Hi-end audio is a big zero

I apologize for not being able to get past the title and first sentence of this post without being critical. The title is "High End Audio is a Big Zero" when what you meant is "High End Audio Dealers are a Big Zero". High end audio by itself is just fine and every once in a while (but not often), worth the high prices that are paid for it.

And the first sentence is: "This is no knock on dealers." and then you go on to spend the rest of the post knocking on dealers. The dealers may very well deserve to be knocked on but don't try to obfuscate what you're doing by starting with a counterclaim. Be bold and knock away.

• "Still great" family owned group is Listen Up A/v of Colorado.
• Listen Up has nice demo rooms and a better educated and experienced staff than big box stores
• They pride themselves on customer satisfaction

This thread is a big 0 good luck though. 

Half the fun of this hobby is reading reviews... Seems odd that a dealer does not want to demo a product. Simply expects the customer to purchase the item. That being the case, what is the point of a dealer? Go direct like AVA, Schiit, Ps Audio, etc.

cdc (love your Moniker)

Thank You for sharing your Dealer/Retailer experience. Great comments and suggestions as above. Agreed- Music loving B&M Audio shops are vanishing.

My best auditions took place with Audio salon(s), where the Proprietor was a music fan, first and foremost. Passion and Zest goes a long way with me. The rest are Flakes and none of your business. Take your time and seek out premier Operations.

Happy Listening!