@millercarbon
If someone were reading your post and didn’t actually know better, they might arrive at the conclusion that the better audio stores are simply catering to the wrong people.
You seem to be inferring if a consumer has reached a certain financial strata that their hearing and taste declines considerably at an inverse direction than their financial resources. You also infer that their intelligence suffers at just the moment that their financial success is ironically on the uptick. The more financial resources someone has, they must be dumb, with no hearing and no taste.
This is a troubling trend indeed.
In all sincerity, what you seem to be describing as your ideal audio retailer is more like a hobbyist's clubhouse. The idea that you should be able to drop by with your gear, interconnects and a desire to just play around is actually kindof of quaint when you think about it.
Once again, these people are in the business of making money. Those that do, stay in business, those that don't.... I remember a few shops like you describe back in the day. They usually evolved from being in the repair, tube, mom & pop shop into a hifi shop. Usually owned by a bench tech, likely a WWII era tech at that. The military trained alot of wonderful people who helped our hobby develop. Unfortunately, its a flawed business model today.
If someone were reading your post and didn’t actually know better, they might arrive at the conclusion that the better audio stores are simply catering to the wrong people.
You seem to be inferring if a consumer has reached a certain financial strata that their hearing and taste declines considerably at an inverse direction than their financial resources. You also infer that their intelligence suffers at just the moment that their financial success is ironically on the uptick. The more financial resources someone has, they must be dumb, with no hearing and no taste.
This is a troubling trend indeed.
In all sincerity, what you seem to be describing as your ideal audio retailer is more like a hobbyist's clubhouse. The idea that you should be able to drop by with your gear, interconnects and a desire to just play around is actually kindof of quaint when you think about it.
Once again, these people are in the business of making money. Those that do, stay in business, those that don't.... I remember a few shops like you describe back in the day. They usually evolved from being in the repair, tube, mom & pop shop into a hifi shop. Usually owned by a bench tech, likely a WWII era tech at that. The military trained alot of wonderful people who helped our hobby develop. Unfortunately, its a flawed business model today.