Should 'Audiophile' Brands Be Sold In Electronics Mega-Stores?

[Ajani]

Sorry, couldn't vote in the poll as the two choices kinda had that end-of-the-week brain fart quality to them. (no offense)

Still I think your overall point in the opening post is a great topic.

Ummm... thanx...

Honestly, I don't think it matters whether the audiophile brands get into stores or not. Their core market is dying, and they're not relating to the emerging markets very well.

I can't see how increasing their overhead and putting demo units out (which ultimately lose value) really gets them anything.

There's a fancy, upscale mall nearby that had a Bang and Olafson store in it. Perhaps not audiophile in the mind of many, but certainly high priced. It didn't last a year, despite having a wide range of products and an excellent listening environment. All I ever saw in there were old men. (Yes, even older than me at the time.)

Not too far away was a Magnolia, that had a number of high end offerings as well as several entry and mid level products. This was before the Best Buy assimilation and destruction of the brand. That store had four terrific listening rooms and good staff. All I ever saw in there were old men. It closed after 18 months.

Lest you think that this highly affluent zip code had only old men living in it, there was also a Bose Store, which was perpetually filled with young adults spending lots of cash. It looked like the most popular destination in the mall until the Apple Store opened up.

Point is, I don't think the average consumer, well-heeled or not, is going out of his or her way to seek out audiophile style equipment. They're happy with good enough.

Companies like Bose and JBL, as well as some "resurrected" brands like Altec Lansing, are making a killing in the iPod/MP3 player ecosystem, while others ignore the market. When those convenience consumers finally decide to get a stationary system, they won't be looking to brands they never heard of.

Interesting point on the Bose Store... The top floor of Bay Bloor Radio is a Bose Store... so they pretty much have all the reasons average consumers would go into an electronics store covered....

The really sad part is that audiophiles waste so much time bashing Bose and (to a much lesser extent) JBL and Klipsch for catering to the mass market, while failing to realize that long after these "Boutique Stores" and Brands are out of business, Bose will still be making money.... Time to stop hating and start competing...

[filecat13]

The really sad part is that audiophiles waste so much time bashing Bose and (to a much lesser extent) JBL and Klipsch for catering to the mass market, while failing to realize that long after these "Boutique Stores" and Brands are out of business, Bose will still be making money.... Time to stop hating and start competing...

One of the things I like about JBL is its long history and the fact that it's still covering the high end as well as the low end. If I had $60*, I could buy a pair of JBL speakers and a subwoofer. If I had $6000, I could buy a full-sized home theater system (Studio L Series) or some really nice stereo speakers (pair of Array 1000 or Performance Series). If I had $60,000, I could buy a pair of some of the best speakers in the world (Everest II). Okay, I could get on the waiting list anyway.

The volume of sales on the low end stuff helps to prop up the sales of the high end stuff, and there's a natural bridge for the low end buyer to come back to a known brand for the next purchase.

On a couple of other forums, I'm surprised at the growing number of posters who are coming on line and reporting that they just got their first "high end system," a set of JBLs from the low end of the loudspeaker range but high priced to them at nearly $1000 for five speakers and a sub. A few months later they're back asking about the next line or the line above that.

I suspect a lot of people get into a brand and keep moving up the chain. If there's no place for a customer to build brand affinity when he or she starts a the bottom, there'll be no brand loyalty later on. Studies show that brand loyalty is a big deal to many young consumers, and brands that don't build affinity early in a shopper's buying history have a hard time converting them later, especially if there's inconvenience attached, such as having to search for a place where the product is sold.




*In fact I did that with the JBL Creature 2. Didn't even need an amp or preamp. Just plug in the iPod and I've got a good sounding stereo system with a sub. All the kids at school love it (or they would if it were 40 years ago and I were still in high school).