Price escalation, what's going on!

[day67]

Again, (related to a similar WOW on another forum) prices for vintage equip is rising -- sometimes astoundingly: A few weeks ago a pair of model KLH 5's sold at a little over $300. Just recently another pair sold at $353 and change!!!

I've only been checking this equipment out for maybe 6-8 weeks and just in that short time period there have been dramatic spikes in prices for some of this vintage equip.

Ebay (in regard to this equip) is not for the weak or faint of heart. The real deals are found elsewhere it seems.

[Stormy2021]

You're not alone in that observation.

Down here in Houston even at the local resale shop I haunt the past year the prices have really shot up. Used to be that basic speakers in good working order from companies like Sanyo or Panasonic (say, with an 8" woofer) would *maybe* cost @$10 a pair at most. But right now a pair of those Sanyos is $25! (they have been sitting there for almost five months now - that price is just too high).

Early last year they had three Realstic Nova series speakers from the mid 70s in very good condition, a pair with 10" sealed woofers and a 3-way with an eleven inch sealed woofer.* Each one was only $5 each! In fact while I was there a guy bought the smaller pair.

But nowadays much of their audio gear just gathers dust. Though I'm thinking that instead of donating it, many people have heard what this stuff fetches now on auction sites and now go that route to get rid of it.

* I snapped up the larger lone speaker and now use it as a sub powered by my trusty Pioneer SX-6 receiver (http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Matman174/)

[Andy]

As far as the KLH line in concerned, The Model five is the one collectors want...always over $200. on ebay. The Model Six is the classic which tend to bring $100. per pair. The Seventeen and Twenty are slightly smaller....nice speakers bringing $50-100 these days.

Now here I go again raving about the sleeper of the KLH line, The Model Twenty Three (a nice pair just listed on ebay, no. 170086519946), comes with boxes and manuals too! a For some reason this model has been selling for very fair prices, despite the fact it's just below the model Five and above the ones mentioned above. The Twenty Three which was a $160 each speaker when new had the same woofer as the Model five and had the same sized cabinet, over 40 lbs. It's a very nice sounding speaker with a really strong solid bottom end. Also, production was low on these, so for anyone living in central NY, the pair which just went up on ebay might be a great buy...I'd go for it, but I have 3 pairs of this model.

[dynaco_dan]

>As far as the KLH line in concerned, The Model five is the

>one collectors want...always over $200. on ebay. The Model

>Six is the classic which tend to bring $100. per pair. The

>Seventeen and Twenty are slightly smaller....nice speakers

>bringing $50-100 these days.

>

>Now here I go again raving about the sleeper of the KLH line,

>The Model Twenty Three (a nice pair just listed on ebay, no.

>170086519946), comes with boxes and manuals too! a For some

>reason this model has been selling for very fair prices,

>despite the fact it's just below the model Five and above the

>ones mentioned above. The Twenty Three which was a $160 each

>speaker when new had the same woofer as the Model five and had

>the same sized cabinet, over 40 lbs. It's a very nice sounding

>speaker with a really strong solid bottom end. Also,

>production was low on these, so for anyone living in central

>NY, the pair which just went up on ebay might be a great

>buy...I'd go for it, but I have 3 pairs of this model.

Hi Andy;

Only 3 pairs?

Yes, they look really good and it appears that a bonus can of beer is also included, as shown in the photo. lol

Complete original cartons will at least help give them that extra edge in shipping damage prevention.

They haven't been re-foamed either, as another pair are advertised as having had done.

Someone sure screwed up with that added feature, if that is what was truly done.

[dynaco_dan]

Hi again;

A pair of KLH Twentythree speakers just went off of ebay, un-bid for at $35.00.

There was 54 watchers, no bids, don't figure.

Perhaps spelling the entire brandname and model number wrong helped hide them from prospective buyers.

I've previously corrected this sellers spelling, nothing was ever done about it, oh well.

Keep your eyes open for their re-listing, perhaps.

[Andy]

It's sort of what's known as 'Auction fever' in the antique World, people see other people paying lots of money for a certain model and pretty soon they're doing the same thing. Asian speaker buyers are really going crazy for vintage loudspeakers, I recently sold some AR-2ax's on ebay - no shipping, pick up only and they were going pretty cheap, $68.00 I got emails from Korea, China and Japan begging me to ship over seas. The guy from Korea sounded desperate saying "I must have your AR for collect".....poor fellow.

I've always looked for the sleeper in any company's line-up and then stayed with that model.....there's some nice speakers out there for lower prices, it's kinda crazy paying 3,4 or 500 dollars for speakers that are not rare in the first place.

[dynaco_dan]

Hi again;

A pair of KLH Five woofers just went for $103.50 U$.

They certainly have climbed in value the last few months.

[tysontom]

> Again, (related to a similar WOW on another forum) prices

>for vintage equip is rising -- sometimes astoundingly: A few

>weeks ago a pair of model KLH 5's sold at a little over $300.

>Just recently another pair sold at $353 and change!!!

> I've only been checking this equipment out for maybe 6-8

>weeks and just in that short time period there have been

>dramatic spikes in prices for some of this vintage equip.

> Ebay (in regard to this equip) is not for the weak or faint

>of heart. The real deals are found elsewhere it seems.

The reality of it is that collectors are paying big prices to get the good vintage stuff, and unless a recession comes, the prices are likely to continue to go upward. I recently saw a Marantz 7 preamp (eBay Item No. 200092230922), obviously in very good condition, go for big bucks on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...DME:B:FSEL:US:1

A few years ago this preamp would have sold in the hundreds, not thousands, of dollars. This same thing is happening to the better loudspeakers, such as AR and KLH, that had a rich heritage. I think that prices will continue to rise.

--Tom Tyson

[Andy]

I might add that inconsistency does occure if you track items and bid when others seem not to be in the bidding mood......one day something might go for $500 and the following month it sells for $200 or so. I've even noticed this with the desired KLH Model Eight radio, sometimes a $500-$600. sale, other times $175. I recently bought a Model Eight receiver only (missing it's speaker) for $58. on ebay. I had a speaker in my inventory, so I was all set!

Paying many thousands for an item which is not considered "rare" seems a bit crazy to me, but thats just me. Now if one of the KLH Model Eight stereo prototypes went for sale (fewer then ten known to exist) I might go for a bank loan and go for it.

[Guest oldschool]

The deals are still there. I just paid about $128 for a pair of Model 5s. Local pickup so no shipping. Just have to pick your shots.

[tysontom]

>The deals are still there. I just paid about $128 for a pair

>of Model 5s. Local pickup so no shipping. Just have to pick

>your shots.

This is certainly true. I paid $50 for hand-made AR-1, Serial Number 0006. I was just lucky that other collectors did not realize what it was at the time.

--Tom Tyson