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In Reply to: TAS and manufacturers who sell by direct posted by bwkendall on May 17, 2004 at 19:18:15:
biased opinion, there may be two kinds of vendors out there when all is said and done, the Internet merchant and the brick and mortar dealer who caters to the discerning customer with reliable advice, home trials, delivery and setup, after sale support, and trade-ins...not hard to guess which side I'm on, but then I only sell long term solutions as have been down the other path... People interested in high performance deserve more than order takers is my point...
Follow Ups:
In my biased opinion there are two types of vendors out there when all is said and done - good dealers and bad dealers.There are cruddy dealers who have store fronts and great dealers who operate out of their home or work through the internet.
Galen Carol is as pleasent and knowledgeable as they come. He could work out of a phone booth and still be an asset to this industry and he's generally considered to be a "mail order" or "on-line" dealer.
The real problem with this industry is insanely overpriced gear that just doesn't sound all that special.
Like Gary, I live in the desert. Three days weekly I drive to the beach/strawberry fields. There is no high end shop on either end or in between, and even though LA is only 1/2 hour away, I would rather undergo oral surgery without anesthesia than drive there. In my case, I'll go to a dealer when I must but can usually find what I want via the internet.Audio Advisor, Legacy and Outlaw are some examples of reputable direct sales companies who offer reasonably good support, great pricing and favorable return policies. I don't advocate buying direct for everyone, as you either have to know what you are doing or just be the average joe who has different expectations than you or I. In many cases, you can get extraordinary product for a fraction of the cost you would pay to a dealer. The offset, of course, is that real-time service and support.
I found my speakers on the internet. I researched them on the internet. I was given an in-home demo and, once I made my purchase decision, was given a set of demo speakers to use until the set I ordered to my own specs were made. I realize my situation is unique, but many of these so-called "internet retailers" are finding ways to succeed.
The bottom line is that for one reason or another, the market will support the direct-sales manufacturer as well as the high-end dealers that are out there. The marketplace is evolving, and TAS should have simply acknowledged that point instead of looking silly.
the backbone of the industry. Unfortunately, there are those of us who live in an audio, as well as a physical, desert. No decent high-end dealers around, so internet and direct dealers can be a real blessing. Fortunately, I don't think those of us who wander around in the desert represent much in terms of the real market.
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