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life without audio dealers

currently there is a thread eliciting comments regarding the purpose of audio dealers. i would like to go a step further and consider the question:

what would it be like without audio dealers ?

in order to answer this question one should analyze the activities of audio dealers, such as:

providing an opportunity to audition stereo systems.

possibly lending components.

providing advice as to component selection, providing repair service for components under warranty and providing information as to how to deal with component "malfunction" which do not require a technician.

the obvious, namely, ordering and selling components, both new and used

i maintain that auditioning components at a dealer's store is usually not helpful. if you cannot listen in your own stereo system, the demo may be useless.

some dealers may lend components over the weeekend , or for longer periods of time. this is a very useful service.

advice may not be useful, as there is no guarantee that a recomendation if purchased will satisfy your needs. providing advice when a component acts up may be helpful at times. providing service during a warranty period is of value.

lastly selling a component may be necessary if one wants to buy new and is willing to pay the price.

as a consumer, i prefer buying direct from the manufacturer. in that context many of the dealer functions are now provided by the manufacturer.

it would seem that a dealer is not indispensable and while there might be some inconvenience in absence of dealers, i don't think i would suffer too much if there weren't any dealers.
mrtennis

Showing 2 responses by onhwy61

onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,334 posts
 
If you can't reliably and repeatedly extrapolate the listening evaluation from a dealer's showroom to your own system it implies that the sonic differences between equipment is very small yet somehow still critical, which is something of a contradiction. Or it could mean that a 2 or 3 hour listening session is not sufficient to judge a product's sound which would throw into question all the hifi show judgments and most "at a friend's house" listening sessions that are recited here on Audiogon.

A good audio dealer is hard to find, but once uncovered and a working relationship established they are most useful for their facilities, opinions and experience. To use their services knowing that you're going to be mail order/internet is far worst than even going slow in the left lane.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,334 posts
 
Mrtennis, if the audiophile world were to devolve into small manufacturers directly marketing their products, then how many electrostatic speakers do you think would be on the market? Small may be beautiful but it's not particularly economically efficient nor do truly small companies spend much on R&D. The end result could be higher prices for less innovative products.

The music business may offer insight into what you propose. The major record labels have basically withdrawn from new artist development which leaves new bands with the problem of how to get their music heard. The internet, constant touring, OST or TV placements, video games, etc. are all being used. But from the consumers' POV how does one shift through all the media for something they would like? The record labels once served as a filter for getting the best, well at least the best commercially viable, music to the public. The audio dealer also serves such a function. In a world with hundreds of audio manufacturers it's a valuable function.
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