[lukeap69]

I am not sure if this is Oppo's issue. I know that cameras and lenses are also more pricey in EU and UK. Sometimes the figure is the same but the currency is different.

 

[Thad-E-Ginathom]

   
I can see it in shops around the Europe, but the pricing seems ridiculous, UK, Germany, Finland etc all are around 1350-1400€ (~1099£). Worst case scenario of importing from US 1099$ + 50$ ship + 27% customs taxes fees etc = 1055€ or 860£! Even Audeze is priced about the same in EU vs importing. Is Oppo EU (if such exists) a different greedy branch?

 
If not off-topic, then a bit tangential...
 
I've lived in two countries, UK and India. UK is well know for it's rip-offs; often just the amount that the courier charges for kindly getting the duty from us on imported goods is enough to make the thing more expensive than it would have been at home.
 
Here in India, we have a peculiar situation where hifi goods can be anything from cheaper to several times the price charged abroad. When we complain, we are told, duties, taxes, transport, blah blah blah --- but other countries have duties and too; UK has a huge 20% VAT, and other countries have the cost of transport on imported goods too.
 
The distributor of the SPL Phonitor quoted me a price double the European price. Enough to pay the return airfare and have a holiday when buying, so no thanks.
 
The gist of this, closer to topic, is not just oppo!  But, as this thread is about  oppo, and many of us would like to own one. I have no idea of the comparative pricing on the media players, because I only do 2.0 stereo music.
 
I don't expect commercial secrets; that would be silly. Nor do I expect sudden huge reductions; that would be unrealistic. But products show that oppo is a company prepared to go out on a limb: I just ask that they take a long, hard look at international pricing, if only because big differentials make people sore, and, with the internet having been around for several decades now, all this is in the open for everyone to see.
 
---just a voice crying in the wilderness!

 

[hekeli]

I am not sure if this is Oppo's issue.

 
It is if they chose to do a complex multi-tier distributor scheme in the EU, instead of more direct sales like in US. Stuff like this just pisses customers. I'm very well aware how different products and brands cost US vs EU, but this is just too big gap imo.

 

[lukeap69]

Good point. If only they can ship from the US to any other part of the world, then that may be a good option.

 

[jllaudio]

"Where can you buy an Oppo PM-1? You can't add it to cart on Oppo's official website."
 
I bought my PM-1 directly from OPPO by calling.  They weren't taking AMEX online and they were if you called. 

 

[eugenius]

So the Oppo PM1 is another one of those products with funny prices. The funniest price difference is still the Fostex HP-A8: 566 euro in Japan, 1408 euro in UK.  It really is a low-mid-high end product, that HP-A8.

 

[ariess]

To those who have the PM1's, my question is whether you are better off returning them for PM2's when they are out next month? I think the PM1's are great but you can save $400 by giving up the wooden box, real leather for synthetic, velour pads, and maybe a few minor parts not being aluminum (frames will still be aluminum) with same sound quality. With the PM2's as an option so soon, isn't it hard to justify the extra price of the PM1? If not, what is it that makes you want to stay with the PM1's?

 

[efeist]

To those who have the PM1's, my question is whether you are better off returning them for PM2's when they are out next month? I think the PM1's are great but you can save $400 by giving up the wooden box, real leather for synthetic, velour pads, and maybe a few minor parts not being aluminum (frames will still be aluminum) with same sound quality. With the PM2's as an option so soon, isn't it hard to justify the extra price of the PM1? If not, what is it that makes you want to stay with the PM1's?

If your premise is correct, it would be hard to justify the cost differential.  My wood box is back in the cardboard boxes in basement storage.  Although the smell of the leather might have been worth the cost.  

 

[Smarty-pants]

Some people do just like to have the premium product.
Just like a $50,000 automobile isn't much better than a $30,000 automobile, but they still sell a lot of them.
If your primary concern is to get the most bang for your buck, the PM-2 is definitely your best bet.

 

[Thad-E-Ginathom]

At this time, I have no idea whether or not I will ever own a PM-1 (...or a HD800, or an Audeze), just now I can't afford it, a few months, or next year, might be different (worse? eek!) but I have to admit that box appeals to me.
 
I know: it is money that could have been spent on the drivers, or subtracted from the price; it is certainly not going to make anything sound better, but hey, yes, it does appeal, not only as a safe place to keep an expensive purchase, but for its looks too. I love the idea of telling people that I spent $1100 on a box ...and got free headphones!

 
But then, always assuming not-worse, I'll be ablt to afford the PM-2 before I could afford the PM-1!

 

[ogodei]

To those who have the PM1's, my question is whether you are better off returning them for PM2's when they are out next month? I think the PM1's are great but you can save $400 by giving up the wooden box, real leather for synthetic, velour pads, and maybe a few minor parts not being aluminum (frames will still be aluminum) with same sound quality. With the PM2's as an option so soon, isn't it hard to justify the extra price of the PM1? If not, what is it that makes you want to stay with the PM1's?

 
If your only definition of 'better off' is minimizing your dollar cost, returning them within the return window would make you better off.  Especially if the sound quality of the PM2s actually turns out be the same, as I assume the resale market for PM1s would drop dramatically.

 

[Skyyyeman]

Just released:  New Oppo headphone amp.
 
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/oppo-releases-ha-1-headphone-amplifier/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_

 

[Xenophon]

   
If not off-topic, then a bit tangential...
 
I've lived in two countries, UK and India. UK is well know for it's rip-offs; often just the amount that the courier charges for kindly getting the duty from us on imported goods is enough to make the thing more expensive than it would have been at home.
 
Here in India, we have a peculiar situation where hifi goods can be anything from cheaper to several times the price charged abroad. When we complain, we are told, duties, taxes, transport, blah blah blah --- but other countries have duties and too; UK has a huge 20% VAT, and other countries have the cost of transport on imported goods too.
 
The distributor of the SPL Phonitor quoted me a price double the European price. Enough to pay the return airfare and have a holiday when buying, so no thanks.
 
The gist of this, closer to topic, is not just oppo!  But, as this thread is about  oppo, and many of us would like to own one. I have no idea of the comparative pricing on the media players, because I only do 2.0 stereo music.
 
I don't expect commercial secrets; that would be silly. Nor do I expect sudden huge reductions; that would be unrealistic. But products show that oppo is a company prepared to go out on a limb: I just ask that they take a long, hard look at international pricing, if only because big differentials make people sore, and, with the internet having been around for several decades now, all this is in the open for everyone to see.
 
---just a voice crying in the wilderness!

The problem in India is that you have a crazy customs duty structure.  Just looked it up on the site of CBEC and for an amp Customs duty, Excise, the cesses....amounts to a very reasonable 26%.
I say' reasonable' because on some stuff it's not reasonable.  How about 160% on an imported motorcycle?
To that of course has to be added the sales tax in the state where you are.  
 
Then the logistics cost kick in:   highest in all of Asia.  You live here so I don't need to expand on babu'ism and red tape....    Exporters take a look at the market, its potential and the environment and multiply their sales price with what my colleagues and I call the 'if the crap hits the fan' coefficient.  In most countries this is about 1.1, for India it's on average 1.35.  Don't feel bad, Pakistan is 1.8-2 and countries in black Africa mostly >2.  In absolute numbers the market potential here exists in the metros but I don't think my cleaning lady or driver will be purchasing a pair of PM1 anytime soon and not due to me underpaying them.
 
For the Phonitor I guess the importer/distributor will have a monopoly and as we all know that's not generally good for the customer, hence a thriving parallel import (in many cases plain smuggling) via the UAE or Singapore.
 
Everything happens for a reason, what I mean to demonstrate is that it's hard to pinpoint a single cause.

 

[ogodei]

Wow... even the balanced cables are very nicely packaged.  No plastic baggies here.
 

 

[HiFiAudio]

  Wow... even the balanced cables are very nicely packaged.  No plastic baggies here.
 

Thanks for sharing, a way better image then whats on the Oppo web site.   I use one of these cables with PM-1/HA-1, very nice.