Got me a THETA

Picked up a second hand THETA DaVID transport & Casa Nova DAC pre today............WOW..............sound is fantastic and I also get a home theatre decoder with it.

What are your comments on THETA products? I have been told that they are in WADIA class?

In the two hours I've had using it what I have found is how good and tuneful the bass is, soundstage is large and open with awesome drive and extended top end with PRaT in the bucket loads.

Better get back to it.

Alan

 

Congratulations on your purchase, just keep your fingers crossed to make sure it doesn't break down, there was (is?) a notice on the Theta website that says something along the lines of 'If you brought your equipment S/H you haven't supported us in any way, so don't expect us to support you' :-(
Simon

 

Well that warms the cockles of your heart doesnt it!

What is an existing customer to do? Throw the gear in a skip once they have finished?

Amazes me how dumb companies are. Its not so much about sales but new customers. You buy a second hand bit of gear, you may want it serviced, some new parts or on the basis of how good it is buy some whole new units. Either way its still money into their coffers.

Plus it shows off their gear to a whole new audience that probably wouldnt have heard of them.

 

I wanted to check this before I started something, but yes, here it is:

So, not as bad as 'we don't want to hear from you', but nonetheless it means you'll have to open your wallet if you want *anything* from them :-(

 

It's pretty standard for many US high end companies these days, many like Mcintosh and Sim refusing transferrable warranties on stereo goods.

If they cut out the thieving distributors and retailers and allowed us to buy the product at a fair price, we'd all be happy to support them.

 

That's a completely outrageous attitude to take, not to mention very stupid. If people who bought new weren't able to sell their stuff s/h then they'd be unlikely to buy new again.

You can't have a primary (new) market without a secondary (s/h) one.

What people who buy s/h are giving them is not "nothing", it's a another customer ready to buy new again and potentially someone else who might buy new from them in the future.

Michael.

 

Theta'd do well to learn from Naim and Rega, for starters.

The original Planar turntables have a FULLY TRANSFERABLE LIFETIME guarantee - which I made use of a lot when I got my Planar 3 (dodgy motor pulley (dried out glue), arm lift needed adjusting etc).

It's a good job that I'd want to buy US gear as much as I'd like a hole in my head I guess... Mind you, Theta are supposedly excellent, so nice work dude!

 

Dom - don't tell me that. because I didn't know and got completely ripped off by a dealer who shall remain nameless, who charged me £50 to sort out the motor pulley and re-align a cartridge :JOEL:

 

idiotic attitude. Imagine buying a used car and then VW or whoever refusing to touch it !

 

Seems like the increasingly typical short-sighted attitude of the hifi industry these days, the kind of selfish attitude which only ultimately serves to shoot themselves in the foot - I think the views expressed here by forum members shows that quite clearly. Wake up Theta (& co.).

 

Why not post the exact the url ?

Most warranties aren't transferable even if some people on Ebay say so

alanl has a some nice equipment brought SH, at the end of the day congrats Alan.

 

You missed this bit :-

we try to do these at or near our cost.

Here is the exact url.

 

Basically, thanks for buy used, you should have bought a new one!! now sod off excellent customer care here

 

I dont buy anything used and expect the manufacturer to fix it free if it goes wrong!

Seems fine to me that they will charge.

Repairs arent that much in the scheme of things is my view, especially when compared to the money saved on a second hand buy!

Nice purchase Alan, havent heard it myself but it looks really well made.



Chris

 

FREAKIN' HECK!!! I paid a dealer a tenner to algn a cart on my NAD, and they didn't want me to pay! Audio-T in Reading, take a bow

Shame Ian Mott doesn't work there any more though - he is an analog guru!

 

That's not quite what they're saying though. Basically they're saying:

1). If you bought used then upgrades, which are charged at or near cost to new buyers, will be charged at much more than cost to make a profit.

2). Warranties are not transferrable to second owners so repairs, which would have been free under warranty for the new owner, are now charged at a profit making rate.

Now 1) is just about excusable but IMO not very clever as it won't do wonders for their residual values. 2) OTOH is just outrageous. A warranty is a warranty and has nothing to do with the number of owners. If you warrant (guarantee) that a product is so well made that it won't break for 5 years or whatever then how does its passing onto a second owner change that status? Either it has a 5 year warranty or it doesn't - number of owners doesn't come into it. Imagine if car makers tried that one on!

At least they say that they're doing it as much to support the dealers as themselves. They've got their head in the sand unfortunately if, like the music industry, they think they can continue to prop up the outrageous price/margin structure of high end hifi, distributors and dealers.

Michael.

 

Lets face it Michael, the hifi industry is full of thieves and sharks. So called reputable companies are anything but much of the time.

I recently got stung for £600 by a so called distributor simply because he thought I was trying to import goods for sale. With that attitude, he told me a pack of lies and charged me for simply flicking a switch.

If idiots like that continue to behave in such a way, they will eventually end up with such a shite rep via word of mouth that they have to become increasingly desperate in their business practices just to stay afloat. No way to build up long term success.

It is because of the profiteering of distributors and manufacuturers that a healthy used market exists and forums like this one generally recommend buying used or ex dem. I guess they are feeling the pinch at the moment and rather than accept that people are not prepared to spend THAT much on new kit and lower prices, they seek to blame the burgeoning s/h internet market for their declining sales. Much like the music industry, it's time for them to wake up and get real.

 

Not many companies offer transferable warranties (check the small print).

-- Ian

 

What's the legal position on this with regards to electrical goods?

Funnily enough Sim offer a transferrable warranty on their AV gear but NOT on their Stereo goods

 

No idea, I'm afraid. IANAL, if I was I'd be wintering in the Caribbean, not hanging around a hi-fi forum.

-- Ian