Rip off British Hi-Fi Industry

Some intersting points raised here. Steve was spot on when he mentioned about the cost of running a business in this country. We started out working from a 12 foot square shed in the garden, it was fine for the first couple of months but we outgrew it quickly. We now have very cheap premises - cheap being a comparative term. Outgoings include rent, business rates, ground maintenance charges, building insurance, public liability insurance, stock insurance, internet access, web hosting, phone, mobile phone, advertising, cost of running a vehicle, licence to allow us to store waste electrical items, licence to allow us to transport waste electrical items, the list goes on. People look at what we sell stuff for and what we buy stuff for and think they know what our profit is - they don't - they know our gross margin, the profit is only a small part of that.
We try to offer stuff at a reasonable price, we do our best to offer the best possible customer service. I know we are not your average dealer but can well understand the challenges faced. The cost of doing business in this country is extremely high, blame the government and greedy local councils rather than your struggling hi fi dealer.
There, can of worms stirred :-)
Dave.

So Linn and Naim were the hifi mafia ?
Well my Linn dealer came to my house one evening, installed the components, tested them to make sure all was ok and then explained everything to me. 18 months later he returned to do the upgrades in going active. Spent a total of about 7 hours of this in his own time. Of course the HUGE markup on the Linn gear goes towards this but I'm happy it did, he did a much better job than I would have.

I recently purchased a cart and step-up from Japan. Couldn't buy either component in this country and for me that's where the internet has the advantage.

as for the bake-offs, well having attended many over on the Wam I've yet to rush out and swap any of my components for any used in a bake off. Instead I've heard lots of great new music, and subsequently purchased lots, had a good chat with others about hifi and music and generally had a good time. Would I trust these over an hour at a dealership - absolutely not, and, yes, I've been to a bake off where some one from the industry has taken control.

forums are great, they allow you to communicate with like minded people and in some cases allow you to find out about new components and music, but there is a lot of forum fads and fashions and just as much ignorance.

The future isn't quite on the internet yet, thankfully.

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Originally Posted by griffo104

So Linn and Naim were the hifi mafia ?
Well my Linn dealer came to my house one evening, installed the components, tested them to make sure all was ok and then explained everything to me. 18 months later he returned to do the upgrades in going active. Spent a total of about 7 hours of this in his own time. Of course the HUGE markup on the Linn gear goes towards this but I'm happy it did, he did a much better job than I would have.

I recently purchased a cart and step-up from Japan. Couldn't buy either component in this country and for me that's where the internet has the advantage.

as for the bake-offs, well having attended many over on the Wam I've yet to rush out and swap any of my components for any used in a bake off. Instead I've heard lots of great new music, and subsequently purchased lots, had a good chat with others about hifi and music and generally had a good time. Would I trust these over an hour at a dealership - absolutely not, and, yes, I've been to a bake off where some one from the industry has taken control.

forums are great, they allow you to communicate with like minded people and in some cases allow you to find out about new components and music, but there is a lot of forum fads and fashions and just as much ignorance.

The future isn't quite on the internet yet, thankfully.

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Thats fine you are just one of the great brainwashed, you will wake up eventually. The whole set up thing was a deliberate tactic, it tied you in psychologically into the process. NLP worked on the dealer and his NLP worked on you. Common sense would mean buying a turntable that didn't require it, though you couldn't listen to it let alone buy one. You are a marketing mans paradise my friend and being an idiot for a large number of years means you have invested yourself in the process, you can't back away, it is like leaving a cult.

Read the threads on the Technics 1210 it might help you break the hold.

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Originally Posted by Richard

Thats fine you are just one of the great brainwashed, you will wake up eventually. The whole set up thing was a deliberate tactic, it tied you in psychologically into the process. NLP worked on the dealer and his NLP worked on you. Common sense would mean buying a turntable that didn't require it, though you couldn't listen to it let alone buy one. You are a marketing mans paradise my friend and being an idiot for a large number of years means you have invested yourself in the process, you can't back away, it is like leaving a cult.

Read the threads on the Technics 1210 it might help you break the hold.

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Richard, I've heard enough Technics decks to still feel the need to keep my nice non-Linn deck thanks very much.

Was I brainwashed ? I don't think so. I had never actually heard of Linn when I went in to the dealership, I was very new to hifi and after 3 months of visiting dealers this was the first time I actually had a chat with the dealer beforehand who let me explain what I was after. I was happy to make the purchase.

By the way I've had the pleasure of listening to one of you passive pre-amps a couple of time in Bake offs over the last few months, one owner decided to purchase it after hearing it at a bake off, and I've subsequently heard his passive pre at two other bake-offs.

You are quite right that the bake-off is a very good medium to allow you to hear lots of kit, I ould say 2 out of 3 systems your pre made a very good improvementand it was a good learning curve for me.

Brainwashing isn't just done by dealers of certain equipment, forums are just as susceptible to it, it's human nature.

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Originally Posted by griffo104

Richard, I've heard enough Technics decks to still feel the need to keep my nice non-Linn deck thanks very much.

Was I brainwashed ? I don't think so. I had never actually heard of Linn when I went in to the dealership, I was very new to hifi and after 3 months of visiting dealers this was the first time I actually had a chat with the dealer beforehand who let me explain what I was after. I was happy to make the purchase.

By the way I've had the pleasure of listening to one of you passive pre-amps a couple of time in Bake offs over the last few months, one owner decided to purchase it after hearing it at a bake off, and I've subsequently heard his passive pre at two other bake-offs.

You are quite right that the bake-off is a very good medium to allow you to hear lots of kit, I ould say 2 out of 3 systems your pre made a very good improvementand it was a good learning curve for me.

Brainwashing isn't just done by dealers of certain equipment, forums are just as susceptible to it, it's human nature.

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Sorry I was a little hard on you, obviously you do listen with at least a degree of open mind. I am just up riding my hobby horse, and getting caried away on the sound of my own voice, a very easy thing to do. This is and has been a slow moving revolution for the last 5 years or so. I just feel that if the runes being thrown at the moment means a one or two year recession then the process will accelerate. My point is that if retailers didn't exist then you would have to rely on fellow enthusiasts and manufacturers, that process would immediately mean you would be paying half as much on average for you specialist hi-fi than if you *have* to buy it through a retailer. Absolutely no disadvantage as most set up things are common sense and like minded people can help online. Peoples minds get set into a *think* so they cannot see hi-fi life without retailers, but without them and a common sense attitude from the manufacturer a £10K system cost £5k.

Richard, I sincerely hope you are not one of thse individuals who seems to know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. A decent dealer adds value to your purchases that exceeds his markup. Remember with decent hi-fi that enables you to hear and enjoy more of your music, the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts.

I can think of two dealers that genuinely add value to your hi-fi purchases:

Coherent Systems, Malvern Hills

The Audio Works, Cheadle

There are others.

LOL!

I can certainly think of some that detract from the value too. :lol:

Richard,

Would you shop online for a mortgage or a pension or use an Independent Financial Advisor?

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Originally Posted by Steve Toy

Richard, I sincerely hope you are not one of thse individuals who seems to know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. A decent dealer adds value to your purchases that exceeds his markup. Remember with decent hi-fi that enables you to hear and enjoy more of your music, the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts.

I can think of two dealers that genuinely add value to your hi-fi purchases:

Coherent Systems, Malvern Hills

The Audio Works, Cheadle

There are others.

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How do they do that? by adding extra components or better components? by redesigning the product for you?

This just nonsense, they add nothing, but if you are lucky you may get a bit of *service* from them.

They are retailers, their only purpose is to sell to you and take your money, and make you think you get something in return. It is largely smoke and mirrors. Coherent makes things so he is fine doing that, perhaps he should make more things.

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Originally Posted by Steve Toy

Richard,

Would you shop online for a mortgage or a pension or use an Independent Financial Advisor?

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It depends, but at least they have been trained instead of 16 year old minimum wage idiots and brain washed bullshitters that populate a large proportion of British Hi-Fi shops.