I am going to audition the Wharfedale EVO 5.1 a d hopefully comparing them against the Monitor Audio Siler 100 7 G but finding a dealer who stocks both is difficult. I believe a change is happening in the hi – fi hobby and it’s not for the good. ( expensive hi fi should always have a market but the mid range will struggle to stay afloat.
just my thought will let you know the outcome of the audition
I’m assuming that you’re lamenting the reduction in the dealer network? Happening? Present tense? Past tense, surely? Traditional Hi-Fi dealer networks began struggling in the late 1970s and 1980s due to mass-market electronics and the rise of video. The decline accelerated rapidly in the late 1990s and 2000s with the advent of online retailers, internet shopping and the shift toward portable, digital music. Specifically and ironically? The major decline in dealers occurred in the early 80s after heavy competition and price-cutting by Japanese mass-market brands forced traditional audio dealers to compete with growing discount outlets. So yes, the much lionised Sony, the hero-worshipped Technics and the sun shines out of their backsides Denon, Marantz and Yamaha. Those Japanese brands. And look, I love them all. I think those Japanese brands are great. But we all have short memories. And serious tosh is talked online. As for choice? I don’t think any dealer ever stocked everything. Even during the dealer heyday. A price has to be paid to stock goods in the first place, after all.
Hi Paul ,
I am going to audition the Wharfedale EVO 5.1 a d hopefully comparing them against the Monitor Audio Siler 100 7 G but finding a dealer who stocks both is difficult.
I believe a change is happening in the hi – fi hobby and it’s not for the good. ( expensive hi fi should always have a market but the mid range will struggle to stay afloat.
just my thought will let you know the outcome of the audition
I’m assuming that you’re lamenting the reduction in the dealer network? Happening? Present tense? Past tense, surely? Traditional Hi-Fi dealer networks began struggling in the late 1970s and 1980s due to mass-market electronics and the rise of video. The decline accelerated rapidly in the late 1990s and 2000s with the advent of online retailers, internet shopping and the shift toward portable, digital music. Specifically and ironically? The major decline in dealers occurred in the early 80s after heavy competition and price-cutting by Japanese mass-market brands forced traditional audio dealers to compete with growing discount outlets. So yes, the much lionised Sony, the hero-worshipped Technics and the sun shines out of their backsides Denon, Marantz and Yamaha. Those Japanese brands. And look, I love them all. I think those Japanese brands are great. But we all have short memories. And serious tosh is talked online. As for choice? I don’t think any dealer ever stocked everything. Even during the dealer heyday. A price has to be paid to stock goods in the first place, after all.