My apologies to the exceptions but, in general, I have so little sympathy for audio dealers that I just couldnÂt care less. In my experience, this industry attracts too many hustlers who see a potential for huge unearned profits, and have categorized audiophiles as sheep begging to be sheered.
Another problem is that there is no qualification process, other than the market place, to determine who can operate an audio store. With manufactures and distributors competing for locations where prospective customers can audition their products, itÂs too easy for incompetence to find its way into the audio chain. Many dealers like to say that theyÂre in the business of selling music, not components, but too many donÂt know how. TheyÂll sell you a 30k analog rig but cant set it up for optimal playback. Of course they get trained for set-up, but thatÂs no guarantee that theyÂll make the effort or have the talent.
Arrogance, snobbery, condescending manners. After someone's been in this hobby for a while and has established a sort of pedigree, these attitudes arenÂt as common, but for neophytes, they are way too common.
As IÂm writing this post, IÂm realizing that the opportunities for this industry to improve are daunting, but nowhere more so than at the first line of customer contact.
