Outrageous used pricing on older McIntosh

There is a mint MR-78 listed on here for only 850.00.

When you take inflation into account the residual value is not as high as it seems.

Rather than comparing the present day pricing of vintage components to their original cost, IMO a more meaningful comparison would be to compare their present day pricing to the prices of currently produced components which could reasonably be considered to provide comparable performance.

For example, a new Magnum Dynalab MD90 tuner sells for about $1400. While I have no specific knowledge of how its reception capability and its audio quality would compare to those of an MR-78 in top condition, I wouldn’t be surprised if the choice could go either way depending on individual preference. So from that perspective an MR-78 selling price that is not a great deal less than its original cost of $1699 would seem to make sense. And the same goes for the earlier tube models, such as the MR-71 (which today, in top condition, is worth a good deal more than its original price of $400).

And viewed from that perspective, paying several hundred dollars (more than their original price), or in some cases upwards of $1K, for well restored examples of the better tube components from the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as those mentioned above by Mesch as well as models from H. H. Scott, Fisher, Pilot, etc., would also make sense for a lot of listeners. Although in the case of some of the most desirable and/or rare models present day pricing certainly reflects a collectibility premium to some degree. The tube products of the original Marantz company, models 1 through 10B, being among the most notable examples. I believe a pair of model 9 monoblocks in excellent condition would go for $20K or more today, and a pair of model 2 monoblocks for $10K or more. None of the Marantz tube components approached $1K originally, even though they were quite expensive in their day compared to products from most other manufacturers.

Regards,
-- Al

I have noticed it, here and on other websites, and I think it's ridiculous. But let's be fair. Most used audio goes for 10-25% of original retail. Collectible items are generally in the 50% range unless current stock. It's a comfort to know that buying a used McIntosh product means you will likely get more than the usual percentage when you sell it. In this age of planned obsolescence, there's a value to that. So, while I think it's ridiculous I am always looking for a reasonably priced Mac item. Unfortunately, they're getting harder to find. Scarcity creates demand, and that drives prices up.

I  agree with Al on this, comparable performance and REAL value, not price which unfortunately is overlooked by some. 

I still have a pair of McIntosh MC-60 amplifiers that I paid $850.00 the pair for in 1989. The amps sold for 198.00 each new during the time of their manufacturer from 1955-1961. I had no objection paying more than double their original cost at the time simply because I liked them a whole lot more than the Threshold they replaced.   A restored pair will currently bring from 2.5K to upwards of 5K today. I've owned them longer than any other component and the reason I won't sell them is simply that I haven't heard anything that can replicate some of the things they do, I still enjoy listening to them. I only wish I had more space to set-up a vintage system using those amps! In any case, I'm stuck with them, listening occasionally and always thoroughly enjoying. 

A better question to ask is why does new gear lose so much of it's retail price? My thinking is that a properly restored vintage product can be a better long term value than buying new weighing in it's build quality and most importantly the quality of the transformers that weigh in heavily on their potential performance. With  the quality of current parts vintage can be a sound viable option to paying new and will surely compete and of course always maintain that vintage status and long term value. Others will disagree I'm sure.