What do you expect?
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 9314 Registered: May-04 | . What do you expect from a high end audio dealer that you wouldn't expect, or don't now get, from another high end dealer of some other commodity? The premise of this thread is, I think, easier to grasp than it is to explain. The idea came from this thread; https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/284176.html Look for the germ of this thread in the posts starting with; Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 12:28 pm: The debate is that other industries have done a good job of promoting their products to a hungry-for-high-end-adventure/status/recognition population. But, the manner in which most of these products are sold is not comparable to what people expect from a high end audio dealer. Therefore, what is it you would expect from a high end audio dealer that you wouldn't expect from someone selling some other high end product? Along with the examples stated in the previous thread, some examples are: If you go into a Starbucks, do you expect the wait staff to give you an education on the history of the arabica bean as you would expect a high end audio shop to give you some background on the product lines they sell? Would you expect a high end coffee shop to have a comparison set up to display the difference between arabica and robusta beans as you might between tubes and solid state? If you go into a high end car dealership, do you expect them to let you bring your tires into the shop and try them out with several of their top line cars? If you buy a $70k car and it doesn't work with your present garage after you get it home, do you expect the dealer to take it back? Do you expect the car dealership to carry a selection that ranges from a $12k Kia to a $335k Mercedes? If the dealership is truly high end, do you expect them to display, demonstrate and stock a few $5k sets of wheels as you would with phono cartridges at a high end audio shop? Likewise, do you expect Starbucks to have ready a selection from a less expensive $.50 cup of coffee to a truly high end $100 cup of coffee? And let you sample a bit of each with no obligation to buy? If you buy a KitchenAid refrigerator, do you expect the salesperson to give you in home advice on how to set it up to get the best cooling? Do you know of any other high end product where the more money you spend, the less you want it to be noticed? Got it? . |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Lewisville, Tx USA Post Number: 209 Registered: May-06 | Jan, I hope you're fairly fond of your Honda.  |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 680 Registered: Oct-04 | In the case of the big-box store, competence, but I'll settle for English, and in the case of the up-scale shop, honesty & something less than full retail. |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 914 Registered: Nov-05 | Hmm, what to expect from a high end audio dealer: After speaking on the phone with the said high end audio dealer and telling him we were after something that will let us enjoy lots of various music, he emails me with a list of questions, type of music we prefer, the gear we've had in the past and what we liked about each component and speakers. I send that off and he replies with a verification of our appointment time, and offers to pick me and my wife up, with a selection of our favorite music, in a chauffer driven limo. Upon arrival, he settles us into comfortable chairs in a well fitted custom, air conditioned listening room, has his assistant serve selected exotic coffee and croissants, then goes about demonstrating various expensive components and speakers. After having him lug in and change out numerous heavy items, and try various cables, speaker positions, bi-wiring, bi-amping and so on, we finish the session then go for a light meal and some very fine wine in a nearby classy restaurant as his guests of course. Finally, he has us taken home in the limo to ponder on the day's session without applying any sales pressure whatsoever and thanks us profusely for allowing him to demonstrate his wares and service. Now, it's time to wake up and face reality. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Lewisville, Tx USA Post Number: 210 Registered: May-06 | CM, Then ask the dealer about discontinued items or demos. They will discount those items. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 9316 Registered: May-04 | . Ehhhhh, nobody got it. |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 681 Registered: Oct-04 | Sorry Jan, It's not for a lack of trying. |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Lewisville, Tx USA Post Number: 211 Registered: May-06 | You are actually wrong about nobody got it. I know exactly what you are talking about, otherwise I could not have the system I have today or enjoy it as much as I do. Too bad CM isn't in Dallas or Chicago, I could introduce him to a fine dealer or two. |
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New member Username: Rysa3Post Number: 3 Registered: Nov-06 | One of my freinds owns a coffee shop that competes successfully against nearby Starbucks. He knows more about coffee and doesnt burn his beans. I learned a lot about audio by being around other audio enthusiasts and CES too. Not so much from the higher end dealers but the really good ones dont have big stores. |
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Silver Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 683 Registered: Oct-04 | Michael, I've met several excellent salesmen in Manhaatan that absolutely were a pleasure to deal with, I've met many more who weren't, sometimes in the same store. On a side note, I live in Brooklyn, a borough with a population of 2.5 milion, and not a single upscale hi-fi shop (that I know of). |
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Silver Member Username: StefanomSilver Spring, MD United States Post Number: 240 Registered: Apr-06 | What do I expect from a high end audio dealer...I do expect a high degree of knowledge regarding the products that they carry. I don't expect them to carry every single speaker that a manufacturer has to offer, but I do expect them to have a sufficient range that I can form a conclusion about the strengths and weaknesses of a manufacturers line. I don't expect that they will let me bring in my own speakers for a comparo, but I do expect the ability to audition the speakers they do have in stock. I do expect the ability to custom build a system, piece by piece; auditioning various cd players with various amplifiers with various speakers. As far as high end commodities go, speakers are uncommon because A: They are a long term purchase. B: It is incredibly subjective (moreso than automobiles IMO). C: System synergy is extremely important (a good set of tires is a good set of tires). As far as a comparison goes, I would say high end audio is most like wine. Wineries let you sample. They tend to be very knowledgable about their product, and without a doubt should be able to tell you the history of the grape used in the wine, and be able to tell you the differences among the various wines, etc. I imagine they could also advise me on how to have the best possible experience with the wine I choose. Given that it is a consumable however, I don't expect them to take it back if I don't like it at home (which unlike speakers, the experience shouldn't change between two locations). I also expect I can get the full range of their products at any given time (which could range drastically in price depending on aging, etc). |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1505 Registered: May-05 | When thinking about what I expect in a Hi-Fi shop, I keep coming back to one store - Accent on Music in Mt. Kisco, NY. They do pretty much everything I expect, and more. Most of their demos are done by appointment, but they don't look down on walk-in customers. If a room and sales person is available, they'll spend as much time as they can. It's a family owned and operated business. They don't claim that the gear they sell is the best. It's their favorite. Their is other stuff out their, what's best is whatever your ear prefers. They display and demo everything they carry. The only thing missing was a Rega Apollo, which was on back order at the time, so it wasn't their fault. Just about all of their gear is in hallways, rather than listening rooms. When you ask to hear something, they bring it in. No small listening room lined with speakers everywhere and none are set up optimally. When I was their, I was looking into their least expensive gear by far, and I wasn't treated any differently than the guy who was demoing an approximately $75K set up. They explain the strengths and weakness of the specific room before they even get started. The room I was in was a little "live," and had some echo to it, as demonstrated by the salesman. The gear is presented and set up optimally for the room. They help you listen through the equipment by telling you to forget about all the 'audiophile' stuff, and just listen to the music. Forget about soundstaging, imaging, etc. for a few minutes. Listen to the music and it's message. Hear and feel it's emotion. After you listen to a few tracks without the salesperson saying anything, then they'll ask you what you think. Likes, dislikes, strengths, weakness. They'll explain which part of the chain is causing what, and swap out equipment to back up their claims. The fully explain technical aspects of the gear. When they can't answer something, they don't make up an answer. Simply, 'I don't know. I'll look it up/make a phone call' if it's an important thing. They come to your home and set up the gear for you, which I'm pretty sure is free of charge for simple stuff. If it's custom, I'm sure their's a charge. While I was their, one of the owners was making a sandwich and offered me and the salesperson one. It was a pretty good sandwich, I must say. I must note that I didn't buy anything that day. In fact, I told them that I was in the process of saving up money and was in my inital phase of seeing what's out there. I explained that I'm going to go piece by piece as funds allow, and they thought that was my best approach. Their was no 'come back when you're ready,' 'we're too busy,' etc. My next purchase is going to be through them. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 3650 Registered: Feb-05 | Great story Stu, thanks. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4508 Registered: Dec-04 | Excellent, Stu! |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1506 Registered: May-05 | That's the store that has the Naim system I lust for and will also audition the Rega system. A great "Flat Earth" shop (even though I'm not 100% sure of the definition; where's Frank?) They carry - Naim Rega Linn ATC Lyra Dynavector (I believe) Music Hall turntables (their only down fall as I see it) Possibly Rotel, but I only saw one set up, and it could have been a trade in. Turntables everywhere, and great sounding synergistic systems. |
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Bronze Member Username: Jingka99Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Post Number: 29 Registered: Aug-06 | You guys are lucky, for us in the far east (Asia), it's a completely different story...since I got on hook on this hobby, I've been to a lot of audio shops that my feet can possibly reach, but sadly I've never really found the audio shop that falls at par with my expectation of a high-end audio shop... |
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Bronze Member Username: Jingka99Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Post Number: 30 Registered: Aug-06 | which is what Stu described.... |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4564 Registered: Dec-03 | arnold, Take a manufacturer you are interested in, and check out their dealers and distributors. For example I see a Quad distributor in Malaysia from http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/distributors.htm Then phone the distributor to enquire if there is a dealer near you. Here's a web site linked from Naim: http://www.cmy.com.my/ Makers such as those on Stu's list take care over who sells their stuff. |
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Bronze Member Username: Jingka99Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Post Number: 31 Registered: Aug-06 | Hi John, the distributor for the Quad based on the link you mentioned is actually not in Malaysia but in Singapore.... I know CMY Audio and been there several times, the problem here in Malaysia is that shops change their staff so frequently and in the 3 occassions that I've been there, 3 different sales person accomdated me...so I guess most of them (which they actually told me) are trainee and of course the level of product knowledge is still in question... |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4567 Registered: Dec-03 | OK, arnold. I could not find a Rega distributor in Malaysia at all. The principle still applies, though - take look at the manufacturer's local distributor. |
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Silver Member Username: Daniel_canadaCanada Post Number: 196 Registered: May-06 | Jan, Just like my store, I stock $80,000 worth of one brand/item. Pay 3.5k rent/month, work 7 days a week. Show the customer how to use the product (cuz the other bigger stores go through staff to fast, and they have no idea what they are selling) just to have the customer buy the product elswhere because I was closed at 4:30pm on a Sunday. Then have to show the customer how to use the product properly once again just after they bought at the other store. Then they're "miffed" when I charge $8 after a fitting (cuz the bigger store does not have staff that can do that) and 30 minutes of my time (that day). When the small guy is gone, they'll be asking "What happened???" Join the club. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4513 Registered: Dec-04 | They will be asking'what happened'? Then, 'How do I make it stop flashing 12:00'? |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1508 Registered: May-05 | The problem today remains the problem that has been going on for a long time; a long time ago, someone wrote 'too many people today know the price of everything, yet the value of nothing' or something along those lines. Forget what a product is worth, most people would rather save a few dollars over getting great support and patronizing the people who care most about their community - the local store owner and employees who live a few miles away. Take a look around, small business is pretty much dead. It's not just Hi-Fi shops. How many good independent auto repair shops are left? Tailors/suits/tuxedo shops? Butcher shops? Hardware stores? The only small businesses I see still going pretty well are restaurants. But corporations are catching up. What's the best thing on the menu at the Olive Garden? The salad and breadsticks. Why is it so popular? Have you ever had good Chilli at Chilli's? Good pizza at Pizza Hut? A good sub at Subway? They're all quick, cheap and easy. Forget about waiting a few minutes for someone to make you a good meal (although I've never waited less than 45 minutes for a table at Olive Garden, go figure). Forget about the chef making your meal from scratch with quality ingredients. Forget about the host (usually an owner or his/her family member) coming over and asking how everything is. Go to the chain restaurant where everything is pre-made and the "Chef" merely has to microwave or re-heat it. Go to the place where the only job of the "Host" is to tell you how long to wait and where to sit. Go to the place that bastardizes any type of ethnic/cultural dish and flavor. Save $3.00 per plate. Call me crazy, but I'd rather go to a local family owned restaurant. I'd rather spend my money on a great meal rather than merely edible food. Same goes for my Hi-Fi shop, mechanic, butcher, hardware store, etc. It's getting pretty tough to stay true to my beliefs though. I'm not saying big business is bad at all, but it shouldn't be the only option. I like to think of it as a last resort. |
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Bronze Member Username: MarsdenCapital City Post Number: 42 Registered: Oct-06 | >>"I've never waited less than 45 minutes for a table at Olive Garden" you, sir, are a masochist in more ways than one ;) |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4516 Registered: Dec-04 | So when Charlton Heston discovers the truth of the Planet of the Apes, he will find a HiFi salesman with bad hair, a mechanic still pondering a hybrid, a butcher opening a meat packers case, a small hardware store clerk looking for a widget, and Stuie, seated comportably at a Wanna-be Italian place, hand on breadstick. Oh, man, I gotta get out of Indiana. |
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Silver Member Username: Daniel_canadaCanada Post Number: 197 Registered: May-06 | LOL, Nuck you funnhe!! Flashing 12:00? No, more like, how do I set the perpetual calendar to recognize the corresponding year? And what aboot the summer solstice? Is this cast? Where is it made? What's base metal? What stainless steel is this? Who's Miyota?......and on. |
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Gold Member Username: ChitownPost Number: 1309 Registered: Apr-05 | Stu there is a reason for the malaise that you are referring to, it is called over-capitalization. The concept of capital, which is money in excess of need, is that it can presumably be invested in something else, perhaps something greater specially if pooled with other's capital. The problem now is that so much of the world's capital has amassed in the hands of so few people, that access to that capital is now limited to the very big corporations. What that allows them to do is to conglomerize their business. They see an end to the line of business they are in and they move into other lines of support or extensions that used to be done by partners and small businesses that supported them. The reason you don't see good family owned mechanics any more is that GM consolidated that operation within its own dealership and made computer diagnostics machines that tap into its own cars and left the local mechanic out of the loop. It can fund this operation because it has access to capital inside and outside. Now the problem is not that capital does not want to fund small enterprises or good ideas, it's just that it's so hard for those ideas to reach the various source of funds that are out there. A typical venture firm may get thousands of business proposals, only 50 of which it will consider seriously and perhaps it will fund 10-20 of them in the course of a year. The larger corporations can cut through the clutter by leveraging their names, their established credit lines, and expertise in making the idea palatable to what the capital ventures are looking for. Very excellent business ideas are thrown away but venture managers because the proposal is not formatted to what they are looking for, or they simply don't understand the possibilities outlined for them. In essence there is a bottleneck there. Of course very bad ideas come from corporations that get funded and loose billions (see Enron even without the fraud) and very good ideas like Microloan banks are still underfunded. Sorry for the long lecture. Hope it made sense. |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 1722 Registered: Sep-04 | Stu, I am around but awfully busy, sorry. the brands you mention are certainly nice ones to have in a flat earth shop (well, maybe not ATC ). Regards, Frank. |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 1723 Registered: Sep-04 | By the way, major changes at work mean I am finding much less time to play on the 'net. Expect my responses to be short and sharp. Regards, Frank. |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4573 Registered: Dec-03 | I agree with Stof. And Frank. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1510 Registered: May-05 | Stof, I agree with your assessment of our current "malaise." I don't think it's any one thing, more like a combination of many factors and variables. I know the auto mechanic dibacle (sp?) all too well. My father has owned a foreign car repair shop for almost 30 years now. A big part of the mechanic's demise is the manufacturers themselves - designing cars which require very little maintenence (a good thing BTW) and keeping their dealers' mechanics employed. The whole 'cars nowadays are too complicated to fix by independant mechanics' is a myth created by the manufacturers and dealers though. An alternator is still an alternator. A muffler is still a muffler. Add in the Instant Oil Change chain shops, and places like Midas, and it makes it tougher for the little guy to stay afloat. While cars have technologically evolved, it wasn't overnight. A good mechanic can still fix just about anything that goes wrong with your car. Hybrid vehicles are another matter though. A lot of dealers are still lost, believe it or not. Because they run high voltage systems, you basically have to be an electrician and a mechanic at the same time. My father is a genius when it comes to that stuff (not just saying that because he's my father), but refuses to work on them due to the risk involved. To him, it's not worth it. One wrong move, and their's enough voltage to kill you. Once again, great assessment. I like to think it's a combination of these and other factors. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4555 Registered: Dec-04 | A short note on dealerships, sorry Jan if drift away from your OP. My regular dealer is in a small part of OntarioMoneyville. The shop has been in operation for 30 years, and has recently changed ownership, due to the passing of a very highly regarded owner/phile. I have bought my stuff from them, and have passed along the name of the shop several times, though not often online, this seems to be a double edged tweeter, unfortunately. I have had an itch, lately, to replace my sturdy old Psb speakers with something different. After many a month's redearch and demo's, I find myself looking into Dyn 220's. My regular dealer has the entire Dynaudio line, including the Evidence. One pair of 220's on display. I asked if I might get hold of the 220's for a short trial at home. Now, some shops would poo-poo my request out of hand, Others might make me wait, or say no speaker trials at all. Not here. Will the packing boxes fit in your car? No? Well we have blankets for that. I might be one week or two, I cannot be certain.. fine, take all the time you need, says the man. This is high end audio purchase for me, and these guys understand limited funds, as well as unlimited audio wishes. A great dealership is worth a thousand wishes. |
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Silver Member Username: Rick_rossPost Number: 696 Registered: May-06 | yo |
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Silver Member Username: TpizzlePost Number: 489 Registered: Apr-05 | I would expect better than the walmart service that my local hi-fi shop gave me. Im from bozeman, mt and we only have 1 hi-fi retailer (thirsty ear) who sells martin logan, krell, sonus faber, and some infinities. I went there when i started to gain interest in this topic and as soon as I walked in they steroetyped me as being the traditional minimum-wage earning college student. I may not be able to affort their equipment but my recommendation voice(or lack of now) should have been worth something to them. All i was looking for was an enlightening conversation, but I was not dressed to their standards I guess. Also, I compared HSU to their room display Velodyne subwoofer, and they were affended. The owner, along with every salesperson, had never heard of HSU and they said no internet-based retailer could compete with even Velodynes lowest quality products. What do you guys think of this statement. Anyway I hope to have a better experience next time I enter a hi-fi store. I wish we had more than one. |
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Gold Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 1115 Registered: Dec-03 | High-end audio is unique in the marketplace for having such a demanding clientele. A parallel may be drawn to the experience you get in some indepedent coffee roaster shops. They have multiple samples of products available for you to sample and will gladly discuss the how-to's and why-for's to grow, roast and brew an exquisite cup of java. Of course, the cost of brewing a pot of coffee is miniscule compared to the thousands of dollars it costs to set up a demo sound system. The high-end audio marketplace is one of the most highly competitive (if not the highest) businesses around due to the very small customer base. This should allow the buying customer in a high-end shop to be very demanding. I'm not sure that happens in every case though. You could therorize that the salespeople in the high-end shops have to be willing to educate the "newbie" even if they know it may not result in a sale in order to expand the potential market base. That's a tough bite to chew for most salespeople and I can understand why. It's unfortunate that more audio consumers are not interested in quality. Most of the audio equipment purchases are for home theater and portable audio equipment. The criteria for those purchases rarely has as much to do with quality as it does bells and whistles and convenience. With that in mind, why should high-end audio salespeople bother with "newbies"? If the person coming in the door actually cares about quality won't they be fairly well versed already? Also, chances are going to be very slim that a young person is going to buy something. Most young people don't know and don't care about audio quality and even if they do they can't afford it. As I recall, in my youth my friends and I considered music an important and integral part of life and quality musical reproduction was highly sought after. The generations that have followed mine don't seem to care as much if at all about that. From what I've seen, the people that do care are getting older and nobody is available to take their place when they are gone. As long as this is the case, it will be more and more difficult for the high-end shop to survive and the quality of musical reproduction for the masses will continue to deteriorate. (I hope I'm wrong about that.) It drives me crazy when it's taken as fact that a couple of teeny, tiny wireless cubes and a "bass unit" can reproduce the same sound that a full blown 6 or 7 channel surround sound system can. I have to leave the room when that commercial comes on. So, what do I expect? I wish I could expect the audio consumer to demand the same quality from any dealer, not just high end. Speaking of coffee, isn't it interesting that the largest coffee retail chain didn't get to where they are by educating the public about what makes a quality cup of coffee? Maybe that's why I buy my beans from a small, local roaster. Or is it? |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4628 Registered: Dec-04 | I would dearly love to hear from current dealers and salespeople to find out their expectations. Do they expect a decent wage + commision? Do big-boxers expect people to come in previously educated(from sources like this) and just pick up the product? Do'high-end' dealers expect an educated customer, with prepared questions and a ready line of credit? What expectations do retailers and audio specialists have, in the current(in my opinion) declining volume audio specialty market? As stated, I doubt that anyone will carry the cup when we are gone. But then, in the near future, true audio quality(as recorded) sound will doubtless be available to everyone, digitally. It will be good enough for all but the hardcore listeners. The few, the proud, the aged. |
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Silver Member Username: DavidpaPortland, Oregon US Post Number: 252 Registered: Nov-05 | Just wanted to inject a quick opinion if ya'll dont mind. I think there will be people to take our place, and I give my son as an example, also my employees, and family. (I have everyone hooked!) My reason is this, all of the aforementioned thought a song was a song until spending a minute or more around me, and sampling the different systems I put together over the years. Most of these systems were "liquidated" to one or the other more to their delight than mine! ( Im called Daves audio boutique and discount center now) My son will most certainly carry the torch and follow in my footsteps (and his grandpas!-whered ya think I got it from?) as he sees what a quality setup does for the total musical experience, he realizes it isnt just about how loud a system will play, but rather how accurate, and inviting. I hope he is able to earn a good living, because this hobby aint cheap, but very consuming nonetheless. I have a few experiences here just lately concerning Hi End dealers and will share after I completely read this thread, but just wanted to inject real quick my thoughts on the industry, and how people are drawn into Hi-Fi, and ultimately cant settle for less. |
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Bronze Member Username: Jingka99Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Post Number: 39 Registered: Aug-06 | I beg to disagree that "newbies" doesn't care about quality or that they are incapable of shelling big $$$...This, I believe, is the problem with high-end audio shops, they tend to generalize and look at people based on what they know, and how they dress but most of them failed to realized that these "newbies" they call will someday be the potential buyers of their high-end equipment...and as Nuck stated "will be the one that will carry the cup when we are gone"... |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wiley, Tx USA Post Number: 213 Registered: May-06 | I am not ready to acknowledge a demise of high end or quality audio. My wife regularly takes her sons to concerts whether it be Ozfest or the Moody Blues. While some of us appreciate metal, hearing about how my kid enjoyed Moody Blues was really neat. I let my kids "touch" my equipment. One of my sons gets it. He enjoys listening to and using my system. My other son is starting to use it also, even if it is only for his rap CDs. My daughters really don't care, not yet anyway. I have not given up on them. Heck, even my daughter who is an aspiring actress loved listening to Rent on my system. Oh yeah, when I play Knarlz Barkley's Crazy, my grand-daughter really shows her stuff, she has rhythm at 4 years old. There is still hope. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 3681 Registered: Feb-05 | I bought my son his first stereo and encouraged him as well as advised him when he bought his first actual audio system, but no one, wife included touches my system. If I felt they cared one iota as much as I do it might be different but they don't and It ain't. Much as I don't get into her hobby paraphenalia she doesn't get into mine. It works for us. |
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Bronze Member Username: SerniterPiscataway, New Jersey USA Post Number: 92 Registered: Mar-06 | I spend a lot of time with young people who listen to popular music mostly. However, they are very perceptive to differences, if shown. Some of them have been surprisingly intuitive and can tell in what way a speaker does not sound correct. Of course, all of these (including me) are examples of newbies getting introduced to audio equipment. From my initial impressions, it is not required to spend large amounts of money. It is more important to be educated on what you want to accomplish and how to get there. The deterioration is more likely due to marketing purposes, especially the home theater and mini speaker concepts that give no importance to sound quality. |
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Gold Member Username: ChitownPost Number: 1313 Registered: Apr-05 | Among salespeople there is a notion of wanting to talk to a "buyer" and not wasting too much time otherwise. There is the notion that if you are spending time with a non-buyer then you could be missing out on an actual buyer. They are, afterall, there to make money. However these high end stores are not packed like best buy. It behooves a good salesperson to tend to, educate and carry on a conversation with anyone, especially when the store is not full. Besides they can always excuse themselves temporarily if they see a "buyer" lurking around. And perhaps come back later. This will also allow a younger person of modest means time to get comfortable with what is on display and begin to appreciate the pitch of the salesperson. This can create your longer term buyer; a strategic move in the business. |
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Gold Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 1118 Registered: Dec-03 | From my initial impressions, it is not required to spend large amounts of money. It is more important to be educated on what you want to accomplish and how to get there. Exactly. Emperical studies show that anyone with normal hearing can learn to distinguish "good sound" from "bad sound" in a relatively short period of time. However, in a world driven by marketing hype to a "screen display" generation, how do we get their attention? |
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