Yyzsantabarbara, thanks for posting the link. This article is encouraging. I guess my perception that the the love of music and quality sound is dying was thankfully not true. And the article points out as you do, that younger people are more interested than I knew. I need to try harder to seek out these people. That’s where you learn about new music (new to me, anyway) and great gear that I haven’t heard.
What’s really hurting the audio hobby?
Maybe it’s the audio dealer experience? Where else can newbies go to get started in this hobby. Isn't that where most of you got hooked? Let me describe my latest visit to an audio store nearby. I won’t use the store name here, as that’s not the point. Where I live there is really only one audio store left. That’s strange because I live in a very wealthy community. The Friday after Independence day, me and a friend went to this local audio store. First time back there in years. We are both looking to upgrade. They have 3 audio rooms and two home theater rooms. The hi-end audio room (the store’s term) was an impressive room with extensive acoustic treatments. Mostly McIntosh gear. Sitting in the listening chair, you are looking at 600 watt Mac monoblocks running some nice tower speakers. A massive JL Audio Gotham subwoofer unit sat front and center facing the only listening chair. The McIntosh turntable was spun first. Sloooowww. It took my friend less than five seconds to point out the TT was running slow. The salesman had started to play Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here, and it was noticeably slow. So the salesman flipped the switch to 45 rpm. Yes, that happened. He figured out it was too fast all on his own. Fiddle and poke at the TT for a bit and then the salesman said- "I’ll let them know it’s broke". Then he said he would just stream some music from a server. Bass! All you could hear was bass, and NOT good bass. He turned the subs down a little when asked, but all you could hear was tubby, muddy bass. The big tower speakers were overpowered by the sub. I really wanted to hear what the main speakers alone sounded like, but could not get the salesman to shut off the subs. On to the mid-fi room (the store’s term). The salesman tried to play us two different turntables. Neither turntable worked. One would not power up, and one was not hooked up to a system at all. Let me point out we didn’t care what source they used. I did say we both run analog and digital sources. Nothing interesting in the mid-fi room the first time through. Next room (no name) was a wall of bookshelf and small towers run by a wide selection of integrated amps. Not bad sound from some. Again, we were told this is “streaming quality audio”. This was the third time he mentioned we were listening to streaming quality audio. I took a guess at what that meant and asked if we could hear higher quality audio. So he took us back to the mid-fi room. He popped in a CD.I could not tell what CD equipment was being used. I think a Rotel integrated was selected. Everything in the cabinet was black faced behind dark glass. Not sure what CD it was either, but since he only had one, I let it go.
Big change! The Paradigm towers were now making good sounds. A big difference from his “streaming quality” demo. Next we switched to a pair of GE Triton 1s. I seriously might get a pair! They make nice sounds. By far the best thing we heard. There was more that happened that contributed to a poor experience, but I will move on.
Here is my point- What would anyone new to the hobby think of that experience? It took two seasoned audio guys pushing the salesman for over an hour before he played anything worth listening to. Would you buy anything from this place. Would you send a newbie in there? Let me know if I'm off base in thinking these audio stores are killing themselves off by the way they do business. Or is it just my misfortune that I have not been in a good dealer showroom in years?
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I think the taste for music in my case is genetic. My folks tell me as a baby I was the most content with a small transistor radio in my crib. I remember as a 10 year+ listening to the radio on a broken single Sony speaker until 6AM because the music was so good late at night. Now I have a toddler of my own (3 years) and I watch him when he comes into my office and just goes crazy when he hears music out of my KEF LS50’s (his future bedroom system). He is a bit like the monkeys in 2001 A Space Odyssey when they discover the monolith. That’s genetics at work I think. A future music lover and maybe an audiophile. Hey it's 1:30 AM and I woke up to hear music on the radio. |
The title of you post sure hit a nerve like a political headline with the forum! I had an initial response because I did not think your title exactly jibed with your experience and I was going ask and comment about hobby vs purchasing. After reading the pages of responses and being the weary hater/pessimist I am, I would like for all to repose the same questions you asked of dealers and apply it to the responses for this thread. What would you think of the experience of a newbie reading this thread? Would that encourage or help start anyone new to this online audiophile community? How about the rest of these threads? Much of your described experience at the store appears similar to how I view the experience of this as well as other forums and websites of so called audiophiles. Also - you went into a store where nothing initially worked but you spent another hour in there anyway? |
In some cases its the dealers that hurt the audio business.. They become disloyal to the brands and MAP policy of the brands they carry.. Soon everyone is cutting prices and undercutting the products value. Soon the other dealers have no reason to carry the product because no one can afford to sell audio as a non-profit.. The bricks and mortar can’t survive on nothing, and thats about the margin that remains, after Amazon and Ebay sellers cut everyones throat.. Most audio manufacturers have policies that forbid auction sites or Amazon. Dealers pop up anyway, and 3rd parties are used to sell at these sites as a shell game to avoid MAP enforcement.. Greed and the resulting fight for survival by retailers has created much of todays environment. When we search for the cheapest price on audio gear, we are really looking for a dealer who is wiling to undercut, and violate the policy to the manufacturer.. The unknowing consumer will buy on price alone, thinking they got a great deal from a great dealer.. Thats not exactly how this works, it is exactly how this doesn’t work, imho.. Dealers undercutting the brands they agree to support and consumers looking for a crazy deal.. Put it together and this is the result. Greed is the issue any way you want to look at it, imho.. I follow the manufacturer policy and don’t cut the throats of the companies, who’s policies that I agreed to follow when signing up with them. My small business will stay small due to never having the cheapest price, but thats ok.. I have low overhead and could cut throats with the best of them. No thanks, I’ll find another business to start, if this one in audio can’t survive and profit honestly.. No one wants to pay more, and many of the online, cut throat dealers have no loyalty to the brands.. They undercut the bricks and motor dealers, they undercut the dealers who actually support the companies they carry, by honoring the policies. The undercut the companies who’s brand they carry.. Is a dealer thats undercutting the companies product, by violating the policy they agreed to, worth the cheap price? Thats the buyers choice and we have seen the long term results. Unless you are in a major city, the dealers are gone.. If people are unaware of this, or just don’t care, with price being the only priority. Then the decline will continue and we can eat, sleep and work for Amazon or Ebay in the future.. Its a free market but people should be educated.. We can brag and take pleasure in the cut throat deal we made, but also realize that those same dealers continue to drive nails into the coffin of this industry. Take those killer deals and smile.. Just don’t be surprised when you watch the continued decline of manufactures as their brands get devalued by the dealers who supposedly support them. Manufactures request dealers to report violators to MAP policies.. I report them, the manufacturer knocks them down and another pops up.. Kind of like a game you may remember as a kid. Wack one and another pops up.. Some dealers are the problem and unknowing customers help drive the industry into the ground jumping on the greed bandwagon.. It is what it is, but we can’t have it both ways. Just another point of view, Vinyl.. Just a humble opinion so no need for anyone to get offended.. Unless your a cut throat dealer, I don’t mind offending you! Lol.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TPCbmzpkM4 |
@jimclarkstereo, Good points! I used to try to support my local dealer, and I felt we had a good working relationship. But then came the internet and the 50 mile round journey seemed excessive. Laziness / greed were both factors in my online buying re that particular dealer. Then there was also the fact that I wanted move beyond the Linn/Naim paradigm... |
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