Brick&Mortar vs Internet Direct: Where do you buy your Audio/Video Gear?

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Isn't it ultimately about the prices (in relation to performances & availability) ?

I mean if the price difference is insignificantly, I think everyone would want to buy from a local store.

But who is going to pay $4K when they could pay $2K?

If you believe that a particular ID speaker sounds better than B&M, then why buy B&M even if it is less expensive?

If you believe a particular B&M speaker sounds better than ID, then why ID at all?

So it depends on availability, performance and price.

 

[KEW]

...Part Sex Press; all of which I've used; Internet.

Now I'm interested! What'd you get?

 

[KEW]

Isn't it ultimate about the prices (in relation to performances & availability) ?

I mean if the price difference is insignificantly, I think everyone would want to buy from a local store.

But who is going to pay $4K when they could pay $2K?

If you believe that a particular ID speaker sounds better than B&M, then why buy B&M even if it is less expensive?

If you believe a particular B&M speaker sounds better than ID, then why ID at all?

So it depends on availability, performance and price.

The value of money varies greatly among different people.
I know a lady who deliberately buys things at top price so she can brag to her friends about how much she spent on her new hat (or whatever). She is married to a very successful doctor (on the order of $400 to $500k/yr), and that is her comfort from the fact that he is a workaholic and essentially never home.

But most people with a truly large income are going to call a custom installer and essential say "take care of it". Unfortunately, these custom installers usually are quick to focus on in-wall and in-ceiling speakers (because most of their customers want sound "coming out of nowhere").

Here is one of few custom installers I know of that uses free standing speakers a lot. I suspect some of their rooms cost a scary-high percentage of the cost of my home! Check their slideshow at this link:

http://www.atlantahometheater.com/home.html

More commonly, we get people in the lower 6 figures who, knowing this is a once-in-a-decade purchase, won't flinch at spending extra $$$$ for the convenience of:
1) Not waiting for shipping
2) Quick resolution of any DOA or defective gear
3) No worries about shipping damage, damage claims, etc.
4) Not spending time trying to find the best deal (price shopping is, after all, a largely clerical task)
5) Having someone deliver and set it up.
In some cases, they appreciate the attention they get by being a serious customer of a smaller local audio store, they can call the store and they will be remembered by the manager on a first name basis and know they will get quick resolution to any concerns (partly because the manager knows he will pay for it if required).

Naturally, we would never see these people here.
People who participate in an audio forum are some combination of:
1) Have a passion for music-audio-SQ and enjoy sharing that passion... especially with like-minded folk.
2) Are looking to get the maximum benefit out of their budget (if this is their only interest; they come, get advice, and move on once their system is complete)
3) Enjoy finding/sharing great deals.
4) Have no real life (in the cases of Adam and Alex2507)

 

[Cos]

Since 2002 I have been buying a 99% of my A/V Gear from a B&M Specialty store. As my earlier post on this forum indicates, there are many reasons why.

1. I get a extremely competitive price and solid advice from an owner I trust
2. I like to test items out before I buy
3. If I ever have an issue he has been able to support me above and beyond the normal warranty
4. If my gear needs to go in for service, he gives me a loaner (no deposit required)
5. I have demo'd gear with no deposit required
6. He does get some used, or "bad box" items from his supplier which has saved me $$$ with full warranty
7. Has events where I can meet some of the owners or reps of the company I buy from that I can talk to directly

You get the idea. I am not even close to one of his bigger customers, but I have been consistent and have given him referrals.

I will go online for the simple things, like HDMI, speaker cables, etc. If it is anything of significant value, I go with my dealer, because I value the business relationship which has paid huge dividends with price, but more importantly support after the sale. Can't beat it IMO, but not everyone has a dealer like I do

This definitely doesn't work the same at traditional store like BestBuy, etc. Most specialty dealers keep overhead lower by not stocking anything, so you usually have to wait a few days to get your items.

 

[DJWPAR3]

I'm a loyal BB customer and have been happy with their service for many years. The truth though is they do have a limited selection in many areas. For example, I'm looking to purchase a Yamaha 2050: they do not carry it in ANY of their stores, instead referring you to their "Marketplace", which is comprised of stores I'm not familiar with, are NOT local and only use BB's website....no Geek Squad service etc.
I'm torn between Amazon and Crutchfield.....some of the reviews on BOTH sites give me concern.

Yamaha 863(due for upgrade)
Samsung 46 LED(likewise)
Pinnacle bookshelf LCR ( replacing)(Leaning toward SVS Prime)
Paradigm sub
Yamaha in ceiling(4)
Sony PS3

I know....this is gonna cost$$

 

[highfigh]

I'm now a local CI, but my goal is to setup a legitimate showroom as soon as my company grows enough to be able to afford the high operating expenses associated with that. It may not be the most profitable thing these days, but I miss that good B&M experience that is so rare these days and hope to provide a great retail experience for customers.

If you want to keep the cost as low as possible for the showroom, and that's really not terribly hard because a huge store isn't necessary, consider using a small house that needs work. Fix it up and use the tax write-offs for the business and do as much work yourself/use friends & contacts to do what you can't. DO NOT rent space in a mall unless there are few alternatives. You can create vignettes to showcase what you do by wiring each room as it can be in peoples' homes and if you hold an occasional open house, it will get people interested, as well as raise awareness of your business.

A room that's large enough to operate as a small theater, a stockroom for the limited inventory and empty boxes and a small office are all that's needed, really. I looked at a place in a local strip mall that's about 1700 sq ft and I could easily make that work as a store- rent would be OK by itself, but as soon as it's part of a place with common areas, the cost goes up and in this case, it's just under $7/sq ft and that came to almost $1000/month. A duplex in an area that's zoned for commercial/residential use could work as long as the sound from the store doesn't annoy the renter(s) and you have enough parking.

 

[highfigh]

This definitely doesn't work the same at traditional store like BestBuy, etc. Most specialty dealers keep overhead lower by not stocking anything, so you usually have to wait a few days to get your items.

Most dealers use local distributors- if they need longer than a day to source items, it's possible that their locals don't have the assortment they need but also, some out of state distributors offer overnight shipping at no cost if the orders are placed online.

 

[Montucky]

If you want to keep the cost as low as possible for the showroom, and that's really not terribly hard because a huge store isn't necessary, consider using a small house that needs work. Fix it up and use the tax write-offs for the business and do as much work yourself/use friends & contacts to do what you can't. DO NOT rent space in a mall unless there are few alternatives. You can create vignettes to showcase what you do by wiring each room as it can be in peoples' homes and if you hold an occasional open house, it will get people interested, as well as raise awareness of your business.

A room that's large enough to operate as a small theater, a stockroom for the limited inventory and empty boxes and a small office are all that's needed, really. I looked at a place in a local strip mall that's about 1700 sq ft and I could easily make that work as a store- rent would be OK by itself, but as soon as it's part of a place with common areas, the cost goes up and in this case, it's just under $7/sq ft and that came to almost $1000/month. A duplex in an area that's zoned for commercial/residential use could work as long as the sound from the store doesn't annoy the renter(s) and you have enough parking.

Some great ideas there! Commercial space in my little town costs SO much that there's zero chance I could afford the rent right now. Now fixing up a home for business purposes? That's a pretty novel angle I never thought of before. Will still have to wait a while before I could swing even that. Great idea, though! I'll have to keep building the business and brainstorming for sure.

 

[highfigh]

Some great ideas there! Commercial space in my little town costs SO much that there's zero chance I could afford the rent right now. Now fixing up a home for business purposes? That's a pretty novel angle I never thought of before. Will still have to wait a while before I could swing even that. Great idea, though! I'll have to keep building the business and brainstorming for sure.

There's no way to get into this without spending money, but if you have satisfied customers, get as many of them to write recommendations for you and to be available to refer others to you. If you give them a "finder's fee" or free goods, that's up to you and them- find out early if they expect something in return.

Demo equipment: you may, or may not need to have it- your customers will determine that because some want to see/hear it before buying and others won't. Personally, I would avoid the high end market completely but get to know how to operate any equipment you may run into. Don't do it up front- that will waste a lot of time in learning about things you'll never see- do it when you find out you'll need to know about it.

 

[walter duque]

Some great ideas there! Commercial space in my little town costs SO much that there's zero chance I could afford the rent right now. Now fixing up a home for business purposes? That's a pretty novel angle I never thought of before. Will still have to wait a while before I could swing even that. Great idea, though! I'll have to keep building the business and brainstorming for sure.

I so know someone that's living close to me that's doing very good. Makes them in his garage. He is doing very well, trust me.

http://www.gtaudioworks.com/

 

[FritzQQ]

I guess you prefer a way to store really depends heavily on its past location.I've enjoy my shopping experience, a couple of them, you can get high quality service and quality material.

 

[Defcon]

I miss the days of local video stores - browsing thru movies on a shelf is 100x better than looking at Netflix online. And the recommendations from some of the local video stores were very helpful.

The same thing is happening to bookstores. And it has already happened to audio/hifi stores - sadly I never had any money to shop in these places but they were very tempting.

 

[herbu]

Since 2002 I have been buying a 99% of my A/V Gear from a B&M Specialty store.

What is your experience w/ brand availability?
I'm thinking about somebody who does some research on AVRs and their short list becomes Denon, Marantz and Yamaha. Or the same thing for speakers or amps. I'm guessing it is unlikely any B&M store will have everything on their short list.

Maybe the brands a good B&M store chooses are comparable to whatever a knowledgeable customer might come up with for their shortlist. Maybe a good B&M store means you let them do your research. Maybe a customer's favorite brands become his favorites because of an introduction at a B&M.

If a customer has already made his choice and knows exactly what he wants, a B&M may be impossible, less convenient and/or more costly. But if the customer isn't really sure what he wants, a good B&M may be just the ticket.

 

[KEW]

I guess you prefer a way to store really depends heavily on its past location.I've enjoy my shopping experience, a couple of them, you can get high quality service and quality material.

Spambot? Is that you?
You should come join us in the bored thread. You'd have lots to offer there!

 

[Leroy Jenkins]

Depends on what I am buying. My last few purchases were internet (headphones, integrated amp) because I knew what I wanted and found the cheapest price online. I think most stuff I would rather buy online these days rather than goto into a store, just saves me time and money and aggravation dealing with parking, traffic, rude staff etc. A turntable or speaker purchase might be the exception though unless they offer a free in home trial period.

 

[Lulimet]

The last time I bought speakers from an AV store was in 2007. And the last time I bought any audio component was two years ago when I bought a Marantz receiver. My local Marantz dealer actually gave me better price than internet dealers. These guys are willing to negotiate and have figured out a way to still stay profitable.
Otherwise, I look for the best prices online but they must be from an authorized seller or else I won't take the chance.

 

[Cos]

What is your experience w/ brand availability?
I'm thinking about somebody who does some research on AVRs and their short list becomes Denon, Marantz and Yamaha. Or the same thing for speakers or amps. I'm guessing it is unlikely any B&M store will have everything on their short list.

Maybe the brands a good B&M store chooses are comparable to whatever a knowledgeable customer might come up with for their shortlist. Maybe a good B&M store means you let them do your research. Maybe a customer's favorite brands become his favorites because of an introduction at a B&M.

If a customer has already made his choice and knows exactly what he wants, a B&M may be impossible, less convenient and/or more costly. But if the customer isn't really sure what he wants, a good B&M may be just the ticket.

I buy from an Audio/Video Specialty Store in Naperville, Il
Deluxe Audio and Video

• He can pretty much get most every brand I have researched
• Receivers/Pre Pros: Denon/Marantz/Yamaha/Anthem/McIntosh/Bryston/Integra
• Amps: Anthem/Parasound/Bryston/McIntosh etc. (sorry no ATI)
• TV/Projection: He is pretty much a Sony Shop for that, but no complaints on my end

That's a pretty good list, and I was able to find what I need from those selections

I am sure he gets better deals on some items more than others. Just like any company, if you do stronger volume, you get better pricing:

• They are Top GE (Golden Ear) dealer and also sells a lot of Parasound, and I have been rewarded with excellent pricing on both.
• I didn't get my AV8802 from him, but another place quoted me the wrong price so I had to take it

I keep both him and myself honest, before I bought the GE speakers, I demo'd and researched a lot of other places before I make my decision, but he is right a lot more times than not, and I have learned to trust his opinion.

This is one other benefit of dealing locally with a vendor, he is willing to take a little more off the price, because he knows I am loyal and will come back to buy more. I deal with the owner, who has been in business for 20+ Years, so I will get the same person to work with. You just can't find these things from an online dealer. I have referred several people who bought from him that benefited on price due to my relationship. Doesn't mean they can't get the same price online or somewhere else, but sure takes the hassle of of getting it.

 

[Hi Ho]

They are Top GE dealer and also sells a lot of Parasound, and I have been rewarded with excellent pricing on both.

It took me a while to realize you were talking about Golden Ears speakers and not General Electric.

 

[herbu]

I buy from an Audio/Video Specialty Store in Naperville, Il
Deluxe Audio and Video

• He can pretty much get most every brand I have researched
• Receivers/Pre Pros: Denon/Marantz/Yamaha/Anthem/McIntosh/Bryston/Integra
• Amps: Anthem/Parasound/Bryston/McIntosh etc. (sorry no ATI)
• TV/Projection: He is pretty much a Sony Shop for that, but no complaints on my end

That's a pretty good list, and I was able to find what I need from those selections

I am sure he gets better deals on some items more than others. Just like any company, if you do stronger volume, you get better pricing:

• They are Top GE (Golden Ear) dealer and also sells a lot of Parasound, and I have been rewarded with excellent pricing on both.
• I didn't get my AV8802 from him, but another place quoted me the wrong price so I had to take it

I keep both him and myself honest, before I bought the GE speakers, I demo'd and researched a lot of other places before I make my decision, but he is right a lot more times than not, and I have learned to trust his opinion.

This is one other benefit of dealing locally with a vendor, he is willing to take a little more off the price, because he knows I am loyal and will come back to buy more. I deal with the owner, who has been in business for 20+ Years, so I will get the same person to work with. You just can't find these things from an online dealer. I have referred several people who bought from him that benefited on price due to my relationship. Doesn't mean they can't get the same price online or somewhere else, but sure takes the hassle of of getting it.

Very cool. Wish I had a dealer like that near me.

 

[John Sully]

I live in a moderately sized town in Montana. When I moved here 15 years ago we had three B+M dealers. One went from fairly high up in quality Japanese lines (started with Denon 3503 or there abouts and went up) and then up and up and up. Wilson Audio? Sure. Krell? Of course. They're gone now. There were also a couple of other dealers with more prosaic lines. One of those turned into a dealer which mainly does custom work and car stereo (and they are a great car stereo store, I've dropped a fair chunk of change there over the years). They have a small showroom, but when your low end line for speakers is Martin Logan... The other mainstream dealer went under amid a flurry of accusations of mismanagement

So now I mostly buy from internet dealers. Last set of speakers was SVS. Receiver purchased from an authorized dealer on Ebay. Bluetooth receiver from Amazon. I did buy the last TV from a local dealer, but the owner of that store has decided to retire. Since they sold mostly high end appliances and custom kitchen cabinetry it probably wasn't a "we're packing it in because of Amazon sort of thing".

I miss the old B+M stores. When I lived in Santa Cruz, CA we had a great one in Water Street Stereo. I spent soooooo much money there over the years, a testament to what great service and decent prices can do.