Insider or Outsider? To be or not to be,...?

Bob.
That is actually a very good idea, a free trial just to see if it is for you or not.

GK
You know we all adore you........
No forum would be the same without you.......
And that one is the truth!

 Well I certainly won't be shelling out. And count me as one of the nonbelievers in all the fantastical cable and fuse threads so I guess it's accomplishing what is intended.   I really don't sell much on here and just come on for the entertainment value to see with the crazies are trying next… 
Can't see how it would be a good thing in the long run though, even for Audio gone and the advertising revenue stream. 

Instead of trying to "monetize" the forum directly, what A'gon should realize is that people coming to the forum will likely jump over to sales too.  Indeed, reading forum threads probably inspires people to make purchases there that they wouldn't otherwise have made.  Seems greedy and unnecessary and potentially counterproductive to me.

I would say it is a result of the change of ownership where the new owners only see Audiogon as a pure business venture and all business have to make money.

It is not the enthusiast owned Audiogon of old I am afraid.