[SimonYVR]

Complin,

Buying new and local isn't often an option. I live on the west coast of Canada and my local dealer is in Montreal, a mere 4 time zones away. Otherwise I have to go south to the US to Los Angeles, a 2.5 hour flight. So I buy used on the secondary market. This means usually taking a leap of faith. Having said that, Shindo equipment if fairly robust, much more so than say a CD player of turntable when shipping. Due diligence is required: has it been modified, has it been repaired, how many owners.... Sometimes, used is the only option. For instance I really like the 300B tube, hence, I was particularly after a Cortese 300B, only available secondhand.

I think to be realistic, you have to assume that buying vintage and/or second hand implies you are on your own for repairs and support. There are, however, many resources available like this forum and there are many people out there that can trouble shoot and repair equipment, they just have to be found and again shipping may be required. My limited understanding is that the Shindo circuits aren't necessarily complex to assess but the replacement parts are likely scarce. My experience is that Shindo equipment is reliable.

In your case, residing in the UK, there always seems to be used kit available in Germany. This is due to Keith over at Auditorium 23 who was an early importer of Shindo (before JH in North America). You could check with him if he would service equipment that originated from him.

Simon