After reading this thread I couldn’t believe the ignorance, short sightedness and general whining by those of you who expect automatic discounts. Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks to me like you are saying: a) Dealers should provide a discount regardless of your patronage b) Dealers don’t really need to stock the gear – we don’t want to pay for this service, we can buy gear without listening to it – via reviews & product availability on the internet c) Price is more important than good sound & good service Do you like being able to go visit a local dealer and listen to the gear he stocks? Do you want your local dealer to stay in business? Do you want your gear to hold the majority of its value? Do you want to continue to have the opportunity to buy innovative products from smaller companies who are only able to produce limited quantities? Well, if any of the answers are yes, you’d best reexamine your conclusions. …Keep focusing on meaningless discounts and your choices will become even more limited than they currently are. Do any of you have a clue of what the average margin is in “high-end” audio retail? Do any of you know what the margins are on “expensive” low volume/high end stuff or are you simply speaking out of ignorance? I know I’m stating the obvious here, but these aren’t commodities we’re buying and selling folks… no pork bellies, timber, oil or computers. We’re talking about spending hundreds, and in many cases thousands of dollars on luxury items. As audiophiles/audio enthusiasts we believe that there are differences in sound and in most cases we are willing to pay in order to acquire these differences. When you buy from a dealer you should be getting something for your money – experience, help, insight, and someone who will take care of you and any problems, needs or warranty issues you might run into. If you don’t value these, then good luck to you. If your dealer doesn’t offer these benefits to you then go somewhere else – why are you still giving him your business? If your local dealer isn’t giving you adequate service contact his supplier(s) – they should certainly care! …If they don’t care be glad that you found out, sell any gear of theirs that you own and buy from reputable people. Any product is only as good as the people in the company behind it. In-home auditioning Listening to new components at home before you buy is only reasonable and logical. Home auditions should be an obligatory courtesy afforded prospective customers. If a manufacturer or dealer doesn’t allow and encourage in-home auditions they must surely expect the customer to make an uneducated purchase. Theoretically, this would undermine the entire existence of their businesses. The very products they sell/manufacture evidence the simple truth they believe that NO TWO audio products/experiences are identical. How many of you (Audigon members) would you buy a car without being able to test drive the model on REAL roads? It seems to me that listening to any component or system in a dealer’s showroom is analogous to a virtual test drive. Sorry for the digression :-) It seems to me that this site’s intent is to bring audio enthusiasts together in a forum that allows us to become aware of new products, communicate our experiences and YES to sell and get deal’s on gear. But isn’t the real idea to help maximize audio enjoyment? I too like a good deal, and I don’t believe in paying for services that I do not or cannot get. But I believe that to focus SO much on price is unhealthy for our hobby. I hope that your enjoyment isn’t sullied by the fact that you couldn’t get a couple percent off of the gear you bought. Happy holidays all!
