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In Reply to: RE: A True Unicorn? posted by Desafinado on November 15, 2022 at 08:28:58
Medicine Hat, population 65,000 - has a Magneplanar dealer
Chicago - metro area 9,000,000 - NO Magneplanar dealers
New York - metro area - 18,000,000 - NO Magneplanar dealers
What's wrong with this picture?
https://magnepan.com/pages/dealers
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Science doesn't care what you believe.
Follow Ups:
South Florida - Population 9,340,480 - Has dealer listed, but .......
They closed their store a few years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. If the main purpose of a dealer network is to have a physical location to demo your product line to potential customers, this misses the mark in a pretty big way.
What's strange is that this dealer still has a website that appears like it did before they closed. Same location, product lineup, hours, etc. I've heard several complaints from people that went there only to find the place is gone! Is Magnepan aware of this? It seems to me this type of negative and somewhat deceptive "marketing" could do more damage than good.
It's a large and wealthy demographic and I'm sure Magnepan would desperately love to have a legit showroom there, but come on. This seems a little sketchy.
-Joe
They're not that big!
Is said dealer listed on the Magnepan site?
Really nothing Magnepan can do to remove another company re their site, short of a law suit I would think.
That's the thing Grant. They are listed on Magnepan's Florida dealer list with a link to their website. They have been a dealer for probably 30+ years. I would have to think that Magnepan would know their physical store is closed, yet the dealer's website has not been updated to reflect that. Many of the other brands that the dealer still list on their website and that they once represented, no longer list them as a dealer if you check the manufacturer's website.
I don't have the details, so keep in mind this is pure speculation on my part, but I am guessing that they are still developing some sales for Magnepan. Why else would Magnepan still list them as a dealer? It just seems like a risky and somewhat deceptive way of being represented on Magnepan's part IMHO. I'd be pretty ticked if I drove an hour to an audio "store" to see and hear a product only to find out it's now a restaurant or what ever. It's definitely a tough time for retail audio shops, or retail anything local for that matter. The hand writing has been on the wall for a lonf time for audio stores. Unfortunately, the pandemic was the final straw for many of them.
-Joe
They're not that big!
I'm not sure which South Florida dealer you mentioned, but I'm on the West coast of Florida with no local dealers so I called a dealer on the East cost to order my 3.7i's sight unseen. All went smooth so I have no complaints, but I'm not sure the dealer really earned his commission.
The erosion of the high end deal market is sad indeed. As Davey says, they're making their money now off installations for the wealthy (and cables). Magnepan's problem is that, as Wendell puts it, it's the sound that sells them -- why else would someone put a big pair of slabs in their living rooms? The LRS program is an attempt to circumvent that by introducing people to the Maggie sound, knowing that some will go on to buy the larger models.
It's a problem that's affecting the whole industry, but is particularly problematic for companies that sell large speakers and don't design their products for the mega rich.
I think it's just a matter of time until Magnepan (and many other manufacturers) abandon the dealer model completely.
Dave.
But I hope you're wrong...
The dealers exist now to pedal high-profit items like audiophile cables and install work in high-buck homes. That sort of thing.I haven't walked out the door with a product from a brick/mortar dealer in about 25 years. For me, I have no use for that type of transaction.
There's no value-added when transacting through a dealer.
Dave.
Edits: 11/16/22
You're so spot on Davey. My local dealer that I purchased my 20.7's from wanted me to pay a additional $200 bucks to have them setup them up. This is after a $150 delivery fee. But then want to complain when folks use there stores as showrooms to try before they buy online or out of market. Definitely not what it use to be but I must admit there is some really good dealers out there. But again when you find one you should cherish them.
Hmm, it seems that the owner's plan to offer free local delivery and provide help
with set up at no charge may be a quaint notion out of touch with current dealer mentality.
That service used to be standard practice at Maggie dealers!
Well, if you're a small audio shop in the middle of nowhere in Canada, that no-charge setup model might work. But probably not.....at least not for very long. :)
The ultimate way to market and sell Magnepan products is via an existing owner audition program, with some sort of incentive for the demonstration owner.
But, currently, we have a company that can't even come close to meeting demand for their products. So, it's probably moot.
Dave.
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