I'm certain that many members of this organization, and audiophiles everywhere, shop online for gear and accessories. Buying lightly used gear and demos from reputable sellers is a great way to save some money and take a little of the sting of expense out of the hobby. I've been buying used gear for a couple decades now, mostly with great success.
But that's not what I want to rant about. I want to rant about the sellers who make statements about their gear along the lines of, "Puts units 4X the price to shame." Or wording along those lines. Really? Please tell me the name of the equipment that was put to shame so I don't make the stupid mistake of spending 4X on an inferior product!
I had a seller selling a phono stage with just such a quote. Another selling a turntable with an identical quote. And don't even get me started on cables... I had a seller who reps a certain brand of high-end cables tell me, "Nordost are crap!" Really? So all the people who have spent $1M on their system and wired it with $100K (or more) of Nordost Odin...They're fools? The dealer who put the system together sold them $100K worth of crap? Did he do this knowingly, or are both the buyer and seller of such high-end gear so ignorant as to use crap to wire their systems? I use Nordost in one of my systems to great effect. It's a unique and excellent product. Are cables generally overpriced and over-hyped IMO? Yes, absolutely! But they're not crap. And that's why I buy used.
I realize that this comparo/machismo hyperbole is just the manifestation of male ego, but it's bad for the hobby! I mean, first, let's just say that I purchased a very reputable turntable/arm combo; a VPI or Clearaudio, for example, for $20K. That's a lot of dough for a 'table! Please tell me how a $5K table "puts it to shame." First, by saying so, you're telling me that I made a poor decision; a really really poor decision. Of course, I did my research, went to a number of dealers and tested the look, feel, and operation of multiple units (as I'm sure we all do). I read the glorious reviews of the table before I made my choice, knowing that a professional with far more experience and credibility than I gave this product a glowing review. But somehow, this 'table you're selling at 1/4 the price stomped it. Does it spin records more accurately? I doubt it. Is it quieter? I doubt it. Does it's arm track better? Does it neutralize vibration better? I doubt it. And even if it does all those things better, does it "embarrass" the VPI? "Put it to shame?" Maybe you would be so kind as to explain to the engineers at VPI how you managed to humiliate their fine product at 1/4 the cost. I'm sure they'd appreciate the feedback :-0 Maybe they'll all just hang their heads in shame and close their business, knowing that they can't reasonably compete with a turntable selling for 1/4 the price of their flagship model. Yeah right!
By making this statement, you've shamed my purchase IQ, insulted reputable manufacturers, and cast a pall of doubt on the entire industry. It's bad for the hobby and bad for the business of buying and selling high-end equipment. I suggest that as we buy and sell equipment online, that we refrain from the hyperbole and "shootout" comparisons and recommend to other sellers to do the same. It honors the entire hobby if we can promote our own gear without criticizing others.