What Are Your Audio Morals?

I have all but written off high-end shops and therefore don't utilize their services, either to buy through them or to audition something and then buy it cheaper elsewhere. I read a lot of reviews, buy stuff used, decide over a couple months if I like it or not, and sell what I don't want.

About once a year I go to a couple of the local high-end stores just to see if they've changed their approach at all - new pricing strategies, more intelligent advice, different products, etc. I'm open to seeing the value, but it never seems to make itself apparent, so I go back to educating myself and providing service to myself. I'll even be real open with them, and ask them about all of these issues, but instead of trying to win me as a customer, they get all nervous and avoid the questions. I agree with Abstract7 - if you're up front about what your approach is, there's not a question of morality. It's the flip side of Best Buy saying, "we'll beat any advertised price". You walk in and say, "I'm here to see if you'll do what it takes to win my business". If what it takes is the lowest price, so be it. If it's a certain type and amount of service for a certain price, that's fine too. It's only a question of morals when you purposely mis-lead somebody.

It seems I'm lucky in that my dealer welcomes me to sit in at auditions, and demos of outlandishly expensive equipment he knows I can't (or wouldn't) purchase. When I find equipment in the used market, I inform him and ask for his opinion; we have kind of "tacit agreement" in that he will offer his opinion in exchange for my open communication. He has suggested I go for a piece of used equipment rather than buy new from him (a brand he sells). But then, my dealer is also the shop owner -- which makes things simpler(?).

My old dealer is long since gone. He got into home theater and interior design for a while when hi-end sales started falling and finally just closed the door. There are currently NO high-end shops within a 100 mile radius of where I live. About a year ago I visited one to hear a pair of speakers I was interested in. Problem with this guy is he tried to do the hard close on me and I really got annoyed. If indeed I were going to purchase those speakers, for the time and effort he gave to set things up properly, which he did quite well, I would certainly have purchased from him.

Now I try to get a feel of products from internet sites like Audiogon. I can generally get a good sense of the sonic characteristics I am looking for. Some posters are very good at communicating this and I feel good about their recommendations. I then buy used and if not satisfied will re-sell. I would never use a dealer that would spend the time with me to demo and then purchase at a lower price elsewhere. I would however try to get a discount price from him but recognize the fact that these guys have overhead and expenses and they also have to make money to keep the doors open.

I found a guy fairly recently that is a retired doctor and sells gear out of his home at good prices, amazing actually. I suspect this is what will happen long term with the smaller dealers to keep their overhead cost down. With the internet, a store front isn't as necessary as it once was and they won't have to sell at retail. The manufacturer's won't like it but too bad, they can just sell to the big boys that will continue to sell at full retail. Maybe when I retire I may do it myself to support my hobby. Then again with the slow demise of hi-end it may be a moot point at that time.

Great question. I believe Stereophile had an editorial on this subject about a year or so ago. I think there's a point at which it becomes unethical to use a salesperson's resources when shopping for something you plan to buy used on the internet. Everyone has to decide for himself where that line is. I rarely set foot inside a brick and mortar store anymore, but here's my take on the subject:

First off, I don't have a problem with going into a store to look around with no intention of buying anything. Browsing is fair game in any industry, as is comparison shopping. I'll even ask a question or two if a salesman is handy. It's in a dealer's best interest to have people come in and "kick the tires" as sales are often generated on smaller, unrelated items (cables, etc.) while the person is in the store. I've made similar unplanned purchases when "just looking". But what about actually auditioning gear? Is using a dime of a dealer's electricity a moral meltdown on the customer's part? I don't think so, as long as you're up front with your intentions. I've been in stores before where I've said from the start that I'm not looking to buy something but just want a quick demo to satisfy my curiosity (SACD, HDTV, DTS, etc.). I've never been told no. I think salespeople sometimes enjoy giving you a quick "Gee whiz" experience, even knowing you're not there to buy.

Where I think you cross the line is when you tie up a salesperson's time at length with questions and assistance in auditioning gear--especially when there are other, presumably more serious customers in the store. There's a point at which the demands you put on a salesperson's time and energy is reserved for serious customers only. It's hard to say just exactly where that point is--it's sort of a "feel" thing. It's subtle, but if you pay attention to your own transaction or that of another with the salesperson, you can sense a point--sometimes right off the bat--at which everything shifts gears from "just looking" to "I may take this home if I like it." I'm always careful to keep things in the "just looking" mode when I do my window shopping.