Dealer Behavior

My first "high end" audio purchase was a Krell KAV 300i integrated amp purchased from Art of Audio in Portland Oregon back in the mid 90's. Before that I survived with Sony/Yamaha receiver-based systems connected to cheap speakers with lamp cords. I loved music and wanted better sound but I was a broke twenty-something that knew very little about high-end audio beyond what I read in Stereo Review (I think that was the name of that magazine).

Anyway, I wandered into this store one day when I was out to lunch with my boss and he ran an errand in the business next door. A salesman, an older guy (mid 40's, doesn't seem so old now) talked to me. He asked me about the music I liked, the system I had, and let me sit and listen to the very high end systems they had in the store. I remember listening to a system driving Maggie 3.6's?? and having my mind blown.

I started going to back to the store every chance I got. That same guy would always take time with me, talk to me about music, about my father's hi-fi system that turned me on to music when I was a kid, and let me listen to every high dollar rig they had set up in the store. Several times I sensed the owner of the store annoyed that his salesman was wasting time with a broke-dick kid.

Longer story short, I ended up purchasing a Krell KAV 300i from that guy for $2300 which was the largest purchase I had ever made that wasn't a car. That Krell integrated amp opened my mind and ears and created a life-long audiophile.

More accurately, that older, bearded, hippie, salesman at the Art of Audio, who wasted hours over the course of several months with a broke 24 year old, created a life-long audiophile.

I now have the means to afford a very good system that I've assembled and upgraded over many years. I've spent a small fortune on equipment and learned a lot over the years.

The last great brick and mortar store I visited was Echo Audio in Portland. The owner is awesome and successful because of how he treats his customers. That was over ten years ago and I've since moved to a new city. I visited a couple of stores since and felt condescended to and turned-off by some of the same treatment others describe in this thread. Why would anyone travel to a store only to feel uncomfortable when they can click and buy online? To compete, a brick and mortar needs to offer humanity along with the product.

I know there are still great dealers out there. Kurt at Echo Audio is one. But how many are taking time to educate and enlighten the next generation of audiophiles? Or non-audiophiles with means that could catch the ailment?

High end audio seems to be a market that survives on people with screw-you money who want the best even if they won't use it or appreciate it, and obsessive nut jobs pursuing an unattainable goal of audio perfection. There are also those who just want great sounding music and are happy to purchase a great system and listen to it for years without modification. But these people aren't buying the next new thing every year.

If you know a dealer that operates like the guy who turned me on to this hobby 25 years ago you should support and promote them. They are not only helping people, they are also creating a larger market for themselves.

@bsimpson 
Totally agree with you about GTT Audio.  Bill Parish is extremely knowledgeable and a great guy....very patient and a pleasure to deal with.  

@ahofer, "My question is whether there is an alternative model. One that might invite more people into the fold. I’ve bought some cables and a DAC from Audio Advisor (things you can return easily), and they are unfailingly friendly, enthusiastic, and non-snobby. It makes you want to want what they have."

Yes, that’s got to be the way to go. As @oregonpapa stated, this is a people business. Customer satisfaction is the key. Buying online does save money but there’s nothing like recreating a domestic situation when it comes to auditioning. Tea and coffee please, Hi-Fi auditioning is always, always best done relaxed.

It’s also got to be a two way process, we the prospective buyers have to factor in dealer costs when selecting equipment. The deal should be as follows, they help us find audio satisfaction and we pay them for it. I know it sounds hopelessly idealistic but like most things in life, there is a moral aspect involved here. If they help give them your money, if they don't, walk away.

Of course there are always other factors beyond anyone’s control, such as the state of the economy but the one thing that would really help everyone would be if a way could be found to make audio exciting and attractive - no more ’snake oil’ crap. The public at large may be gullible, but not that gullible.

I wonder whether selective celebrity endorsements and product placement might help bring high quality audio into general awareness once more. I can see it now, "After a hard days shoot, Tom likes nothing more than sitting down to a sumptuous evening of listening to his McIntosh MC2152 amplifier".

I’d say the need for the music as a means of relaxation and healing is greater than ever, but how, other than the boom in headphone sales of course, does the industry best spread the word?

Wow!  Great thread.  I was worried my shop from the old days would be mentioned, especially after the new owner, a professional crook who still has a shop upstate, took over.

Like many, I went into the business because of my love for music and my devotion to equipment.  I learned so much!!

At first, I was hesitant in helping people find the "better" stuff.  If you came in and wanted "X" I would sell you "X" with little or no issues.  It is a BUSINESS, right?

After we LISTENED to the 40 different speakers on the floor--this was an existing shop that I bought--I REALLY learned a ton.  A total revelation to me.  I thought I knew stuff; boy was I wrong.  For example, we always thought the large Advent speakers were the best in the world.  To be fair, at the time they were OK for rock, but they completely disintegrated (not literally, of course) when driven by first quality electronics and especially when A-B comparisons were made to many other speakers on the floor.  Sure, I sold you a pair of Advents if that is what you wanted.  Why not?  THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT is pretty much the first rule of retail, as my dad used to tell me. 

Eventually ,with the help of people like Bill Johnson, Jim Winey, Sol Marantz and his people--he was pretty old in the early 1970's, but still very opinionated, and many others I will not list here, I learned and learned and learned.

We tried to help you the best we could.  We brought stuff out to your room, set it up, let you listen for a week, etc.  We sold a lot of high-end gear back then as there were other dealers who sold low-and-middle end equipment. 

Finally, another thing I learned quickly is, "Never ask a customer what they do for a living."  Back then, people came into my shop wearing cutoffs, no shirt, no shoes... and carrying suitcases full of cash; you may remember those days in South Florida.  

A good dealer is customer-focused, intelligent about the gear he or she sells, and understanding of the audiophile's many, many dilemmas.  If you can do that, and carry only the best stuff in every category, you have a shot of being named in this thread as a "great dealer."

Cheers!