don’t be afraid of stores that also do home theater. Some of the finer two channel stores also provide home theater service. probably part of the formula that has allowed them to survive.
Nowhere to hear speakers and amps anymore!
When I started buying stereo equipment in the 1970’s (yes, I’m old) in Seattle, there were many retail stores where I could hear and compare equipment. I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1982 and found the same number of great stores until 2000 when they started disappearing and now there are none! There are plenty of Home Theater contractors, but I can’t find an audiophile store anywhere short of going to LA or back to Seattle! Is there an “audio desert” in my area? Seems like an opportunity for someone! Am I missing something?
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Even in large cities, there aren't as many shops. The idea of a dealer network has been successfully challenged by direct sales models, which diminishes the opportunities to audition equipment in a showroom. Some manufacturers at the high end have taken the boutique approach where they showcase their products along with a few partner company products. Bang & Olufsen does this. Magnolia is the largest seller, and even then, there are limited ranges of gear on sale: speakers by KEF, Definitive Technology, Martin-Logan, B&W, electronics by Marantz, Denon, but not McIntosh, at least not everywhere. |
@aldermine - the unfortunate thing about Audio Vision is you don't get all day to audition as much as you want for your $250. I got to audition 3 speakers (plus the ones I brought in as reference) for an hour or so in total. Fortunately, I found something that was just right for me, but others may not be as lucky. |
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