What Are Your Audio Morals?

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.

First of all...all of this used equipment had to be new once, right? Someone must have purchased it from a dealer at one time or another. Besides, a seller of used gear may very well take their profits and use them to buy something new from a dealer. Many of us may buy used, but I don't think we're the majority.

I have plenty of hi-end shops in my city (maybe ten? twenty?), and I honestly don't like dealing with many of the stores that I've visited. Lots of pompous, know-it-all sales guys out there (who don't actually know anything). I never go back to their stores and demo their gear, but if I did, I certainly wouldn't lose any sleep if I ended up buying the very same item used.

I patronize the nicer, friendlier stores as much as possible, but many stores tend to carry the same items and they're usually not what I'm interested in hearing. We may have twenty stores in my area, but most of my system wasn't available from any of my local dealers. One dealer did offer me a preamp demo unit for $3800 ($200 off for the demo...wow!), and I ended up buying a used unit on Audiogon for $1700. Could that dealer honestly expect me to pay him $2100 more for...literally...nothing? I was in his store for 20 minutes, and actually talked to him for 5 at the most. I never actually listened to his unit, because none of his other components were similar to mine...I didn't see the point. I don't make enough money to give $2100 away just to be nice.

I know that there are many people who take full advantage of the dealers service, demos, in-home set-up, troubleshooting, etc, but I'm not one of them. I did buy my Linn LP12 from a dealer, and they did set deliver it and set it up for me. After discovering this site, I don't know if I would ever do that again. I mean...I basically paid a $2000-$3000 delivery fee. I'm glad that they have a gorgeous storefront in an expensive neighborhood, they're well stocked with gear, and they always have four sales guys standing around, but that doesn't mean that I should pay for it. I'm all for guys like Rick Brkich (Signature Sound) who make their home their shop. It's a tough business that fluctuates with the economy...why add unnecessary overhead? I'd rather not pay for it. Some people like the fancy stores, the salesmen in ties, the illusion of prestige...that's fine with me...let them pay for it.