quote: lol. Sucks to be in the states(although i do live there). I bought the ak100 for about 450usd new. endquote
Well, generally the US has the lowest pricing in the first world, so don't feel too bad that from time to time it is not always the case. As I am a hifi retailer in Canada, our prices are normally 5-20% higher than in the US but often prices are very comparable to European pricing. I will say that if I buy 5 AK100 from iRiver, my cost on each piece is more than $450USD even before shipping, and brokerage fees. I hate this ongoing contest where people brag about how little they paid for something - as though the rest of the world are idiots if they pay a price higher than the low, low price they paid after they raped a retailer.
It comes down to the fact that we can't all afford everything we want, but if you are patient, you may pick up a used one for a nice discount.
Gramophone