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Keeping Audiophilia And The Love Of Music Alive & Well!

This is a little something I just posted in Stereophile that I thought I should also post here for what I think are obvious reasons.

How many times have we read or heard how difficult it is for some folks to audition equipment they're interested in because there simply aren't enough or any quality audio shops within a reasonable distance? I would wager we've all noticed a steady decline in the number of audio shops just about everywhere, even in large cities and metropolitan areas.  As a lover of music and audiophile, I think this is kind of sad.  There once were, at least, 2 or 3 shops within a half hour drive from where I presently live.  Now, there are none.  They've all gone out of business.  With the exception of one shop with a reasonably good inventory about 45 minutes away, I have to trek 2 hours or more to shops with a good inventory and selection.  I avoid buying stuff from on-line sellers, as much as possible, to support my local shops, even if it means paying a little more. With this in mind, I offer this for what it's worth.

I know some audio shops occasionally host demonstrations of various products for groups of their patrons and/or interested audiophiles, in general. From the little I've seen & read about these conclaves, it looks like this is mostly done by large or relatively large shops. Obviously, they probably tend to have large enough sound or demonstration rooms to accommodate this sort of thing. I'm further assuming there is probably some sort of advertising involved to promote such events (e.g. mailing lists; newspaper ads; website notices; etc.) and admission, understandably, needs to be limited. What I don't know is if the larger shops who do this sort of thing charge some sort of cover-charge or admission fee or just write it off as a business expense in the hopes of generating increased sales. Free admission to open houses like this sounds like something much more easily accommodated by larger shops, versus smaller operations. Regardless, I wonder if it might not benefit smaller shops to consider doing this sort of thing and actually charging admission because it would, necessarily, involve a smaller crowd of patrons and/or interested audiophiles. For that matter, in order to circumvent the seating capacity issue, maybe an alternative acoustically appropriate venue could be considered?

A fellow audiophile friend and I often wax philosophical about components we wish we could responsibly afford but, unfortunately, will likely always remain in the unobtainium sphere for us unless we win the lottery or walk into an audio shop in an altered state of mind. Really! What audiophiles don't wax philosophical about stuff like this? In fifty years, I've never met one!

In addition to our willingness to pay a reasonable admission fee to hear top shelf gear, we would be even more interested in hearing fair A/B shoot-outs between or amongst, as the case may be, audio toys that captivate our interest.

I'm wondering what you audiophiles out there in the great ether think about this idea.

oldaudiophile

Showing 7 responses by stuartk

stuartk
2,432 posts
 

I guess I'm in the minority but I refuse to buy expensive gear based solely upon a showroom demo as part of a system that is different from my own, in a room that is different from my room, with no return policy. 

And I don't lament the demise of shops employing this business model. 

stuartk
2,432 posts
 
@millercarbon:

First of all, I don't buy from big box sellers. 

More to the point, I'm not an engineer by profession, sensibility or inclination-- I'm an artistic sort who has little interest in why/how a given component works. What I do care about is how it sounds. . . to me. . . in my system. . . in my room.  The most reliable strategy I've found for such research is to hear it at home. If demoing gear in this manner disqualifies me from membership in the elite echelons of audiophilia, I really don't care. 
stuartk
2,432 posts
 
@edcyn: 

"...the rise of mail order and the web have democratized the landscape and have made it so any itchy-fingered wannabe audiophile can enter the game".

Just wondering... is this meant to be a joke or are you serious? 


stuartk
2,432 posts
 
@jehab:"Forgive me for speaking for edcyn, but I think he was serious, though meant it in a different tone than you perceived due to his word choice. Try substituting "eager and aspiring" for "itchy-fingered wannabe" to read it another way. I dare to comment thusly because I consider myself such an audiophile, having never set foot in a high-end retailer."

I'm not convinced you're accurate in your genereous interpretation of edcyn's post, but I do appreciate your motive. There is, unfortunately an undeniable element of elitism/snobbishness in this hobby that I dislike intensely. No doubt my growing intolerance for it has a tendency to color my reaction to certain posts, here. 


stuartk
2,432 posts
 
@oldaudiophile:

The more expensive the gear, the less likely I'd be to base a purchase on an in-store demo, with no chance of return.  I would never lay down $2500, let alone $10,000 on any component that I could not first hear in my system, in my room. But that's me-- I'm neither sufficiently wealthy nor sufficiently enamored of risk to embark upon such an "adventure".  

On the other hand, millercarbon appears to have developed strategies that enable him to make repeated successful gear purchases without demos of any kind. Perhaps he'd be willing to share this info with you. 
stuartk
2,432 posts
 
@oldaudiophile:

  "I like to think I've acquired enough audiophile smarts over the years to be able to factor in variables like different sound rooms, different acoustics, source equipment, etc. I always make a point of controlling for as many of those variables as possible when I make appointments, to the point of specifically requesting which components I want the shops to use if they don't have something exactly like what I have. I even ask them, for example, specifically how I want speakers set up in the sound room. In short, I try to replicate or, rather, approximate as closely as possible, the conditions I have to contend with at home. In this last experience, the speakers I bought actually sound better under my roof than they did in the showroom".

Sorry for implying you might need assistance-- clearly, you know very well what you're doing ! 

I do a lot of research as well, largely due to the fact that my budget for audio is relatively modest, which means I often look at products from smaller, lesser-know manufacturers, as they may offer more for one's dollar. For example, I first read about Wells amps in a thread about Salk speakers and came across mention of Aqua DACS in a similarly oblique fashion. Jeff Wells shipped me a demo Majestic and Alma Music in San Diego sent me a demo Aqua La Voce. When research led to the conclusion that a SimAudio 280 transport was probably the best choice for my budget, I contacted the closest dealer, who refused to send me one. However, I was able to get one from a shop in Denver. In all three cases seller's flexibility in this regard led to my buying new units. 

I have monitors, so I'm never going to be wrestling with 100 lb cabinets but I can certainly sympathize with the dilemma that demoing such units at home might pose. I lack your self-confidence, however, so I'd still insist upon a home demo, rather than listening in a showroom. 

stuartk
2,432 posts
 
@oldaudiophile:

Yes-- I'm quite pleased with the results. I have no plans to ever upgrade any of my components except possibly the speakers-- but that will be simply to move to the current model. 

I agree that it would be wonderful to have places where music lovers could experience at first hand the benefits of better quality audio-- especially more affordably-priced systems. Perhaps Classical and Jazz live music venues-- places where music lovers typically congregate? 

No doubt, people much more astute than I have pondered this. . . 

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