HiFi Dealers, good or bad.

I wouldn`t say I was a timewaster but I have been interpreted as such by the above gentleman which is sad as I upgrade very frequently. he has however always been very helpful on the phone and spent time explaining stuff perhaps I have been at fault for changing my mind so often !!!

 

Indeed - none of this precludes politeness. That appears to be something he doesn't possess - and for that guy time wasters just means anyone he cant rip off and doesn't believe every word that comes out of his mouth. I don't think he is any better than audio freaks they are on a par.

 

What's the score with hifi, did it used to be an aspirational purchase and now its just some consumer commodity that can as well be provided by your pc or playstation 3?

Is it the fact that digtial music systems have removed the physical connection with the music medium, and that these days kids aren't interested in how they listen, regarding quality, just that they have access to the music.

is it the fault of the manufacturers and retailers who only advertise in the hifi press and do no out of market publicity work to rpomote the enjoyment of listening to music to a wider audience.

or is it the fact that in this day and age most people simply wouldn't know good sound quality, or indeed even be interested in it as something worth chasing even if it bit them on the arse.

The current retail market and the hifi press is largely predicated on the supply or mains product, bullshit cables and physical isolation system- racks and so forth. This months HIFI+ has the first 46 pages devoted to cables, maisn and supports. I mean seriously, WTF has that got to do with enjoying music. The reviewer even has the balls to claims the £3k PS ausio mains regeneration unit works best witt he £400 upgrade mains lead..

HELLO, IT'S A FUCKING MAINS REGENERATOR, IT SHOULD WORK OFF WET STRING PLUGGED INTO THE WALL.

I think it's all of the above, add in a recession, the rise of the internet, over supply and online price reductions and you have a market in decline where very few buy new and everyone wants to pay less.

 

i find it very hard to believe that any dealer wouldn't sue the living shit out of any manufacturer who did this.

 

Well said, but I think we could all cast our minds back to when we were teenagers In my case not many kids could give a shit 35 years ago either. top40 taped via a mic onto cassette did me fine, MW Radio Luxemburg before that.

 

Now, that did make me chuckle. How far can they take this BS.

 

I have been away for a few days and had thought this thread might have progressed further. I wrote my post a bit quickly and should have made some qualifications .

Firstly to mr c ,if a dealer is the distributor he can certainly have an extra few percent to play with but he also has to cover a lot i.e ,a two year or more warranty ,keep spares plus replacement stock ,pay vat and import/customs duty ,pay for shipping (maybe also as part of a warranty problem),plus lots of other things . As a rule i can only think of a few areas were a dealer might make a 60% margin ,some cable brands but no electronics brands unless you are both retailer and distrbutor,double margin perhaps . I can also assure you that my knowledge is excellent and current in this area . If you know of a brand that has a 60%margin that is sold by dealers (who are not also distributors)i.e through normal channels ,please do tell?

Should a dealer ever be rude ,even if the person in his shop/on the phone etc is the king of tyre kickers or the most arrogant self opinionated know all (in fact knows nothing at all),the answer must be no never ! Rudeness is a disease that afflicts are society at multiple levels . It should be possible to have an open debate/discussion about anything but to often in-trenched opinion is not balanced by any kind of humility;even if a well balanced argument is backed up by fact . We can all learn and this hobby is if nothing else a road of learning . You may not agree after all the discussions but they should never be rude . My point on this was not in defence of those who are permanently rude but only those you might get on a bad day. However some dealers do this permanently ,so if you don,t like them do business with some one you do like but not necessarily some one you agree with all the time. You will in the long run learn more i think from this type of relationship,its just possible you might be wrong.

I agree with cooky 1257 that many are turned of by the icing on the cake being mistaken for the cake . If a system is well put together and sounds right for the listener then ,accessories can be used to improve things ;but these should never take over. This hobby is about enjoying music and the kit is only and ends to a means and not the the opposite . However because something hasn't worked for you or you heard no difference ,does not make it BS. A product should be reviewed as standard and then tried with accessories to see if it can be improved, however most magazines don't now allow enough editorial space to allow this type of review(read absolute sound or sterophile from 10 years ago to see how it used to be done). If you hear a difference or someone else does with a mains conditioner and a better power cable can you be so dogmatic in your response? I think its dangerous to do that ,unless you try it your self and then all you can really say is ,i heard a difference,i didn't, or it was worse but at least you are repeating the test(as close as you can).

sq225917 ,the HI-FI industry is to fractured to market its wares to all but the already converted. Ken Kesseler has been going on about this for a few years now,in both the trade and public magazines,and regardless of what you might think of him he is right in his assessment of the current state of things.

I think i will start a new thread ,What makes a good dealer ?

Regards D louth

 

This actually has a lot to do with it. As an example I've had several conversations with the distributor of a well known brand of budget to higher priced turntables trying to persuade them that their market isn't hifi buffs, it's people who listen to records and that they aren't the same thing. I don't think they really understand what I mean. The number of times every month I hear the phrase "I didn't even know you could still buy record players" ought to be of concern to people who make and sell record players. I do my bit, but I'm only a tiny cog.

Its self limiting. If you think the only people who would be interested are the hifi buffs then you cut yourself off from the much wider potential market that are music fans.

 

Hi uncle ants ,you are right . What is the point of only preaching to the converted. The HI-Fi industry must broaden its appeal and start telling people outside that it exists. It must try and present a unified front,but will it(there is way to much pulling in different directions). What is required is team work but when commercial interest outweighs survival,what is there to do. Its a vicious circle.

Regards D louth