Rogue audio Metis and Atlas amp prices

I don't usually buy hi fi mag these days, but when I was in WH Smith on Saturday, flipping through Hi Fi+, I spotted the Rogue Audio Metis and Atlas valve pre and power amp review. There has been many threads about Chinese valve amps, so I am interested to look at the review and investigate the prices of US imports.

I saw the price from UK distributor Audiocraft, so I have done a comparison of the prices in UK and USA.

Take an example of the Atlas Power Amplifier, in Rogue Audio's website, it is listed US$1,395, that's about 797 pounds if we use an exchange rate of 1 UK Sterling to 1.75 US dollar.

From http://www.directly2u.co.uk/customs.html#Audio, the import duty of an audio amp is 4.5%, VAT=17.5%, it should cost 979 pounds plus postage to import this power amp. The UK importer includes the optional metal cage and metal remote (instead of the plastic remote) and they charge 1195 pounds. Therefore the difference is 1195-979=216 pounds. This 216 pounds includes the postage and the profit of the importer/retailer, assuming the importer buys the amp from Rogue for 979 pounds. However I guess the importer doesn't have to pay the full 979 pounds for each amp.

I go to Hong Kong frequently and I roughly know how much the Chinese amps cost over there. The difference in prices in some cases is as much as a return flight to Hong Kong!

Hon

 

But they have to be modded for UK use and checked over for sale.

That difference is not excessive.

In looking at US prices it is commonplace to regard the dollar price as almost the pound price, all things considered. This is not too bad.

Besides, this is rip off Britain !

 

They probably take care of warranty claims too. With your grey import, you'd have to ship it back to the states in the event of a fault.

 

Are you suggesting that all goods should be the same price in all world-wide markets? That sounds like Socialism to me ~ no thanks!

 

I never made such suggestion. I only stated the facts of the prices.

Hon

 

that sounds like less of a piss take than normal - perhaps consumer pressure and the internet is bearing down on the hi-fi dealers at last.
of course less profit means less chance that the dealer will be around in a years time to handle your warranty claim so it's swings and roundabouts.
i haven;t bought a hi-fi rag for ages but did notice that hi-fi world, that bastion of beardy, valve, diy culture has a 'new' home entertainment section although they did embrace pc audio long ago.
cheers


julian.

 

well if you want capitalism, then we should be able to arbitrage out the price discrepancies and all warranties in all territoires should be fungible....

 

I do not subscribe to prices being the same world wide. But I do think "rip off Britain" is alive and well. (I was over in England two weeks ago (work), I will be back by the end of the month (holiday).

The review of Consonance amps by Jimmy Hughes in the last HiFi + is a perfect example. He raved about them, they cost £3K for the mono block power amps. In Australia they cost A$3.2K (approx exchange rate £1.00 = A$2.3).

They are the same amps 240 volt / 50 Hz. They have a 2 year parts and labour warranty on all but the valves, which have 90 days.

 

I have also found that the price of a Canadian made Bryston 4BSST listed by the Hong Kong agent as HK$20500, that's 1480 pounds. In US, the 4BSST list price is US$2995, that's 1678 pounds. In UK, the list price is 2500 pounds, although proaudio kit sells it for 2300 pounds including VAT.

Hon

 

Too easy a bandwagon to jump on, I'm afraid. Sure, some things are apparently more expensive here than elsewhere, but doubtless there are many things that are cheaper in the UK than elsewhere.

All this talk of 'rip off Britain' seems pointless to me. What do all those who support this theory suggest is done about it? Do they think that' something should be done'? Who by? The government? This would mean that governments decide the prices, as opposed to the market. From personal experience, trust me, this is not the kind of society in which you would wish to live.

Something is only worth what people will pay, with perhaps the exception of compulsory purchases (food, shelter, etc). If you don't think it's worth it, don't buy it! The market will soon sort the wheat from the chaff. There are many factors determining price. This is not really the place for a political discussion, but hi-fi forums are full of posts about a rip-off, with no proper understanding of what is being said or, more importantly, any positive suggestions to rectify this perceived problem.

I have travelled much around the world, & I find the determination of the Brits to whinge & whine and denigrate their own society to be deeply frustrating (I'm a Brit myself). In the USofA if they thought they were being 'ripped off' they just wouldn't buy the product. They certainly wouldn't have a national campaign with almsot daily headlines, on 'Rip Off America'!

Maybe we do all get the government we deserve.

 

Linn for one. Whether we think that £4K for a fully-specced LP12 front-end is a bargain or hideously past the sell-by date it's more overseas than the straight exchange rate equivalents, right?

Paul

 

This is one of the reasons the LP12 is the price it is in the UK. By equalising the prices worldwide Linn have to charge more in the UK creating a bit of a rip off - damned if you do ...


Cheers

Jason

 

I bet it breaks their little hearts having to charge more in the UK.