What Are Your Audio Morals?

I have struggled with this issue of auditionong equipment knowing a sale was at best dubious. In my area we have few high-end shops; coupled with the advent of used product availability over the net, I find it remarkable that dealers retain open doors. A high-end buddy, who opened an audio shop lives on home installs of predominately video systems. He carries a decent selection of well-known manufacturers,i.e. Krell, Thiel, Mcintosh, Aerial, Genesis, Classe, but unfortunately the risk of bringing lines of the more esoteric introduces too much risk. I feel for him and anyone else trying to succeed in this most specialized of retail offerings.

The last product I did buy from him, which incidently proved to be my last retail purchase, was Sony's SACD player. Being a newly introduced product none were available within these or comparable sites. He discounted for me, but not within reach of the used market plateaus. I cannot, at this time, justify purchasing a product from a retailer, with the competive availability. The outrageous pricing, most markedly in the cable industry, has forced the used market to flourish. Without it, my system is frightfully different.

As for taking advantage of dealers, my philosophy holds strong fiat. I have completely disassociated from the institution, even barring phone exchange. Galen Carol used to receive a hand full of calls annualy, but I morally believe, without the potential towards purhase, I have no right. How the retailing market of high-end evolves, vis-a-vis the preowned, may strongly effect the industry as a whole.

Fpeel-- such language :>) What did we do before the advent of the internet? Personally, I've only used i-net purchasing for the last year and a half or so. Prior to that, I used a combination of a good local dealer (and their annual 20% off sale), and mail order dealers.

In those not so distant days, I paid much more for audio gear too. I think the real issue is can "brick and mortar" high end audio dealers stay in business without using the internet? And how will they compete?

It's my feeling that it's going to be really tough for them. I personally think that only those manufacturers and dealers that can find a way to compete with/in cyberspace are going to survive. My local dealer has survived by getting into HT like so many others-- and inevitably they are carrying less pure audio gear.

As to this specific topic, I use a combination of a local dealer and the internet for my audio purchases. But I don't abuse the dealer. Cheers. Craig.

Fpeel -

You got me to go back and read your original post. For the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone would rate it negative. Then again, I've gotten "-2,-2" for mentioning that I'd be in LA soon and would enjoy meeting to audition power cords!

By the way, are you talking about Bay Area Audio? They carry those exact lines. And like you, I stick my head in every few months for the exact reasons you gave (although I did buy a CD player from them in addition to the cheap cable).

Cheers,
Jordan

Sorry Plasmatronic for disrupting your very thoughtful thread with the above uncalled for comments. Not my proudest moment. Also a sincere apology to anyone who read and may have been offended. Sincerely Will

my audio morality is simple: if you can satisfy me i'll do business with you. here's the trip... when i started buyng separates 30 years ago i made myself a rule: buy the top of the range from any manufacturer. in this way i'd never feel like i got second best. but as my tastes matured so did the price tags and this philosophy became difficult to rationally implement. but with the advent of online used shopping i've refound my compass. sure the stuff i dig now is ten years old, but i can rest easy knowing it was once the best of its kind. however... when only new will do, i research on my own and go to a dealer fully intending to buy from him; back stabbing never enters the picture. otherwise i wouldn't be there and this is why i am... over the years, roughly a third of my new purchases have been defective right out of the box. beyond that i have never suffered a malfunction *knocks wood* in any 'high-end' piece of equipment, new or used. so besides acting as the means of my instant gratification, the primary service a dealer provides me is making good on defective new units. so ok, who wants to sell me a cherry threshold fet ten/e with a silver faceplate? *s*