B&W in best buy

Rumor is that Walmart is going to sell the whole line of B&W but that is only rumor. They were always overpriced boom boxes anyway.

My local BB/Magnolia has the B&W 600 and CM series. They also have entry level Martin Logan, Energy, Def Tech, and Mirage. They used to drive them with Primmare integrateds, but dropped those along with Vienna. I think Sumiko stopped selling to them.

I know people think it's a bad thing, but I disagree. There's nothing wrong with people being exposed to this stuff IMO. They're definitely not nearly as busy as the rest of the store, but they've got a share of people looking around.

If they keep it entry level, I don't think it'll hurt the brick and mortar guys much, if at all. Most people in there wouldn't go to a brick and mortar audio shop anyway IMO. It may also motivate a few to go to one and see what they've got.

I don't think 800 series stuff or Mac and the like are a good move though. My local Magnolia is limited to Pioneer Elete, Yamaha and Denon AVRs and DVD players, so I guess the downside is the customer won't really hear what the speakers are capable of.

Getting better gear into the main stream retail stores is a good thing , maybe , but if the systems aren't setup right people will be turned off by the sound quality verses dollar aspect .

"I can remember when KEF was THE prestige speaker brand in the U.S."

KEF went for a period with no U.S. distibution, that is way the brand basically dried up. A few years ago, the Fry's chain began carrying KEF. The last I knew, KEF brand was owned by a company from Hong Kong and ALL models are made in China. The Fry's chain also picked up Martin Logan.

I dont really have a problem with big boxes picking up "quasi higher-end" "reduced to brand - name products". now that stand alone dealers are almost dead and the manufacture need to sell somewhere - better than buying gear from the back of a "white van" . :)