performance vs. resale

I'm a bottom-feeder BUT I have found too many great pieces that are "unknown" and are harder to sell (once I've found something even better).

On the otherhand, I have been burnt so badly by cottage designers (like Tube Technologies) to deal with them in the future.

I would not purchase equipment of that type if I couldn't audition it in my system first.

If that piece gives me the synergy that I wish to achieve, the price would matter little. The resale value would be a small concern simply because the gear is delivering the magic I was seeking.

I normally won't purchase a piece of gear unless I can get a track record on it on pricing, resale value and performance first. Even then it's a gamble. Who is to say it will perform well with your speakers, interconnect, speaker cables and other. Just do what's comfortable for you and don't have any regrets.

if you're thinking about resale when you're making the purchase, don't buy it. its like contemplating how the divorce will go, when getting married.

Jaybo; to use your analogy, when I'm buying equipment, I'm really just dating. I already know I'm not going to be married to it. I think most people here (which is what keeps this site going) buy and sell equipment as a hobby. I like to try lots of different stuff in my room/system and couldn't do it if I didn't take resale into consideration.

I too swap gear in and out somewhat frequently. It is a strategy to upgrade so resale factor is important to me. Look at it this way, if you purchase a three year old piece for $1k, keep it for six months to a year and sell it for $800 to $900, is it worth the $? It is to me. The bummer is when you pay the going price for an item and when you get ready to sell it you notice the price has dropped drastically. I stay away from really esoteric equipment, modded equipment or, dare I say, tube equipment, as I believe it's overpriced. Haven't been burned too badly yet.
This hobby is great with the advent of e-selling as I've been able to experience equipment that never would have made it into my system if local shopping was all that was available.