New warning ad on Audiogon....
- Thread starter mattsl3
- Start date
Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:
amey01
Well-known member
Sounds like yet another case of ML affording overprotection to their friendly <strike> ripoff merchants </strike> whoops, sorry dealers.
Last edited:
TomDac
former MLO owner/operator
Anthem has a similar warning. There are a few "gray market" online retailers that sell ML stuff..
are people that stupid that they think if they buy a speaker from somebody on the internet at a 40% or more discount that they are going to have a warranty.
Logan was probably tired of hearing the crying after they bought used and had a problem.
Logan was probably tired of hearing the crying after they bought used and had a problem.
Last edited:
so I guess it's the job of the retailers to supply you with HIFI equipment free of charge lol.If you have ever run a retail operation you would understand the pricing structure.
amey01
Well-known member
Absolutely not, and yes, I understand their pricing structure.
What I don't understand is the denial of my liberty to choose to purchase from and where I like. US or Australia. Direct or through a dealer. It should be my choice. ML shouldn't insist that I pay double (through the greedy distributor) here in Australia than what you guys pay (retail too) there in the US.
And if someone's going to go onto Audiogon and offer them even cheaper, good luck to 'em.
Retailers add value and I'm happy to pay for it. Distributors add zero value and I'm choked up about giving them such a sizeable chunk of my hard earned cash.
To put this into perspective, let's talk only RETAIL. Vistas retail for what....correct me if I'm wrong.....but $2,400 there, right?
At the current exchange rate, that's $AUD 3,030.
Vistas retail here for $AUD8,000.
Please oh please tell me shipping doesn't cost $4,970 for a pair of speakers!!!! Why can't I give ML $AUD3,030 and pay for shipping? They go to extreme lengths to actually prevent me from doing this......like installing power supplies that can't be switched to 240v, and then configuring the 120v power supplies to actually NOT work with a transformer either (they won't work at 50Hz).
Distributors ship in bulk and save even more. I'm a reasonable person and would be quite happy to pay $AUD 3,500 or so in a shop. But $8,000!!?!?!
It is not unique to ML - it is high-end audio in general. It's the same for everything! It makes me want to just pack up and forget this hobby. It really does.
Last edited:
aliveatfive
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2005
- Messages
- 776
- Reaction score
- 0
Seems to me ML wants to control not only price of new, but also price of used. Has anyone tried to buy a new pair of MLs by trading-in an old pair to the dealer? I have and was offered about 1/3 less than the price of similar speakers on Audiogon. How does ML expect us to purchase new speakers if they do not provide a channel for selling our previously purchased speakers?
RichTeer
Well-known member
The Vista list price over here is $4300 USD, but your point is well taken. It's the same in the UK too (fortunately I don't live there anymore!).
amey01
Well-known member
That's in Canada?
Let me add some extra input into this discussion. As far as Martin Logan goes they have a fairly stringent fixed pricing policy. While they allow Best Buy some leniency on the design series (they give 10% discounts without a word being said), there policy on the ESL line is micromanaged to a greater extent. On more than one occasion I was chewed out for trying to cut the price on Logan's to make a major deal happen. That being said, as part of tweeter/ Sound Advice (largest ESL dealer in the world at time) we had factory sponsored promotions quite frequently. Denying warranty's to privately resold speakers is just another way they protect the value of their product. I would rather they resort to that to maintain profitability than cut production cost (and therefore bring down) their product line. I have pride in the fact my Vantages are built in the U.S.A. I display all those ML employee initialed tags certifying each unit is hand inspected before it ships. I myself have purchased ML online (through this forum no less), but did so assuming full responsibility for what happens.
On the note of direct sales, even with the infusion of new capital after the company's sale ML still remains a relatively close nit operation. Not counting there agreement with Best Buy (which covers the design series, a product line that is mass produced abroad and only travels through Kansas for inspection), there product is still shipped on a mostly unit by unit bases using UPS (there true culprit behind most DOA ML ESL speakers). Calls to there Lawrence KS headquarters over the years would tell you the staff has remained relatively unchanged over the years. There product runs are microscopic compared to the numbers churned out by Klipsch, Harman International, etc (Chinese built design series excluded). Add to that high demand spread nationwide and direct sales are counter-productive to the way they do business; there focus has to be on building not selling (unlike a certain four letter overpriced piece of junk that starts with B and ends with E; there all sell and no build).
Hope I added something constructive to the debate
On the note of direct sales, even with the infusion of new capital after the company's sale ML still remains a relatively close nit operation. Not counting there agreement with Best Buy (which covers the design series, a product line that is mass produced abroad and only travels through Kansas for inspection), there product is still shipped on a mostly unit by unit bases using UPS (there true culprit behind most DOA ML ESL speakers). Calls to there Lawrence KS headquarters over the years would tell you the staff has remained relatively unchanged over the years. There product runs are microscopic compared to the numbers churned out by Klipsch, Harman International, etc (Chinese built design series excluded). Add to that high demand spread nationwide and direct sales are counter-productive to the way they do business; there focus has to be on building not selling (unlike a certain four letter overpriced piece of junk that starts with B and ends with E; there all sell and no build).
Hope I added something constructive to the debate
RichTeer
Well-known member
Nope (Canadian prices tend to be somewhat higher); I just went to www.martinlogan.com and selected USA as my region. Interestingly, if I select North America -> Canada, no MSRP is displayed. Hmm...
I really like the new front of the website "The Great American Speaker Company
Handcrafted Electrostatic Speakers From the Heartland"the wheat field is really cool as well
I am glad to see Logan flaunting the fact that their speakers are proudly made in the USA.
Handcrafted Electrostatic Speakers From the Heartland"the wheat field is really cool as well
I am glad to see Logan flaunting the fact that their speakers are proudly made in the USA.
amey01
Well-known member
Me too......
Dublin25
Well-known member
Sorry guys... I am in the IT sales business and I like the warranty companys like HP, Lenovo, Lexmark, etc have. They go by the serial number and manufacture date of the device - its under warranty regardless who bought it, for how much, and from where. Its their product one way or another - if it fails during the warranty period - who cares where it came from - they need to back the warranty. It came from the manufacturer one way or another at some point and the cost of the warranty was built in to the cost of the speaker. I understand the warranty being void if it was modified in anyway or abused though. Just my two cents.
User211
Well-known member
I'm freaking not proud MLs are American... it annoys me that America has created some of the best speakers ever made... whilst I admit we have made some good ones. What this means is that I have to pay more to get what I want.
Pretty obvious what my current solution to that dilemna is.
But yeah, you USA types should be proud.
Pretty obvious what my current solution to that dilemna is.
But yeah, you USA types should be proud.
Last edited:
almost everything cool that the world has originally came from America!
User211
Well-known member
Fish - if it were true, my complete setup would be all American. As it is, you manage the speakers and a tuner from 1962 - when you knew how to make them properly!
Fish - if it were true, my complete setup would be all American. As it is, you manage the speakers and a tuner from 1962 - when you knew how to make them properly!
just messing around with you guys that's all
