[FlameGrilled]

If you were in the same position i was in, where the DAP you had was so part of your day-to-day life that it was a big downer if it packed up permenantly (i.e. totally non-cost effective to fix, even by DIY methods), then there can be a lot said for having a spare example to hand.

This proved to be a sound move when i had my JB1's (bought one originally, obtained another at no cost). I eventually got rid of both way into their old-age periods at a profit (which goes against most concepts when it comes to technology) when they became redundant - but they were not exactly factory-fresh either (had been used on a daily basis as commericial two-channel recorders and also for emergency DAP use when the iMP's packed up).

But that bit, tells you something about why you gotta be rational over the move - as pointed out, it could well be that when you need a new one due to a premature DAP death, you could replace it with an equally sound modern replacement.

Then again, like with my old JB1's, you might find otherwise and have no cost-effective and equally worthy replacement options (not outside of semi-pro equipment circles, when it comes to recorders).

So there is some very sound logic behind having a spare, but it's the motivation behind getting a spare that is a candidate for serious thinking not just doing on a whim.

Personally, if you do go down that road, do it by getting a good used one - the price break (since i dont really forsee massive 'collectable' demand on the part of the iHP-1xx series) on a well-used by sound example vs end-of-line new examples could definately be in your favour for sheer spare purposes.

Also, it should be remembered that early examples (such as a good well-used but sound example would be most likely) are often the best ones - they are less prone to have been subject to progressive corner-cutting as happens to all late-release products.

An example of which include the moderate, not so hot, antishock performance and disc tolerence of the iMP-550. It's ok by most CDP standards (which are not overly great in the ASP department), but compared to the 250 and early-mid 350 CDP's, it's a bit of an embarassment. This may prove to be the case with the last-build iHP's, so if you do choose to seek a spare one, think early-mid release years not end-of-line builds.