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THEFT IN HIFI SHOPS
#1
WARNING FROM CURRENT OCCASION!

Within a few days, two hi-fi dealers from Nordrhein Westfalen fell victim to thieves. At the beginning of October several high-priced devices were stolen from Aura HiFi in Essen. A short time later - presumably the same - perpetrators hit HiFi Eins from Köln.

Stolen devices from Aura HiFi:

Linn Klimax DSM with DSM 2 Upgrade, Ser. No. 1290842
Linn Klimax Chakra Twin, Ser. No. 1437967
Devialet Expert 250, Ser. No. 05178G2

At HiFi Eins from Köln, the thieves stole the following device:

Integrated amplifier Aavik U-380 with serial number 38009.
Aavik U-280 / Audio Physic Cardeas / Melco N1ZS + D100 / Melco Switch S100 / KECES P8 Dual / Transparent Audio PowerWave X / Cable: Audioquest, Shunyata, Transparent, Ansuz Digitalz A2 Ethernet, USB
Remote: iPad-Pro
Roon Nucleus+(B), Lifetime / Qobuz Studio Sublime                                                                                                          
Germany / Bavaria
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#2
I've bookmarked this page and will keep an eye out for these serial numbers to come up on any for sale sites. I suggest everybody does this and we might be able to find the thieves.
                                                    Lifetime Roon, Mac mini, int. SSD, ext. HDD, tv as monitor, key board and track pad on bean bag as remote,Devialet 200, Od'A #097, Blue jeans speaker cable,                                     
                                                                                                                                                                            Dynaudio C1 MkII.
                                                                                                                                                                              Jim Smith's GBS.
                                                                                                                                                                        Northern NSW Australia.
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#3
(25-Nov-2020, 10:13)Pim Wrote: I've bookmarked this page and will keep an eye out for these serial numbers to come up on any for sale sites. I suggest everybody does this and we might be able to find the thieves.

Hi Pim, thanks for the help! Smile

https://www.highendsociety.de/newsletter/nl_91.htm
Aavik U-280 / Audio Physic Cardeas / Melco N1ZS + D100 / Melco Switch S100 / KECES P8 Dual / Transparent Audio PowerWave X / Cable: Audioquest, Shunyata, Transparent, Ansuz Digitalz A2 Ethernet, USB
Remote: iPad-Pro
Roon Nucleus+(B), Lifetime / Qobuz Studio Sublime                                                                                                          
Germany / Bavaria
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#4
+1 to Pim's suggestion.

This makes me wonder. What happens to the poor individual who might, in good faith, purchase the D250 "secondhand"?

Presumably he or she will then try to register the amp with Devialet, and then potentially discover the horrible truth that the amp was stolen?
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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#5
(25-Nov-2020, 15:19)Confused Wrote: +1 to Pim's suggestion.

This makes me wonder.  What happens to the poor individual who might, in good faith, purchase the D250 "secondhand"? 

Presumably he or she will then try to register the amp with Devialet, and then potentially discover the horrible truth that the amp was stolen?

‘Caveat Emptor, caveat venditor!’

Of course, I don’t know (maybe K4680 can update us), but most burglars are not that fussy. It is highly unlikely they stole the amps complete with all packaging, power cord and accessories. Just the main amplifier unit. Back when hi-fi was a target for domestic burglaries, the ‘tea leafs’ often didn’t unplug items, they’d just cut the power cord! They may even have left the D remote behind! Furthermore, stolen goods are hot to handle so they get moved on quickly, generally offered for sale at well below market value.

All pointers to look out for when buying second hand. The old adage, if it seems too good to be true, it very probably is. A smart buyer will never get caught out at the registration stage if these checks and the necessary caution is applied.
Qobuz, roon RAAT, Audiostore Prestige XL Optical, Synology NAS. Devialet Expert 250 Pro C/I. World Audio Design (DIY) KLS3 MkIII speakers, upgraded crossover and SEAS T25CF002 Millennium tweeters. Ethernet. Blue Jeans (Belden 5000) 10 gauge 5T00UP speaker cable.
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#6
Yes, a good point Greg, it would be interesting to know if they just stole the amps or if they did manage to get the boxes, manuals or anything else.  Like you I guess that they did not, but what if they had?

If they did manage to get the boxes, it does hint at how tricky "Caveat Emptor" can be sometimes.  If I was looking at a very expensive amp for sale, and it had no box, no paperwork etc., I would probably be cautious and not buy, although it could potentially be perfectly legitimate.  Similarly, you could have something with an immaculate box and receipt (easy enough forge a receipt on MS Word or similar), which is actually stolen.

Regarding Caveat Emptor, I was browsing Ebay earlier in the week, trying to get a feel the value of secondhand iPhones.

I spotted this:

   

   

A lot of money for just a box!  Huh
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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#7
Good to see that the box is unlocked, though.
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
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#8
(26-Nov-2020, 22:54)Greg Wrote:
(25-Nov-2020, 15:19)Confused Wrote: +1 to Pim's suggestion.

This makes me wonder.  What happens to the poor individual who might, in good faith, purchase the D250 "secondhand"? 

Presumably he or she will then try to register the amp with Devialet, and then potentially discover the horrible truth that the amp was stolen?

‘Caveat Emptor, caveat venditor!’

Of course, I don’t know (maybe K4680 can update us), but most burglars are not that fussy. It is highly unlikely they stole the amps complete with all packaging, power cord and accessories. Just the main amplifier unit. Back when hi-fi was a target for domestic burglaries, the ‘tea leafs’ often didn’t unplug items, they’d just cut the power cord! They may even have left the D remote behind! Furthermore, stolen goods are hot to handle so they get moved on quickly, generally offered for sale at well below market value.

All pointers to look out for when buying second hand. The old adage, if it seems too good to be true, it very probably is. A smart buyer will never get caught out at the registration stage if these checks and the necessary caution is applied.

Hi, sorry, unfortunately nothing is known about whether the devices with packaging and accessories were stolen! Sad
Aavik U-280 / Audio Physic Cardeas / Melco N1ZS + D100 / Melco Switch S100 / KECES P8 Dual / Transparent Audio PowerWave X / Cable: Audioquest, Shunyata, Transparent, Ansuz Digitalz A2 Ethernet, USB
Remote: iPad-Pro
Roon Nucleus+(B), Lifetime / Qobuz Studio Sublime                                                                                                          
Germany / Bavaria
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