Why are brick and mortar HiFi dealers so bad?

One more recommendation for John Rutan and staff at Audioconnection in Verona.

There are a few left in SoCal: Try Audio Revelation in the San Marcos/Carlsbad area; Jay has been amazingly helpful regarding cartridges and phono preamps (including having the designer of my phono preamp call me--from Switzerland!-- to debug a noise problem I was having, then fabricate a custom length umbilical which he swapped out--for free- with the standard length cable.  You don't get service like that anymore from very many dealers.  I also used to patronize Jonas Miller (Santa Monica), Absolute Audio (Santa Ana), and Havens & Hardesty (Huntington Beach and two other locations).  Ah, those were the days!

I'll tell you about my experience with Graeme at CDF in Montreal. I went there for the first time wanting a little info on a Line Magnetics amp knowing that he sold said product. I didn't want to irk anyone so I told him up front that I had seen one of these used and thought of buying it. I'll never forget his reaction. His very words were "Go for it! I've got you covered". I have been a loyal customer ever since and have highly recommended him to anyone looking for SET and high sensitivity speakers. Extremely knowledgeable! 

The Audio Connection (Seattle) is one of the very few places you can audition Chapman speakers, which should be better known than they are.

Here in Asheville NC I'm basically limited to:
-Best Buy, with it's always changing floor personnel.  You generally know more than the sales person, so it's 'get in/get out'.
-Guitar Center, good for the odd hardware-ish stuff.  If you're not buying an 'axe' or drum kit, you're left alone.
-Moog; the museum is fun, but...*shrug*

ATL is the closest 'serious' venue for Anything.
Just because AG is in Greenville doesn't mean squat.  AG itself is an 'on-line entity' without a storefront....

Other than the venues listed above by their supporters, the storefront 'boutique audio shop' is a rare breed.  Treat them well, give them your support and business when you can.

I've visited various vendors in the Triangle area, Charlotte, and others in my travels with a 500 mi. radius of 'home'.  Most are HT shops; when I walk in I get 'short-shrift', since I'm driving my company Dodge dually (a 'working truck', not a 'Cowboy Cadillac' that will Never see dirt).

Most of what I see within their walls is Familiar...
I haven't seen anything I would call 'exotic' since I  lived in the Houston metro area some 15 years ago....

That was the last time I saw some Krell gear.

It's become an 'on-line world'.  Resign self to 'shipping costs' to/from your door, or lavish your IRL time to your 'local' shop...

...or they will follow the dodo into extinction.

(Hi dwmaggie...;) ^5's *G*)