Second Hand Equipment

by James Leahy

Second hand equipment is a fantastic way of picking up some absolute bargains that one many never be able to afford if forced to buy new. Usually found as a fraction of their new cost price if bought from a reputable dealer with 3 months warrantee you can be assured these products have been tested to perform correctly.

I have so many under priced used products in inventory because many buyers do not know what they are buying or what they should be buying to make their system sound great.

It is more often than not the extremely low price that actually deters some would-be buyers, believe it or nor. Also the fact that 95% of customers do not know what good used equipment is capable of or what it will sound like in their systems and are scared of making a mistake.

All this indecisiveness ultimately turns into what I like to call 'Analysis Paralysis' and the average customer ends up doing nothing instead of taking advantage of this golden situation. While a more knowledgeable Audiophile will snuff these mint low priced pieces right out from under their noses'.

VTL equipment is built to last a lifetime and will outlast many of the owners. When you are buying equipment such as this the age of the item matters less and less. This is because VTL equipment is so over engineered it is virtually indestructible. This is not to say that the newer models have not made a significant advancement in performance because they certainly have; but for those who do not place their Hi-Fi system as their #1 priority in their life (and I will try to get them physiological help ASAP to correct this imbalance) and wish to spend less in this area you do not have to miss out on being able to afford a hugely impressive system with the correct purchasing advise for your planned budget.

I am here to advise you guys having heard mostly all of this gear first hand. So make use of me if you are unsure. However, I do not go out of my way to convince customers what I am telling them is correct. Some of them ask me what I think but they are not ready to accept the truth and I know before I even give them the answer it is not what they will wish to hear. There is the truth and then there is what the customer wants you to tell them. They are not always the same thing.

For instance I had a customer come into my showroom and tell me how digital and modern transistors were far superior to a good valve based audio system and how vinyl is 20+ years behind the game in sound quality when compared to digital and that I should take the wool from my ears.

Most of the time when customers cannot decide on an item's performance it is because they have not heard or at the very least given themselves the opportunity to fairly and comprehensively compare the products they are bagging against what they consider to be better.

Now; I knew he was wrong. I knew it positively and without the slightest shadow of a doubt. There couldn't be the slightest doubt about it. However, even if I had convinced this man that he was wrong, his pride would have made it difficult for him to back down and give in. For me to tell him the facts directly to his face would be a sharp blow to his intelligence, his judgment, his pride, his self respect. This would make him want to contest my advice. But it will NEVER make him want to change his mind. You could throw all the logic of a High Court Judge his way but you will not shift his opinion one inch, for you have hurt his feelings.

To criticize his views are futile because it puts a man on the defensive, and usually makes him strive to justify himself. Criticism is negative because it wounds a man's precious pride, damages his sense of importance and creates resentment. If you want your fellow man to resent you, hold a grudge against you for decades until death and undo a lifelong friendship all in the space of mere minutes; just indulge yourself in a little stinging criticism. All the good times you have both had together will be undone instantly; and your criticism is what he will remember you by. Just remember the spoken work can never be retracted. You can apologize, but it is never the same. Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain; and most fools do just this. However, it takes self-control character and understanding to be forgiving.

Why prove to a man he is incorrect.....? Is it going to make him like you? 99% of the time arguments end with each of the contestants being more firmly convinced then ever that they are the one who is absolutely right. You can't win an argument! This is a very important point to understand. You can't because if you lose it; you lose it, and if you do win it you still lose it. Why is this? Suppose you triumph over the other man and shoot his argument full of holes and prove that he is non compos mentis. Then what? You will feel fine. But what about the the other man. You have made him feel inferior. You have damaged his pride and he will resent your triumph because of it.

There are times when you will be able to change another man's view point and times when it is not worth all the tea in China to even try. As a result of it all, I have come to the conclusion that there is only one sure fire way to get the best of an argument 100% of the time and that is to avoid it! Avoid it as you would avoid a snarling vicious Rottweiler at the end of a fragile leash hanging on by it's last thread ready to take your leg off.

As a young foolish boy I remember arguing with my father over anything and everything and he would simply agree with me to defuse the situation then continue on with greatly more important matters. At the time I thought him foolish, how much I had to learn! I never recall my father arguing with anyone even when he knew he was 100% correct. I didn't understand his logic at the time but now I have learned what he knew so well then. The smarter a man is the less he feels he needs to display it to the world with pointless arguments. Ask yourself this.....would you rather have an academic, theatrical victory or a man's good will? You can seldom have both.

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