Would you trust a local dealer to help you put

As I remember SBS, one month he was promoting brand X as the best
thing since sliced bread, and a few months later, it was an entirely different
brand. I bought a few pieces from him back in the day but they were things
I went in knowing i wanted- it was simply that he carried the line at the time.

As per the original question, would I allow a dealer of anything to pick something out for me the answer is yes but not without education and a bit of research.

Look at this example:

Lets say you wanted to drink some some high end Vodka, or Scotch you could go to a high end spirits shop and then you could experience three possible ways to end your quest:

1: one the store would have a tasting event which would enable you to taste for your self many different spirits which would then be ideal for you to educate your palate and make an educated decision, this is a very unlikely scenario.

2: you can ask an educated salesperson, questions on what to purchase based on having a discourse on what you like and what you don't like based on past experience. Most likely
you will end with something you will like.

3: you purchase any bottle that "looks" good based on reading or advertising or what you have heard about a particular product, you purchase it and hope for the best.

It is no different in purchasing an audio system, if you have a good local dealer then you can go in and get hopefully an education by listening to his or her recommendations and then comparing those recommendations to other possible systems the dealer should have on the sales floor, and then after experience different loudspeakers, amplifiers, and digital or analog front ends the prospective customer will now know exactly the kind of sound which will work for them.

Again, I worked there, and that was exactly the issue that pissed me off, if Andy was indeed the most knowledgable guy in audio then why is he all of a sudden now carrying a new line of gear and promoting that brand over some other brand of gear that he used to promote some short time ago which he extolled at the time, to be the best thing he has ever heard?

I wouldn't mind if the new line was some revolutionary new game changing equipment that just entered the market but when his " new " line has been on the market for years then there is no integrity in that.

If you are really interested in pursuing the best gear then you do a shoot out between what you currently sell or are interested in selling and if this new line is indeed better you sell that new line, you do this when you are putting together your lines, you do this every 5 to 10 years, unless again some revolutionary thing comes out which changes the landscape.

That SBS scenario was apparent to me as a result of just a single conversation with Andy there. I guess that's part of the reason SBS is no longer there physically at least.

Sure, not all dealers are created equal and we shouldn't generalize. But I'd like to believe that most people, dealers included, are inherently good. We all just want to put in our time, earn a fair wage, and spend our time outside of work doing things we love with the people we love.

With that said, dealers are often unfairly held responsible for poor results because many customers take a component approach rather than a systems approach. By systems approach I mean every single part of the system - as it all matters and effects the end result - including the room, power, cabling, etc.

This is really what I feel, as a dealer, is the crux of the problem. You are not likely, on your own, as a consumer, to piece together a reference class "best of show" system. Can it be done? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not.

And then there's the Internet. Most customers believe that if they read it on the Internet then it must be true which we, as dealers, know is certainly not the case. Some of the most favorably reviewed equipment on the net I would not even GIVE to my friends or family members. Do I offer or recommend those products? Absolutely not.

10 years ago people sought advice and trusted their own ears but now consumers are buying hifi as they purchase artwork. Checking to make sure that their own feelings are validated by some online authority (a blogger who more often than not is a hobbiest that can string together a few coherent sentences).

Moreover, I take issue with individual component reviews vs. system reviews. Brand X preamp may we highly touted and reference caliber but only when placed within certain systems.

Anyway, I strive to help every one of our customers reach their goals, regardless of how much they spend or how much time they require. I don't succeed if my customers don't succeed and there is no business without our customers.

I'm in the business (and have been for 23 years) because I am passionate about high fidelity and I believe that higher fidelity adds to the human experience and to one's quality of life.

Burt, Proprietor
Seattle Hi-Fi