rowooo Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 I have a little story I'd like to share with all you two-channel friends out there. I'm sure most of you visit your local audio store more frequently than I do, so you've probably witnessed this long ago. This last Saturday I visited my old/favorite audio store for the first time in five or so years. I wasn't remotely prepared for what I saw when I entered through the front door. Not one separate......Let me repeat that...NOT ONE SEPERATE!! No big speakers, No three hundered dollar interconnect cables! What did they have, you ask. Lets see......An abundance of button happy receivers, tiny cube speakers, little subwoofers, beautiful audio/video furniture and sales personal deceiving customers. They also had a nice selection of huge televisions, but that's alright, I don't have a problem with that. I could not believe how small and cheap everything has gotten. Some of the speakers looked as if they were thrown together with some crazy glue and balsa wood. I was stunned, I mean this is the place where five years ago had some nice seperates and K-horns along with a couple other nice lines. But what bothered me the most was the sales personel. I roamed around for awhile keeping a low profile while a few speakers were being demoded. I watched as two separate individuals listened to front speakers not realizing the sub in the corner of the room was functioning. This same thing happpened with surround speakers mounted high on the wall. Did I say anything? Of course not.....I know this probably won't surprise most of you, but I just had to let you know of my depressing visit to my old stereo store. By the way, I do have a new shop I frequent which is primarly a two-channel-high end shop, so don't feel sorry for me. Or HELL, maybe I'm just getting old. I do still watch LaserDiscs in two channel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klewless Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 rowooo, I tend to agree with what you found. I have been told by more than one salesman that the "wife" does not like big speakers. Maybe part of the reason is that big black speakers don't look to good, even to me. But when it comes to real sound, IMHO big is beautiful. But they also have to be a nice piece of furniture (like the Belle Klipsch or Khorn). Home theater is messing up the water by requiring 5 or more speakers and to make matters worse, they expect them to be full range! Now that is a problem to me. But it does not bode well for full size speakers but is probably the mass market these days. But I do understand the frustration. ------------------ John P St Paul, MN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 I agree my favorite store has a prominent place for B&W and Martin Logan. Last time I was there the Belles were not hooked up in a back hallway and no Lascallas at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCturboT Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 I hear exactly what you guys are saying...use to walk in a "hi-end" Stereo shop in the '80s and check out the selection for hours on end.Now I walk in and can't even look at something in 2 channel without a sales person talking about home theater and how great this so-and-so receiver is- the greatest piece of equiptment to ever grace gods green earth,Gimme a break! What ever happened to 2 channel?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klewless Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 2 channel seems to be trying to go down the same road as monophonic hi fi! unfortunately !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKA Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 Same kind of thing is happening with rock bands and the albums they put out. There was a time when a band released a new group of songs it was a big deal and everyone was talking about it. Now a band seems to have a hard time putting three good cuts on a new release. Times are changing. TKA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 I think that when a lot of us were "coming of age", during the late sixties - early seventies, was really a golden age for audio. It was a BIG DEAL! High quality Japanese gear abounded at affordable prices. Even small cities like Springfield MO, where I used to roam occasionally had five or six audio emporiums. Some sold music, too. A few were "full-line" electroncs chains, but most were regionally owned, ENTHUSIAST stores. But like the flood, or meteor, or whatever killed the dinosaurs; PC's, video games, auto sound and home video soon emerged to compete with home audio for the almighty buck. And since most of us have a limited amount of those bucks anyway, of course something had to give. And apparently our beloved audio industry has been doing lots of giving. I'm not really worried that we'll disappear like the dinos, but I do believe our habitat is going to be more limited and our food supply is going to continue to shrink. The "mass market" votes with their wallets, and home audio just doesn't seem to be the priority it once was. Geez, just turn on the radio! What is there to hook a person on music or audio? Most of the music sucks, and except for Public Radio, so does the sound quality. The general public doesn't even seem to "get" stereo, let alone high fidelity, whether with one channel or a whole gaggle of 'em. Otherwise, how do you exlpain the popularity of "whole house" audio, boom boxes and Bose? Then again, maybe I'm just a decrepit relic of a bygone era. "Take me home, country roads, to a place I belong..." ------------------ JDMcCall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyberman9000 Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 "Sub-woofer Scam Man"- shame, shame, shame! Good posts everyone! The surround sound thing doesn't do it for me. I find the whole thing distracting. Might be good every now and then for a movie at home and at the movie theater, esp IMAX- but, to each his own. Manufactures,dealers, retailers have found a cash cow in surround sound. Consumer is depending on "Sub-woofer Scam Man" for advice and he would be more than happy to help. Bose has one hell of a marketing dept.. They remind me of McDonalds. I see a live band about once a month usually in bars/clubs and small venues. In bars and clubs they're usually set up in a corner or in the end of room. Have yet to see any surround speakers, maybe I just missed them. If your near Baltimore on March 27, Robert Bradleys Blackwater Surprise will be in town - should be a good show. JMHI-Trip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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