US audio brand McIntosh has revealed its new TradeUP program which lets customers trade in hi-fi products, regardless of brand or manufacturer, to receive money towards the purchase of a new McIntosh product.
McIntosh promises that qualifying customers could receive up to the total original retail price for any home audio electronics they own when they trade it in against a new McIntosh product from any authorised McIntosh UK dealer. That’s quite the incentive to swap out some of your old audio gear.
Potential customers should be aware, however, that the purchase price of the new McIntosh product must be more than double the value of the product being traded in. So let’s say you’re looking to switch out an old integrated amplifier with an original retail value of £1000, the McIntosh model you're interested in must be worth £2000 or more in order to qualify.
Also, the scheme only applies to the trade-in and purchase of hi-fi equipment, listed by McIntosh as including “stereo power amps, preamps, integrated amps, phono stages, turntables, CD players/DACs, streamers/music servers, tuners, headphone amplifiers and receivers.”
AV and home cinema products, though, are not part of the TradeUP program and won’t be accepted for trade-in. Monoblock amplifiers are eligible, but only when traded in and sold in pairs.
Further stipulations of the TradeUP scheme include:
- The product or products to be traded in can be from any brand, but the customer must provide proof of purchase via an original invoice or receipt.
- Traded-in products must be in “reasonable physical condition”, they must work, and they can’t have been altered or modified from the original specs or design.
- You, the customer, are responsible for ensuring that the product(s) in question arrives at the dealer safely unless you agree to alternate collection arrangements with the dealer.
- McIntosh product(s) that the customer wishes to buy must be at full original retail price and from an authorised UK McIntosh dealer only.
- Customers can only trade in a single product against the new McIntosh product they wish to buy. If you’re hoping to purchase multiple McIntosh products, the same quantity of trade-ins will be accepted in exchange.
McIntosh isn’t the only audio company offering incentives to customers as part of a drive towards sustainability. Bang & Olufsen’s recent Mozart software platform, for instance, promises to future-proof models with updates to correlate with changes or innovations in software, while Rega is offering cheaper “Green Grade” versions of its Planar 1 and Planar 1 Plus turntables using parts that are only damaged cosmetically.
From an environmental perspective, then, we hope to see more brands offering similar schemes in the name of green tech.
The McIntosh TradeUP Program ends on 30th June 2023. Full details can be found on the official McIntosh website.
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