should i buy avr from japan

[push]

All,
I am getting the following deals in Japan (on business trip)
Rx773 - 33k Inr --> not available in India
Rx573 - 22.5k inr --> ~37k+ in India

Should I buy ? Confused as these will be working with 100v only....so not sure if its worth it.

Thanks.
P.S: added corresponding India price

 

[jagdish_p]

Dont stop because of 110 V. Its not a big issue - You can always get a step down transformer in India around 3.5 K to 7 K depending on make.

 

[hemantwaghe]

Japan is 100 Volts - Not 110 IMHO

Electricity in Japan

 

[GeorgeO]

Brand new Japanese gear bought in Japan AFAIK is not inexpensive.

 

[push]

Brand new Japanese gear bought in Japan AFAIK is not inexpensive.

Could not understand what you mean here.

 

[GeorgeO]

As Far As I Know(AFAIK). I bought a Panasonic Projector many years ago shipped from Japan to the US as a duty free sale. At the time I was told Japanese products were high priced when sold to their domestic market.

 

[GeorgeO]

Bets do a price comparison and then buy.If the prices are good, then voltage is not a real issue-I'm using a Marantz prepro with a 220 to 110V adapter, no problem.

 

[Vinod.R]

Couple of things that I could think of that could be an issue:

1) Voltage as mentioned by other FMs.
2) Make sure the on screen interface is available in English, there is a possibility of an only Japanese interface when setting the AVR up! (Though I am not sure of this).
3) Make sure there is an English manual in the box (Of course you can always download thru the net but why take the trouble when you are buying new?)
4) Transportation and other associated costs (like customs) make it worthwhile? (I am sure it is not because you will be carrying it yourself but still the trouble of carrying it is there).
5) As far as I know, gear in Japan is generally more expensive than outside so buy with prudence.

If after all this the difference is not much, better buy in India otherwise buy in Japan.

Hope this helps.

Vinod

 

[push]

Thanks vinod for your detailed response.
Not sure if I can get a 220 to 110v step down transformer easily
The on screen interface is available in English as you can select the language
Not sure about the manual
Again not sure about custom
The best price I have seen in India is 37k for 573 and 47k for 673... 773 model is not available in India.
Overall in my experience mid to high end equipments are cheaper in Japan.
Thanks

 

[Thtpro]

IMHO Mid to High end gear is cheaper in the USA

Most stuff in Japan- is for the local market and tends to be more expensive

 

[Vinod.R]

Couple of other things you could be on the lookout for:

1) Check to see if a multi voltage AVR is available, it might make the whole process worthwhile. But then multi voltage units for the same model might be more expensive. More experts can comment if 240 to 100 volts converters are available.

2) Another thought, see if you can import the same from Amazon UK to your address in Japan, this might save you customs (I dont know how this will work but just an idea). Then you can bring the same from Japan to India. No voltage issues and you might save on Japanese customs as it is being re-exported. But consult somebody about this idea. Price in UK might be even cheaper for some units. In this scenario language, voltage is not an issue anymore.

Vinod

 

[Rupam]

No Don't buy it from Japan.

 

[tanmayj]

For the prices you mentioned, if you get it hand carried with a friend etc. you wont pay duty. Otherwise as a thumb rule consider about 1/3rd of the Japan cost as duty + about 5-7K for Step Down Transformer.

All this said and done, if you're not hand-carrying it I'm not sure there'd be a significant price difference.

 

[GeorgeO]

You can easily get a good quality step down transformer here in Bangalore, I bought one last year for my prepro from SP Road, and am quite happy with it.

 

[nipunkx]

Did you buy one from japan? If yes, does it need any step up or down transformer?

 

[Naturelover]

Did you buy one from japan? If yes, does it need any step up or down transformer?

This might help
http://www.hifivision.com/what-shou...former-240v-100v-japan-conversion-mumbai.html