John Channing
fruit box forever
The thing with audio is there is just so much totally amazing stuff floating around the used market and will be for a very long time as it was just so well made. Again referring back to a post I made earlier on the thread a lot of younger folk totally get this. Whenever I see younger folk on YouTube talking about their record collections (and I actively seek them out) they tend to have a) a nice retro system, say SL1200, 70s Marantz Receiver and nice chunky vintage speakers, b) something modern like a Rega P3 and LS50s, or c) some real cheap piece of crap Crossley or whatever. I’d say it split around evenly across those categories, actually far more to the first two. Obviously this is a subset of music buyers, more than that, music buyers who are prepared to spend a lot on new vinyl and enjoy the dignified hobby of record bin-diving. This inevitably preselects people that care a lot about music in its physical form. I’m sure a vastly higher number get huge enjoyment from streaming through a HomePod or whatever. To be fair I bet a pair of them is pretty decent (I definitely couldn’t live with one!).
The price of high-quality second-hand analogue gear is steadily creeping up though. I'd be a rich man if I had bought all the Garrard 301/401s that were once available on eBay for £200 (or less) when they were out of fashion. Similarly, I very nearly bought a mint Sony Pro Walkman for £170 a few years ago and these are now over £500. High-quality engineering will hold or increase its value, the challenge now is finding the items that are slightly more obscure. In the pro-audio market, there are also some exceptional bargains made in the 80s or 90s (if you want 15" drivers and huge dynamics), provided you can find the gear that hasn't been utterly thrashed.
I also have to say Tony, that PFM is a great place to buy and sell gear, I have had nothing but positive experiences here, it is much better than the alternatives!