The effect of the Internet on the audiophile industry/community is more complex than our discussion has acknowledged so far. Long time a'goners will know that the Internet, especially A'gon, not only has changed the audio marketing landscape, but has enabled new component manufacturers (what I call basement developers/entrepreneurs) to start up and thrive in that marketplace. I have enjoyed watching several of these new product lines evolve and develop, and I have enjoyed auditioning some of them in my home system. All of these products began as direct sale only, often here on a'gon. Although some have made their way into the mainstream market, most simply are not available in local audio stores. I think the opportunity for this kind of innovation, created by the internet, has made valuable contributions to the audiophile industry, driving further innovation and development. Most of the purchases I have made in this market are described best as tweaks, rather than major components of my system, and I have no problem buying these types of products directly from the manufacturer.
Where the major components of my system are concerned, I strongly prefer to buy from local dealers. The problem is that I am now so deep into the hobby that no local dealers can accommodate my auditioning needs. There are just too many products I want to hear for local dealers to keep up with my kind of demand. The market changes too rapidly these days. As someone noted above, it is not easy for dealers to balance the marketing demands of various manufacturers, and the number of product lines they can support is limited.
On the other hand, I could go today into any one of the stores still operating within two hours of home and construct a system with which I could be completely happy. I think this is what any good audio store should be able to offer, and at several price points. This seems the natural niche for a high end audio store these days: to help people construct a fully satisfying system for listeners interested only in reproducing music accurately and pleasantly, without the buyers spending the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of hours I've spent reading online, and buying and selling on a'gon.
My interests are more complex than merely creating a satisfying listening experience in my home; I've become a hobbyist as interested in the performance of a wide range of products as I am in having a system that communicates music accurately and pleasantly. It would be unreasonable for me to expect local dealers to equip and staff their stores to satisfy my curiosities.
I still need a place to audition the wide range of products in which I'm interested without having to buy and have them shipped to my home and, perhaps, to ship them back. Eight years ago, I downsized my system, purchasing new speakers, amp, power conditioners, TT, and digital streaming components. Although I have been working with two local shops for more than four decades, I found that many components in which I was interested were not available locally, so I opted to audition them at annual audio shows. Now, serious auditioning is difficult in that setting. However, with patience, I was able to narrow my options to several and set up times for private listening with the dealers of components on my short list, after hours, if you will. I purchased three major components this way, and I was very happy with the service I received during the purchase. However, with my Devialet amplifier, which met my needs all but perfectly, I sorely missed the after purchase support my local dealers would've given me. But, that support was not possible; the dealers simply do not have license to sell or support the product. Nor did Devialet offer good support early on. Fortunately, Devialet now offers excellent support services.
I guess my point is that the market has indeed changed. There are far too many product lines available, and local store simply cannot support all of them. But, we as consumers have changed as well. The Internet has enabled us to learn a good deal more about the growing number of products in the marketplace, and our interests have outgrown the capacity of the local audio market. We cannot expect local stores to cater to our arcane interests and curiosities. They are there to sell products, not to create audio experiences for navel gazing hobbyists like me.
