Sales people , any industry, are motivated by one thing: making money. They aren't there to make you happy, they are there to make money. It really is like buying a car; it takes effort and skill on your part to derive a benefit from their expertise. the choices will be limited to what they have on hand.
Would you trust a local dealer to help you put
together a modest system. (think $10k). Let's say you got tired of the whole "system building on my own thing." If you had a good local dealer, would you go take a chance on them and say "I want speakers, an amp and preamp (or integrated) that will sound good in a small to medium size family room." "I already have my sources." What's your take on this?