OK, I'm going to interupt the piling on for a moment to say that I have made a couple of purchases from Gideon Schwartz and Audio Arts In New York.
Even though I live on the opposite coast, he has provided to me tremendous advice and has been very fair in both his dealings and his pricing. Whomever wrote the article did everything they could to make the hobby and the equipment sound overpriced and unachievable which is absolutely not the way that the Gideon with whom I have done business would have likeley preferred.
He champions some very small brands with very limited distribution so the prices reflect the small production realities when it comes to price and yet, he will proudly set you up an entry level system for alot less money than the article stated....he carries 47 labs among other reasonably priced equipment. He takes trades, takes a full system approach and truly has a passion for the hobby.
Why wouldnt we want a guy to open a shop and prosper? He travels the world to discover brands and has the courage and financial strength to import them. There are a number of dealers who fill this need and yet they get bashed in this forum, I don't understand. At a minimum, isn't it great that someone purchases some expensive gear, lightly uses it for a brief time, trades it in and then Gideon lists it on Audiogon where someone like me can finally afford it? I have purchased twice from him and will hopefully do so in the future.
Other great dealers like him deserve our patronage when possible....Peter at Venice Audio, Matt at Pitch Perfect, Fred at Katli, Sunil at Sunny! Walter at Fidelis and there are many more. Shouldn't we be pulling for these guys to prosper and advance the hobby rather than to slam them? What about the Wall Street guy who shells out the 6 figures for his gear....these dealers need them so they can afford to help the rest of us. Peace.
