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Heading to Japan

post #1 of 11
1/4/10 at 9:23pm
Thread Starter 
So, I haven't been here in quite a long time, and I'm pretty out of touch with this hobby, but I've been feeling the old bug bite start to itch again...
I'm headed for Japan later this week, and I thought I'd shop around for some new gear, I'm quite the AT fan. I probably only have enough for one high end piece of equipment, be it headphones, amp, or anything else. So, what should I be looking out for? Suggest anything, I'll try and test it while I'm there, I'm just looking for things that are cheaper/easier to obtain there compared to the states.
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post #2 of 11
1/4/10 at 9:50pm
Stax setup?
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post #3 of 11
1/4/10 at 10:19pm
Like the other poster said, go for Stax. Fortunately the dollar has been getting better against the yen over the last few weeks so you can get some deals. Head to Yodobashi in the Akihabara area (right at Akihabara Station). You'll find a ton of gear, including very high end. Unfortunately it's noisy, but you can still play around. The Stax gear is a few thousand yen under MSRP, but that's about 30-40% cheaper than here in the US. Bring your passport and try to get the 5% VAT taken off.

BTW, here's a link for going market prices of gear in Japan - ‰¿Ši.com - ƒwƒbƒhƒzƒ“EƒCƒ„ƒzƒ“ Some of the shops referenced are in Tokyo.

Want to pick up a STAX 2050 set for me I may be back in February, but if not I don't know when I'll be back there. I missed my chance in November when I was there. It would have been around $430 or so, much less than the $600 you'd pay here.
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post #4 of 11
1/4/10 at 10:21pm
Add Yamagiwa and Bic Camera to your stops. Pretty much the same product mix but prices do vary from time to time. Have fun!
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post #5 of 11
1/4/10 at 10:43pm
I'd stop by the big electronic departments stores like Yodobashi camera to try out all the different gear. And then if you have a friend in Japan where you can have stuff shipped to, Yahoo Auction Japan would be the cheapest way to buy it
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post #6 of 11
1/4/10 at 10:54pm
If your a AT fan...ATH-AD2000. It's what I would buy.
Great for prog. rock and great midrange for vocals.
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post #7 of 11
1/4/10 at 11:56pm
Thread Starter 
ah... I forgot all about stax, I'll look into them. I'm familiar with the yodobashi, last time I was there I used kakaku to bring down the price, but had lost track of it. Thanks for the link. If I remember, they wouldn't match the price because a lot of the price listings on kakaku are from online only shops, but they took off a considerable amount.
Alright thanks, I'll definitely be considering a stax setup, but I'll also have to try an AD2000 >o>
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post #8 of 11
1/5/10 at 12:25am
You may want to go Ishimaru Denki in Akihabara, they have a very impressive headphone selection. The new ATH-W1000X and ATH-ES10 headphones were there and two different Stax setups (02MkII with a 717 amp & 404LE with a 600 limited amp). I really enjoyed listening to Stax for the first time, I was impressed by the clarity of electrostats.
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post #9 of 11
1/5/10 at 1:24am
Get the rail pass and come and visit LobsterSan and I in Fukuoka if you have time (you need to catch the shinkansen/bullet train to Hakata station).
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post #10 of 11
1/5/10 at 1:32am
Hey came across this thread. I live in Tokyo and have not even thought of seeking out any hi fi components in Japan. Been relying on stuff coming out of the US and other countries.

Any thoughts on IEM portable amps here in Japan? LODs?

Skoog
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post #11 of 11
1/5/10 at 4:35am
Thread Starter 
I'll try and find the Ishimaru Denki. Is it near the train station?
The ES10 is probably the one I'm not interested in. I have an ESW9 and I love it, a new portable headphone is probably a couple years away for me.
So, I think I'll be checking out the high end AT big cans and the Stax setups.

Currawong: Sounds fun, but I think Fukuoka is a bit out of the way for me, but I don't actually know the travel time. The only time I'll have free days is when I'm in Tokyo, staying in Chiba actually.
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