High End Audio Dealers

Mike said:
it’s not practical in every circumstance.
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Totally understandable, but when it is available I'm not sure why people downplay it. It seems a good service - having a local dealer bring stuff to your home. In the UK (I read the Naim forum) it's rather standard, especially personal installation and setup at no charge, and the Brits wonder how we Americans get on without that. But there is a higher density of dealers there, distances are shorter. Obviously easier. And it's just a custom there.

Of course if the dealer is incapable of setting up a good sounding room/system in their shop/home, then assuming they are incapable of helping a customer in their own home is reasonable. That's just a 'bad dealer' it's not the model that's at fault.

I'm happy to admit that my admiration of in-home auditions, when possible/practical, is in the minority.
 
My room and setup is a KNOWN variable, I know what it sounds like currently. I want to hear the $26,000 worth of equipment in this said KNOWN variable. Is that asking too much? Do you think I am that stupid and inept that I cannot tell whether I like or I do not like the sound in my KNOWN variable? Would you want to buy a new car without a test drive? The more this progresses the idea of buying used online based on forums and reviews is sounding much better. At least the depreciation has been removed and my chances of a greater money loss has lessened. Next day even more frustrated.


a.wayne said:
The dealer has poor sound in a known space , his home ..!

So do you think he is now capable of going into an unknown to him space ( your home ) and produce decent results..!

I dont think so ...!!!

You taking it home to hear it in your space really means naught without the expertise to make the setup correct , ideally you want a dealer with an optimized as possible setup so you can determine if the product performance envelope makes it to your expected level of playback, if so then the next step is to take it home and optimize your listening room to accomodate the setup ..!


Regards
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The way this thread turned points out something interesting to me about the original premise. Customers have widely differing views as to how they want to purchase, what they think is necessary or sufficient to earn their business, and many have been scarred by interactions with 'bad dealers' in the past.

This must make it hard for a 'good dealer' to appear good to all customers. It's probably impossible, no matter how good their intentions and efforts and skills.
 
I agree. I would not hesitate to do business with Mike and have done so on purchases that do not require a home demo or a long in store listening session. Very impressed at his level of setup and attention to detail in his rooms to make them sound as neutral as possible. Too bad I do not have that level of dealer near me.

Maybe my recent trip to Suncoast has jaded me to all the bad dealers near me? Should I just be happy with mediocre and subpar?

Side note on a large dealer in NC with two stores that are a big B&W dealer. The 803 D4 is on my list of speakers to demo so I have sent two emails asking about the availability and possibility of coming to listen. Crickets.

Bart001 said:
The way this thread turned points out something interesting to me about the original premise. Customers have widely differing views as to how they want to purchase, what they think is necessary or sufficient to earn their business, and many have been scarred by interactions with 'bad dealers' in the past.

This must make it hard for a 'good dealer' to appear good to all customers. It's probably impossible, no matter how good their intentions and efforts and skills.
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You shouldn't have to, but try calling during business hours. Some businesses are notoriously bad at email communications; they advertise an email address but don't monitor it nearly often enough. No excuse, but sometimes the reality. I've seen this mentioned re hi fi dealers in the past.
 
nc42acc said:
My room and setup is a KNOWN variable, I know what it sounds like currently. I want to hear the $26,000 worth of equipment in this said KNOWN variable. Is that asking too much? Do you think I am that stupid and inept that I cannot tell whether I like or I do not like the sound in my KNOWN variable? Would you want to buy a new car without a test drive? The more this progresses the idea of buying used online based on forums and reviews is sounding much better. At least the depreciation has been removed and my chances of a greater money loss has lessened. Next day even more frustrated.
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Sure ,

if you have the experience to differentiate between , A bad setup vs bad equipment/ product, yes hearing it in your home environment is best for you as you know what you are looking for, truth be told this is way more complex than most would think and can lead to many misinformed conclusions..


in the end its your coin , choose your poison ....:)



Regards ..
 
nc42acc said:
I agree. I would not hesitate to do business with Mike and have done so on purchases that do not require a home demo or a long in store listening session. Very impressed at his level of setup and attention to detail in his rooms to make them sound as neutral as possible. Too bad I do not have that level of dealer near me.

Maybe my recent trip to Suncoast has jaded me to all the bad dealers near me? Should I just be happy with mediocre and subpar?

Side note on a large dealer in NC with two stores that are a big B&W dealer. The 803 D4 is on my list of speakers to demo so I have sent two emails asking about the availability and possibility of coming to listen. Crickets.
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I have known and dealt with more dealers than many here would care to know, I don't hesitate to recommend sharkey Mike to anyone even if it's for toothpaste with Interconnects...!

:)


Regards ....
 
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