in days gone by you could actually rely on audio stores for good sound advice. (pun intended)
But I guess with the abundance of choice comes ignorance and it's all about the mighty dollar, so shift that product!
(1) Dealers can only carry certain brands, and the arena of choice in high-end is far too wide to even consider presenting anything more than a restricted sample available. That kills it right there ...full stop.Granted, but I have had dealers recommend products outside of their current line - they are few, but good dealers often offer "advice" on other products they found of value - and they know I'll come back.
- (3) An "obligation" is a course of action that someone is required to take
The OP states High-end shops - not TV stores. High-end implies some kind of extended expertise or knowledge - at least to me.
It's no different from high-end clothing stores or food stores - they "generally" know much more about their market in general and certainly more details about their products.
Are they obligated? - not legally, but people "expect" a higher level of understanding of "their craft" from the "High-End" stores.
It's becoming more apparent to me that as time goes by that the level of "professionalism" across the board is diminishing - not only in audio circles but across all walks of life.
Do I expect value when I walk into a store - not really, but I'm sometimes surprised
But the stores that DO step up - get my repeat business.
Just sayin :-)