Importing AVR from USA

[nk_gautam]

Hi everyone. I m thinking of buying either Denon AVR-S740H or Yamaha RX-V683BL from America. I know they are made for ~110 V. I can get a good converter and make it work (two of my friends already using US AVR's using UMI converter). My main reason for getting it from USA is obviously price difference for a high end product which is way higher in India. So, I wanted to ask if i m making a right decision or not?

 

[bornfi]

Yes, it is and even better, since used market is really good in , I would recommend spending same kind of money to get upper model from used market. But, of course you will need someone here to do research for you.

 

[hifitoaster]

Used market recommended. New one - bad idea despite price warranty matters. Not worth the effort.

 

[Chitragar]

Even I was thinking of getting denon x3600h from US, why is it a bad idea to get a new piece?

Used market recommended. New one - bad idea despite price warranty matters. Not worth the effort.

 

[frend2001]

Hi everyone. I m thinking of buying either Denon AVR-S740H or Yamaha RX-V683BL from America. I know they are made for ~110 V. I can get a good converter and make it work (two of my friends already using US AVR's using UMI converter). My main reason for getting it from USA is obviously price difference for a high end product which is way higher in India. So, I wanted to ask if i m making a right decision or not?

I assume it will be hand carried. If you are thinking of importing thru courier service please do a reality check. As after custom duty it may not make much sense. Although you pay way more here but you get warranty and peace of mind. Today's consumer grade electronics aren't made to last.
You need warranty cover. Also do look up Planned obsolescence. It's a reality.

Sorry for painting a gloomy picture but in the end, the peace of mind prevails.

For the stepdown it is recommended to use a stepdown which is atleast double rated then your equipment. Since Yamaha RX-V683BL is rated at 400 watts. You must have a step down which is rated at least at 800VA. The UMI you have mentioned is rated same as AVR at 400watts. So it will lack in the headroom and in musical transitions (when more current is required) it may run out of juice as the AVRs supply will be dictated by the stepdown.

Ohm's law is the key.

 

[efernand1]

Hi everyone. I m thinking of buying either Denon AVR-S740H or Yamaha RX-V683BL from America. I know they are made for ~110 V. I can get a good converter and make it work (two of my friends already using US AVR's using UMI converter). My main reason for getting it from USA is obviously price difference for a high end product which is way higher in India. So, I wanted to ask if i m making a right decision or not?

There are a couple of posts in the past where FMs have sought such advises......do a check on all possible costs....weight, step converters, warranty, customs, and take a call.....

While there is another debate on dealer margins and how much profit they make, fortunately there are ample dealers in India who you can visit and demand for the best price....one of them in the interest of quick sale may give you a good deal with warranty.....check

 

[Dr.Lakshay]

I think it's a good idea to get an avr from usa if it's being hand carried. Not only are the prices almost half, also because USA has better consumer protection, they get better quality products unlike India.

 

[edjamesx]

Hi everyone. I m thinking of buying either Denon AVR-S740H or Yamaha RX-V683BL from America. I know they are made for ~110 V. I can get a good converter and make it work (two of my friends already using US AVR's using UMI converter). My main reason for getting it from USA is obviously price difference for a high end product which is way higher in India. So, I wanted to ask if i m making a right decision or not?

No warranty and no service in india for the Amp purchased in USA. They simply reject the service in india...
Apart from it , no issues. I also purchased my AMP from USA 10 years back , till now no issues. That time i was able to bypass custom charges ... But now a days you cannot escape from customs.
You may calculate overall price + customs , if there's at least 30% savings you can consider. else consider buying amp from india + warranty + service.

 

[frend2001]

You may calculate overall price + customs , if there's at least 30% savings you can consider. else consider buying amp from india + warranty + service.

Customs markup is about 42% of assessed value. So even if something is available for half in US, it doesnt make sense to pay 42% of CIF value (Cost, Insurance and Freight all added up ) to import. Say AVR is available for 100k here and for 60k at US and shipping is another 8k. So CIF is about 68k, add 42% customs on that i.e. 28500. It's about 96k landed duty paid.

Just a meagre saving of 4k and no warranty. Many service centers straight away refuse items bought abroad. ( I've been thru this )

In today's scenario it doesn't make much sense unless hand carried.

Now add cost of stepdown, the problem with resale, component availability it's actually costlier to import items that are available here at premium.

Only for items that are totally not available here, it could be tried with a big margin for axe-fall customs and surprises ( shocks I mean )

 

[Amarendra]

Hi everyone. I m thinking of buying either Denon AVR-S740H or Yamaha RX-V683BL from America. I know they are made for ~110 V. I can get a good converter and make it work (two of my friends already using US AVR's using UMI converter). My main reason for getting it from USA is obviously price difference for a high end product which is way higher in India. So, I wanted to ask if i m making a right decision or not?

Do buy from the US. Usually I haven't seen anything go wrong ( 1 integrated amp + 1 AVR so far ). Also the price difference is huge. But be prepared that if something doesn't work you will have to bear the repair cost which will still be negligible (usually) compared to the price difference.

 

[sandeepmohan]

My main reason for getting it from USA is obviously price difference for a high end product which is way higher in India.

Let us be clear. Both these receivers do not fall under the category of being "high end".

It is not worth importing a receiver at this price point when there are plenty of equally good options in India. I am also averse to the idea of using a step down transformer for anything audio or video. In my view, they add electrical interference.

Yes; you will pay more buying in India but with local distributor, sales & after sales, warranty added in that additional cost, I don't believe there should be second thoughts on what makes more sense. Its a different thing if you are after a component that isn't sold here at all.

 

[hifitoaster]

I think it's a good idea to get an avr from usa if it's being hand carried. Not only are the prices almost half, also because USA has better consumer protection, they get better quality products unlike India.

The amps are mostly made in Malaysia, china or Thailand. Indians are not getting anything less in quality like second quality goods here. Due to the clean electricity without fluctuations it may last long here. But bringing it here makes it as vulnerable as the stuff we buy here. With AVRs warranty matters especially since lot of chips are inside they are not easy to repair like a stereo amp. Especially when it's the latest stuff u dont know about potential issues. There was a series of thx onkyo receivers with faulty dsp chips. I happened to get one of them used without warranty. It failed and then I found numerous number of same complaint about the same receiver later over the internet. Another bad batch like this was the arcam rDAC. Lots of folks had the same complaint with its usb receiver. A friend of mine bought it from uk and he suffered later.

 

[nk_gautam]

Customs markup is about 42% of assessed value. So even if something is available for half in US, it doesnt make sense to pay 42% of CIF value (Cost, Insurance and Freight all added up ) to import. Say AVR is available for 100k here and for 60k at US and shipping is another 8k. So CIF is about 68k, add 42% customs on that i.e. 28500. It's about 96k landed duty paid.

Just a meagre saving of 4k and no warranty. Many service centers straight away refuse items bought abroad. ( I've been thru this )

In today's scenario it doesn't make much sense unless hand carried.

Now add cost of stepdown, the problem with resale, component availability it's actually costlier to import items that are available here at premium.

Only for items that are totally not available here, it could be tried with a big margin for axe-fall customs and surprises ( shocks I mean )

Are u sure the duty imposed on AVR's is 42%? Coz according cbic website, its 26.05%. Please confirm.

 

[frend2001]

Yes, IGST @ 18% is charged on CIF along with Custom duty, for which you can't claim ITR (input tax rebate) since it's imported for personal use.

 

[saurabhpach]

oops

 

[saurabhpach]

Hi everyone. I m thinking of buying either Denon AVR-S740H or Yamaha RX-V683BL from America. I know they are made for ~110 V. I can get a good converter and make it work (two of my friends already using US AVR's using UMI converter). My main reason for getting it from USA is obviously price difference for a high end product which is way higher in India. So, I wanted to ask if i m making a right decision or not?

Hi, You can try buying B Stock / Open Box, if not then second hand from US. It makes a lot of sense. People there switch audio gear pretty rapidly (just for F sake sometimes), so the second hand market is awesome. B stock / open box deals are also great, these are mostly items which have damages packing or some other minor cosmetic defect. Generally B stock deals are like 30% OFF from the MSRP and Open box deals are like 50% OFF MSRP. I picked up some hi-end (reasonably) B stock gear a few years back (floor-standers and power amplifier) , its super. Secondly if its hand carried to India it will just add to the value.

 

[sandeeprawat]

Would there be any issues with custom if hand-carrying AVR?

Found another up-to-date thread. Mods please delete this post.