Hi-end audio is a big zero

@audioguy85 I’d by Tanny’s too but as for the rest some pain mixed in (but mostly fun and a learning process) for the gain. So msny of us don’t think as the room as equipment. Granted that’s not always possible. Buy lottery tickets

+1 @ acoustically treated room.

Finished building mine end of 2019. My music experience has evolved 10 fold ever since. However it is a tough sale for a lot of audiophiles, specially married ones, since they have to be worried about messing up the looks of their rooms to do so.

Hence the never ending equipment upgrades. And that's great for the audio business, room treatment, not so much. With about 50k in gear total, I have come to the realization that it is already well above any expectations I ever had about sound quality. It is a blessing to be at peace with sound in only 3 years and I would never have achieved that in a lifetime without building the house of stereo, even so it obviously came at a high cost. I always thought the systems I had in various homes through the years were excellent. I could not have been more wrong. A properly built and treated room is essential if you are serious about sound.

On the other end, if you are strictly a music lover, a boom box will do, I have one.

I've been on both sides of this discussion, and they're both difficult. As a B&M business owner you have to worry about margins, revenue per ft2, and gross profit per hour. Even if your sales staff is not commission, you still have to make the math work, on top of inventory, you have to cover rent, utilities, taxes, wages & benefits.

As a customer you want service and time without obligation. A good sales person needs to generate about $250 per hour in gross profit to make about $50k a year. Given overall margins (Video is as low as 10 points, Speakers up to 50 points; cables typically even higher) you can do the math and see that stores can only afford so much time for demos. 

Time isn't just money, time is rent, groceries and the light bill. Respect their time and you'll get good service. Waste their time and , well, don't expect much in return for your .... Nothing. 

@cdc 

Out of curiosity, what speakers and transports were you interested in and what do you have now?

We like to have local dealers that have all the greatest stuff, and we can go in and give it a listen. Hopefully they are conscientious enough to discern if you are there to spend money and therefore spend the time to set things up for you properly in the space they have. Mind you, it will never match our space but it should give you a hint, right? Well, there you go! You have a mortgage or a lease. But then we want to hear them in our homes to make sure. It's not unreasonable but here's the thing. It is costly! Either in shipping or in delivering there are cost. Think about it, vehicle cost and maintenance, insurance, fuel, and don't forget tribute to the state in licensing and taxes. Shipping is fraught with costs as well. Is that on them or you?

Don't forget labor!

What's the answer? Only you can choose. A brick and mortar that you can visit and understand it will cost more because of these things or online and cheaper with less actual exposure to the product or poor customer service.