Re-Tales

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Re-Tales

Re-Tales #25: Get rid of the ego, keep the fun and the music

Julie Mullins Oct 06, 2022 First Published: Oct 06, 2022 0 comments

Attracting new customers is essential for brick-and-mortar dealerships' long-term survival. Over the last several years, many b&m dealerships have continued to expand into home automation and custom installation. Home theater is also undergoing a resurgence. These services can supportand complementtwo-channel audio-equipment sales.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #24: Third time's the charm

Julie Mullins Aug 25, 2022 First Published: Aug 25, 2022 0 comments

It's not every day that someone opens a new brick-and-mortar hi-fi store. A variety of factors make the prospects of such a venture uncertain at best. Hi-fi industry veteran Michael Klein, though, has the guts and seasoned-salesman charm to make a go of it.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #23: A pressing matter

Julie Mullins Jul 28, 2022 First Published: Jul 28, 2022 0 comments

Like many fans of music on vinyl, I've grown accustomed to waiting for preordered records. For several years, record-pressing plants have been oversubscribed; there just aren't enough presses to keep up with demand. When vinyl declined in the 1980sreplaced first by cassette tape and then by CDold presses were abandoned, falling to rust and disrepair before the vinyl revival, leaving the industry with limited capacity.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #22: Is it time for a tube surge?

Julie Mullins Jun 16, 2022 First Published: Jun 16, 2022 0 comments

In last month's Re-Tales, I discussed what was happening on the vacuum-tube landscape, especially tube shortages resulting from Russia's war on Ukraine and its consequences for trade. Tube availability is, of course, a small concern compared to continuing Russian atrocities and the resulting suffering of Ukrainians. Still, it's a question tubed-electronics lovers and makers must grapple with, and we're a hi-fi magazine. So: If that Russian tube supply is curtailed or boycotted, what are the alternatives for manufacturers and individual buyers?

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #21: Much a-tube about nothing?

Julie Mullins May 19, 2022 First Published: May 19, 2022 0 comments

Unless you live under a rock, you've followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. You know something about sanctions against Russia and Russia's responses to those sanctions. If, in addition to not living under a rock, you're a tube-audio aficionado or electric guitar nut, you may have thought about a likely consequence of that war that's far less momentous than the destruction and carnage we see on TV: Will I be able to get new tubes for my amplifier? Especially those lovely Russia-made tubes.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #20: You never forget your first gorilla

Julie Mullins May 04, 2022 First Published: May 04, 2022 0 comments

You never forget your first time. Ask any audiophile about that first moment hearing music through a good hi-fi systemhow it rocked their world and changed their life. Maybe it was at a friend's parents' house when they were a kid. Often, though, it was the first time they found themselves in a hi-fi dealership, back in the day.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #19: Old-school vs Internet

Julie Mullins Mar 30, 2022 First Published: Mar 30, 2022 0 comments

Selling hi-fi gear online is hardly new. If you count mail-order sales, which is much the same thing, it's been happening since before amazon.com was a discount bookstore. Long before.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #18: Partnering up to go to market

Julie Mullins Feb 24, 2022 First Published: Feb 24, 2022 0 comments

Today's audio distributors have their hands full, now more than ever. As I've discussed previously in this space, COVID-related failures in the global supply chain and related, large increases in the cost of freight have impacted audio just like most other industries.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #17: Going where the music lovers are

Julie Mullins Feb 09, 2022 First Published: Feb 09, 2022 0 comments

Is combining a record store with a hi-fi dealership a radical idea? Maybe not: It could be a way to reel in new, music-loving hi-fi customers where they're most comfortable, in record stores searching for music.

Re-Tales

Re-Tales #16: Prices and patience

Julie Mullins Jan 05, 2022 First Published: Jan 05, 2022 0 comments

You may have heard that many hi-fi companiesmanufacturers, distributors, and dealershave done very well during the pandemic years. Some reported their best years in businessever. With COVID-19 forcing people to stay at home, people sought diversion through home entertainment, including music. The industry benefited.