"A couple amateurs working out of their garage"
A lot of the Great American Enterprises have started in a garage; Hewlet Packard, KFC, Pizza Hut, Barbie..GE..should I go on?
The thing about internet and buying directly from the designer is that Retailers are no longer needed, at 40%-50% discount the retailer is making more money than the manufacturer!
Selling direct, leaves the manufacturer with the possibility of adding more quality components and still have a product in a logical price range.
This great Internet era we are living in allows us to buy and sell gear in places like Audiogon and gives us the chance to try a lot of toys, 10 years ago having this much gear would be unthinkable!!
Buying without a retailer also puts more value into reviewers, audio magazines, Audio Shows and Forums like this one where one can get an idea of the sound and good opinions before buying.
As a customer I had good and bad experiences dealing with both, from the designer who guides you and listens to you and almost changes his product to fit your system, to the modder who takes a year to deliver, to the dealer that lets you take the gear to your house for a couple of weeks to the horrible retailer who tries to sell you his unsellable residual pieces at incredible prices and treats you like dirt in the process.
I always had good experiences selling and buying stuff from Audiogon and made some friends in the process!
I have to admit buying on the internet from a dealer gives me some piece of mind, but "the times they are a Changin"!
What would be of the audio world if Altec Lansing would have never come and gone...
