Enter to Win: Intimus 5DB Dipole/Bipole Surround Speakers from Aperion Audio!

[GlocksRock]

1. How do you research home audio gear?
   Through manufacturers websites and forums
   
2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)
   Usually online, or ocasionally from a retail store.
   
3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)
   Purchasing from a retail store where the salespeople were well informed about the products they were selling.
   
4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?
   Getting a great value is very important to me, and I usually find the best prices in the used market.

 

[owasse]

How do you research home audio gear?

Audioholics, AVS forums

Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? Online.

What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)

Audioholics store as the prices were great and the process was easy.

How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?

Price is very important. Service after the sale is also very important to me. Usually the best price is online - but I do check the big box stores as a comparison.

 

[AzN_plyR]

How do you research home audio gear?

By visiting audioholics or avsforum.


Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)

Internet Direct Dealer


What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)

Some B&W speakers for 1/3 the going price off craigslist.


How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?

Very important to get the best bang for the buck. Usually find best prices by waiting for sales, buying used, or visiting sites like slickdeals.net.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Contest Questions:
The process of where you can find and buy great audio products has changed a lot over the past few years… some good and some not so good! How have the changes impacted how you research and buy audio gear? Please tell us about your experiences.

1. How do you research home audio gear? Every way I can starting with Audioholics.
2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?) I buy from whatever reputable source has a reasonably low price. (trustworthy)
3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?) Buying speakers for Ascend Acoustics. Just nice no nonsense easy communication and transaction. (plus things happen the way they said it would)
4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price? Getting great value is very important but that doesn't always mean you're getting the best price. Internet price search engines/Amazon.

 

[Alex2507]

1. I use AH for research and Google but to a much lesser degree.

2. I have bought used from AH Classifieds. The new stuff came from on line retailers that have been approved by various forum members.

3. My best experience was my first one where Comp USA was having a close out sale on Harman/Kardon and Infinity. Big savings and it got me into this whole mess.

4. Getting a good deal is real important because I am real broke. I wait for somebody on AH to find a deal that is irresistible and then ... well ... I can't resist.

 

[Midwesthonky]

1. How do you research home audio gear?
Audioholics, Cnet, other websites, mostly audioholics and going to listen to real product

2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)
Depends on what I want and who has it. Generally avoid big-box like Best Buy. Local shops and even have gone online.

3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)
Best was a decent sound room with knowledgeable salesguy who was less a sales guy than someone who made enough money to satisfy him so was mostly interested in the experience of the customer and ensuring they got what best fit their needs and requirements.

4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?
The internet allows for good price comparisons. But one does have to factor in customer service and keeping local guys in business...within reason. I am less interested in the best value as I am interested in getting right piece of audio gear. Cost is a factor but not the primary one.

 

[Anagoge]

1. How do you research home audio gear?

Internet reviews/forums, in person auditions

2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)

I buy about equally online, in specialty audio stores, and big box stores. For commodity items, I buy online. When I know I'll need an audition or service, I buy specialty. For immediate needs or repairs, I buy at local stores.

3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)

I bought some speakers from Axiom once, and received wonderful phone assistance with some product questions, with no pressure - just a knowledgeable person wanting to get me the right equipment.

4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?

The best value is critical. Online has the best prices, of course, but I don't always go for the lowest price. Service and support are critical as well.

 

[timmay8612]

How do you research home audio gear?
Audioholics forum/site, Google some magazine articles

Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)
Ebay or Craigslist because I'm young and broke!

What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)

Purchased an SVS sub locally. Felt really good about it based upon the great information here at audioholics and the extensive info from SVS.

How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?

Its pretty important since I'm on a very restricted cash flow. The used market almost always wins for me, but I'd always consider scratch & dent or B stock items before a new product.

 

[GranteedEV]

1. How do you research home audio gear?

Compare and contrast multiple reviews, both professional and amateur. WHile I do enjoy "listening" to it in a show room, I can't really say I like to do so for a few reasons:

1) I'm too nice to really just say "NO" to a pushy salesmen and end up listening to stuff that may be out of my budget etc.
2) They seem to set it up so that their better stuff has better electroni cs, and their mid range stuff has mid range electronics. My problem with this is that at that point you're not doing a true A/B anyways.. you're listening to entirely different sets and it feels uncomfortable for me to say "go get a 1000 dollar receiver and hook it up to the different speakers"... for some reason I always get the sense that they're assuming i'm totally unknowledgable about audio because of my age and budget, i always think "I'm not trying to be some elitist know-it-all but stop treating me like i'm dumb and will jump and buy whatever has the warmest bass and loudest volume"
3) On that note though, I really don't truly know what to listen for. I know what I like mind you, but especially with demo CDs i've never heard or artists whose voice I've never heard on a true reference set or live, it's tough to say that one is more accurate than the other. I leave that to people who have nothing better to do and the resources to do it!
4) A shop just can't replicate my room. I had a salesman force me to listen to some Totem Arros one day. They sounded incredible, albeit they were hooked up to what seemed to be monoblocks and a high end stereo preamp. But I was also like... 4 feet away and couldn't hear much from further away simply because there were other systems as I stepped back... drowning out the totems. How do I know it's going to fill my room if I don't have a point-of-reference. That's why i always pay attention to the type of room in an audio review... if it sounds good in a well treated room, then I know that the room isn't affecting the sound! SO even if my room affects the sound, it's something I can fix, not something out of my control.
5) The higher end home theatre businesses in my city seem to want to make appointments and stuff just to listen to a couple speakers. It seems like such a hassle, especially if I don't even end up buying anything.

I know what my goal is. It's fairly flat FR and pleasing asthetics. I find reviews to tell me more about a product than just listening to it. I don't want to be that guy going to the store and buying the brightest most vivid TV and then choked when I bring it home... likewise with audio equipment.

2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)

Authorized online retailers; I'm willing to go to the blemish or refurb section if i know i'm still getting quality. The aformentioned reasons for research kind of trickle down into why I avoid brick and mortar, not to mention the idea at the back of my head that part of what i'm paying is going to go to the salesman, rather than the company making the product. factory direct makes me feel like i'm getting the best value, although not necessarily always.

As far as the whole "keep local guys in business" thing.. I don't know what to say. These same companies are the ones selling 700 dollar speaker cable... I guess I don't associate myself with the same demographic or something. I see a lot of brick and mortar HT/Audio shops marketing themselves to upper class, middle aged people who've actually heard a tube amp in their life and have a million dollar home...moreso than myself, a upper-to-middle class guy just barely in his 20s.

I can someday seeing myself getting higher end stuff from those shops, but for mid-range stuff I think internet direct is better. ...on that note... i don't think any shop has RBH reference series here. Stuff like Focals and Martin Logans.. i guess. Again, stuff that's just not in my target range. For lower end stuff I'm not really interested in Paradigm, Tannoy or Klipsch, damn it.

3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)

A website store called unique squared. just great customer service and they seemed to really care that I was satisfied

4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?

Price? It's very important. I'm a college student here... I can't be expected to shell out the big money for the big time stuff... I just don't have that sort of income yet!

And value... is equally important. That's why I research the hell out of whatever I buy. When I get something that really truly competes with more expensive, yet still well-reveiwed stuff... I feel happy... and don't even get me started on the inherently overpriced stuff.. I get pretty smug when people show me things like Monster Dr Dre Beats headphones and I have them listen to my cheaper ATH-M50 it makes me feel like a ninja, stealing their glory shinobi style!!!!

 

[Someday]

1. How do you research home audio gear?
95% on the internet, the rest at retail and friends homes.

2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)
Online, either ebay, audiogon, or dealer direct.

3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)
ebay is great(for value and simplicity), so is dealer direct(when I can't wait or don't want used), audiogon is my least favorite(not as reliable).

4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?
That's part of the fun, getting a good deal. Anything used is the best deal, if I wait long enough, I usually find what I'm looking for.

 

[JerryLove]

1. I do most of my home audio researching online through sites like this one, followed up with in-person listening.
2. Most of my recent AV purchases have been through sites like Craigslist and Audiogon.
3. My best purchase experience was likely my AV rack, as it was cheap and after a day of listening to high-end gear at a local dealer.
4. Price is the only real variable, and therefore extremely important. I've found the best prices on Craigslist and in store close-outs.

 

[darthjason]

Aperion Audio contest reply

1. How do you research home audio gear?

Mostly Audioholics.com, but do it a few other sites and manufacture web sites to read the manuals once I think I have it narrowed down.

2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)

Historically, close-outs and floor models at retail stores. Though moving more and more to internet. I tend to know more than the sales person so they are not really helping me. If it is a product I need or want their help with their knowledge is worth something so I buy it from them. Mostly, it is a big box store, only 2 non big box stores left in my area.

3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)

It was the sales person with my speaker purchase. I had been going into an Ultimate Elec. for months talking with this guy. It was close to my work so I would kill lunch hours there. Setting up listening tests as best as possible in store with no sales pressure.

4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?

Price always matters, but value and price are not the same thing. Internet usually for best "normal" price or close-outs/open box items at retail stores are best price and sometimes the best value.

 

[Nugu]

How do you research home audio gear?

Online. Reviews from sites like audioholics and product reviews at various retailers.

Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)

Online retailers. I got my speakers at amazon and my receiver at accessories4less. Retail stores are for people who don't know what they want or don't trust the internet. Since I knew what I wanted online retailers gave me exactly what I wanted - delivery to my door at a lower price.

What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)

My speakers were delivered to my home in only 23 hours. I ordered it one day and it was on my step the next. I guess you can say it was the simplicity of getting what I wanted as soon as I wanted it.

How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?

Very important. I don't have a huge budget for luxuries so I want it to go as far as possible. I always find the best price shopping around online.

 

[Gryfter]

1. How do you research home audio gear?

Like most people I use the Internet, reviews, forums, etc...etc...
Unfortunately where I live there are know places to audition speakers so I depend greatly on the opinion of others.


2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products?

I'm new to the enthusiast audio game so I've only purchased HT specific equipment from a few places, Emotiva, Amazon, Accessories for less and Mono price. Emotiva was fine, I didn't require any special service but the ordering process was easy and shipping was quick. Amazon was a pain in the *** and I ended up having to return the product and wait almost a month for the refund, I wasn't happy. AC4L was good, service and quick shipping. Mono Price is always awesome.

3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)

I haven't had a "great" experience as of yet but I found a local Paradigm dealer that I'll be buying from in the near future so we will see how it goes.

4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?

Value is very important, like most people in this economy I don't have the money to spend on speakers based only on "name" and/or "price". Price VS performance is an integral part of my purchasing decision. One thing that adds a significant amount of value to my purchase is customer service, I don't care how amazing a companies speakers may sound if they don't have good customer service I'll go elsewhere even if it means paying a bit more.

 

[BobBart]

1. On audio forums.
2. Internet stores.
3. Only bought from the internet, get great prices.
4.Price is number one priority for me, always get best price on the internet stores.

 

[offplaying]

Contest questions:

How do you research home audio gear? Internet web sites, home theater magazine
Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?) online 50% electronics retailer 50%
What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?) Best experience was in a small custom shop. Owner spent time explaining differences and sold me a large package deal.
How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price? I will pay 10% at a store vs the internet but not more. Typically the internet will be cheaper unless I can find a good sale.

 

[booberj]

1. How do you research home audio gear?
manufacture websites and online forums

2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)
I typically buy everything I can online from a business that has a good reputation either by word of mouth or from forum comments

3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)
I've never had a good buying experiance when it comes to purchasing home audio equipment, I have only purchased one system and have not upgraded because of my lack of knowledge and being taken advantage of inside a store (hence the reason I'm here trying to educate myself before making my next home audio purchase)

4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?
I'm a bang for your buck kind of guy, I'm always looking for a quality product that works well but doesn't break the bank either, I don't want to pay for features that I'm never going to use... I usually buy online when I can (goes back to the bad experience with a store)

 

[Thetwinmeister]

1. How do you research home audio gear?
I do most of the research online myself using Google and going to review sites, but if there's a really tough problem that I think others might already know the answer to I'll post on forums. This applies to most of the research I do on anything, and in the case of audio gear the first place I stop is Audioholics. Ftw!

2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)
In the case of audio products its a fair mix of online and retail stores. If there is a good sale going on at a local place, not having to wait for shipping becomes very convenient. Although, a good sale on the internet justifies the waiting, so at this point my audio purchases have been 50/50 for online and retail stores. When buying online I usually stick to sites that I'm familiar with, or sites that have been recommended to me by trusted individuals of the human race.

3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)
My best experience so far would have to be because of the helpfulness of the sales person. I was buying at a retail shop for a non profit organisation wanting to install a 5.1 system and a projector at a really tight budget. I ended up returning some speakers that someone else had bought, and he helped me get the right ones for a better price. It would have been a nightmare if not for his helpfulness (and grace in returning the improper speakers)

4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?
The best price is important for sure, but I'm more likely to buy from a store or a site that I've had an excellent experience with in the past than to save a few extra bucks on the side. Saving money is important in most cases, but so is customer service (and in the case of online sites, trusted shipping packaging--an issue I've had in the past unfortunately)

 

[HiRez1394]

Where do you find and buy great audio products?

1. How do you research home audio gear? I conduct extensive Internet searches to determine whether something meets my needs and price point.
2. Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? I tend to look for a good deal from authorized retailers to protect my purchase warranty. Whether the seller is a retail store or an online dealer is irrelevant to me, so long as it is reputable, an authorized retailer, and offers a good deal.
3. What was your best home audio buying experience and why? My best buying experience was when a caring salesman at a retail store demoed equipment without any sales pressure, gave me a great discount off the MSRP, and then came to my home -- for free -- to help me set the equipment up. He definitely earned his sales commission and my patronage.
4. How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price? Getting a good deal is very important to me, since home theater is an expensive hobby to keep my system up to date. That’s why searching the Internet is so important to my research. I also subscribe to a variety of home theater-related electronic newsletters to stay abreast of new developments.

 

[Tomorrow]

Contest Questions:
The process of where you can find and buy great audio products has changed a lot over the past few years… some good and some not so good! How have the changes impacted how you research and buy audio gear? Please tell us about your experiences.


How do you research home audio gear?
*Internet.

Where do you usually end up buying your home audio products? (How would you describe the retail store or type of online dealer?)
*Online, authorized vendor.

What was your best home audio buying experience and why? (Was it the information you received, the sales person, the great coffee, the simplicity…what made it a really great experience?)
*Strangely enough...buying from Aperion! These are great people to work with.

How important is getting the best price or value for the money? How and where do you typically find the best price?
*Pricing is VERY important. Online is almost always the budgetary way to go.