Purchased new speakers - did I make a mistake?

[blackraven]

Its unfortunate that there are some manufacturers that dont sell their high end equipment in the US. JBL sells high end speakers that are not available here.

[Woochifer]

Its unfortunate that there are some manufacturers that dont sell their high end equipment in the US. JBL sells high end speakers that are not available here.

A lot of that has to do with the image of the brand and the distribution setup for individual countries. JBL used to be carried by a lot of independent audio dealer showrooms, but they made a play for the mass market starting around the early-80s by adding mass merchandisers to their dealer network and putting the JBL brand on everything from car audio systems to mini systems. That move led to most of their dealers dropping JBL from their product lineup, which means that JBL high end offerings have virtually no dealer support in the U.S. since JBL's larger chain store partners like Best Buy won't carry those speakers. JBL's play for the mass market also damaged JBL's image, since the high end dealers that formerly carried JBL products won't have a lot of positive things to say about the company.

Conversely, it works in the opposite way as well. For example, Paradigm is only sold through independent audio dealers in the U.S. -- no regional chain stores or mass merchandisers. While in Canada, Paradigm is indeed sold through chain stores similar to Best Buy.

[Dusty Chalk]

Its unfortunate that there are some manufacturers that dont sell their high end equipment in the US. JBL sells high end speakers that are not available here.

What, you mean, like the K2 S9800? They're available here, just...only from select dealers.