Dealer Ethics? - Anonymous disparagement

Alanlaw, I apologize for this showing up in your thread, this is most sincere. This is also most sincere, I have had enough of the crap that rears it's ugly head on Audiogon threads. After having been directly involved with the site for a little over a month, I have been in no less than three situations that have degenerated to name calling and the like. I hoped to connect with some people that had similar interests, but have not been able to do so. I've had enough of people like Dekay and cornfed ruining threads . No offense to Cornfed, you can be a true gentle man, but I have better things to do than this, like listening to music. Hope you all grow up soon, have a nice day. Retro

Bye - and you forgot your ball.

I have heard the Pipedreams loudspeaker for extended listening sessions in the dedicated listening room of a good friend. I have been an audiophile for over 25 years. During these years, in addition to enjoying alot of live music, I have had the good fortune of listening to and owning some very musical and stimulating audio systems. These experiences have afforded me the opportunity to recognize and appreciate the reproduction of a world-class musical experience in the home. The Pipedream speakers produce a listening experience which creates a very unique sonic immersion for the listener. This speaker soundstages and images with the very best of them....but its uniqueness lies in its ability to create a sonic space which is omnidirectional delivering audio cues above, below, behind and around the listener. I have never heard a speaker recreate the sonic space in such three dimensional accuracy. They are a highly musical and involving speaker which mesmerizes and transfixes the listener...when I listen to them, I am connected to the music. I hope that sets the record straight on the Pipedreams as a world-class product.

As for the unethical practice of anonymous disparagement by dealers of competitive equipment, "Caveat Emptor"...."Buyer Beware". Anyone who would resort to such unscrupulous behavior in an effort to discredit one product or falsely enhance the image of another must have something to hide. Most of the credible dealers I know, encourage the highest scrutiny of any audio product....preferably in the listeners home system. Mr. Gerlach, in order to allay any question of impropriety, perhaps you should provide an arragement with your closest Pipedreams dealer to allow your prospective Dunlavy customers a side-by-side comparison in their home. Clearly, any speaker performing in the less-than $500 range will be trounced by any Dunlavy product!

I have never listened to either of the lines, but do not form any negative opinions against Dunlavy because of one ill planned action or response from one dealer/person. I an not by any means defending the action itself, however we all suffer from lapses of judgement occasionaly (some more often than others) and probably, IMO, should not "completely" judge this dealer for this one mistake (lapse of judgement) unless there are more of them and a pattern of behavior can be established. To put it into perspective just look at the lapses of judgement that many presidents of the USA have been caught out at.

Swampwalker - that's exactly what I mean by unannounced dealer. Someone who appears to be a non-commerical person but who is actually a seller of a competing product. I guess the immorality comes about when it reaches a threshold and when a competing product is dishonestly criticized. I don't like that at all. A dealer can be a guy who believes in his product line & comment favorably on it. No problem. It's a gray area to be sure, especially when accounting for personal taste.

I've recommended components that I happen to have for sale without making a notation. It's still my honest opinion. The obvious moral of this thread is Buyer Beware. I trust audio magazines a lot more than chat rooms. They have a vested interest in maintaining a perception of consistent objectivity. Some of the regulars here who have consistent open minded opinions are very valuable to me as well. Thanks guys!