Vote

Actually there is none in a 100 mile radius and I live in a city of over one million inhabitants.

The less expensive gear gives you more bang for the buck. I have a Klipsch 2.1 computer speaker setup. I paid just north of $100. What a B-L-A-S-T! I sold my high-end stuff years ago and do not miss it.

In sheer numbers the status quo is holding where I live. The big difference is that two channel is, typically, no more than the "dirty little secret" in the backroom as opposed to the mainstay of the business as it was in the days of yore. So sad!

IT IS A SAD TIME FOR QUALITY EQUIPMENT. I PURCHASED A SACD PLAYER AND NOW SOMETHING ELSE IS COMING ALONG. STICK WITH A GOOD FORMAT AND STOP CHANGING. THE BUYER I CONFUSSED.

I have seen my area go from eight dealers to about three in the last 10 years.

Seem that they don't tell the truth about a product and they don't open their mouth unleash you want to buy a product,agree with whatsoever the price put on the product and no question ask.

Everything about this "hobby" is disappearing fast, even the "record stores." There is so little product available and so few stores anywhere, let alone here in the San Diego area. Remember when we even had quite a few hifi magazines to read. Most of them are gone now. It's been my hobby/interest for 50 years now and I am grateful for a great ride while it lasted. I was there for the introduction of stereo LP's and "FM stereo/multiplex," "stacked or staggered" open reel stereo tape, the huge cassette era, and so much more. It was truly a lot of fun. And continues to be with what we have left, of course! God Bless Stereophile magazine!!!

It seems that some of the great stereo shops are either going cheap,pushing and stocking more of the gimmick of the monnth. Or the shops are just slowly fading away, carrying less and less, and never anything worth truly listening to. But hey if it comes down to it, ill drive 5 hours to listen to a set of speakers.

When I lived in Detroit–a major metro market with around three million people—we were down to just one real high-end store (not counting the AV dealers who also carried a view high-end brands). The proprietor was so obnoxious to his customers that it's a wonder he's still in business (a couple of strong franchise lines like Magnaplanar and Audio Research seem to be keeping him afloat). Let's face it, apart from the largest cities, quality audio as a retail reality is over.

I know the owners of several of these store and, having worked in retail, have talked at length with them about the problems they faced and the reasons for going out of business. Internet and mail-order sales were the biggest reasons cited, most notably with the the "audiophile" customers. Likewise for the general buying public, who often could hear the difference, but would rather save a couple hundred dollars and buy from the nearest "box" store.

They seem to disappear the fastest in declining economies which , in the USA, means most places.

Although the situation in the 10 years I have lived here is, on the whole, essentially the same, it's a more dicey situation. A dealer moving toward home theater and mid-fi is countered by a new sound room in the back of an appliance store, an older dealer quits while a new home-based dealer with a very limited brand selection opens up. In the meantime the exclusivity and rarification of it all seems to increase, a sign of the times I guess.

Scarce? Try extinct! Unless you have a thriving home theater installation business, it seems you can't make money as a high-end pure play anymore.

Of course, New York City is not exactly the average market. The big ones, Lyric, Stereo Exchange, Sound by Singer, and Innovative Audio seem to be doing all right amidst all the Circuit Citys. They're all selling TVs, however.

We've lost a few over the years in the Denver-Boulder area. But, when compared to the vast increaase in population, then the "effect" is that they are quite scarce indeed.

seems like they just droppd 2 a lvl that the dfw area can support*

The only high-end dealer within 50 miles of me closed his doors within the last few months. The only high-end dealer I can remember in my hometown closed maybe 15 years ago. High-end audio is such a small market that dealers can only exist in larger metropolitan areas. I now have to drive several hours to a larger city or make use of online dealers such as Audio Advisor.

The continuing trend toward home theater has caused a rapid decrease in high-end two-channel retailers

I live in suburban Washington DC, and I know of one. It is a very small, almost boutique-style shop, and specializes in NAD.

Thanks, Wallyworld, Best Buy and Circuit City!

A lot of them haven't really gone away, they just turned to the dark side: home theater. They stock precious few components anymore designed primarily for two channel home audio and instead stock high end home theater equipment. Sure there is some crossover but the availability of suitable audio equipment is declining rapidly. Just try to find a turntable or headphones at a place like this, and they push high end dvd players over dedicated CD players. I guess they have to follow the money, and the money right now seems to be in home theater. Thank the Lord for the Internet and good reviewers.

I live in the New York City metropolitan area, so there are many different high-end audio dealers. However, some of these high end dealers will not give you the time of day unless you are considering spending a tremendous sum of money on a complete system. There is one joker who charges you a consultation fee to discuss the equipment you are considering to purchase.

Here in the Delaware Valley (Philadelphia area), we are blessed with several high end emporiums. Soundex has a very impressive brick and mortar presence. David Lewis Audio has very friendly service and analog to the max. A short drive will take me to Wilmington to Ovation Audio. I can also drive to NYC (2 hrs) and have fun at Stereo Exchange, Sound By Singer, and others. There is also that cable place in New Hope which is only a short drive away. I'm sure there are others that I can't remember right now. I can also If I want, go to the Jolida factory in Delaware. The pickings are very good here.

In Orlando, a city of over one million people there is no high-end audio dealer.

One sad fact is that anytime I've been in one of the audio dealers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I've been the only customer in the store. I've spent a lot indeed, but we're a small population of hobbyists. If not for the Internet and magazines, we would be largely unaware of each other's existence.

In Puerto Rico there are just a few dealers, and we wish continued success for all. The Hi-Fi News for May has Ken Kessler saying that there are one million audiophiles in a world of six billion people. There might be a constant ratio between number of enthusiasts and number of dealers.

I have lived in this town for six years and watched the decline of the two audio stores. Each had a wide range of equipment, but all the diversity is gone now. One store sells big-screen TV's, Marantz 7.1 receivers, and the budget line of Klipsch speakers. The other store is the "hi-end" alternative--as long as all you want to buy is McIntosh and Paradigm speakers. I would not be surprised to see the hi-end store close in the future. Most people I talk to about audio think Bose speakers are the ultimate and too expensive to afford. SAD, SAD, SAD.

In the era of the internet, the local dealer is a non-entity! Disappear if they must!!!! Natural selection must persevere

We once had threee in Nashville; now there is just one and it is marginally high-end, mostly surround sound stuff. The other two gave up and went away. We have no one closer than Atlanta now.

High End? In our area that means Audio Images. There are a few pretenders but they are only high price and little to no service but they think that they are high end.