believe that not posting specs deters these buyers to some small extent, while not causing an undue hardship on others that are shopping from available items - again another jump and another assumption that has passed the litmus test of my practical experience.

I don't believe that I am snooty about sales, I will spend as much time as required by my potential trading partner on the phone, or via e-mail. And numerous times, after having spoken with someone considering buying something I am selling, I have recommended that they not buy the item. On two occasions I have chosen to refuse to sell the item to a prospective buyer. And fortunately, I don't need a quick sale.

So I can certainly be called direct, politically incorrect, abrasive and a dick. But snooty and imperious...I'm not so sure.

I wasn't asking for someone to re-iterate *every* single spec. on the amp. But it would seem prudent to at least list the power rating, perhaps the THD and such, the weight, and dimensions.

Asking a potential buyer to Google up these simple facts will, IMHO, reduce your chances of selling the amp. I try to divine the power rating from the Mfgr's. Model #, but sometimes that is not possible.

BTW, I've been in this hobby for many, many years (45+) and I know a few things about how amps work, and how they're spec'd. - not a newb by any means.

Folks who get all self-righteous and proudly declare "I would never deign to publish the specs. of my amp!, Certainly, sir, you should know ALL of the specs. of ALL the amps there are out there!" amuse me...

As for "why would anyone look at 40 or 50 amps?" Oh, I dunno, perhaps I was helping a friend find suitable amplification for his system. It's a sure bet I'd never recommend one of Viridian's pieces, no matter the specs. or price...
-RW-

RL, since you want to look back at this from an emotional angle, I am sure neither of us will loose any sleep in not becoming trading partners, but my feedback speaks very well of those that have taken the leap of faith and navigated my unfriendly ads. And I, for one, would be more than happy to purchase from you in spite of your ads being cluttered with specs.

Just as you think that, as a seller, I am cutting myself off from excellent buyers, you too, as a buyer, may be cutting yourself off from goods that you may want to buy.

But your mind is already closed on the issue. As you so aptly put it, "I am surprised at your response". We are often surprised when we are unable to consider others positions on an issue and draw conclusions about their motivations.

And it seems disingenous, at best, to post a thread asking for opinions on a topic and then deriding those that hold views counter to your own.

Happy listening,
Marty

Marty, get the hell out of here.....and take your logical rationality with you damn it!! ;)

First:

Marty, get the hell out of here.....and take your logical rationality with you damn it!! ;)

Hilarious!

Second:
I've bought (& sold) many amps over the years. Never have I given a thought to whether or not specs were listed in the sellers ad. If I'm interested in trying a piece out, I will do some research, ridiculously simple in this age of Google, and if it meets my needs, I'll buy it. I personally couldn't care less if specs are listed. I like to see a photo, but even that's not required. I have bought pieces based on how the member rated the piece and their previous feedback.

Maybe the wattage is private to some, just like the reserve price on an auction.

I wish they'd post the COLOR of the amp. Last one I bought on A was silver. I wanted black.
Just doesn't sound right.
Got paint?

Even the manufacturer of my amp does not give execpt specs.

Output power more than 100 W at 8 Ohm.

This is all the info I have about the power output of my amp. Also many manufacturer lie about the power an amp delivers. They state that an amp delivers 100W at 8 Ohm and 200W at 4 Ohm and 400W at 2Ohm. This looks nice on paper, an amp that can double its output each time. But what they do not tell is that the amp delivers maybe 150-160W at 8 Ohm, 250 at 4 and 360 at 2 Ohm.

I would take power output stated by the manufacturer with a (large) grain of salt.

So how meaningfull is it to plish those figures.

"After all, isn't the *most* inmportant spec. how much the amp delivers?"

From a marketing standpoint, but it really does not say much about sound or build quality or how it will mate with your intended speakers.

Really, anytime I see something interesting, i Google it for more information and reviews.

Apparently Yes.

For those out there that are familiar with the term "audiophile," it's this kind of stuff that adds to any of the negative connotations out there about people with our interests.