RBH or Amway? How to get a good deal...another story from Tomorrow

[stratman]

On the retail level wine has an average profit mark up of 20%, liquor roughly 17 to 18%, accross the board a liquor store produces 18% profit. That's why volume is so important in the liquor industry.

 

[patnshan]

The post started out discussing RBH speakers and how hard they are to find. It discussed one person going to a "dealer" which was somebody's house. I was interested in looking at some RBH speakers, but have since given up. The post has gotten off topic. I think the real story is that this "dealer" was a private home, and RBH speakers are still hard to find. Why?

Pat

 

[gene]

Try their new Dealer Locator. I tested it and got a response from two dealers within a 100 mile radius in 24hrs.

http://www.rbhsound.com/dealer_locator/

 

[majorloser]

The Problem with Being an Audiophile

The post started out discussing RBH speakers and how hard they are to find. It discussed one person going to a "dealer" which was somebody's house. I was interested in looking at some RBH speakers, but have since given up. The post has gotten off topic. I think the real story is that this "dealer" was a private home, and RBH speakers are still hard to find. Why?

Pat

I've had that problem here in Florida for years. Many mid/high end audio components are only rep'd by custom installers or places that are only available "by appointment". Many of these are custom installers that work out small commercial warehouses or want to set up appointments at your home. And very few will have the whole line available or in-stock. This is even more so in South Florida where stratman lives. Not very easy to audition equipment.

In the past I was able to buy one of my Canton speakers directly from CantonUSA since a dealer wasn't available. They have since stopped the practice. But it doesn't hurt to contact the distributor and ask.

A lot of times it's easier to find somebody on forums (like this one) with equipment you're interested in that live nearby. you'll find quite a few people willing to show off their gear.

 

[Audioholics]

Clint, I will assure you the fish, shrimp, oysters, scallop, etc on the $20+ seafood platter you get at Franks doesn't cost $10.

Especially if they get their fresh seafood from some of the boats up at Murrells Inlet... but that's a different industry of course...

 

[GlocksRock]

Here's something to consider:

Next time you're at the grocery store look how much that 16.9 oz. bottle Dasani or Aquafina water costs.
Talk about markup

It's sad that a gallon of water costs more than a gallon of gas

 

[Tomorrow]

The post started out discussing RBH speakers and how hard they are to find. It discussed one person going to a "dealer" which was somebody's house. I was interested in looking at some RBH speakers, but have since given up. The post has gotten off topic. I think the real story is that this "dealer" was a private home, and RBH speakers are still hard to find. Why?

Pat

Well said, Pat. You noticed how quickly the thread deflected to a non-issue (profit).

We've had it beaten into our heads that one must listen to speakers before buying. Doing otherwise would be nonsense. By being a distributor/manufacturer and allocating speakers to a dealer network, RBH is then at the mercy of the reputation of those dealers. And, as has been noted, people in large metropolitan areas, as well as the rural yokels like me, can't find a resource to audition them.

Gene, I used that dealer locator and you saw what I got. That's the point. RBH needs to up the ante with their regional marketing/sales network if they're going to be a serious player in a highly competitive marketplace. I know AH has invested personal RBH preferences in the HT recommendation files. And they may well be great speakers. But let's not shoot the bad news messenger, okay?

 

[Tom Andry]

Tomorrow, while we've been talking about a lot of different things (your original post had a number of points) believe me that we aren't blowing you off or trying to deflect the issue. This is important not only for RBH but all manufacturers that go through dealers. I'm sure that RBH (and I hope others) will read this thread and hopefully learn from it.

 

[stratman]

I had to drive 50 miles (one way) to get my Gallos, the dolts that had them in Miami were the "appointment" types, so I drove up to Palm Beach to a Gallo authorized dealer (Sounds and Cinema) that were excellent to deal with.

 

[emorphien]

According to their website there are no dealers within 100 miles of me and amazingly only 3 within 100 miles of my old zip code in NJ. 100 miles from that location includes a chunk of CT, all of NYC, Philadelphia and a lot of very wealthy people in the middle in northern NJ.

It's no wonder I'd never heard of them before I came here either, it's hard to be convinced by a speaker with so little press or discussion except by the people that run one site. Truly unfortunate if they are indeed a great speaker manufacturer, I'd love to hear them.

 

[cowhead4]

The post started out discussing RBH speakers and how hard they are to find. It discussed one person going to a "dealer" which was somebody's house. I was interested in looking at some RBH speakers, but have since given up. The post has gotten off topic. I think the real story is that this "dealer" was a private home, and RBH speakers are still hard to find. Why?

Pat

I have had the same issue with RBH.

Two dealers within 50 miles of where I live and both do not carry any inventory or showrooms. They want to come over to my house and set up a system (pros and cons to that) but each distributor does not carry any inventory. They would call me when they received a shipment of speakers. I called the western regional manager and explained to him that RBH makes it extremely hard for the consumer to hear it's product. I have been calling there local reps for about 4 weeks trying to hear any RBH speakers, but have given up.

 

[gtanner]

Hello,

My name is Gary Tanner and I am the Director of Sales for RBH Sound. I have been watching the comments posted on this thread with great interest. Usually I do not post my comments in these forums because it can be construed as "big brother is watching". However, in this case I wanted to address the issue of RBH products being difficult to find.

First of all, it would be beneficial for you to know that RBH Sound decided many years ago to be a supplier to the trades. This means that we do not offer our products directly to the consumer or through any type of retail outlet. Our products are designed for and marketed to custom installers who work either with homeowners or builders to provide home audio, home automation, etc. There are many advantages to this business model, the greatest of which is that we can spend more money on product development and build quality and less money on trying to market our products through mass retail. The end result is a higher quality product for the same if not less money. The challenge this business model presents is product availability, which has been pointed out in this thread.

It is our goal to have high quality, service oriented dealers representing the RBH product, but as you have seen, that is not always the case.

The easy way to resolve this challenge would be to sell RBH products directly to the consumers, but in doing so we would betray the trust and lose the respect of the dealers we have partnered with for over 30 years. So; we have come up with another solution. Effectively immediately, if a consumer contacts RBH about products (either on the phone or through the dealer locator on the RBH web site) and we determine that there is not an Authorized Dealer within a reasonable distance to the consumer; RBH Sound will sell that consumer product. The transaction will still be routed through a dealer in the consumers state (allowing us to hold true to our statement that we will be a support to our dealers, not a competitor), but the product will ship directly from RBH Sound to the consumer.

Additionally, we will offer the consumer a 14 day return or exchange policy on their purchase. This should elevate any concerns that you will be stuck with the speakers if you are not satisfied with their performance.

We really appreciate all the support and kind words we receive from Audioholics.com. These forums and threads are fantastic. The frank and honest feedback they provide is invaluable to us.

Thanks again.

Gary

 

[smurphy522]

Here's something to consider:

Next time you're at the grocery store look how much that 16.9 oz. bottle Dasani or Aquafina water costs.

Then remember that (in most US towns) water is piped directly to your home for less than $4.00 per 1,000 gallons. And that water has to meet a MUCH higher standard than bottled water.

Talk about markup

I thought that is why Evian spelled backwards is: NAIVE. Coincidence?

 

[Gern Blanston]

I want to like these speakers, but not being able to find a dealer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who will let me audition them is unsatisfactory. A 14 day return policy isn't particularly appealing.

 

[naisphoo]

I thought that is why Evian spelled backwards is: NAIVE. Coincidence?

Naive you are and idiotic you must be...Evian is real spring water from the Alps if you know where the Alps are located...quel con..

 

[frostbyte]

14 days for someone who is really interested in a product, should be plenty of time to audition. 30 days is nicer, but if you really want to listen to them, then take the 14 days and order direct! It's then in your home so your rooms accoustics will be taken into consideration. The store will always sound different than your home.

If there is a dealer in your area, but it's just an installers house, then that should be made known before you send people there IMO. Not just give out the address and send them to a person's house. That might be a good change to make.

I have nothing to do with RBH, but I do have a full set up of theirs which I have upgraded since starting out because I liked it so much. If I did not like the first set, I would not have returned now 3 times to continue upgrading. I currently have a pair of T-1/R's, a 661-SE/R center, and 4 661-SE surrounds with 2 1010-SEP's for subs and I absolutely love it! RBH has always been more than fair with me in all aspects and I have even gotten a tour of their facility which is beautiful I might add. I got my first set while they were in their old location and that sold me. Then their new facility when I went back is even better. Many listening rooms and a HT or 2. I wish every area could have a decent brick and mortar store to show the real quality of these speakers. The first time I went to their old factory, I lived about 20 miles away and worked about 1 mile away. I took a wrong turn going home one day and found them. Best mistake of my life. Now I live about 90 minutes away, but it's a small drive for what you want and such good customer service. I have a large extended family and I love showing them these and let them know where they can go to get them if they like them. Most are not as into sound as I am, but even the lower end lines sound great for the value. The Audioholics guys have all heard them and are sold on them. You have now been given the ability to have an in home audition which is by far the best option for everything if possible and you complain still? Some people will never be satisfied. RBH read the problem and put out a written fix for it for all who are interested. That was a great response and matches all the experience I have had with them so far. Good job RBH! People would like more dealers to listen to them, but an in home listen is just as good or better if you are serious. If you just want to listen, then you are still out of luck, but in most cases, if you listen, you will buy. I did....3 times. ^_^

As far as companies having mark up, that's a whole different story. Every business is out to make a living and to feed their family. You may think mark up is crazy, but how much does a brick and mortar store have to pay for rent, utilities, employees, etc? That's all before any money is even made and it has to be paid for by the consumer. So you complain about mark up, but then complain about no locations, then complain about a 14 day in home trial. What next? Complain that they won't just give you speakers? I worked in the restaurant business a long time ago and food was prices at double cost. Most Audio products are the same way. If you get down to it, the factory may be able to make something for $50. Then they have to make a profit so they sell it to stores for $100. Then the store has to make money and they sell it for $200. You pay $200 and it has to compare with other products that are in the same price bracket. If a $200 speaker sounds similar to you as a $300 speaker that has B&W on it, then which would you buy? Who wins? If it costs $1 to actually make it, does it really matter in the end how much they sell it for as long as the person who buys it is happy with it and feels like they got their money's worth? Everyone wants a deal, but let's be serious. If you are so against someone making money off you, then build your own speakers and call it good....oh, you will have to buy wood, drivers, components, etc....then tools...then .....Someone will always make money if you get their product. Make it from scratch and see how much time it costs you to do it. Then see fi it's worth the price tag....this is for everything. You may be paying $50 for your cable, but all the company actually does for you is connect it from a pole outside to your house or in some cases, remove a filter in the box on your house. It's already there, but what goes into getting it to that point in the first place? Put a value to something and if you can find it for that or less, buy it and be happy.

RBH, I love you guys and you have a loyal, lifetime customer in me! Anyone in Utah that wants to hear them, feel free to come by my house and compare whatever you have to what I have and see if there's value in the build.

 

[gus6464]

This was my same experience with an Aerial Acoustics dealer in my city (Austin, TX). I found a dealer that was listed on their website so I called the number and it was a guy's cell phone. Was talking to him for a while and he told me that he has no showroom and he is actually an interior designer who is an authorized dealer for Aerial. He only had 5B's that he was setting up in his HT room at his lake house and if I wanted to listen to them I could just come over any day.

The cool thing that he did tell me was that Aerial markup is huge and that since he doesn't have a showroom he sells them for at least 25% less than Aerial's MSRP and still makes a decent profit. He quoted me $1400 shipped for brand new pair of Model 5B's. When you look start looking at Model 6, 7, and 9's that quite a bit of money saved.

So if anyone lives in the Austin, TX area and wants some Aerials let me know and I can give you his contact info.