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I know the archives are full of posts about the famous Juki and his phenomenal deals.What's the latest word on Juki and his products? Are they legitimate or clever counterfeits? I know Hong Kong is infamous for counterfeits that are VERY real looking right down to serial numbers etc. but are really cleverly done counterfeits (golf clubs for example are a huge counterfeiting target there)
Have any inmates done listening tests with his products? I'm looking at his prices and they are VERY tempting but one has to be careful. His feedback is impressive and comes from varied sources. A 1600 cart for 850 is such a good deal it has me scratching my head. Appreciate anyone's thoughts.
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Which means you can just FORGET about any warranty being honored! Probably not gonna happen. If you can live with that, buy away. Juki's fer real.
I got an Ortofon MC 3000 II and T 3000 tranny; $1,380 US, so I was sweating some, but not for long because the goods got here so quickly. All genuine, A-1; all is well. Woulda cost about $3,500 the usual way at that time.
ggg
1/ HK is designated as a free-trade zone. So it does not charge an exorborant import tax/duty with these "luxury" gooods;
2/ The markup by the importer is much lower than U.S. importer;
3/ The markup by dealers is also lower than U.S. dealers;
4/ No additional sales tax;
5/ And I suspect manufacturers price their products differently for different markets. (Standard practice for manufacturers from other industries)So all that add up to tremendous savings! I was in Hong Kong about 4 years ago. I had just decided to get into vinyl and had my eyes set on a Michell Gyro SE and dreamt about getting an SME V arm in the future. I just happened to come across a dealer carrying SME arms and was told it would cost US$2000. (That was $1200 less than the US retail). With some help from other inmates here at the Asylum, I found out the Grey Market ones would cost $1600. I was able to get one directly from the distributor for $1800. Unfortunately, I didn't know anything about cartridges then, otherwise, I would have bought some. (I'm saving up for my next trip there! Hmmm, Shelter 90X? ZXY? Koetsu?)
Also the restriction from manufacturers/importers is not as stiff in Hong Kong. Most of the dealers there act more like buyer's agents. So if you want something that the dealer don't usually carry, most likely your dealer will still be able to get it for you. (The Hi-End community there is fairly small, and everyone knows everyone else)
Although I have not personally purchased anything from Juki, several of the local inmates have purchased tons of cartridges and tonearms from him fully satisfied. I would not hesitate to recommand him.
Make sure you ask about warranties and after-sale service. They may vary from dealer to dealer. The dealer forgot to give me the outer box which had the warranty card, he e-mailed me after I had left Hong Kong. Fortunately, one of my coworker from Hong Kong was coming to visit, so he picked it up and brought it to me. The warranty card went directly to SME UK and they told me they would honot the warranty. (So far I haven't had to use it, knock on wood)
I had a friend that made regular trips to HK and would bring me back Rolex's and Movado's for five bucks a pop. The batteries cost more than the watch.
Yes, Hong Kong has incurred the notoriety for fake goods like watches, purses, etc. But most of the business in Hong Kong are legitimate. You can't generalize that everything you buy in Hong Kong is fake just because you can easily buy some fake stuff in the back alleys.
I can also find fake watches and purses on the streets of New York and San Francisco easily. So does that mean U.S. is the capital of fake goods?
I was buying them in Toronto, it must be there. Just some humour.
The gold-lettered version that ships with the 20 & 30 tables, and it arrived in sealed SME packaging, including the outer box. Obviously, it was complete with manuals, tools, silicone fluid syringe, etc.. If it was a counterfeit, it was the most amazingly complex fake job I've ever seen.I haven't compared the arm to another sample of a V, but I'm a very happy camper....
he's kind of like a high-end audio liquidator/broker/middleman for dealers that need to remain discreet so that they don't lose their franchises when they dump their excess inventory cheap on the A'gon or Ebay.
There are some outstanding deals offered by this guy.
A total of 3 X5-MC's. Sounds good and I can't compare it to the "official" US market variety, since I couldnt afford them. at 1/3 the price I'm happy.
I got an ortofon jubilee that I would otherwise never have been able to afford. It's certainly genuine and it came very quickly in a sealed box.
A Denon DL-103R. Came in as advertised and well-packed, too. Its certainly the original Denon cart, too. I'd buy again based on the experience and value.Be aware, though, that I suspect he's skirting the existing distribution channels set up by the manufacturers. I'm sure that's causing some consternation. Not sure how he's managing to get product if that's the case. If I were a US distributor for Rega, for example, I'd be a bit upset at the marketing folks at Rega.
Still, its a buyers market.....
Cheers,
I have purchased a brand new Rega rb250 tonearm from him as well as a new ZYX R-100 cartridge. In both instances, I saved a lot of money and both items were sent via speedy Hong Kong post and arrived just a few days after ordering. 2Juki or Juki Juki is the real McCoy.
Ortofon MC-X5, and if it were an imitation it was a darn good one.My understanding is the markup is consistent with the cost differential between there and here.
It takes all night to do what I used to do all night....
Randy
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