Dealers having Demoroom + Equips

In Mumbai, AVI ( http://www.audiovisionindia.com ) has Fine demo roomS

Yes, that is MANY RoomS


They also have a Huge stock of everything they sell.... Pick your equipment colour ( Silver, Gold, Orange Balck etc ) or wood finish, for ANY item you want to buy. Looks like they are better stocked than a shoe shop.

I am IMPRESSED !


P.S: Heresay is that B&W feel AVI's Juhu Demo Room is the Best B&W Demo Room in the world !

P.P.S: Real Estate In Mumbai is amongst the most expensive in the World.

Sadly speaking in my experience, many dealers in India are brand collectors with no 'real' knowledge of the equipment they sell. I am sure most of them won't know how to do proper speaker placement.

However, I am quite sure there are some that can provide proper demo's, do brand comparisons and help customers with in-house setup. One such I feel is AVI as pointed out by Amp Nut above. I would love to hear about some others.

Audio People in Chennai have a demo room.
Stock - Very well stocked [from what I remember - last visit]

Sound Smith - No Demo Room.
Stock position n.a.
Demo Ability - n.a.

Sound of Music [New Delhi].
Show Room - Yes
Demo Room - Yes / No
Stock - Almost Nil
Demo Ability - Poor

Nova Audio - Demo Room - Yes
Stock Position - Limited
Demo Ability - Good / Excellent

Innovative Technology
Demo Room - No [only office]
Stock - Almost non existant. Only entry level gear - sometimes
Demo Ability - Very Good [Phd]

Cadence - Pune
Show Room - in Mumbai [not operational] & Chennai & Pune
Stock - good in Mumbai & Pune [Chennai do not know]
Demo Ability - Average

Hermit Audio - Mumbai
Show Room - Yes [Bandra]
Demo Room - Yes
Stock - Good
Demo Ability - Average [just about]

Sound & Vision
Showroom - ? [Under Construction]
Stock - No idea [n.a.]
Demo Ability - Can be known after show room is up.

The Shop
Show Room - Yes [Juhu]
Stock - Average
Demo Ability - Learning

Designer Audio
Show Room - Yes
Stock - Very Good
Demo Ability - Improving [lots of effort is being made]

Profx
Show Room - Many
Stock - Good
Demo Ability - Need to pull their 'socks up here'

JBL - Sahil International
Show Room - Yes
Stock - Can Improve
Demo Ability - OK

Sonodyne
Show Room - Yes
Stock - Yes
Demo Ability - Learneing / can improve

Yamaha / Marantz / Mission / Morel / etc. etc. I will write in part II

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Innovative Technology Demo Room - No [only office] Stock - Almost non existant. Only entry level gear - sometimes Demo Ability - Very Good [Phd]

that Phd is in economics.Does he have anything in the office anymore ?

That was great Bhagwan. Very informative.

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Nova Audio - Demo Room - Yes Stock Position - Limited Demo Ability - Good / Excellent

Aah... these guys are very friendly/forthcoming/good relationship builders have a decent knowledge of their product/ business etc. Sadly I have always felt their demo room isn't perfect for stereo.

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Nova Audio - Demo Room - Yes Stock Position - Limited Demo Ability - Good / Excellent

May I ask if you are referring to Nova Audio in Mumbai (Carter Road, I think?) or the one in Pune?

Looking forward to reading your thoughts on Marantz dealers.

Thanks!

Nova Audio in Mumbai - Bandra - yes;

Marantz - There seems to be a nuw distributor in the business - Some one from the South - Chennai [Bangalore] I think. I do not have the details.

Nova used to sell Marantz, but that was 2 years back.

I do not know much about the east;
There is a dealer for Paradigm there - I think; Not sure.
If any east indian forum member is around, please do recommend.
Thanks.

I'm from "the east". The only distr. I know of there is Japonica. They deal with Paradign.

Shahrukh schrieb:

I'm from "the east". The only distr. I know of there is Japonica. They deal with Paradign.

Exactly;

Demo Room ?
Stock Position ?
Demo Ability ?

Details please........
Thanks,

p.s. any other distributors I may have over looked ?
There is one for Cabasse & Epos etc. But, I do not know them. If any other forum member knows, please do shed some light.

Um, I wish I had details. I remember calling them up once saying I'd like to come in for a Demo. However, their response seemed like they didn't know what the bloody word meant.

And they kept rattling words like "home theater" and "full surround" to me over the phone when I asked them which standmounts they had at the time.

I didn't bother to go.

sharukh

my sympathies sir....

talking of demo rooms....anyone been to the new designer audio room ? I believe they have left their old place and moved two buildings down the road which is a bigger setup....

AVI and designer are probably one of the few dealers/distributors who are interested in creating good demo areas for their clients...harmon room is good too at atria.
I still like the lakozy area...spacious !

Manek.

Manek,

I dropped in twice at Designer Audio last week and the week before. They have moved just to the adjoining building's basement, not two away. I got a brief glimpse of the listening room and it is really large and well set up -- however they are in the middle of a lot of carpentry work and things (shelves and such) are being built all over the place and Kshitij looked pretty hassled so I did not hang around too long. At first glimpse I thought they had moved to a much smaller area but then he opened the door to the listening room and it is quite impressive. He also mentioned they are trying to launch power conditioning products soon so that is good news for people like me, on a budget.

oh ok...I guess we should give shitij a couple of more weeks to settle down before we descend on him


hey any news on the new electronics that quad was to release ? I remember shitij telling me about this once....the current ones are very good but are getting old.....

manek.

Manek:

Sorry I don't know if you meant me but no, I have no idea about the new Quad products. I did not ask either because it far beyond my typical budget.

I am told that there is a dealership in Worli (near Glaxo) named "Sharper Image" that is rather well stocked. I was told it is "one of the best in the country" with some state-of-the-art stuff. Well, I'd like to see this place for myself.

Has anyone been there? I'll try to make an appointment for next week and report back. I wanted to audition the Cambridge Audio 640D Universal Player there but darn it, its apparently been postponed to either late Dec (acc. to them) or "Spring 2008" (according to CA!). Guess I'll take listen at whatever else they've got.

particleman schrieb:

I am told that there is a dealership in Worli (near Glaxo) named "Sharper Image" that is rather well stocked. I was told it is "one of the best in the country" with some state-of-the-art stuff. Well, I'd like to see this place for myself. Has anyone been there?...

Never heard of it!! My office is pretty close by - I think I'll look around.

Hi all,

I've recently setup an AV dealership in Chennai.
Please visit the website www.decibel.co.in for details.

Regards,
Raghu

Welcome raghunathrn. Nice products you have there! Congrats on the new store!!

Shahrukh schrieb:

Never heard of it!! My office is pretty close by - I think I'll look around.

I got some more details. The gentleman to talk to is "Harsh Thakkar" (+91 9821220202). The showroom location is:

Sharper Image
B/2 T.V. Industrial Estate,
S.K.Ahire Marg,
Mumbai 400 018

Tel: 24915886

raghunathrn schrieb:

Hi all, I've recently setup an AV dealership in Chennai. Please visit the website www.decibel.co.in for details. Regards, Raghu

Hello Sir !

Nice to see a new store in Bangalore;
All the Best !
I am sure you shall do very very well.
There are so many 'budding audiophiles' in the 'south' that there will be enough to 'sell' to them.
Just 1 small question - if I may.................
Your web site [nice one] suggests that you sell 'Goldmund'
This I was a bit interested in, since the www.goldmund.com site does not have an Indian Distributor on it. SS was the D & D earlier, I sure have seen their great ads in various magazines, but is SS still selling Goldmund ?
Thanks for the clarifications.
Regards,

Hi everyone,
Panditr had discovered a dealer with a nice demo set up & invited me to join him for an audition of a pair of Maggies,
Turns out that the dealer os none other than AVI of Mumbai(qualities of which shld be well known to mumbaites),& is on the 2nd floor(they term it as "level two"-fancy!)of a spanking new mall called Select City Walk in Saket, South Delhi.
This mall is one impressive place;absolutely huge,all basement parking(Rs 30 for a car-the babe gives you a ravishing smile to soften the blow) with travelling light markers to direct you, with guards to screen yur car underbody, check out the boots etc, for explosives I guess-can a customer be that disgruntled?-then babes in the basementto direct you to a parking slot(Sanjay, can I hear you salivating?), then another body check before they let you access to the lifts-all very impressive.
Anyway, this dealer on level two is called A2V, and is a dealer of B&W,Wilson Audio,Martin Logan,Classe,Rotel,Theta Digital,Jeff Rowland,NuForce,Magneplan,KimberKable,Oppo,&Shunyata research.
They have two very nicely treated Demo rooms(will post pics after my next visit),but their manager, a nice guy called Siddarth, ex Ad Agency,didn't come across as a very knowledgeable ,meticulous guy.Funny, with an investment of this magnitude, demo ability is eveything.
Had a nice time listening to Mag1.2's thru an all Rotel setup.The demo room was all cluttered up since the display area was under renovation bit , given the other things, the place is worth a visit once its properly setup.
They are going to get in Wilson Maxx, B&W 800 etc so it shld be interesting to go and audition them .
Ph Nos ae-40548884-6, Manager-Siddharth.

Hi Kamal !

I have been to the Mall twice when the babes were not even charging Rs. 30 ....... I was told "initial promotion" ..... for Rs. 30 ? ..... I thinks it's expensive ..... could not go to the level 2 .... so missed the Maggies !!!

May be next time.

Ya I agree,the parking charge does hurt But then its the same everywhere-even Ansal plaza charges the same amt.
As regards A2V, bec the demo room was cluttered up we could'nt hear the Maggies to their full potential-there was no imaging to speak of etc,but the pricing does leave much to be desired.
The manager said that their pricing policy was 5 to 7 % over the international price which appears reasonable.
But in actuality, the price they quoted for the Mag 1.2 was Rs 79000 whereas the Us price as shown on the net acc to Rahul was $1100 ( Rs 44000 );the price for the Oppo DV 981 HD was Rs 26000 vs the Amazon price 0f $229 ,i.e. more than 2.5 times!
No wonder customers here crib.
Wilson Maxx -Rs49 lacs, B&W Nautilus 800-Rs 14 Lacs & so on...

I am not sure about International Retail [Suggested] Prices, but to the best of my limited understanding, the B & W 800 D has a list price of US $'s 20/- K or about Rs. 800/- K. The W.A. Maxx lists @ 50/- K US $'s or Rs. 2,000/- K. + VAT @ 12.5 % is a correct price. + 10 % up charge for demo and stock availability. These may be the retail prices in India. My Humble Suggestion.............

raghunathrn schrieb:

Hi all, I've recently setup an AV dealership in Chennai. Please visit the website www.decibel.co.in for details. Regards, Raghu

Congrats Raghu...and wish you all the best!

You have a super-impressive list of products...wonder how many of them are demoable

Bhagwan, the prices he indicated were exclusive of tax.

Kamal schrieb:

Bhagwan, the prices he indicated were exclusive of tax.

In any case, they are way too high - the prices, I mean.

I would love to sell their gear - used - 2nd hand - would be in a position to get full retail. i.e. even if I sold @ 50 % discount on the Indian Retail. I think this may make for interesting parrellell trade options.
I wonder if B & W comes into India - Grey ? There would be a very very big market for it here if the prices that Kamal mentions are correct !!!

Bhagwan,
4yrs back Grey operator from chennai quoted UK list price for 805. AVI as usual was 50% + MST over UKlist.

Indian grey price is directly related to MRP of official channel. Look at Canon official and grey mkt, Nikon official price is higher so the grey is also high, in fact it is same as US list but without guarantee !!.

Unless the official channel sells the product at reasonable price they cannot compete or do justice to buyers. Nokia and canon are two companies that have done something in that direction.

... if the prices that Kamal mentions are correct !!!

I can vouch for the following price :

ITEM: B&W 802D Loudspeaker PAIR

International Retail Price : US $ 12,000

AVI Price : Rs 8,15,000 + Tax (In Mumbai I THINK its 17.5% sales Tax + probably 5% Octroi )
If my Tax and Octroic Figures are correct, it yields a net price of Rs 10,00,550.

Oh yes, all their transactions are 100% clean and Invoiced ONLY.

On The Other Hand :

1. They do have a Fantastic Stock... can even select and buy ex-stock these (expensive) speakers in ALL the wood finishes available.

2. Excellent Demo Rooms, and well set up equipment.

3. I was provided an Excellent, extended Audition, and a Huge Mug of coffee


If i wasnt so tight fisted, I would have bought. The demo experience was Superb !

B&W 802D Loudspeaker PAIR International Retail Price : US $ 12,000/-

AVI Price : Rs 8,15,000 + Tax (In Mumbai I THINK its 17.5% sales Tax + probably 5% Octroi ) If my Tax and Octroic Figures are correct, it yields a net price of Rs 10,00,550.

Sir,

12/- K US $'s = Rs. 480/- K
VAT @ 12.5 %
Octroi @ 5.5 %
Total Tax = 16 % [sum total]

The List Price in India should be Rs. 560/-K

Ofcourse there is the customs duty and SAD.

However, most Indian importers accomodate most or all of the customs duty within the the 50% to 70% OFF they get from the manuafacturer on the MRP.

Also keep in mind that the Customs duty is paid on the Manufacture's price ( ie 50% to 70% less than the MRP)

On The Other Hand :

Few Indian Distys maintain Any Stocks , leave aside choice of wood finishes.

No staff.

No demo rooms or showrooms.

I am just trying to be fair and project both sides of the coin ...

AVI Price : Rs 8,15,000 + Tax

That works out to around 915/-K
The International Lis Price + Indian Local Taxes [excluding customs duty] works out to Rs. 560/- K

i.e. a difference of Rs. 355/- K or 64 % above international suggested retail price [tazes included].
This is a lot to pay - even if demo + stock + choice of finish etc. options are included.

I may suggest that a 5 % to 10 % increase over the international retail price with all services offered is a good price [services are mentioned above].

However, for D /D that do not have stock - do not give demo - choice of finish in stock etc. then a 10 % to 20 % discount on the International Retail Price should be in order.

Dear A.N.

Having a Demo Room [A]
Trained Staff [B]
Stock [C]
Choice of Finish [D]

These are all de facto givens. If you are a D /D then this is the least one has to have. Else one may as well buy from a 'Musafir Khana' Malbari Dealer.

All said, prices too need to be 'rational'
Else, clients will visit Indian D / D place. Take a demo & decide & buy from a foreign D / D @ 20 % to 30 % discount on the International Suggested Retail Price.

2 things are needed.


[A]

The D / D should offer the above mentioned services & keep the MSRP's @ 5 % to 10 % above International Retail.

[B]

The Client should take a demo & then buy from India. Support the Indian D / D.

This way the trade will grow & only if the D / D makes some money will he buy more / stock more / sell more !!!

Bhagwan69 said:

I may suggest that a 5 % to 10 % increase over the international retail price with all services offered is a good price [services are mentioned above]. However, for D /D that do not have stock - do not give demo - choice of finish in stock etc. then a 10 % to 20 % discount on the International Retail Price should be in order.

Amen.

If that was done, (yr 1st recommendation for full service) I would be listning to the B&W 802Ds at home...

So I gather you like the B & W's !!
Interesting;

I know, Sir !

We are on opposite sides of this fence

To me the 800 series have been iconic speakers, with a high aspirational value

In a Rs 5 to Rs 5.5 Lakh budget, I find them Great speakers, despite the mid-bass bump and possibly the ultimate bass resolution.

Its imaging EXCELS (IMHO). Ambience retrival is very good, as is the midrange.

Was driven beautifully by the Jeff Rowland ICE module amp ( 100Watts x 8 ohms and 200 Watts into 4 ohms ) Lots of detail, but subtly presented, not over-etched and 'In Your face"

The 802D is certainly Not the Best speaker I have heard ( I wonder if I can say that about ANY speaker... ) but for that price .... Hmmmmm

The Jeff Rowland Power Amp - IMHO does not look like much, and the Pre is even more in-impressive looking. They put out a Warm detailed sound, and the music flows easy.

Again IMHO, the Power Amp is an Exceptional buy in the international market @ US $ 1200. Here its Rs 90K.

The pre is about 50% more expensive. Not so sure of its VFM.

Both - Pre & power amps - small & light enough to hand carry back from a trip...

Incidentally, the 802Ds even played well with my 45Watt PL-2 Valve amp & Denon 2900 CD player.... as long as volume was not cranked up. Yeah, the Bass did not have the resolution, and the Demo Room was HUGE, hence I suspect will play at better levels in my own home.

Yes, I AM Smitten .... Anyways wishfull thinking ...

Well if you like it so much, you should chat with BC @ AVI - request him, I am sure he will consider. Alternate option is Triangle, i.e. Go for the 802's !!!

AN-ji, how would you categorise the BW experience in comparison to your SF-Extrema since they belong to almost 2 different schools of thought? your views would be interesting since the equipment was the same.

I suppose the B&Ws do have a tendency to be categorised by a lot of people into the "Brand I love to hate" category.
I didnt have a very great opinion because of such views on forums on it untill i heard a N801 with a full Electrocompaniet setup. the gentleman in question was interested in buying my electrocompaniet Pre amp and when he mentioned his setup I had to see it.

for a 10-20 min listen it was a great setup and seemed could do nothing wrong. (since the music was most of slow & romantic western classical to which i had very little exposure and bieng slightly less than a year back i remember very little else)

Hi Arj,

Very good question, and actually one of the key positives about the demo was that after I heard the B&W 802Ds with the Classe Universal Player ( used as a transport, feeding the Classe Pre and mono-blocks, I had the opportunity to hear them with a Rotel CD player ( analog out ) feeding the Classe electronics and then my electronics.

The Rotel CLEARLY restricted the system. The sound lacked resolution & dynamic range, but still pleasant though not Hi End..

I believe that Anyone buying a new Stereo component / upgrading, needs to define FIRST what they are missing and What they are therefore looking for in a new component.

In my case:

Speakers : The Last 2 octaves of Bass
Amp: A Remote Volume Control, Enough power to drive the new speakers & more bass resolution

The tough criteria is that I do not wanna loose the Positives of my existing setup !

The Positives of my Existing setup ( and happily they are my Key criteria for enjoyable listening) are :
1. Very Good Imaging and reproduction of the original location ambience - " A Being There" experience.
I am not too concerned ( maybe because my grapes are sour ? ) about whether the singer is 4 & half feet in height or 5feet 6 inches... or whether the 2 tablas are 2 feet or 4 feet apart...

2. REALISM of the reproduced sound is MOST important to me.

3. Resolution, such as distinctly hearing the micro-dynamics of a wire brush being rubbed on the drum skin, or clearly differentiating between a Cymbal struck with a stick or a wire brush ... THESE are important to me, and my existing system (IMHO) provides these clues very well.


I do not like excessive mid range energy or a tonal balance tilted towards the mid range, though I am OK with that for short listening sessions, but cant live with that on a long term basis.

Having said that, I find the SF Extrema and the 802D more similar than opposites in these departments. Hence the 802Ds don’t loose out on the Positives of the SF Extremas, but present a Warmer ( but equally detailed and revealing ) sound. The SF Extremas have a relatively 'Hot" treble, though not fierce or harsh.

The 802D Soundstage is also Better than the already VERY good soundstage that I get with the Extremas. The centre image on the 802Ds at the demo was the best I have ever heard in my life. I actually went up between the 2 speakers where there was a centre channel speaker ( not playing) to see it was playing, to enhance the centre image.

The 802Ds have a prominent Mid Bass bump, and if not controlled with proper placement, will muddy the sound BADLY. This is an important issue with these speakers.


Also I must point out that the B&W 800 series (800, 801 & 802 all floor standers ) are quite different animals (IMHO) to the lower priced B&W range... like a Lexus vs a Toyota or a Nikon DSLR vs a Nikon 8MP Shirt pocket shooter ...


I agree with yr statement that

I suppose the B&Ws do have a tendency to be categorised by a lot of people into the "Brand I love to hate" category.

I guess its because the company is successful, advertises and promotes its products ( most boutique brands cant afford that because their business is VERY small scale).

Also B&W 800 series products are made well, with superb fit and finish, even though most are now made in China ( much like Quad, the ipods etc etc ). These products provide a mix of both - Lifestyle values and performance. This lifestyle element is probably what has angered many... consciously or subconsciously.

OK, OK, I will stop... dont want to give the impression that B&W is the Best... they are simply Good.... with their basket of flaws too... IMHO again.

Also the B&W 800 series provide excellent VALUE in the price range. Sadly, that Value does not hold at their Rupee prices vis -a-vis other international products available here.

P.S: Sorry for the Looong post
P.P.S: Thanks for the ‘ji’ suffix that many address me with.. PLEASE don’t. We are all equals, here and at all times.
I am as prone to be opinionated, irrational and pig-headed as most humans ..

soulforged schrieb:

raghunathrn schrieb: Hi all, I've recently setup an AV dealership in Chennai. Please visit the website www.decibel.co.in for details. Regards, Raghu Congrats Raghu...and wish you all the best! You have a super-impressive list of products...wonder how many of them are demoable

I've got Mission (M3 series), Dynaudios (Audience series), Yamaha, NAD and ARCAM Amps and AVRs, Music Hall, Primare on Demo currently. Planning to add Canton soon.
The other products are the Soundsmiths product range, who I represent in Chennai.

Hello Raghu !

Welcome;

I was under the impression that Prithvi - Absolute Phase / Jelly Bean - used to represent The Sound Smiths in Bangalore / South India;

All the best to you & to SS !!! Nice product !!

BTW - Halcro is in India.
The Audio People represent the electronics manufacturer from down under now.

Raghu, any idea what happened to Goldmund ?

Thanks,

BTW - Halcro is in India.

That is GREAT !

Does this mean that tere is ATLEAST 1 Halcro pre + power amp on Demo in India ?

Or does it mean :

" I am willing to Import it for you" statement ? ... like many other high end reps ?

I think AP is a 'cash rich' D/D.
They have a lot of stock.
They may not get the DM 58, but we may expect to see the DM 38 in Jan., 2008 @ Chennai AV Show.
However, their 'set up' skill had a lot left to be desired;
sorry.
Maybe they have got a 'technical' person on board. Things could have improved.

All said, I have never been a great fan of Halcro. Sure have heard it on several occassions, but I never warmed up to it.

Actually, since we are on the topic;
Goldmund is a better electronics brand / product vis a vis Halcro. That was distributed in India [SS], however, I never got that chance to audition it in India !!!!

I firmly believe that Kharma & Goldmund gel / go very very well. So that Kharma in Bangalore [the one whoose mid range driver had a small problem] should have been paired with Goldmund in place of the Kharma AMps or the Plinus Amps. Just my opinion. I have heard the Kharma's play at their best with Goldmund - not even with Wavac's [as many suggest] !!

P.S. The 'cheaper' option that I like is Theta Digital 'citadel'.
This is a great power amplifier.

Since someone mentioned Oppo DVD on this post just wanted to add that I have been qouted between 22k-33k for the 981. Dont intend getting ripped off.
Can anyone direct me to someone who can provide a better deal? Even a 25% premium is ok from US list price of $ 229.
Thanks
Jeeves

Thanks for that feedback, Bhagwan 69.

GREAT to know that a Halcro product will be on demo in India. If the Chennai show is not another silent show, the HALCRO alone is worth the trip.

Yes, the Halcro is reputted to be lean, and ultra clean... and sterile, keeping in sync with its 'parts per BILLION' distortion spec, the LOWEST of ANY amp in the world

With which Speakers did you hear the Citadel ?

I guess in India, the Citadel Power Amps will set one back around Rs 13.5 Lakhs or more, using the same price conversion factor as the 802Ds since Theta is also handled by A2V.

A power amp OI would Love to hear is the VTL S400 which is priced lower than the Citadel... though the VTL's 400Watts from tubes implies frightful power consumption and heat generation.

Any VTL disty in India ? Their Pre also also Very well accepted.

Ofcourse the AR Ref 3 Pre is also on my Top Priority list for listning to.... Sherke at Cadence has got it for the new speakers ... !

Amp_Nut schrieb:

Ofcourse the AR Ref 3 Pre is also on my Top Priority list for listning to.... Sherke at Cadence has got it for the new speakers ... !

Yes, A.S. in Pune has it;
I have posted the pictures under the Siltech Pantheon XXV thread. You may see it there.

I would like to make a suggestion here. Our Moderator [Manek] should get in touch with Cadence and try to work out a 'field trip' to Pune - Cadence. All forum members could see how the Cadence Speakers are made & also get a chance to listen to the XXV's and the rest of the chain.

All forum members - accross India - should try and come for this. It may be a golden chance !!

Jeeves schrieb:

Since someone mentioned Oppo DVD on this post just wanted to add that I have been qouted between 22k-33k for the 981. Dont intend getting ripped off. Can anyone direct me to someone who can provide a better deal? Even a 25% premium is ok from US list price of $ 229. Thanks Jeeves

Get someone to bring in a piece for you from abroad-I have'nt heard anyone else apart from AV/A2V selling Oppo in India;you could also look at the Oppo 980-doesn't have the Faroudja chip but should serve you well if you plan to use it primarily as a universal audio player, + it has a USB port to play pen drives off!