This debate has gone on for decades. I don't agree with this constant harping on Sonos and the blaming of lazy-minded Millenials. There have been easy cheap alternatives for thirty plus years, probably more. The truth, in my very humble opinion, is that only a small segment of society is sufficiently geeky about audio gizmos so as to shop for and drool over not only expensive pieces of audio gear but then devote a section of the home for it. The latter-devoting valuable living space for a listening area-is the greater impediment of the two. I have friends who find sophisticated audio gear interesting but know that their wives wouldn't tolerate for one second a set-up in their home. And then comes the hurdle of price acclimatization. Let me give an analogy. I have been into cycling for forty years. To most of my friends just getting into cycling, spending $1000 on a bike seems hard to swallow. But once they get the bug, they get more and more acclimated to price and before long they start splurging on better and better gear. The same goes with audio and in reality, again in my very humble and very possibly wrong opinion, the relatively new popularity of headphones bodes well for you audio dealers. As music lovers work their way up the price chain of headphones and headphone amps, they get interested in more expensive ancillary gear like DAC's and turntables. Once they obtain that gear, how long can they resist getting into loudspeakers? And don't forget the fondness headphone enthusiasts have for tube gear!!! Jack Wu of Woo Audio has done more to rekindle the fires of tube amps to burgeoning audiophiles than anyone else and this will pay dividends to manufacturers and dealers of high end tube amps in the future.
Wonderful visit and 5-star customer service at Audio Doctor in Jersey City, NJ!
For those interested in auditioning the new Paradigm Persona series, as well as other high-end brands, with the benefit of highly personalized attention and 5-star customer service, I would like to recommend a visit to Audio Doctor in Jersey City, New Jersey- they have some of the largest showroom space in the NY/NJ area, and such great customer service, period!
Audio Doctor is currently the only dealer in the NY/NJ area allowed to demo in-store/sell the Paradigm Persona speaker series, so I trekked there yesterday to audition the Paradigm Persona 3F and flagship 9H stereo speakers, which both proved stupefying and extremely impressive for their price points in as far as clarity, detail, and sound stage are concerned.
The owner, Dave, is such a wonderful guy. He gave me a personalized tour of his well-built home theater room (100+ inch projector set up with KEF speaker system, excellent room treatments, very comfortable seating, etc.), and also a tour of other five-figure speaker brands on display.
Crucially, for the Paradigm demos, Dave allowed me to bring my own interconnects and speaker cables, and also to use identical separates to what I have at my place so I could ascertain for sure what the Paradigms would sound like in my home setting. I was also pleased to see many low-budget speaker/separates set ups for those on a tight budget- all on display.
Last but not least, Dave and his wife prepared a wonderful dinner for me while I was speaker-auditioning- the tastiest Mexican Tacos I have ever had! I spent a total of 4 hours at the store, and Dave even gave me a lift back to the PATH train station (I live in NYC)... so without a doubt, I would rate the customer service at this place as the best I have ever seen in my years of visiting audio stores on both coasts.
So for the NY/NJ area audiophile crowd, Audio Doctor merits an in-person visit and comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Audio Doctor is currently the only dealer in the NY/NJ area allowed to demo in-store/sell the Paradigm Persona speaker series, so I trekked there yesterday to audition the Paradigm Persona 3F and flagship 9H stereo speakers, which both proved stupefying and extremely impressive for their price points in as far as clarity, detail, and sound stage are concerned.
The owner, Dave, is such a wonderful guy. He gave me a personalized tour of his well-built home theater room (100+ inch projector set up with KEF speaker system, excellent room treatments, very comfortable seating, etc.), and also a tour of other five-figure speaker brands on display.
Crucially, for the Paradigm demos, Dave allowed me to bring my own interconnects and speaker cables, and also to use identical separates to what I have at my place so I could ascertain for sure what the Paradigms would sound like in my home setting. I was also pleased to see many low-budget speaker/separates set ups for those on a tight budget- all on display.
Last but not least, Dave and his wife prepared a wonderful dinner for me while I was speaker-auditioning- the tastiest Mexican Tacos I have ever had! I spent a total of 4 hours at the store, and Dave even gave me a lift back to the PATH train station (I live in NYC)... so without a doubt, I would rate the customer service at this place as the best I have ever seen in my years of visiting audio stores on both coasts.
So for the NY/NJ area audiophile crowd, Audio Doctor merits an in-person visit and comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
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- 60 posts total
- 60 posts total