This is where dealers can play a big role too. My local dealers had a great relationship with the speaker manufacturer (vivid) and designer (dickie) and when a small repair was needed, they had them on the phone walking a local technician through the repair. I can’t tell you if they would have responded to me personally with the same generosity, but it was fun for them to help out in the context of their relationship with my dealer. Made me really happy and probably helped the dealer sell more units with that story to tell about their customer service.
Advantages of owning equipment from major audio brands vs. boutique shops?
As someone new to home audio, the many brands of equipment is overwhelming. I learn about a new brand almost daily. Today it was Valvet and their A4 MKII monoblocks. Is it correct to assume that advantage to owning equipment from the major players is a result of the dollars they invest in R&D and the company stability, translating to piece of mind via their warranty, and the ability to get a component repaired? I would think resale value also plays a factor.
Because the small shops often sell direct, cutting out layers of profit, there appear to be some good deals on well performing kit. Other than price, are there advantages to investing in boutique brand equipment? It seems the offset to a better price might be their instability in the market, resulting in possibly owning a very heavy, expensive paper weight should they close their doors and your component need service, and a lessor resale value.