Have you tried saying anything negative about Salk or Philharmonic speakers?
Watch yourself!
I would agree to most of that. I think maybe it’s Peng who likes to point out people recommend most what they have. Of course, I can’t recommend Philharmonic to anybody... but do I encourage people to explore Salk? Yes. I do the same based on what I’ve learned about Ascend.
I would say that for these ID-model cats, their business lives and dies by word of mouth. The people who are customers of them know and understand well and want to see continued success for the humans they interacted with.
I recommend Monitor Audio a lot too and was very close to being an owner... but unlike talking to Dennis or Jim, there isn’t that personal connection. Do I know MA to make solid, well performing speakers? Yes, and I share that. Will they close up shop if they build 1 lemon out of 20000 speakers? No.
Jim, Dennis, and Dave on the other hand... how does botching an order affect their business if they only did 1000 speakers in one year?
Now when it comes to the electronics, to me, that makes less sense, but you do see it. I’ve noticed it around NAD especially. And course there’s this one guy (in OK, I think) who really loves Yamaha!
But unless you’ve got a complete Mcintosh or bryston or other boutique brand of electronics, I find that loyalty and unwillingness to accept other viewpoints a little tiresome.
Similarly, don’t ask the guy with two Porsche’s and a Ferrari in his garage for advice on buying a Honda or Toyota.
That said: fight the battle by getting exposure to as many different products as you can, and be willing to learn something new!
