What happened to all the highend stereo shops

@thefile 

I believe the offensive (and subsequently removed) post was penned by @crlambert and NOT by @grislybutter 

@grislybutter was responding to the post

To your original post, I believe alot of audio folks miss the almost clubhouse kindof feel so many great audio stores once evoked. The kind where you could hang out and not feel pressure to buy.

I do think people need to recognize that people consume and purchase music and audio gear differently today. I see the random posting, predicting the impending doom of high end audio. 2021 was the best year in the history of high end audio, eclipsed only by 2022. There are more high end companies today making better gear than ever before. Innovation is happening at warp speed which is why it may be hard to observe by those merely watching their own particular brick and mortar dealer. Businesses come and businesses go, nothing remains the same....thank goodness.

@thefile 

None of my comments were removed as @ghasley  said. 

Regardless, many think I don't belong to this forum and I often agree with that 😊

It would seem that the moderators and administration on this forum, have taken it upon themselves to censor our comments?

 No one has the authority or the power to infringe upon someone else's Freedom of Speech ! That is a direct infringement upon my 1st Amendment Rights !

 You can delete all of my statements that you want, but that doesn't erase the evidence ! Once something is on the Internet, it's there forever and can be pulled up at a later date !

 I didn't get foul. I didn't lie. I merely stated the TRUTH and the facts are out there to back them up !

 I merely defended God and my religion. I was defending what is moral, what is just, and what is proper !

 Apparently the moderators of the forum, don't agree with what is just and moral?

 Apparently they have no problem defending things that are immoral and rebellious to God and Christianity.

That's a shame, because there is so much information to be gleaned here.

It would appear, that I have actually learned a lot more than I was looking for...

@crlambert

1) Its a private audio forum.

2) The first ammendment only protects you from governmental censorship. A private enterprise, person or entity may tune you out and censor your words at will.

3) Just because someone doesn’t give a hoot what you think about religion on an audio forum doesn’t make them any less spiritual than you think you are.

4) You are coming off as a zealot. No one wants to listen to a zealot.

5) Stop whining. Discuss audio, share your audio thoughts or your thoughts about the topic of this thread. That would be cool.

6) I believe in God, I believe she is all knowing, she enjoys tube gear, she hates solid state gear and she also believes that cables make a significant contribution to sound quality…not that anyone on an audio forum should be subjected to my beliefs…or your beliefs.

I've not had great experiences going into high end shops in the past few years: 

- When I was upping my game I wanted to hear the upper line of Martin logan speakers, largely bc I've love them since I was a kid but also because those models 15a 13a 11a were designed to self correct in an asymmetrical room such as ours. And I wanted to hear a variety of top grade amps. The first place in nyc basically told me i was an idiot if i bought anything other than B&W driven by Mcintosh. Left without listening to them.  They had the ML but didn't want to play them for me.   

- The other NYC place was pretty great, I'll give them (always liked d and respected them) that but didn't have the gear i thought we wanted.  We did like the guys but didn't like the top B&Ws at all. Rockports sounded good but still wanted to hear those MLs.

- Went to a place upstate on the way to our country place and at first one guy seemed pretty cool and I bought a piece of two but then they insulted me and my wife as we were leaving without realizing we could totally hear them behind the fake wall. I don't think they raise everyone can hear their snide/condescending comments,  but they blew a pretty good sale since i liked some of their gear and it was in the running for the pricier gear we bought.   

 - And lyric shut down before i could get back there, seriously, i nearly cried. Maybe i did.  Loved them since i was a teenager.   

- started looking for other showrooms and gave up, just started picking up on good deals I found on gear I knew I Cid make my money back on:  

Pass 350.8, vac sig II, holo may kte, aurendar n200, rel 812's, and my favorite: martin Logan CLX Art speakers.  Ppl weep when they hear their favorite songs on them.   

But man, I do wish there was a great store that I could've bonded with someone over the cultivating of this remarkable system.