Audiogon and the Hi-Fi Mags

If people are selling gear on Agon, wouldn't it be logical that they are doing so probably because they want to upgrade or at least replace it with other gear? The fact that they would either have to buy new gear or more used gear, possibly from their local dealer or here on Agon, should demonstrate to the "glossy rags" that such sites actually ARE beneficial to the audio industry & dealers in the long run.

The problem is that most dealers are piss-poor when it comes to customer relations, which turns potential customers away from them. This means that the increased turn-over in gear that might allow people to buy newer gear from them is being bypassed by others selling gear on the net simply because they want to avoid the "snob factor" that most "audio salons" bring with them to every transaction.

As such, the dealers with fair price structures and good customer service don't fear Audiogon, it is the shysters that could care less about their customers who are the "sworn enemies of Audiogon".

As to the glossy rags, you can be certain that they feel the heat from all of the internet forums AND the internet based magazines. While most of this has to do with the timeline of available information in print, a lot of it has to do with the ease that one can obtain info on the net, therefore negating the importance of the glossy rags and "guru" reviewers. The fact that many of the "reviewers" that are currently writing for glossy rags aren't worth the paper and ink that they are printed with only compounds the situation. This is not to say that the glossy rags and reviewers don't have their place, as some of them are surely worth the paltry sums that an annual subscription costs.

As far as "heavyweights" hanging out at AA or at Agon, i think that each forum has benefits and drawbacks. Quite honestly, the signal to noise ratio at AA is much, much higher on AA than it is here at Agon. As such, one ends up having to not only post in a different manner, but also take on a completely different mindset when posting there.

To be honest, AA surely has a greater volume of input, but at the same time, i don't think that it has the same "feel" that we can find in the threads here. As one of the founding members of AA, the first person to contribute funding to AA ( other than Rod, the founder of AA ) and someone that has sponsored several different "fund raisers for AA, quite honestly, i feel more comfortable here at Agon than i do over at AA. That's why i tend to post here more than i do there.

If any of you have seen my posts at AA, it's not because i can't stand "toe to toe" with the "heavyweights" over there either, as i've directly debated several different and very well known manufacturers of gear, quite a few EE's and even some of the "hi-fi mag" reviewers being discussed here. In fact, i like heading over to AA just to kick some heavyweight ass once in a while. Doing so keeps me sharper and on my toes for when it really counts, like when i post here at Agon : ) Sean
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If you go to the Stereophile Market Place you will notice that it is Audiogon.

Fatparrot: "just an audio guy with an unusual moniker". Actually, my wife's name is Raquel. She was standing by the computer at the moment I needed to come up with a user name.

Kleech: Hi Ken. Same to you!

Thanks to all those who have responded.

From a purely personal observation i can say that Audiogon has dramatically increased my interest and knowledge in audio . I have bought and sold much on this site but also with the retail outlets as well . My enthusiasm has spread to my friends and subsuquently have initiated many to pick up the " bug " and get rolling as well. I find that as my audio thirst for information has grown { in no small part due to surfing archives into the wee hours of the nite learning extensively from more intelligent and thought provoking members such as the above Sean , Stehno , Fatparrot ect ect ect } , I have too become someone that others in my small community turn to for help in understanding and creating excitement in audio. There is no question that competition is good for everyone as the lackluster retail market has to shore up its collective game and stay competetive . When was the last time you drove many hours to an audio store full of excitement and wonder just to fine some slick salesman judging you by the color of your skin or clothes you wear giving you all the more reason to sink back into your comfortable , safe computer world of Audiogon. We as a community need to make sure the retail outlets survive however because without them , this all collapses for the most part as i do not feel the manufacturers could survive with direct internet audio sales alone. Dont get me wrong , there are great stores with great salespeople willing to help and educate us like Ivan at the fabulous Audio Advice in Raleigh NC. There are also many who do not share their enthusiasm . I have met many dealers and company owners on this site and feel their participation is invaluable in connecting directly with us because although print ads are fun , its impersonal . Kudos to Larry , Dan , Barry and the host of others that make the effort . Its all too easy to lose contact with the people who generate interest in all of us and move on to something else and forget about audio as there is more and more in this world competing for our limited free time in a day. Its up to every one of us to carry the torch and share with each other as well as newcommers the joy of audio. We as a fowerful community can and should do everything to keep this organic field alive and healthy. I personally shudder at the thought of high ends audio becoming a dinosaur. I have an mp3 . I also have Nearfield Pipedream 21s. They coexist just fine thank you.

Well, my thoughts are much like many of the others here. I've been heavily into high end for close to 30 years. In that time I've subscribed and let lapse my subscriptions to TAS, Stereophile, Fi (remember them?), Audio, What HiFi?, and others more than once. I also have had oppotunities to meet many of the manufacturers and audio writers at CES and Stereophile shows. I may be a new member to Agon, but in the very short time I've been here it has rekindled my love of music reproduction like none of those other things. I think a huge part of it is the interactive nature of this site and others like AA. I'd gotten very disillusioned with the audio press over the years, and really did not (and do not) consider them a reliable source of info (with a few exceptions). There is some truth to that here as well, but in general I find sites like this to be more fulfilling, becuase things are discussed here that are rarely (if ever) discussed in the rags, and if you want to tear apart a topic you can do it in a place like this. In that regard I don't think the mags (in general) are geared to making people like us happy. They tend to pontificate about one thing or another, but seem slightly disconnected from the sort of people I find here and on AA.