The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby
-
- Posts: 4185
- Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:53 am
- Location: The end of the road in Suffolk Coastal.
- Has thanked: 10 times
- Been thanked: 6 times
Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby
Dealers used to check every single deck sold and act as final quality control, tightening, setting the cartridge up, checking belt behaviour and LISTENING to it before the customer took it home. I don't suppose they do nowsavvypaul wrote:Had a civilised 'exchange' with a Rega dealer on the Rega Research facebook group. I suggested that most if not all of the Rega TTs could be sold direct as the dealer is simply handing over a sealed box - cartridge fitted and aligned, piss easy job to fit the counterweight and balance the arm. 30 day home trial would be much better than a few tracks in dealer dem room and the dealer margins that Rega saved could be used to offer a 'full value' upgrade scheme within 2 years of purchase. He wished me a good evening...
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way...The time has gone, The song is over, Thought I'd something more to say...
- savvypaul
- Posts: 8768
- Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2016 7:14 pm
- Location: Durham
- Has thanked: 1673 times
- Been thanked: 3054 times
- Contact:
Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby
You can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead...antonio66 wrote:You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.
- savvypaul
- Posts: 8768
- Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2016 7:14 pm
- Location: Durham
- Has thanked: 1673 times
- Been thanked: 3054 times
- Contact:
Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby
The manufacturer couldn't be trusted to do so?_D_S_J_R_ wrote:
Dealers used to check every single deck sold and act as final quality control, tightening, setting the cartridge up, checking belt behaviour and LISTENING to it before the customer took it home. I don't suppose they do now
-
- Posts: 8588
- Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:16 am
- Has thanked: 24 times
- Been thanked: 400 times
Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby
More than 90% of rega sales are export , pleasing the uk market is not high on rega's priorities .
taking the whole business direct would be more hassle and probably cost nearly as much as using dealers and a 2 tier pricing structure would not work .
Additionally , Rega as a fixed geometry , not sure what needs doing vis-à-vis set up.
taking the whole business direct would be more hassle and probably cost nearly as much as using dealers and a 2 tier pricing structure would not work .
Additionally , Rega as a fixed geometry , not sure what needs doing vis-à-vis set up.
- savvypaul
- Posts: 8768
- Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2016 7:14 pm
- Location: Durham
- Has thanked: 1673 times
- Been thanked: 3054 times
- Contact:
Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby
Hadn't realised their export % was so high.Daniel Quinn wrote:More than 90% of rega sales are export , pleasing the uk market is not high on rega's priorities .
taking the whole business direct would be more hassle and probably cost nearly as much as using dealers and a 2 tier pricing structure would not work .
Additionally , Rega as a fixed geometry , not sure what needs doing vis-à-vis set up.
-
- Posts: 8588
- Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:16 am
- Has thanked: 24 times
- Been thanked: 400 times
- CN211276
- Posts: 6571
- Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2016 9:29 am
- Location: Cardiff
- Has thanked: 1445 times
- Been thanked: 993 times
Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby
I think it goes to show there is a greater appreciation of sound quality abroad than in the UK.
Main System
NVA BMU, P90SA/A80s (latest spec), Cube 1s, TIS, TISC(LS7)
Sonore OpticalRendu, Chord Mscaler & Qutest, Sbooster PSs
Network Acoustics Eno, ifi iPurifier3, AQ JB FMJ, Cisco 2940 & 2960
DH Labs ethernet, BNC & USB cables, Lindy cat 6 US ethernet cable
Second System
NVA P20/ A20, Cubettes, LS3, SSP, SC
Sonore MicroRendu, Chord Mojo 2 MCRU PSs, AQ Carbon USB cable & JB FMJ
Headphones
Grado SR325e/Chord Mojo, Beyerdynamic Avetho/AQ DF Colbat
RIP Doc
NVA BMU, P90SA/A80s (latest spec), Cube 1s, TIS, TISC(LS7)
Sonore OpticalRendu, Chord Mscaler & Qutest, Sbooster PSs
Network Acoustics Eno, ifi iPurifier3, AQ JB FMJ, Cisco 2940 & 2960
DH Labs ethernet, BNC & USB cables, Lindy cat 6 US ethernet cable
Second System
NVA P20/ A20, Cubettes, LS3, SSP, SC
Sonore MicroRendu, Chord Mojo 2 MCRU PSs, AQ Carbon USB cable & JB FMJ
Headphones
Grado SR325e/Chord Mojo, Beyerdynamic Avetho/AQ DF Colbat
RIP Doc
-
- Posts: 4185
- Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:53 am
- Location: The end of the road in Suffolk Coastal.
- Has thanked: 10 times
- Been thanked: 6 times
Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby
This is back in my day... The customer chose what cartridge to use, the decks had been shipped to us and maybe dropped in transit, but hey-ho... I used to love opening up a new deck in front of the client, setting it up in my Linn jig (Rega and Thorens 160 type decks fitted perfectly too) so I could check fixing nuts for tightness (they will work slightly loose on older models as the board initially compresses slightly), fit and align the particular cartridge and check the main bearing for lubricant (older ones went dry for example and we did have one that had never been oiled at the factory) followed by a quick listen to make sure everything was working and sounding right. Also, the flexible motor suspension on pre '2000' models could be easily upset if the box had a clump in transit, so another thing to check and adjust if necessary. All this was part of the service as was future servicing and check-overs.savvypaul wrote:The manufacturer couldn't be trusted to do so?_D_S_J_R_ wrote:
Dealers used to check every single deck sold and act as final quality control, tightening, setting the cartridge up, checking belt behaviour and LISTENING to it before the customer took it home. I don't suppose they do now
OK. New decks have fixed motors now and the phenolic (or whatever) cross straps from bearing to tonearm will allow for a more consistent stay-tight situation and of course current arms are fixed with three self-tapping screws now. Still, there's no excuse for any proper Rega dealers not to check every one they sell, Planar 1 and all, as this is hopefully why you visit such a dealer and not Tesco or other similar electrical stores where RP1's and Planar 1's are/were sold to keep the production quantity up...
P.S. The UK home market is tiny now as the industry has all but died here. Most of the main manufacturers export practically all they make and in the case of makers like GT Audio, EAR, SME, Harbeth/Spendor and so on, prices are pitched to the far east (including importer/distributor margins there), so we pay a HUGE excess as a result. I think one or two have increased prices recently so we don't look 'too cheap' now the pound has plummeted, but I can't be sure on that.
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way...The time has gone, The song is over, Thought I'd something more to say...
- Dr Bunsen Honeydew
- Posts: 30758
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:26 pm
- Location: Muppet Labs
- Has thanked: 0
- Been thanked: 48 times
Re: The Hi-Fi Industry and Hobby
In many ways as long as no one else does it then in financial terms it makes it to my advantage, and I will still be the enemy and attacked at any opportunity. But for the industry eventually it has to be the way to go.