hagouel@ittvax.UUCP (Jack Hagouel) (01/16/85)
I am told that there ARE stores that discount Nakamishi products. My particular interest is one of their medium range cassette players. Does anyone in netland know of such a place? I'm using the price for the B150 for comparison (although I'm also considering the 505). Jack Hagouel ...!ittvax!hagouel in Connecticut
rlm@lanl.ARPA (01/18/85)
> I am told that there ARE stores that discount Nakamishi products. > My particular interest is one of their medium range cassette players. > Does anyone in netland know of such a place? I'm using the price > for the B150 for comparison (although I'm also considering the 505). > > Jack Hagouel > ...!ittvax!hagouel > in Connecticut AudioWorkShop Box 18009 Seatle, WA 98118 206-323-4987 Offers the BX-150 for $363., the RX-505 for $790, plus $12. for shipping. They claim the decks are new and USA warranted. I have not dealt with them, but am considering it. If you phone on weekdays you will get a recording. They are available for 'consultation' 8 to 11 pm Tues thru Fri, 8 am to 5pm Saturdays, according to the postcard I received from them. Bob Malchie, Los Alamos
rlm@lanl.ARPA (01/18/85)
> I am told that there ARE stores that discount Nakamishi products. > My particular interest is one of their medium range cassette players. > Does anyone in netland know of such a place? I'm using the price > for the B150 for comparison (although I'm also considering the 505). > > Jack Hagouel > ...!ittvax!hagouel > in Connecticut p.s. Check the classified ads in the popular stereo magazines (Audio, High Fidelity, Stereo Review) for other places. I've found all to be hard to reach by phone - you usually get a recording which asks you to leave a message, but response is slow to non- existant. One which advertises both east and west coast phone numbers has a recording on the west coast number telling you to call the east coast number. I didn't get an answer from the east coast number. Bob Malchie, Los Alamos, NM
wagner@uw-june (Dave Wagner) (01/20/85)
The only place I know of that discounts Nakamichi (note the spelling, please)
is called The Source. It is a "buying group", which means that you pay a
membership fee before you can order anything from them. However, the fee is
only $15, and they send you a certificate worth $15 toward your first purchase.
You can find their advertisements in all the stereo mags.
Dave Wagner
University of Washington Comp Sci Department
wagner@washington.arpa
{ihnp4|decvax|ucbvax}!uw-beaver!uw-wally!wagner
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh no! I've got . . . . . HAPPY FEET!"rlm@lanl.ARPA (01/22/85)
> The only place I know of that discounts Nakamichi (note the spelling, please) > is called The Source. It is a "buying group", which means that you pay a > membership fee before you can order anything from them. However, the fee is > only $15, and they send you a certificate worth $15 toward your first purchase. > You can find their advertisements in all the stereo mags. > > I've tried both the 800 and the 609 phone numbers for The Source and they have been disconnected. I note that they are no longer advertising.
francois@yale.ARPA (Charles B. Francois) (01/27/85)
I've had good luck with a "grey market" store in NYC called "E. 33rd
Typewriter & Electronics". The expression "grey market" is, I think, used
to describe those, usually seedy, discount audio/video/electronic stores
with low prices, no attempt at service, and a no-refund one-week-only
exchange policy. The equipment they sell is often, I suspect, illegally
imported from the Far East without the manufacturers' blessings. But the
prices are good, and if you know *exactly* what you want and are willing to
accept only the manufacturer's implict warranty, you can save a lot of
money. The problem is that, typically, those kinds of stores carry the
lowest common denominator in audio equipment, the likes of Sony (non-Esprit),
Technics, JVC, etc.
East 33rd differs from most of these shops in having a well-lit interior,
and in carrying selected items from the lines of Denon, Yamaha, B&W, and
Nakamichi. They regularly advertise on the last page of the Arts & Leisure
section of the Sundsay NY Times and (in somewhat more detail) in the
Village Voice. An ad from a recent Voice quotes prices of $400 for the Nak
BX-150, $660 for the LX-5, $525 for RX-202, $719 for the RX-303, $879 for
the RX-505 and $1295 for the Dragon.
I've bought a lot of equipment from them in the past including my
Walkman DC-2 the week they got it five months ago for $125, and my Yamaha
CD-X1 around the same time for $400 (after haggling, in person, from $450).
And that was before Yamaha slashed its list price from $600 to $500. Of
course, there was the matter of the loosely packaged unit, and the little
piece of paper filled with Japanese print, and the photocopied, stapled
English-language manual, but considering they were the ONLY folks in the
entire city who had it in stock at the time, I wasn't about to complain.
And I yet have to get a skip or anything but unadulterated pleasure from my
unit.
Their NY phone number is (212) 686-1631, and their toll-free number is
1-800-223-3201. They take Visa, MC and Amex and charge a hefty 10% extra
for shipping and handling, compared to the 8.25% NYC sales tax, and to the
6% S&H charge for orders mailed in with a certified check or a money order.
Get the idea? As I hinted above, shopping in person often makes it
possible to work out various "compromises" with the dealer, if you're adept
at that sort of thing.
Oh, and don't quote me on any of this. If you do, I'll deny everything.
--Charles B. Francois {...,decvax}!yale!francois