How many dealers do you use?

@stuartk 
Thank you for your thoughts. They were very helpful to me as well and even price matched a few things I could of gotten cheaper elsewhere. I will definitely keep my relationship with them in good standing. 
Happy listening 

@douglas_schroeder  +33.34....*L*  Best suggestion if one desires a 'Cliffs' Notes: Current Audio Trends' speed education.  Spread over 2~3 days, if you haven't caught up you weren't paying attention. ;)

After that, ones' budget comes into play...*G*

Not long ago a turntable expert at Goodwin's High End fixed my que lever and tuned up my Linn for surprisingly small bucks.

I almost never buy gear "retail", but when I do it's usually either Echo Audio or Gig Harbor Audio.  Echo in particular has been really good to me, more than once they've helped me avoid a system mismatch or a sideways move from the gear I already have.  In other words, they've talked me out of buying something.

I have visited many audio dealers for over 30 years, lately with audio clubs. I have visited a few in Atlanta that have very nice equipment but sound like crap. Some of the best sounding dealers are/were Definitive Audio in Washington state, and the audio gallery in Portland. I don’t go to dealers any longer but if I were to, I would make a trip to Seattle