Although I don't post much, I've followed both this thread and the one in the Portable Audio section since they started.
Woody - your last post has prompted me to be "honest with myself", and I want to share those reasons for other readers who may be recent to this topic, and have only read the last few pages of both threads (and I think that may be yourself??).
From the very, very beginning, it was announced that the retail price for this new & untried product was to be in excess of $700. Early adopters were offered a price of $600, and then the price would revert to its normal RRP. My earlier post in this thread reflected what every single one of us had to grapple with:
(1) Buy now and get the discount, or
(2) Wait for the release and the reviews, and then decide if it was worth $700.
I admit that I am normally "Mr Conservative" and in most cases I would normally adopt Option 2 ..... but I wanted to avoid "regret" and have adopted Option 1. (I am still only assuming that I am getting the UK chip, as I didn't order till the beginning of August - 10 weeks after the first order.)
It was your last comment regarding the "$50 penalty" that you and others are now being subjected to that rubbed me up the wrong way. Head-Direct always claimed that the price would revert to its RRP after the pre-order period. So you (and others who may may order soon) are in fact getting a "$50 discount"!!!! I want any new readers to this thread to be quite clear on that.
In summary:
(1) First adopters - $600 (period over.)
(2) Early adopters - $650 (period still open!!!)
(3) Later adopters - $700 (this will include fence-sitters and "Mr Conservative" types, of which I normally am).
Cheers
pauls
PS Those who are familiar with the thread for which the second part of the review has not appeared, are well aware that Jude had serious family issues at the time. We have not heard much from Jude recently and I feel that things may not have eventuated as he hoped - my thoughts go out to him.)
