Cinematic_Systems: Thanks for the posterboy!
Your niche interest in niche audio is exactly my point. Who's going to make a living selling that stuff?
I never aspired to keep the whole high-end industry going. But here are a couple of increasing number of enthusiasts who are out there, that might make at least a "partial" living from it: Jim at Sounds Real Audio, Terry Cain, Don Garber, Nelson Pass, Graham Fowler etc. At least my money is going directly to the ones, who actually do provide a service.
Do you think you can convince me that you have a good sounding system? That when I listen to it will sound like the artist intended? I think not.
How do you know what the artist intended? Do you use studio monitors and listen to your records on how the producer/artist intended it? Maybe the intended for it a little boom box or as great car music?
I'm sure its magical and musical for you but is it "good sound" or just your sound?
Isn't that the purpose of music? To make ME enjoy it? I would say that my current system, at this price, is the best one I heard coming close to live Jazz, as I hear it at the clubs close by. The Sax sounds like a Sax.
Fact is most audiophiles like yourself are equally gullible, how hard would it be to mount a $90 Fostex Driver in a box? Well I've already had my runin with the Cain&Cain boys on a DIY forum. People have bought Thiels CS1.6's despite the huge distortion spike in the midrange. What are we doing as a group? Why are we supporting this sort of product? Cause it "sounds good?" Does it really?
Maybe I am gullible? Maybe making a nice box and mounting a driver in that nice of a box is quite hard? Mounting several in an even uglier box with a couple of circuit elements - is that really harder? Anyway, this is beside the point and it just seems like you have a personal problem with Cain, but maybe that's just your ears? I did measure the Abbys in room frequency response and it was certainly not worse than Spender S3/5 (which are supposed to be flat and quite good.) I don't expect everyone to like this system: I am sure many would be unsatisfied with the bass response, but then bass is not important to make a violin sound like a violin. Given a budget constraint one has to choose his poison and what one can live with. In fact I recommended quite different systems to two friends: 1) a Linn Classic with Spender S3/5, 2) a Magenta hometheater system with a Denon receiver. For both, it represented pretty much what they wanted. Different people, different objectives.
When's the last time you worked for free Rene? Are you entitled at $3000 for free services, did he have a sign that said so? He made $1200 in profit on your purchase? When you make $1200 a week, do you work for free for your employer...hell no you don't
To get back to topic: Dealers used to mount a cartridge when you bought both, cartridge and turntable from them. He even saved the time to demo the turntable it in store (to low priced to even mount a cartridge for display). And yes, he said he would mount it...
As for the pay: Hell, I am making less than $1200 in TWO weeks. Maybe the expectation of making the big money as a sales person have grown a little out of proportion. And maybe if he would have performed the service I would have sent two friends back there so that he could make 3 times $1200 profit that week.
Maybe I understand the burnout of dealers and frustration just too well, but I would hope for most to keep some enthusiasm for audio. I got a Ph. D. in physics only because I am enthusiastic about physics, and no, money isn't everything Quite often I do work quite late, after hours, and during unpaid breaks. Maybe you should get your job satisfaction from something you enjoy. I understand it is very, very easy to get burned out if you are enthusiastic. Take a look around most physics departments at universities: Most people are burned out since they are not the one earning that six figure salary in industry and that just because they chose to not do that and instead do fundamental research. Does that mean I blame the public for not appreciating fundamental research in quantum mechanics...?
The diversity presented by audiophiles is killing the hobby ... Fact is we don't hear all that differently from one another ... no instead we all have different goals for why we have a system. Until we can focus as a group this will get worse.
I think your ideal customer just walked away with a Bose system from Best Buy. Diversity is why this market exists in first place. If all of us would be so gullible and fall in line, we would have followed the Wal-Mart culture and go with a Sony system in first place. Of course like you said: We follow reviews and recommendations quite often blindly. But didn't you just ask us to follow a dealer's advice blindly. And no, we do hear differently: We have different budget, different tastes in music, and my wife listens very differently than me.
Anyway, we obviously have fairly opposing opinions and visions on where this hobby should go. Sorry for this lengthy response and if this one got a little off topic or maybe not so :)
All the best,
Rene
