I have a few observations about the audio hobby these days. Let’s see what’s going on.

Press

Every mag we read, features lots of play for pay. We see continual reviews of the same brands who advertise heavily in the rags. The magazine guys will claim they’re above such payola, but PLEASE!

Today’s rags are filled with… the same brands getting reviewed. Not coincidentally, you see their well placed full page ads month after month. It happens at all price ranges but it’s simply egregious in the higher end speaker world.

These mags are missing innovative gear, that people can actually afford {!} and would be more likely to buy, if we were aware of them. But this is of no concern to the mags.

WE GET IT. The press scratches the back of its advertisers. The mags are in biz to make money, not be your advocate for great audio gear.

Online Suppliers

Take a look at the dozens, if not hundreds of brands these suppliers offer. All they’re interested in are brands that are WELL KNOWN.

Their MO is simple. Tell the customer the retail price is X and discount it to Y. Even though Y is really the ACTUAL retail price. The “discount” is a blatant ruse that takes advantage of naive shoppers.

This OVERT obfuscation exploded during Covid and runs rampant today.

These suppliers aren’t trying to help you build a great system. They’re just moving widgets. If you need support or service, call 1-800-GOOD LUCK. These onliners are out of the loop as soon as you click to buy. You typically end up in voice mail hell, waiting through a myriad of prompts trying

to avoid providing a human to talk to. If you’re lucky enough to get a human, he doesn’t know anything more than looking at the manual online. What’s most likely is, they’ll send you back to the purchase site to process a refund. They’ll do anything to avoid speaking to you in attempts to help.

Audio Emporium

We take a different route with our business. We actually ARE interested in helping you build a better music system. We’re looking for the best products for the money so we can share them with you. After sale support is part of the equation too.

It turns out that in today’s world, the best products are definitely NOT the best known, highly advertised brands.

Especially since Covid, most of the audio names you will recognize, are built by vendors in Asia by companies whose names we cannot spell or pronounce. Prolific job houses punch out MANY brand names. Today they might make audio gear. Tomorrow they might make boards for GPS or motor controls.

The best gear is made by people who care. That invariably means, there are owner/operators who give a rip.

Atoll of France makes a broad line of integrated amps, CD players & separates that I’ll take over any of the Chinese built gear! Let us share with you WHY Atoll is clearly better, in sound and reliability, than what’s made in China.

We have fabulous speakers made by Bryston of Canada (20 yr war), Magnepan (USA) and Atohm (7 yr war) of France. Prices range from modest to the moon. They sound better and provide better reliability than what the Chinese have to offer. Further, you can stop in to hear it for yourself.

What a concept!

Our gear allows you to enjoy your relationship with music more intimately.