Dealer Bias: Do They Really Add Value?

I have to disagree with a few of Angela100's points. First, the audio hobby existed LONG before the internet. I have been involved in audio since I was a child. If anything, there is a continued and steady decline in the amount of people who want to understand the hobby. True, we obsess over so much more now(cables, quality of AC power going into our components, the room, contact treatments, etc.) than in the past. But, many of us are the same people. We are just making progress. A lot of the people I see now(even on the internet) are in this hobby for inexplicable reasons. They must either have no idea what they are doing, or are impossible to please. Only in it for some type of status. Why else would they change gear so much with no rhyme or reason? Unfortunately, this has always been part of the territory, but so much more prevalent now. Secondly, I do not find the internet to be the bargain most hail it to be. How many products on this site can you buy in the box at a 40% discount??? Give me a concrete list of examples. I find many of the Audiogon dealers to advertise their merchandise at LIST PRICE. I have bought most of my equipment through brick and mortar dealers(and have even worked in a dealership), and have found them to offer discounts. Everything I have bought has been at a discount. And, I would even venture to say(via experience) that you may often be more likely to get that 40% discount at a brick and mortar dealer. The dealership I worked at discounted EVERYTHING right off the bat. Not typical, but not an anomaly either. And if you bargained(the same way you do for an automobile), you could get a GREAT deal. Example, I saw new PSB Gold i speakers(retail $2599) go for as low as $1300 for demos, and $1500 for new(in stock or by placing an order). Dealer cost was $1200. And what of used equipment? What had traditionally been something ALWAYS sold for 50% of original cost has changed drastically. Witness the prices asked for in these classified. Or even worse, the obscene prices fetched in auctions. I do agree that the internet has really hit the brick and mortars hard. But, some have also flourished. The place I worked at for example. We were strictly a local dealer. But, when companies like Adcom, Carver, PSB, etc. listed us on their websites, our business skyrocketed. No longer limited to people in the neighborhood, we had people coming in from all over the country(or ordering over the phone). And, when they found out the deals they were getting, word of mouth only expanded things. And before I am labelled a brick and mortar cheerleader, look at a lot of my past posts. I think most dealers are absolute slime(especially the one I worked for).

Sorry to drift off point Cwlondon. I do agree with your points on dealers. I firmly believe that the audiophile should rely on his two ears, whatever lies between them, and his heart. Anything outside of these things is irrelevant. This is not a team sport. One should only concern himself with his own pleasure. Finding his own bliss, whatever that may be. A dealer will more often than not, pollute one's opinions. His tool for such pollutions is good old fashioned balderdash. This is especially true for a novice in this field. As time goes by, and confidence is developed, one hopefully learns to accept his own tastes, not apologize for them, and assemble a system to make him happy. Imagine during the dark ages of tubes(mid 70's to mid 80's), someone with the courage to stand up and pronounce that he preferred the sound of tubes to the absolutely AWFUL solid state of the era. The blasphemy! Solid state measures better(of course, we are not measuring it with music. Only 8 and 4 ohm resistors). Someone willing to trust his instincts. Not afraid to say a 35 watt Heathkit actually SOUNDS superior to that 1000 watt(remember those days?) solid state, Japanese receiver. Imagine the reactions he faced from the dealers. That guy listened to himself, and NOT the dealers. There stood a true audiophile.

Great post, Bmpnyc! Sadly, far too common in high end.