Randy Myers
Well-known member
I believe one of the basic points is being missed here. The point is expanding and the continuation of our hobby. I understand that most of us that have been around a while know how to shop for good used items and can come up with the occasional deal.
People just sticking their toes into the water of our hobby do not. The chances of a neophyte purchasing a used item as their entry into this wonderful world of hi-end audio is slim to none. With very few B&M stores for these people to go to and learn their only real resource is to research, mainly shows and magazines. This is where the industry is missing as a whole.
Back in my day selling to and teaching new audio customers I could assist people getting their first taste of good audio. Now what is that customer too do? Sometimes we used to call it flagship selling. Show the best but then bring them down to their price level and explain how those technologies have been translated to the more affordable products. This is severely missing now. If they are going to "push" their best a smarter company will also show their entry level and make the comparisons. This is difficult with this industrial's tendency of emphasizing only the top (shows and magazines especially, the main information pipeline). This will hurt the hobby as a whole in the long run because an opportunity to expand to new people, new enthusiasts are being missed.
People just sticking their toes into the water of our hobby do not. The chances of a neophyte purchasing a used item as their entry into this wonderful world of hi-end audio is slim to none. With very few B&M stores for these people to go to and learn their only real resource is to research, mainly shows and magazines. This is where the industry is missing as a whole.
Back in my day selling to and teaching new audio customers I could assist people getting their first taste of good audio. Now what is that customer too do? Sometimes we used to call it flagship selling. Show the best but then bring them down to their price level and explain how those technologies have been translated to the more affordable products. This is severely missing now. If they are going to "push" their best a smarter company will also show their entry level and make the comparisons. This is difficult with this industrial's tendency of emphasizing only the top (shows and magazines especially, the main information pipeline). This will hurt the hobby as a whole in the long run because an opportunity to expand to new people, new enthusiasts are being missed.