Well said Scpetscott. I've been to more than a few hi end stores and have been very disappointed with the service and most of all the sound. In fact I've never went to a store and heard something and though I've got to have that. Not to mention at least half of the time I've felt there was a real snobby attitude to go along with it. Personally the advice and knowledge I get from experienced and devoted audiophiles on this site means far more to many than any visit to a dealer. If I am interested in a product I would almost be afraid to go hear it at a dealer since I don't expect to get a real impression of it and what it will sound like in my system. The only reason I would go into a dealer now would be to see what a speaker looks like in real life. I wouldn't even ask to hear it. And I do agree that it is not cool at all to go waste a dealers time when you have no intention of buying.
is audiogon good for the audio industry or bad?
I am not a dealer so my input is only based on my limited actions...but, since I discovered audiogon and became a member and active user, I have raised thousands of dollars by selling equipment that had been stored in my basement because "trade-in values" are so low that I would have rather stored this equipment just in-case I one day needed it. I then re-invested those dollars, plus other dollars and then sold equipment that I was planning on living with and invested those dollars as well to basically upgrade 1/2 my system which I had no imminent plans to do prior to AG. The result is that I have now spent thousands and thousands on equipment over the last 6-months which I would not have done without AG. Absolute Sound drives me into retailers and listening rooms, helps educate me and helps create my wish list, but, AG helps me make it a reality. The result is that I spend far more $$ on equipment...which by the way, drives me to buy absurd amounts of source material through acousticsounds, etc...