Say it ain't so...


Went into a Best Buy today and came across a section called "Magnolia". It was a "Home Theater" department. They had Definitive Technology, Martin Logan, Boston Acoustics, REL, Denon, and a few other brands generally associated with HiFi Buys/Tweeter or better audio stores.
How about that...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&cmp=&id=pcmcat42900050008
Ag insider logo xs@2xmuzikat
Yes, BB bought Magnolia. Don't woory, they will run it into the ground soon enough. When was the last time you walked inot a BB and got any kind of service? People who buy "Hi-end" want service, not some young kid ignoring them.

On a side note, Tweeter has been on the edge of Bankruptcy for the last few years. Why should I go to BB to be ingored by a young kid in a blue shirt when I can go to Tweeter and get ingored by a guy in a suit?
Higher volume sales of these higher end products should mean lower prices. And a larger number of these same products on the used market. As long as the quality stays the same.
To add to TIC, I also find that most people working in smaller dealers are also passionate audiophiles, as opposed to big box store salespeople, who at best are barely hi-fi educated. I can foresee people leaving Magnolia believing that the best high end is only in their stores. And, let's not forget, was it not these very same sales people that made the masses believe that everything they sell is "hi-fi"
It seems the positive Ruebent mentions could far outweigh the con. If more people are exposed to and find some interest in the "high-end" it might encourage them to seek out some of the local small dealers. Hopefully, if that happens the small dealers will be smart enough to capitalize.
I haven't been into Best Buy looking for audio in a while so I don't know if any of the above mentioned equipment is available in Indianapolis. I'll have to check it out.
Nicely said Tim. Expose more people to what hi-end can do--most people have no idea. I was flying the other day on American and was very pleased to see that the airline magazine had a 4 page section on hi-end audio. It showed and discussed products from B&W, Dynaudio, Classe, Jeff Rowland, Meridian, SME, and others. The products were top of the line, B&W 801 signature, Dynaudio Evidence as examples. It was great to see that it's at least being mentioned to the general population. I think the market has shrunk largely due to the past "snobbery" approach from hi-end stores and the lack of reaching out to find new clients that might not have previously experienced hi-end reproduction.