Internet Speaker Dealers?

[Reg]

Can someone please recommend a few internet speaker dealers besides Aperion, Ascend Acoustics and SVS. Any others worth looking at or are these the best?

Thanks

 

[JerryLove]

http://store.audioholics.com/section/3/1/speakers/7ad7f4b27d34e1c1a03767ad484eefb6

 

[Swerd]

http://www.salksound.com/

 

[shadyJ]

If you mean Internet DIRECT speaker companies:

Hsu Research
Outlaw Audio
Elemental Designs
TweakCity Audio
Axiom Audio
Emotiva Audio
Seaton Sound
AV123
EMP Tek

I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head, aside from the ones you listed. I would have also listed The Speaker Company but they are going out of business, although they still have a few things available.

 

[highfigh]

OK, now who thinks buying the single component that can influence the system's sound the most and are available in the most different brands/models without listening is a good idea? Electronics, I can understand buying this way because they impact the sound less but the room's acoustics, the speakers' voicing and the listener's hearing and preferences makes this a method of buying that risks disappointment more than any other, IMO.

In other words, if I was a retailer who carried brands that were sold widely on the internet and people were coming to my store to listen with no intention of buying from me, I'd be seriously PO'd. That's why most manufacturers who have B&M dealers don't allow internet sales of their products if the buyer wants a warranty. Before anyone says that the B&M dealers should match the internet price, NO! That's not how it should work.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I'm not sure I'd send anyone to av123.com since they are possibly closing the shop as well as tSc.

 

[sharptailhunter]

OK, now who thinks buying the single component that can influence the system's sound the most and are available in the most different brands/models without listening is a good idea?

highfigh,

You make a valid point. The smaller businessman receives undo pricing pressure from internet dealers I'm sure. However, one can argue these points. My experience is that my local shops only carry a few brands. I wanted more variety to look at before I decided. The local retailer also can use the internet to his benefit. I ended up buying a receiver from the dealer who was selling some speakers I was interested in, that I saw on the internet. So, while I didn't end up buying the speakers from him, he did get 900 bones outta me for the receiver. My final point is this: These internet forums can be a huge benefit for many people like me who have limited brands available locally. I applaud those people on these forums who take a few minutes of their time to help out those who ask about different brands found on the internet. Not all of us are out there to stiff the local retailer, we're just trying to get the best product our hard earned money can buy.

OP,

I purchased a system and sub from SVS two days ago. Their customer service/responses are worth it alone. They are some of the nicest and helpful people I have interacted with. WAY more so than any of my two local dealers.

 

[syd123]

..Why go this route instead of buying from a local dealer?? ..Even if it were true that an internet-direct company can offer comparable quality for less (and I'm not convinced that they can in most cases) what about other considerations like the ability to listen before you buy AND the longevity of the company??

Last year I bought Paradigm S8 Sig. v.2's. ...While sound quality was of course a huge factor, it was not the only. Given the investment I was about to make I was very concerned about buying a brand that stood the test of time. ..I did not want to take a chance and buy from a small company that may gone in a few years. ..I wanted to know that if one of my pets, friends, etc.. accidentally damage a driver five years from now that I could readily get a replacement. ..Along these same lines I also sought a retailer who had stood the test of time.

 

[anamorphic96]

Home Theater Direct is another solid company that is often overlooked.

HTD.com

 

[highfigh]

highfigh,

You make a valid point. The smaller businessman receives undo pricing pressure from internet dealers I'm sure. However, one can argue these points. My experience is that my local shops only carry a few brands. I wanted more variety to look at before I decided. The local retailer also can use the internet to his benefit. I ended up buying a receiver from the dealer who was selling some speakers I was interested in, that I saw on the internet. So, while I didn't end up buying the speakers from him, he did get 900 bones outta me for the receiver. My final point is this: These internet forums can be a huge benefit for many people like me who have limited brands available locally. I applaud those people on these forums who take a few minutes of their time to help out those who ask about different brands found on the internet. Not all of us are out there to stiff the local retailer, we're just trying to get the best product our hard earned money can buy.

OP,

I purchased a system and sub from SVS two days ago. Their customer service/responses are worth it alone. They are some of the nicest and helpful people I have interacted with. WAY more so than any of my two local dealers.

The thing about looking at speakers is that there's no real way to find out if they'll be what is needed. Also, the reason most small dealers only carry a small number of models and brands is because everyone wants to be the main brand at the store and not many can afford to buy as much as the manufacturers want them to. Opening orders alone are more than some dealers want to tie up and unless they can sell all they get before the next scheduled shipment, they end up with dead inventory, which ties up money that could be spent on advertising, payroll, insurance, rent, etc. In return for stocking inventory that can be auditioned, taken and enjoyed immediately, they get to deal with people asking if internet or big box prices will be matched. You have no doubt noticed that most independent dealers don't stock the same brands as Best Buy or any other larger regional chain and it's because exclusivity is the only way to make money. It sure as he!! isn't made by providing service to the customers because for a long time, they have shown that service no longer means much to most people. It's all about the best price and if you go to a store now, it's rare that many detailed questions will be answered with correct info, unless it's a high end shop and then, they'll probably try to sell some kind of cable that will cure cancer and eliminate global warming, if the claims are to be believed.

When someone is in a location where few options exist, I can understand it but I wouldn't drop a bundle on speakers if I couldn't hear them, especially considering the impact they have on a system's sound quality.

 

[sharptailhunter]

It's all about the best price and if you go to a store now, it's rare that many detailed questions will be answered with correct info, unless it's a high end shop and then, they'll probably try to sell some kind of cable that will cure cancer and eliminate global warming, if the claims are to be believed.

Well said. Could there be anything more annoying than going to one of the mega-chain electronics stores and have some pimple-faced kid pretending he knows all there is to know about product x? All the while touting that said product is the "bomb" and all his friends would so totally buy one only if they hadn't spent all their allowance on that super loud exhaust that they think will convert their primer colored 1983 Honda Civic into a Formula-1 car. Only slightly less malignant is the cocky hi-end store owner that revels in owning for himself all the "superior" equipment his store is so willing to finance for you. It's no wonder some internet dealers can seem as warm and friendly as grandma's home made pumpkin pie.

I am with you all the way on finding a reputable dealer who can help you find what you need and who will be there in the future. That, right there, is worth the extra cash you will spend. Hence, that's why I bought my receiver where I did. It was reasonably priced and they will replace it for the first year themselves if anything ever happens, no shipping back to some internet dealer.

That being said, I feel very good with my purchase from SVS. They were very easy to work with and appear to have a great product, based on all the reviews I read. I plan to post my review upon firing em up.

 

[fredk]

Reg. You can add axiom to that list as well.

OK, now who thinks buying the single component that can influence the system's sound the most and are available in the most different brands/models without listening is a good idea? Electronics, I can understand buying this way because they impact the sound less but the room's acoustics, the speakers' voicing and the listener's hearing and preferences makes this a method of buying that risks disappointment more than any other, IMO.

I think you are working from a flawed premis. I got to listen to my speakers in my room for 30 days to make my decision. Given that the speaker/room interaction is the single biggest influence on sound, listening in your room is the best way to choose the correct speakers. The risk was the cost and effort of return shipping.

The advantage of B&M is the ability to directly compare two sets of speakers, if they happen to carry the two sets of speakers you are interested in.

The only thing I would change if I were to do it again is to bring in only the mains, and compare two sets of speakers directly in my space. The cost of return shipping on mains is no more than the cost of gas to drive around to different B&M stores to listen to speakers.

 

[pthoresen]

Reg. You can add axiom to that list as well.


I think you are working from a flawed premis. I got to listen to my speakers in my room for 30 days to make my decision. Given that the speaker/room interaction is the single biggest influence on sound, listening in your room is the best way to choose the correct speakers. The risk was the cost and effort of return shipping.

The advantage of B&M is the ability to directly compare two sets of speakers, if they happen to carry the two sets of speakers you are interested in.

The only thing I would change if I were to do it again is to bring in only the mains, and compare two sets of speakers directly in my space. The cost of return shipping on mains is no more than the cost of gas to drive around to different B&M stores to listen to speakers.

Exactly. Most of the good Internet Direct sellers have a 30 day return policy.

Theoretically brands like Axiom have a network of previous buyers who will let you visit their home to listen to speakers as well if you want to hear gear before you pull the trigger as well.