What Are Your Audio Morals?

It seems that the inability to express sarcasm effectively by email, coupled with some folks with anger management problems, has raised its ugly head. But on subject, it seems to me that if you're just looking and say so, there's no moral problem with taking as much of dealer or salesperson's time as they are willing to give. But if you are using them to demo something that you plan to buy on the web, (unless you have a long-standing relationship and make it clear up front) then you are using them; taking the value they add to the sale (overhead plus profit plus expertise) and buying at the lowest price. Its all about your intention. And if you have to rationalize it, then its probably unethical.

Thats the tradeoff from buying on the net; you pays your money (less) and you takes your chances (more).

Leafs, What about the guy that goes into the local hi end boutique shop (if those still exist), listens to say Vandersteen model 2 speakers, loves them, comes back every weekend for the next month to same dealer to hear them over and over again. Takes up a ton of the dealers time; then said dealer finds out this person just ordered a pair from a different dealer.

Frap,that would not be ethical.
I am fortunate Living in the Greater Toronto Metro area there are still many High End Boutique,s around.

I have struggled with this issue of auditionong equipment knowing a sale was at best dubious. In my area we have few high-end shops; coupled with the advent of used product availability over the net, I find it remarkable that dealers retain open doors. A high-end buddy, who opened an audio shop lives on home installs of predominately video systems. He carries a decent selection of well-known manufacturers,i.e. Krell, Thiel, Mcintosh, Aerial, Genesis, Classe, but unfortunately the risk of bringing lines of the more esoteric introduces too much risk. I feel for him and anyone else trying to succeed in this most specialized of retail offerings.

The last product I did buy from him, which incidently proved to be my last retail purchase, was Sony's SACD player. Being a newly introduced product none were available within these or comparable sites. He discounted for me, but not within reach of the used market plateaus. I cannot, at this time, justify purchasing a product from a retailer, with the competive availability. The outrageous pricing, most markedly in the cable industry, has forced the used market to flourish. Without it, my system is frightfully different.

As for taking advantage of dealers, my philosophy holds strong fiat. I have completely disassociated from the institution, even barring phone exchange. Galen Carol used to receive a hand full of calls annualy, but I morally believe, without the potential towards purhase, I have no right. How the retailing market of high-end evolves, vis-a-vis the preowned, may strongly effect the industry as a whole.

Fpeel-- such language :>) What did we do before the advent of the internet? Personally, I've only used i-net purchasing for the last year and a half or so. Prior to that, I used a combination of a good local dealer (and their annual 20% off sale), and mail order dealers.

In those not so distant days, I paid much more for audio gear too. I think the real issue is can "brick and mortar" high end audio dealers stay in business without using the internet? And how will they compete?

It's my feeling that it's going to be really tough for them. I personally think that only those manufacturers and dealers that can find a way to compete with/in cyberspace are going to survive. My local dealer has survived by getting into HT like so many others-- and inevitably they are carrying less pure audio gear.

As to this specific topic, I use a combination of a local dealer and the internet for my audio purchases. But I don't abuse the dealer. Cheers. Craig.