As a dealer, this has been a thoroughly entertaining and educational thread for me. It's nice to see that dealers have been useful to many of you, and educational to see in what areas we often fall on our faces (such as blindly recommending stuff we sell without taking the time to find out your personal preferences).
I know of several local dealers here in New Orleans who actually do recommend products they don't sell, and/or will tell you how to DIY solutions to problems that arise rather than just throwing money at the situation. In various scenarios I have recommended products I don't sell (including Magnepan, Pass Labs, Classic Audio Reproductions, CAT, vintage Audio Research, Talon, Audio Physic, Boston Acoustics, Rethm, Joseph Audio, InnerSound speakers, Quad, Avantgarde, Kharma, Intuitive Design, Merlin, Harmonic Technology, Goertz, Nordost Valhalla, and probably a few more that I can't think of right now). Ideally, I'd carry all these cool products so I'd never have to recommend something I don't sell, but realistically I can't carry 'em all.
Personally I have no problem with people taking dealer recommendations with a grain of salt. To a slightly lesser extent, I take the enthusiasm of both proud manufacturers and proud new owners (and even raving reviewers) with a grain of salt - at least at first.
If you find a dealer or fellow hobbyist (local or online) who proves to you over time that you can trust his advice, hang on to him. But still always listen for yourself wherever possible, as two people will have different tolerance levels for different colorations and so may very honestly arrive at totally different conclusions.
I know of several local dealers here in New Orleans who actually do recommend products they don't sell, and/or will tell you how to DIY solutions to problems that arise rather than just throwing money at the situation. In various scenarios I have recommended products I don't sell (including Magnepan, Pass Labs, Classic Audio Reproductions, CAT, vintage Audio Research, Talon, Audio Physic, Boston Acoustics, Rethm, Joseph Audio, InnerSound speakers, Quad, Avantgarde, Kharma, Intuitive Design, Merlin, Harmonic Technology, Goertz, Nordost Valhalla, and probably a few more that I can't think of right now). Ideally, I'd carry all these cool products so I'd never have to recommend something I don't sell, but realistically I can't carry 'em all.
Personally I have no problem with people taking dealer recommendations with a grain of salt. To a slightly lesser extent, I take the enthusiasm of both proud manufacturers and proud new owners (and even raving reviewers) with a grain of salt - at least at first.
If you find a dealer or fellow hobbyist (local or online) who proves to you over time that you can trust his advice, hang on to him. But still always listen for yourself wherever possible, as two people will have different tolerance levels for different colorations and so may very honestly arrive at totally different conclusions.