New Wilson Shasha W/P Series 2

You ever think that Wilson's policy is to work through the dealer in helping their clients upgrade?

Your statement of this massive depreciation hit was not my experience and not the experience of other Wilson owners I know. My point is I suspect you have no experience with upgrading through the Wilson. Your statement is backed by a review of the items listed on Audiogon. You don't know what you are talking about on this subject.

Bjbcab,

Explain what you mean by "upgrading through Wilson"? If you mean that there is enough profit margin for dealers to offer generous trade in's, well that can vary from dealer to dealer and how far up the chain the customer is going. But that has nothing to do with Wilson Audio as, I think, you suggest.

My statement of a massive depreciation hit is a fact. Look as the asking price four Sasha 1's listed right now. A dealer might take a bit of a loss on the trade, but that goes back to the profit margin. Which, once again, doesn't have anything to do with Wilson Audio, other than their pricing. The fact that a dealer might absorb some of the depreciation to make a sale, which is a dealer choice and has nothing to do with Wilson Audio, doesn't mean the massive depreciation didn't take place. The Sasha 1 is probably now worth 16-17k. That's pretty massive in my book. And just wait until the reviews of the Sasha 2 come out and say how much better the new tweeter is.

I really don't have a clue what you're talking about. Your dealer's conduct, which I'm glad you're happy with, has nothing to do with my comments about Wilson Audio.

While there is no hint that I'm aware of, I suspect we'll see little effort on Wilson's part to give current Sasha owners an upgrade or preferred trade in option.

They DON'T have to to stay in business.

But there are plenty of companies that at least try and cushion the blow to their customers. Wilson, almost never.

Again, they DON'T have to to stay in business.

Depreciated is the cost to use and enjoy the product. You want to use it for free and have the companies replace with new after it's been used/worn?

If you don't agree with Wilson business practices, DON'T buy their speakers. There's NO penalty like Health Care if you decide NOT to participate.

01-15-14: Chayro
@Egrady, your post is a perfect example of the neuroticism exhibited by audiophiles and perhaps played upon by certain manufacturers. Anyone who dabbles in this ridiculous hobby realizes that high-end equipment value plummets like a stone if you're buying new. Anyone who bought a Sasha should be as pleased with their purchase now as they were when they made it. The fact that a new model is out doesn't detract from what they already have - except in their minds maybe.

Those who must have the latest model of everything must pay the price. If they can afford it, great. If they can't, then live with it. Besides, anyone who buys the Sasha 2 should know there's a V3 around the corner anyway. On the + side - used Wilsons are a great buy if you like the sound.

Well Articulated!

Knghifi .... kinda agree with you. As I said above or elsewhere, that's why I buy -- for the most part -- hi-end preowned or factory "refurbed" demo gear. I can flip it for almost what I paid for it.

Case in point. I recently sold my "old" ARC VS-115 amp for $4K. I bought it about 4 years prior directly from ARC as a "refurb" demo for about $5500. So ... some quick math: $1500 delta ($5500 less $4K)/4 years is $375 per year. Not a bad annual "user fee" for a piece of gear that provided me with a lot of pleasure. And now, my Buyer will get a chance to enjoy an excellent amp in mint condition already broken in courtesy of ARC and me.

Incidentally, the VS-115 is still part of ARC's current product line-up and has a MSRP of $7000. So why pay retail for a piece of top end gear that may have a useful life of 20+ years??

Guess the answer is someone has to buy retail or how else would folks like me buy preowned gear?? :-) Unfortunately that puts a lot of pressure on the B&M middleman. Sorry .. I ain't rich.

P.S. I used the cash to buy a preowned 2-year old ARC Ref 150 that had about 1100 hours of time racked up for about 60% of MSRP. Frankly, I was grateful for the prior use because that meant I could plug and play the Ref 150 right-a-way. I'm happy because I step into an amp that I've had my eyes on for a year or so.

And guess what .. Al you'll be happy to know this ..., the Ref 150's output impedance off the 4 ohm tap is .4 ohms less than the VS-115's 4 ohm tap. That means the output voltage regulation of the Ref 150 is slightly tighter than the VS-115 and my speakers sound slightly less bright. Isn't that just wonderful?? ;)

The ARC dealer who sold me the amp is happy because he took the Ref 150 in trade from a customer who stepped up to ARC Ref 250 monos and made some coin for the flips. And his customer is happy because he bought Ref 250s. I'd be happy too.

See -- everyone is happy. :) :) :)

I assume the same paradigm (pun not intended) applies equally to Wilson speakers and other hi-end kit.