Absloute Lack of Authorised Dealerships / Outlets selling Branded HI-fi Separtes

[stevieboy]

No Steve, not even close

Parsi Dairy Kulfi? Not sure how it is now. Will check out a tub of Naturals lets see how the tender coconut and roasted almond is now...

 

[paritosh]

.......... as the economy grows/ these luxury items will become a basic standard. like in the cities. that is when more and more showrooms will open up.

personally, i see the next two years bringing in that kind of change for many smaller cities and towns![/QUOTE]

i agree with you malvi...

its the overall growth of economy that drives the demmand of consumer products. the growth increases the spending power of ppl and hense rises the demmands. the example you cited of a flat screen tv is appropriate. its a simple rule of probability and natural distribution. if 60 out of 100 households have flat screens, and only a hand full of them (30pc) are going to opt for high end system, the numbers just don't add up for a place with less population. so the availability scene resembles a percolating model:... from larger metros, to metros, to mini metros, to larger cities... and so on

i believe its a progression from crt with basic music system / home theater from known suspects(you may call these brands like sony, phillips, panasonic, lg, samsung etc High Mind Share brands) to recent flat screen panels with high end hifi!

the technological progression, i believe is also a driving factor. just a couple of years back, the bigwigs of electronics world were fighting between BlueRay and HD-DVD as std HD media. once it was settled down, an array of products started flowing in the markets. and the larger demmands made the production volumes sustainable for lower costing and hense the ultimate benificiary were us customers. and today we can easily buy an entry level BDP for less than 8k! before blue rays, no one needed to buy a Full HD TV as there was no popular media available to beam full hd videos. now with affordable BDPs and availability of media, one feels the urge to go for a full HD TV for the video. for the audio aspect, again before BD, a simple 5.1 pkg was enough to enjoy movies, but with advent of loss less audio formats like Dolby True HD and DTS MA, one feels the urge to go for a high end system with AVR having capability of processing these formats .

when i bought my first HTiB, i only knew Sony, Phillips, Samsung, LG, Sansui, Akai, Onkyo, JBL, Jamo and Bose-of which owning a Bose was my Dream-it was like a holy grail for me. that was a good 5 yrs back. today, when i thought of an upgrade, i didn't even consider the High Mind Share brands! I was straight away parked at Onkyo, then Dennon and JBL. after going through AVMax and WhatHiFi and this forum, i even left out JBL as a whole and Onkyo for speakers! i was yearning for other brands, as here in Rajlot, we have only a hand ful at our disposal. so, when i went to ahemedabad, i visited 5 dealers dealing in brands like Wharfedale, Jamo, Polk, Marantz, Anthony Galow, Oston, Cambridge, Kef, Dali and Yamaha. now, as the percolation principle goes, I learned that Yamaha is starting a sub-dealer kind of an outlet in Rajkot.

the factors that driven me to go for a HiFi (other than my passion for quality audio experience) were....
1.availability of affordable BDP like sony BDS370
2.availability BD media in local stores
3.HD DTH services.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Remember that high-end hifi is a minority interest, as well as being only afordable by the minority.

I think that is more true today than it was thirty years ago. Today, the iPod and the MP3 is the standard. Peoplpe don't look for high-definition, they look for high compression.

Feeling pessimistic just now, I'd say it is quite possible that more people may spend more money --- but on high-quality kit? Or something they can plug their ipod into?

 

[Audio Slave]

Remember that high-end hifi is a minority interest, as well as being only afordable by the minority.

I think that is more true today than it was thirty years ago. Today, the iPod and the MP3 is the standard. Peoplpe don't look for high-definition, they look for high compression.

Feeling pessimistic just now, I'd say it is quite possible that more people may spend more money --- but on high-quality kit? Or something they can plug their ipod into?

Thad E Ginathom

That's quite right and that's the way things are moving - more computer based MP3 music being played through ipods and mobile phones. The ease with which people get their dose of music through such gadgets is certainly not good for a higher penetration of Hi-Fi into more homes world wide.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

...And even those with multi-terabyte disk space are compressing the life out of their music. Even those who are doing otherwise great work of archiving from tapes of classical music think that mp3 is how you should store it.

On the other hand, much of the HT market believes that sound should be felt through the backside, not heard through the ears. They'd probably be just as happy with ".1" as with "5.1"!

Far from being able to expand into markets like India, the stereo-hifi market may be facing a bleak future world wide

 

[malvai]

...And even those with multi-terabyte disk space are compressing the life out of their music. Even those who are doing otherwise great work of archiving from tapes of classical music think that mp3 is how you should store it.

On the other hand, much of the HT market believes that sound should be felt through the backside, not heard through the ears. They'd probably be just as happy with ".1" as with "5.1"!

Far from being able to expand into markets like India, the stereo-hifi market may be facing a bleak future world wide :(

very true... unless hifi designers really come up with affordable 'audiophile' solutions that take advantage of the compressed formats.

there is a positive movement in this direction. but not enuff for now as most of those products still cost an arm and a leg....

 

[Audio Slave]

...And even those with multi-terabyte disk space are compressing the life out of their music. Even those who are doing otherwise great work of archiving from tapes of classical music think that mp3 is how you should store it.

On the other hand, much of the HT market believes that sound should be felt through the backside, not heard through the ears. They'd probably be just as happy with ".1" as with "5.1"!

Far from being able to expand into markets like India, the stereo-hifi market may be facing a bleak future world wide

I agree. To be honest I have not heard anything better in terms of natural life like sound with depth and clarity, from any digital format compared to what I have heard on using vinyl records on my inexpensive Dual turntable many many years ago. These MP3s and 5.1s are no match to that quality of reproduction of music.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Well, I have no objection to digital, as such; just to compression.

 

[Audio Slave]

Well, I have no objection to digital, as such; just to compression.

Just lost / missed the thread for many days....
Digital recordings too can sound very good if the quality of recording is high and are played through a decent Hi-Fi system. There has always been a debate around Vinyl vs. CD quality..may be it is matter of personal taste and sensitivity...good vinyl recordings ha always sounded slightly more real / natural to me. Can't explain why.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

crackles, pops, scratches and warps? :lol:

No, I'm sure this isn't the thread for that discussion, although it is sheer practicality that would never allow me to go back to vinyl (and I started on shellac!).

It isn't the thread, but I do think it is a hard comparison to make, because even if we can say we are listening to a CD made from the same master tapes as the vinyl, the sound may well have been processed and mixed in different ways. At a Chennai HiFiVision meetup, we did some listening to same-music-different-media listening. Even leaving aside the influence of the equipment, there was, in one case (sorry I forget what) such a huge difference that it was really hard to believe it was even the same recording!

 

[Audio Slave]

crackles, pops, scratches and warps? :lol:

Yes 'handle with care' definitely .My 30-35 year old LP collection even today looks as good as when its was bought.

there was, in one case (sorry I forget what) such a huge difference that it was really hard to believe it was even the same recording!

Which sounded better?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Just my personal opinion, but they were so different it was like two different performances. Couldn't say better or worse.

It is a mystery to me how people manage to preserve vinyl intact. My collection has always suffered from the law that says that the more I like a record, the more scratches will appear on it. Probably better not invite me to your house :lol:

 

[askii2]

It is a mystery to me how people manage to preserve vinyl intact. My collection has always suffered from the law that says that the more I like a record, the more scratches will appear on it.

That's valid for audio CDs as well. Unless one were to take extreme caution when placing and removing each CD every time in a CD player and prevent family members, kids especially, from touching CDs by themselves or in covers or the shelves that contain stacks of CDs; scratches will appear :indifferent14:

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

True. Sometimes they can make the CD unplayable too: even a click on vinyl is better than that, I suppose.

I remember when CDs were first released. The claim was that they were indestructible, and would play whatever you did to them --- neither of which is true. In fact, i think the first-generation CDs aged rather rapidly without even being scratched.

The CD "jewel case" is the most rubbish packaging ever developed, next to those milk cartons that are unopenable. The CD cover art will never have the same impact as the LP cover. The whole handling/playing experience of vinyl is, arguably (subjectively) superior. Aesthetically, I'd go for LPs every time. Practically, I am staying digital.

I do wish, though, that my mum hadn't thrown away the 78s that I grew up, although I expect my favourites would have been broken or scratched to hell, or just plain worn out. (78s did wear out, especially if you were lax about replacing the needle. I wore out Island in the Sun!)

 

[Audio Slave]

Just my personal opinion, but they were so different it was like two different performances. Couldn't say better or worse.

It is a mystery to me how people manage to preserve vinyl intact. My collection has always suffered from the law that says that the more I like a record, the more scratches will appear on it. Probably better not invite me to your house :lol:

No mystery at all. JUST HANDLE WITH CARE. The singles, EPs and LPs must be held by the rim, must avoid touching the surface with fingers, keep them covered by the sleeves / covers when not being played. Ensure that the stylus is replaced before it is badly worn out, use the correct tracking weight while being played etc. The collection should be stored in racks in standing order like books....and the vinyl collection can be maintained in good condition for a long time. However certain minimum amount of wear and tear can not be avoided with time.

 

[galbatorix]

Hi,
I am a newbie to this entire HTs thing and your forum has got me all excited!!
I decided on the Denon 1612 versus the Onkyo 308; however, the chennai onkyo center seems to be in severe shortsupply...could someone point to a way out? I stay in south chennai and am open to a group buy of either onkyo or denon also
Thanks