Moving to US, with or without Acoustic Portrait?

[aurobindosaha]

Hello Friends
I am moving to USA for good next month
I am considering to take my audio setup after few months of landing in Chicago.

I have acoustic portrait gears:

1. MS 610 tower speaker about 46 kgs
2. Thyaga DAC about 35 kgs
3. Swara integrated amps about about 30 kgs
4. Inter-connects and speaker cables

May I seek your advice to ship them safely from Kolkata to Chicago?

These are the most precious possessions I have both emotionally and financially

Does it make sense to take them there?
I know I need to change the transformers for voltage compatibility. Siva assured me, he can change those.

I am concerned if those will reach safely.

Or

Should I leave them in India, well packed, and hope after 12 years if I return to India after retirement, I can enjoy those in my old age. In this case what should I buy there? Siva recommended I should carry those. It will cost a earth, if I need to buy same quality equipment in USA. What can be the options to buy a "decent" stereo set up within 6 to 7 k dollars?

Kind regards,
Aurobindo

 

[arj]

I would not suggest carrying this.

US is a fantastic place to build a new System to enjoy and when you come back get the speakers back as electronics will be 110 V. Buying and selling is so easy in the US and so is listening ( depending on where you are and a little travelling)

6-7K USD is a very decent and for 3-4K you can get great speakers used and based on that a good used integrated amp. I assuming you will be streaing and thre are so many options there.

 

[zero7]

I would recommend checking FB market place to get an idea of the used gears available. Here in the SFO Bay Area, I find a manyof sales happening. Shipping from India is not recommended. It will be too expensive and could get damaged as well. Then you need up converters from 110V to 230V.

 

[General_sound]

Arj and z7 have given very valid suggestions. Changing to 120 v will involve many changes. Moreover heavy speakers and amps can be damaged in transit, even if carefully packed. A dent on the cabinet or driver damage, circuit board crack (ask me how I know!) can always be an agony for the owner. Moreover can the electronics be serviced in USA, since u will be there for 12 years. Anyhow all the best for your US stay and whatever decision you take.

 

[powerslave]

Not worth the hassle

1. Very hard to sell it in US because competitive or better stuff is available there in used markets for very low rates (relative to India or what you can sell it for in India)
2. You will need to change operating voltage setting for the AP gear to work in US. Depending on implementation it may or may not be trivial, to me it is a hassle not worth the effort.
3. Shipping heavy stuff is always a pain, do it only if you have decided to keep this gear for a decade or more.
4. Think about OEM support in US, you will be far away from India and not sure there is product support in US for AP line.

 

[Nitin K]

Hello Friends
I am moving to USA for good next month
I am considering to take my audio setup after few months of landing in Chicago.

I have acoustic portrait gears:

1. MS 610 tower speaker about 46 kgs
2. Thyaga DAC about 35 kgs
3. Swara integrated amps about about 30 kgs
4. Inter-connects and speaker cables

May I seek your advice to ship them safely from Kolkata to Chicago?

These are the most precious possessions I have both emotionally and financially

Does it make sense to take them there?
I know I need to change the transformers for voltage compatibility. Siva assured me, he can change those.

I am concerned if those will reach safely.

Or

Should I leave them in India, well packed, and hope after 12 years if I return to India after retirement, I can enjoy those in my old age. In this case what should I buy there? Siva recommended I should carry those. It will cost a earth, if I need to buy same quality equipment in USA. What can be the options to buy a "decent" stereo set up within 6 to 7 k dollars?

Kind regards,
Aurobindo

Totally agree with the above what the FM's have said. The logistics for transporting to the US will be very expensive and not worth the hassile.
Besides you have USaudiomart website where you get very good preowned gears in excellent condition at a reasonable price.
It's no use keeping your gear here packed to listen after 12 to 15 years later due to the humid climatic condition in India which in all probability will have detrimental effect on your packed gear.

 

[arj]

Even if you were able to ship it due it being reimbursed and converted, the US has some wonderful equipment available.

Which part of the country are you going to ?

HIfi Shark. Audiogon and local used dealers all are options. decide on your speaker based on your room and then decide the amp- it can be simple as well as complex depending on your research but economic risk os far lower due to the far more evolved used market.

t selling this equipment for the best price you can get and moving is the best option

 

[Nikhil]

As much as I would love to recommend keeping your AP gear, the truth is it is not worth it.

To begin with travel and transportation is just not what it used to be in the US. The chances of the gear getting damaged in transit is very high and then the cost of getting it repaired is just not going to be worth the trouble. Especially when you are going to a place like the US where there is a ton of choices when it comes to audio. Sadly the best thing to do is to dispose your gear before you leave.


.

 

[aurobindosaha]

Hi Friends,

Thank you all for exchanging your views and suggestions. Very helpful indeed. So, the advice is not to carry the AP set. Noted. However, it will break my heart to sell them off. In fact I am not even considering that. May be I will sell off only the Swara RPI Streamer/DAC, as I do not use that much and find it difficult to connect to Wifi and sync through Spotify. If I do so I will put an ad in the classified section.

Can you suggest, what are good ways to keep rest of the AP set packed for long time. Or Should I leave it as is, and cover it with a cloth to protect from dust?

Thanks for suggestions about where to buy hifi in USA. Once I land there I will explore.

Thanks again for contributing to my questions.

Kind regards
Aurobindo

 

[bornfi]

Can you suggest, what are good ways to keep rest of the AP set packed for long time. Or Should I leave it as is, and cover it with a cloth to protect from dust?

It is better to sell them to make someone else happy because when you return back from USA to India, taking them back would be a big hassle and by that time you would have seen a totally new level of hifi scene.

 

[square_wave]

I love AP gear and what they do. However, my suggestion is to start a new journey while in the USA. If you are so keen, just carry the dac. I have always found AP source gear to be astounding in what they do for what you pay. They are also quite unique in case you are equally keen about AP's philosophy to hifi. I am sure you will get amps and speakers that are similar to AP in the USA.

However, you will probably land up paying a quite a bit more than the MS610 when you shop for floorstanding speakers even if you buy certified used. The 610 is a complete steal for what they do at that price in India.

Don't worry about amps. That land is a goldmine for amplifiers.

Buy, Sell, & Trade The Very Best In Used Audio Equipment

The Very Best in New, Used and Vintage HiFi

tmraudio.com

That company above has a great reputation for selling certified used gear with warranty.

 

[arj]

Hi Friends,

Thank you all for exchanging your views and suggestions. Very helpful indeed. So, the advice is not to carry the AP set. Noted. However, it will break my heart to sell them off. In fact I am not even considering that. May be I will sell off only the Swara RPI Streamer/DAC, as I do not use that much and find it difficult to connect to Wifi and sync through Spotify. If I do so I will put an ad in the classified section.

Can you suggest, what are good ways to keep rest of the AP set packed for long time. Or Should I leave it as is, and cover it with a cloth to protect from dust?

Thanks for suggestions about where to buy hifi in USA. Once I land there I will explore.

Thanks again for contributing to my questions.

Kind regards
Aurobindo

If you want to keep it, put Thermocol on the corners, pack it in a cardboard box with fillers and cover it with plastic.

I am sure you know that in the end its an emotional attachment and 12 years is a very long time especially for Dacs (unless you convert it to 110 and carry it) to become obsolete. amp and speaker you can still keep wrapped up. if you do convert it to 110 request siva to make it as a switch where you can switch between 110/220.

For a setup there, if you are the sort who does not get the bug to keep changing, a simple Steamer +amp like Hifi Rose can be be had for less than 3K USD Used..and that means the rest of your budget is available for speakers...

BTW Carry all your cables with you so you dont have to spend on them and APs cables are pretty good.

 

[MaSh]

Yes agree with what others have said, it is neither worth the risk nor the effort to carry the system to US. Once there, you will have access to whole lot more.

If you really want to keep something, keep the speakers well packed and sell the rest. You can get the latest version of the amp from Siva a decade later when you return.

MaSh

 

[bhooshaniyer]

<snip>

Does it make sense to take them there?

No

Should I leave them in India, well packed, and hope after 12 years if I return to India after retirement,

No

I can enjoy those in my old age. In this case what should I buy there?

Zoo audio.
Magnepan
Sharbeth
Willyson audio
Tannoy

.However, it will break my heart to sell them off. In fact I am not even considering that.

Heart is very resilient..you can quit india and it just breaks only a little bit. Chicago jane ke baad phir wapas teek hojata hai, apparently.

May be I will sell off only the Swara RPI Streamer/DAC, as I do not use that much and find it difficult to connect to Wifi and sync through Spotify. If I do so I will put an ad in the classified section.

Sell everything.

Can you suggest, what are good ways to keep rest of the AP set packed for long time. Or Should I leave it as is, and cover it with a cloth to protect from dust?

No. Do not store anything other than old love letters, old records and old whiskey.