The Lawyers Have Taken Over Audio

I am a big fan, customer and supporter of Gideon. You know we are all in this hobby to elevate the level of the art of music appreciation in the home even though we are surrounded by “muggles”( that would include WSJ reporters) that may believe a Bose table top radio is state of the art sound reproduction or at least good enough. The statements from this article being swatted around on this forum I believe from my experience with Gideon were misquoted and certainly taken out of context. The WSJ is a financial newspaper and a high end audio store is a business. The WSJ needs eye catching headlines for its demographic reader and we need hi end audio stores and the well-heeled that help support them. The passion about what these products deliver is not really reported on. And to be in this as a business you should cater to a defined range of tastes and financial ability. We can all see Gideon does in fact sell brands and products that he likes that cater to the person that just wants to step up beyond the run of the mill stuff. I realize that there are some of us on this site that just like to antagonize for fun. I get it. But still give Gideon his due for making the investment in a facility where we and others can actually hear something along with providing exceptional customer education and service.

"Muggles are simply ordinary human beings rather than witches and wizards"

A lot of 'muggles' on the a'gon, I would guess.

I'm surprised you posted this as a great article. I'd like to know what makes it great. This article does nothing but make the hobby more unbearably difficult for the people that support it the most.

Guess I'll trade in my hard earned Porsche 911c4s and my high end system. I
wouldn't want to upset anyone else who thinks I'm wasting my money cause I
could buy a really good car at 1/3 the price or a top notch audio system for 1/2
the price. Oh that's right I almost forgot, I don't care what anyone else thinks
and I am comfortable that each dollar was well spent in the context of my life.
And oh yea, I also forgot, I love the high end MSB combo CD transport/dac and
clock but cannot afford it and think it is silly expensive. But I do wish the person
who buys it well and would love to drop by and hear it in his/her system. Is there
anyone here that I have to check in with before I make my purchasing decision or
visit my MSB-buying friend or should I just continue in my ignorant bliss as a
victim of the snake oil marketing of the high end auto and audio industries?

My thought turns to spending time with my sister over Christmas and her plans to make a dedicated listening room. Imagine my excitement that I could help her "upgrade" a few components to increase her listening enjoyment. So we go upstairs and turn on her plastic Pioneer amp and turntable and little bookshelf speakers and listen. You know what? It made music and she enjoys it! She didnt have to tell me, but I know that it's the music that matters to her. My interest in upgrading her system vanished.

My sister is not thinking about going to the local stereo shop maybe because the local stereo shop has not reached out to her. And she has the disposible income to get a nice system. Their priority apparently is somewhere else.

My point is dealers are leaving the vast majority of people behind because their proirities don't relate. Let's let these folks get farther and farther away and closer to their MP3's.