The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

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CN211276
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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by CN211276 »

An excellent and informative post from the Doc. The disasterous impact the Glasgow mafia had was summed up well. I suppose the time was right for a ruthless shark to appear on the scene. The industry never recovered from the devestation of the 80s. The loudness war has also been a major factor. I believe the appearance of cheap portable CD players in the early 90s was the main cause of this problem.
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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by Classicrock »

Forgot about Sevenoaks. Ironically they are just over the road from Richer Sounds in Bristol. Stock a wider range of product than Audio T. But with Radfords going, between them and Audio T there are no other specialists in Bristol. Right Note at Saltford (nr Bath) are way up market and up their ass selling expensive Spiralgroove TTs and whatnot as well as pricey room treatment systems which they have demoed at Whittlebury. There is Cool Gales in Bath which list a lot of turntables but have not investigated. Other dealers appear to be more into large TVs, home cinema and multi room now.
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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by terrybooth »

I bought my pair of Quad ESL 57s in 1974 - the three day week was on, I was at University in London, the university swimming pool was not heated and I could only find one pair of Quads in London - did the three day week impact on British Hifi?
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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

Not a lot, it just meant we were busier when the lights were on. I rigged a low voltage line feed from the phone line, it pulsated the lights when someone phoned :lol: :lol:

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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

This is part of the editorial in latest Hi-Fi Critic. You can see why I wrote the article. Paul is just using parts so I have given you the whole as originally written.

Although it’s neither finished nor ready for publishing yet (hopefully it’ll appear in our next issue), I’ve started writing a piece with NVA’s Richard Dunn, who has some very radical ideas about where the hi-fi business is heading. To summarise his views, he reckons that the effect of the internet has barely started yet, and to a great extent will undermine the role of the traditional specialist dealer.

He’s very critical of the way prices have increased, and claims that this rise is often down to increasing trade margins to compensate for a shrinking marketplace. That’s as may be: it may well be true but I’d have to undertake some further investigations to confirm it. (I do, however, believe that money itself has been dramatically devalued by something that we’re supposed to call ‘quantitative easing’; I prefer the phrase ‘printing money’, but maybe that’s another story.)

Dunn’s arguably most contentious claim is that internet forums might have rendered regular hi-fi journalism – and indeed the traditional specialist hi-fi dealerships – effectively redundant. He may have a point, in as much as every hi-fi enthusiast out there now has a voice that he/she can use to discuss equipment and its performance.

It’s a powerful argument, in as much as the availability of space for anybody to express an opinion has certainly expanded, and should allow a more democratic discussion on the merits or otherwise of specific items or combinations of equipment. Dunn’s theory is that this will lead to sale-or-return deals on equipment via eBay and forums, and dramatically shake up the profit margins, which is certainly an interesting point. We shall see….

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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by Colin Wonfor »

With me it did start as a Hobby in my Old Granddad Shed, he taught me to make valve amps and radio's. I was 12 yr old when he sent my first amp for review. Then life and the need to work got me so has Electronics was a hobby so I did chemistry and after 5 yrs at College and Uni I hated it so worked for Plessey on power supplies for odd thing and they paid me to go back to Uni. Then life again changed I bought a Panasonic system and it was shit to be honest but with Brian O,Roukes Diesis speakers it sounded a lot better. New amp called the MIH which became Magnum and then Elsdon Wonfor and then Inca Tech and in between other companies not all audio. Again life takes a wicked twist whilst working as a consultant to a nice bunch of lads called Naim I designed a cable format this became in the end a bloody nightmare. Now moving on and Alan and I have done new cables and amps, Alan is a computer programmer by trade with a Degree in Physics and great fun to work with. We love what we do and it is fun, and with luck it should make us some pocket money.
Between us we have over 80yrs experience in audio a small amount compared with the Doc but we are still learning. :grin:

And not english shit at that.
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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by Dave Cawley »

.
I'm sure I have touched on this before ? Both I and Cool Gales, and many others are very successful. Do I worry about forum sales, hell no ! Are my customers forum members ? Defiantly not.

Are print magazines failing ? Not at all from where I'm sitting.

This whole subject is by and for forum members, whilst the majority of HiFi buyers are not forum members. In fact I could go so far as to say that in my opinion most forums put most people off HiFi.

Go to Munich, CES or Rocky Mountain, shed loads of business but no sight of a forum.

Richer Sounds, more power to their elbow, they do more to introduce young people into HiFi than anyone.

Regards

Dave
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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

And the defence of Berlin goes on :roll:

You know perfectly well what I am saying is true Dave, the industry is half the size it was, and now 2nd hand is at least twice (probably way more) the sales of new product. You are one of a rump who are surviving it, well good on you, your numbers (of dealers) are now a quarter of what they were. There is no way back *in the long run*. Please note no one is saying this has happened, what is being said is it is the beginning and it will happen. Your best bet Dave is to build you retirement pot for as long as you have the eeediots to waste their money on filling it. Or you could see sense and slowly change your business to fit the new way.

I am sure the actual results of the changes will not be exactly as predicted by me, there are too many variables. It could be that the Wigwam version of this will become the way, maybe all the current manufacturers will change to direct sales and half their prices :lol: :lol: maybe some other, I am just prodding for it to be for the benefit of the customers and not the pockets of the industry. Anyway I wont fall out with you over it, but your need to post in reaction to it is proof enough of the fact that you understand what is going on.

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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by Dave Cawley »

Richard

I don't think I am disagreeing with you at all. But merely highlighting how other dealers survive by not using forums, and many never did. My turnover hasn't really changed in over 10 years and so I don't need a "new way". I and others are happy as it is. And it is clearly different for us compared to you.

Although I value forum customers, they are a very, very small part of my business, so no need to change as I'm happy as I am.

No conflict here, just different ways of earning a living.

Dave
"if it measures well and sounds good, then it is good" : "if it measures badly and sounds bad then it is bad" : "if it measures badly and sounds good, then it could be improved" : "if it measures well but sounds bad then it is bad" © Dave Cawley

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Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby

Unread post by Dr Bunsen Honeydew »

But look how isolated you are now compared with 10 years ago, look how your competition has fallen by the wayside. OK so you must be doing something right, but you are picking up the slack for the demise of others, you cannot deny the available retail customers for new product has plummeted in that time. Also I think you picked a good area to operate in, low overhead, lots of retired moved to the West Country people still into hi-fi. Personally I would be interested in how much business you do on line in comparison to in shop, but fully understand if you don't want to divulge it.

My business accessed via forums apart from HFS which has to be admitted is nva focused is minimal, plus my desire to limit sales to the VAT limit as I really do not want the hassle at my time of life. So I am a weird beast in this market, but it makes me untouchable by those who want to kill my business and my opinions (there are many of them) as I am an irritant and threat, main irritant being my prices and my customer reviews. In reality that is all I need to get all the business I want, so I have the flexibility and safety to be that irritant.

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