Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

Which Service Merchandise????? 

For those who are interested in buying the SONY CDP-302. Royal Jewelers 
sells it for $399. 

I bought one from them for $399 two days ago. I did not ask the price, 
and just said "Someone told me I can get one from your store for $399" 
and it worked. If you ask for the price, they will quote the price for 
$450 or above. One salesperson told me they made a mistake in the 
beginning to sell it for $399, because after they tried to sell it 
for $450 and no one would buy it. The customers thought the price 
should be $399. This is the best price I have ever seen locally.
The following is the survey I made recently.

Labelle in Maine - $449
Cuomo in N.H.    - $449 (out of stock now)
Lechmere         - $499 
Illinois Audio   - $379 (but out of stock, next shipment will be in 
                         three months)
J&R in NYC       - $399 (out of stock now) 
WDS in Wisconsin - $449
Audio/Video      - $479 (out of stock now)

Lechmere started carrying Yahama CD. I compared SONY CDP-302
against Yamaha CD-X2 and CD37, Technics SLP-2 and Pioneer 5100(model 
number?). Pioneer sounds awful (maybe something is wrong with it) and 
Yamaha, Technics, SONY sound very good. But Yamaha had poor shock
resistance, I touched its top cover with my finger and the music skipped.
But there is no problem for SONY and Technics. But Sony had faster 
tracking capability than the others. If anyone would like to buy Technics
SLP-2, you can get it for $269 in NYC by mail-order. Any comments?

/Tom Li

Gee,

I once called them and they insisted that the price was $499 and not a penny
less.

I bought my CDP-302 for something like $430 at Cuomos in NH (I had to do
a bit of bargaining though).  If you add the Mass. sales tax into Royals
price it works out to be about the same anyway.
     
	db

RE: .1

Sorry, the store is Service Merchandise in Auburn off of 290 (just south
of Worcester) -- but I think the sale applies to all their stores.

-jonathan

Lechmere has the D-5 Deluxe on sale for something like $240 this week.
			Steve

Lyser Sound in Shrewsbury MA claims on the radio to have a sale on Marantz
CD players for $188 (or something very close to that).  That is all they
said.  'Where Spags is next to Lyser' for those who want to know where it
is.
Chad

That's Leiser.

BTW, I used to work there -- advise: do not buy anything there.
ALot of it is second quality.

Mike

For anybody who wants a Yamaha CD-X2 I saw an ad in Sunday's NY Times a 
couple of weeks ago (on the back page of Section 2) from E 33rd St. Audio 
who will sell you one for $299 (plus 10% S+H). To my knowledge everyone up here
sells it for $399 (although one MIGHT be able to wheel and deal a little bit
at Malco in Lawrence).

		Dick Rosenberg

In re .8:

In case anyone is concerned about mail-ordering from a New York store, I had
an excellent experience buying a VCR from E. 33rd St. Audio several years
ago.  I ordered the VCR on a Wednesday and it arrived in Massachusetts via
UPS on Friday.  Credit cards are amazing things!

					-- Roger

re:.9

Just as long as UPS doesn't leave it on the front porch, or with a
neighbor. :-)

--- jerry

In re .10:

Actually, Jerry, that's precisely what UPS did!  They misread the address and
delivered it to the radio station next door to my apartment, instead of to me.
Fortunately, the folks over at WSRO can read, even if certain UPS drivers can't.
I don't hold E. 33rd St. Audio responsible for this flub. 

					-- Roger

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE SONY D-5 DELUXE OWNERS

I just purchased one via mail order from Illinois Audio. It arrived 7 business
days from the date of purchase and cost $235.00 with shipping. I've dealt
with them before on Blank tape, and even bought a McIntosh C-504 Preamp from
them. No complaints at all. They have always been courteous and PROMPT in
shipping the item.  If you are interested, give them a ring at 1-800-621-8042
or 1-312-664-0020

Mark Schultz

Compustore (also known as Citi$hopper to Citbank fans) sells the D-5 for
$220 delivered to your door.  You can try calling 1-800-843-7777 to sign
up, it costs $25 a year to be a member*, and you can either get voice
shopping or shop-by-computer (on-line).  A few orders a year will more than
pay for the membership.  I believe they will also do car quotes so you can
find out how much the dealer paid ($3 a quote, I believe).  Most merchandise,
if not all is shipped direct from the factory.

						-Dave

* At least that is what it cost me.

The Instant Replay in Waltham Mass has the D5 deluxe for $225, which is
their standard price.

re: .0
	Called local (San Jose) Service Mdse. - they have D-5 for $218
	as their regular price. Battery pack is $45. Just because they're
	in California doesn't mean they're completely out of touch with
        the rest of the world (?)
                                                       
re: .5, .14
	What separates the Deluxe from it's more plebeian cousin? (pricewise
	and functionally)

re:.-1

The D-5 Deluxe, from what I've heard, comes with a base that has all of the
proper outputs for plugging into an amp (or pre-amp as the case may be) plus
AC power. The D-5 slides into this base for use as a home CD player.

Have I got this right, or am I totally off-base (ouch!)?

--- jerry

Re .16:
     Exactly.  With the Deluxe, the base stays attached to the AC power
and your stereo system, and you can just slide out the player and
slip it into the battery pack (or whatever), while the standard D5 has
two cables you must detach and reattach to move it.  No gain in
functionality, but some convenience.  I have the Deluxe.
					Steve

On another note, Cuomo's in Salem, NH is again offering the CDP-302 for
$449.  Not a terrific price, but better than average.  Also, Service
Merchandise seems to consider $218 its normal price for the D-5 nowadays.
				Steve

I just recieved my latest Citi$hopper catalog, and they are listing the
D-5 with case and headphones (MDR-M55) for $199!  That is definitely the
best price I have seen, the question is, is it a misprint?  They say
requires 6 "C" batteries in the add, so it looks like it is true.  If
I get a chance to call later, I will try to confirm this.  If you want
a D-5 and you aren't a member of Citi$hopper (or Compu-store) then it
would probably be worth signing up ($25 for membership, I think).

						-Dave

re.19 I'd believe $299.  That's was WorldWide's cash price this past 
spring, but Sony never delivered.  The carrying case and headphones 
alone are worth over $100.

/ralph/

The Harvard Coop has the Magnavox FD2020 on sale for $199.95 (down from
$299.95). I picked one up yesterday and I'm very pleased with it.

--- jerry