Audiophiles Killed High-End Audio
How Audiophiles Killed High-End Audio
There’s no denying that the way we shop as consumers has changed over the years. The rise of online shopping and the emergence of retail giants like Amazon have completely changed the game. While it may be easy to point to the Internet and Amazon as the core reason for the demise of independent small businesses, it isn’t the only factor. There is factor we should no longer ignore and that is the audiophiles killed high-end audio.
Look at record stores. Vinyl records were all but dead and buried and yet there are more record shops than ever in 2020. High end audio isn’t dead, and it even has a rather passionate fanbase, so why is it hi-fi shops continue to go the way of the dinosaurs? Retail isn’t dead in 2020, so who’s to blame for the demise of the independent audio store?
While there is enough blame to go around, audiophiles and enthusiasts alike shoulder some of it. Audiophiles are among the first to regale you with tales of how things used to be. How they used to be able to go into a hi-fi shop, spend hours listening to primo AV gear when and wherever they wanted. But it is usually those same audiophiles who will also tell you that they then went home and bought those same products used -or nowadays online in order to save a buck; or as they like to put it, “cut out the middle man.” The problem with this isn’t that saving money is bad, it’s that the so-called “middle man” isn’t some faceless corporation thirsty only for profits, it a man or woman not unlike audiophiles themselves.
Conversely, buying used has a two-fold negative effect on the industry, for it not only hurts or kills retailer (unless of course they themselves sell used equipment) but it doesn’t even support the development of new products and the manufacturers charged with producing them.
The Ultimate Cost of Buying Internet Direct
Lastly there is the issue of buying direct over the Internet, which many audiophiles and enthusiasts alike equate to saving money, for businesses smart enough to sell over the Internet are able to save them (enthusiasts) money by not having dealer/retail markup. This is simply a fallacy for manufacturers are simply keeping that markup that was once earmarked for their dealers and distributors, they’re keeping it for themselves. Sure the prices may appear lower when compared to their prior street prices when they had dealers, but rest assured their not -or at least not dramatically so.
Audiophiles and enthusiasts alike need to stop kidding themselves into thinking that online retail and the Internet-direct business model is in their best interest when it comes to specialty AV. While it may be proving to be beneficial in the short term, the ripple effect it has created has yet to be fully realized.
