Hi Larry, it appears (to me) that the ONLY reason your Technics dealer said that is because he needs to continue to sell KN6500s. If he acknowledged the US release of the KN7000, he would effectively be discouraging people from purchasing KN6500s. Sounds like he's a real 'shrewd' businessman. I'm confident that the KN7000 will be available here in the US by the end of the year. If you can, I'd recommend holding off a purchase until the KN7000 arrives. Just my opinion. - Scott