That's the price you pay for being an early adopter. It's not without it's benefits though

Yes, of course. I always knew the prices would come down, but I didn't know that when I bought my backup unit, they would come *crashing down* a month or so later. I'm not upset about my timing on the first one, but if I had waited a week or two on the second one, I would be eligible for the price protection. OR, if SonicBlue took American Express, I could get a refund from them. So those two weeks of "early adoption" (of a backup unit, no less) cost me 500 bones. But that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes. I'm just trying to point out that $450 is still a bargain for an Empeg, and it could be a lot worse. Like you, I don't see a problem with people who do this, after all, these are luxury items, conveniences... It's not like a guy who buys all the snow shovels in town before a snowstorm and doubles the price.