upgrade is back

[dishio]

Rare are the situations where we have an end-user, a retailer, and a manufacturer, of this scale, providing the possibility to extend the life of their products. As the length of this thread shows, this is a rather delicate act, as it can easily frustrate the retailer and/or the end-user.

I do not own a Devialet, but I am considering the purchase, and I have been looking into the second hand market. I also did spent some time talking with my local retailer in April 2018, who expressed complains about the competition of the second-hand market/upgrades - see below.

Over the summer we have observed 2 facts: the entry model expert pro has seen a drop in price of 15% (in my local market), and the upgrades have re-opened at a price higher than in the past. I asked myself, what's the point of this move from Devialet perspective? I suspect the move will mostly support their own business and their retailers, while giving a "nice-to-have" possibility to their end-user. Let me explain.

• Entry level: I guess the new lower the entry price will open new business opportunity without compromising Devialet's super high-end image. That's a win-win for Devialet and their retailers.
  

• Upgrade price: Right now the upgrade of a 110/120 to a 140 pro is about 60% of the price of a new pro. Other upgrades from a non-pro to pro CI are also about 40 to 60% of the retail price of the corresponding pro CI. That's a lot. If the upgrade were, say 25%. Then a first-time buyer, like me, would buy an non-pro CI on the second hand market, get the upgrade and end-up with a final price and full warranty as good as new or better. Good for me, good revenue for Devialet, but not good at all for the local retailers, because the second-hand market and Devialet (via the upgrade program) enter in direct competition with their retailers. In essence that is what my local retailer expressed a few months back. And I do understand his position.
  By maintaining the price of the upgrade high, and I do find them very hard to argue, Devialet avoid this "internal" competition, while offering the possibility to the end-user to maintain their system up to date, which creates revenue for Devialet without arm for their retailers. The difficulty for Devialet, as we can read in this thread, is to maintain the offer of the upgrade at a high value for the end-user, versus the price of the upgrade. They put more pressure of themselves by doing so i think, hence maybe the communication even in July.
  

So where does this leave me? I am a first time buyer, and I am attracted by the devialet offer because it is a) an amplifier that works on different principles than the traditional A/B class amp and that sound really nice and b) because it is an integrated amp/DAC/streamer which allows me to have only one box. So I want to enter the Devialet family with a pro model. So either I find a very cheap non Pro and upgrade it (won't happen, too expensive compared to new), or I find a pro CI second hand (rare), or a I buy a new one. There you go, well done Devialet.