How many dealers do you use?

@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 

I’ve visited many audio dealer stores in California. Although I’ve read it’s good to get an experienced dealer for advice, I keep them at arms length because lack of trust putting customer first before sales. When I was starting out green in high end audio, I had one bad experience with a salesman asking me my budget (which I didn’t know yet so threw out a number) then he proceeded to push a system (used car salesman) that sounded only meh. I complained and subsequently upper management apologized.

Most of what I learned was from years of intense research and occasional forum or manufacturer inquiries. Maybe someday I’ll find a dealer I can trust putting customers first - any advise regarding this is welcome.

But there are some online dealers that also participate in forums which I trust much more - their helpfulness reflects a customer first b4 sales attitude.

I do generally trust Rhapsody Audio in NY who did a WBF forum review of the Magico A5. When I contacted him he suggested I purchase from a local dealer (I’m in California Bay Area) so I can get local advice, but I’ll likely give the sale to Rhapsody since their forum review led to this sale.