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What's going on with the audio market?

Recent retail sales reports are very bad and I am hearing that sales for audio equipment have been nonexistent over the past few months.  I also see more dealers putting items up for sale here and on other outlets.  Even items that have traditionally sold quickly here are expiring without being sold. 

To what would you attribute the slowdown?  Have you changed your buying habits for audio equipment and, if so, why? 
theothergreg

Showing 2 responses by ejr1953

ejr1953
921 posts
 
My local dealer is in the process of expanding from two "brick and mortar" stores, to three.
Having said that, over the years they have de-emphasized music audio systems, increasing their emphasis in theater systems.
High-end audio systems is such a "niche market", bound to have ripples in the demand.
I'll never forget working at a dealer about 35 years ago, on the news a bump in the stock market, reduction in unemployment, reduction in interest rates and my boss bumped his orders up for products that moved well and we had the worst drought in sales for about three months...couldn't explain it.
ejr1953
921 posts
 
I've always scratched my head when I read that the advertisers target the younger crowd.  I'm 62 years old and have a LOT more discretionary income than about 99% of those "gen whatevertheyarecallednowers".

Back in the late 70's/early 80's I worked at some high-end audio shops and the ebbs and flows in the sales cycles defied reason.  Yes, we were prepared for a slowdown in purchases during the summer vacation season, but I'll never forget watching NBC news, unemployment ticked down, interest rates ticked down but for some reason people stopped buying audio equipment for the next 2-3 months.

High-end audio is such a niche market, I don't think the larger trends in the economy effect the sales of this sort of equipment so much.
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