Audiophile 'Attitude'


Okay, we love our hobby: we love the music, the equipment, the esoterica, and the deranged quest for perfection the likes of which would make even the greats of classical composition shake their heads. But you've got to admit that there exists a certain 'attitude' among some of our group that can be..... difficult. Often this is sexist, arrogant, elitist, impatience, and so on. I think this would be a fertile ground for interesting stories, some humorous and some just jaw dropping. Would anyone like to share? Remember, there are many stories about those other folks outside the hobby who don't get our brilliance and force us to painfully tolerate their ignorance, I'm talking 'bout the other side: WHEN
AUDIOPHILES GO BAD!

I will gladly start: when my wife and I decided to sell our entire Vandersteen home theater (this is different tale of audiophile arrogance, btw) we started looking for a new brand and a new sound to replace my
formerly beloved Vandys. My first 'target' was Martin Logan. It just so happened that there was a ML dealership less than a mile from where I lived at the time in Champaign, IL. Wonderful I thought! So my wife and I toddled over there.

Now it should be noted that my wife has become quite an audiophile herself. She wasn't this way when we met, but she has become fairly well educated in matters of audiophillia, she has an excellent ear, and she is a brilliant woman (she is a vice president for Bank of America after all). So we choose much of our equipment together.

So we go into this ML dealership with about four CDs In hand to get a brief audition and ask to hear some MLs. Instead of going straightaway to letting us listen the salesman decides he needs to try and 'sell' us on the MLs, the very speakers we'd come to hear in the first damn place! So after tolerating his drivel for a few minutes my wife's asks a question. Instead of answering her, he answers me.... then he turns to my wife and, while pointing to that screen with holes that MLs have on so many of their speakers, he says, "now this isn't here so you can hang clothes to dry."

It honestly took me a second to realize what he had just said and I think my wife wafinally looted. After a couples seconds I said, "well, I guess we won't want these speakers then." And we walked out. We also scratched Martin Logan off of our list. No one treats my wife that way.

Okay, your turn....
aewhistory
WHAT IF no one ever took the time and trouble to demonstrate the "current state of the art" components to a serious and inquisitive customer? sure, there might not be a sale that day or even that year, but someday he/she gets settled in an apartment and wants some great sounding music. they've been working for awhile and saving up, and their dream is finally going to become reality. If the retail business can't recognize and nurture this type of customer then this is a real tragedy. SO if you're ("aloof salesperson") not too busy, recognize the enthusiasm coming from the future potential fanatic (me for example) and bring him into "the room",
sit him down in "the chair", and play toccata and fugue in D minor....
Albertporter that is a great story and wish I had run into more salespersons like you over the years.
In my case, when I was a young twenty-something struggling graphic designer back in the early 80's, no, I could not afford the best, but IF you let me do some listening... Well then SOMEDAY when I HAD money, I might come back and buy bigtime.. which of course is what I did. Now I'm in my early 50's and live in an area fairly devoid of any audio at all, but am still very loyal to my dealer back in New Jersey, and have spent ? $$$$ I have no idea how much over the past 20 years. If Saleperson's would INVEST in younger persons, someday the entire industry will reap.
I'll pipe in about David Weinhart. Yes, he can say inappropriate stuff- something about stuff that plumbers and teachers listen to (my wife is a teacher). But the guy spent a solid hour with us knowing that we were visiting from Oregon and the chance of us spending money that day was remote. He was informative and entertaining. Yea, he's a Bel-Air guy- but he's also a gear junkie and a music lover.
I have a fun, opposite experience that I want to share. I was doing automotvie testing in the desert back in the early 90s. I drove back into LasVegas, Nv to fly home. Since I was on the RedEye I had time to drive around and I found a stereo shop. I was wearing a golf shirt with both the Bosch and Ford logos sewn into it. These were special shirts that get passed around to engineers working on common programs.
So I walked in and looked around. It was a very respectable shop with some nice gear and was my first time to see Apogee speakers in person. The salesman/shop owner was a personable guy. He makes a remark to me that he liked my shirt because he sold Blaupunkt Automotive stereos too. I spied a Half Speed Master recording of the Alan Parsons Project Tales of Mystery and Imagination on his record rack. I said I would trade him my shirt for that record. He took me up on my offer. I went out to my car, changed shirts and gave him the smelly shirt off my back for that record.
He was a great guy and that is one of my best audio memories. I think of him whenever I play that record.
I will not stand for audio sales people being linked to car salesmen. Car sales people are a step, really just inches, above. When I was going to college I worked summers as the personal assistant to the president of major mega car dealer. My office was a desk next to his. Boy, did I learn the car business. Till this day I have never found sales practices out side the auto field, shady and dishonest was the name of the game. That was reinforced when I recently went shopping with a friend. Seems, after arriving at a 'deal' price, they tried to add back in the sales order $1500 of dealer charges, including the $900 destination charge which is always included in the MRSP sticker price. We could not run fast enough out the door. The sales person was screaming 'wait'. Wait till the audio people find out. I am sure they will now charge for the box and its packing materials.