Burned out hi fi salesman

I agree with CS. But as a consumer it's your job to find the best deal for yourself. It's hard to figure out whether a piece of equipment is good. Many dealers balk when you want to bring your own stuff in and hook it up. Better to go with the ones who will let you. Ever hear something at a show that sounded awful that got a good review? Ever hear the reviewer mention the room set up in the review? No. Of course not. Who was right? You or them? Judgement call. This is why people read the forums in the first place, isn't it? People buy here after listening (hopefully) b/c many dealers screw you when you bring back a busted amp and tell you "act of god" or worse "they all do that" instead of actually honoring the warranty. I am not impressed by name dropping expensive equipment. And that is the worst thing about 'gon. Most of the best albums I own were recorded in someone's basement or loft - hardly as nice a set-up as the playback gear on the system lists. I have not been screwed by a dealer but I have had many try. I would be more loyal - there are a couple I support - but many just do not care if they lose more business b/c you got a heads up from them during the sales pitch: "You need new speakers with that amp", "You can't use those interconnects they aren't grounded right", "Broken cartridge? Well, I'm philosphical about the no warranty thing". Right... I'd rather give my money to indy record stores.

Funny and interesting thread. While I don't necessarily agree with the 5% notion, I do agree that you get more for your money than ever before, and that you can put together a fantastic-sounding system for cheaper than ever before. And because of this, I don't find it surprising that the role of the dealer has diminished and that people are price driven.

Isn't it a bit of a dichotomy, though, that in this same thread we're talking about how we're pursuing that last 5% and we're bemoaning why the market doesn't support independent dealers, etc.? There aren't many people who care enough to pursue the last 5% of performance, especially at the price differential, so support any retail outlets. That's no difference than any other specialty industry, and shouldn't be surprising.

The whole music industry seems to want to be able to get away with a 1980's business model, and the high-end wants to follow. I don't know why it's such a revelation that most of the world has passed this by.

Think of stereo equip as a hill with an increasing slope, the difference in quality is narrowed as you go higher, but the price increases exponentially. But i find there is a "sweet spot" between price and performance.

(thanks to audiogon and ebay, most ppl can take their systems up a notch without price increase)

I visited a stereo shop in Orange County, So Cal a couple years ago and the salesman insisted that everything I owned was esoteric since it wasn't made by the brands he carried such as Audio Research, Magnapan or Pass Labs. He was really out of touch and uninterested in anything new. Later when I spoke to A'Gon member Viggen about that experience he said he'd been there and talked to the same guy. He said that salesman was crying about his life to him. Oh boy.

Life is the view from a moving train. Every time you look out the window the scenery has changed. If you ride with your eyes closed like that salesman was doing, you are unaware of the scenery changes. All your perceptions will be based upon your most recent data. I would submit that many of the blue chip audio manufacturers are way out of touch and that the magazines help to keep them that way by rubber stamping praise for every product they introduce whether it is new or not.
There is stagnation at every level.