CardinalFang Wrote: > We're talking about audiophiles here who shell out thousands on gear - > in my mind it's far likely that they'll go straight for something that > looks familiar and doesn't take them into uncharted territory - PCs. > But you may well be right.
I am a card-carrying audiophile (my interconnects have a retail price higher than a Transporter :-(). And just about every audiophile I know has a PC. > The key to me is what will dealers sell? What's easiest to maintain. Olive sells direct from their website, as does SlimDevices. Not a ton of dealers for either of them. > Are iPod users audiophiles? Again I'm talking about the Transporter and > the intended audience for that device. At least 5 high end audio reviewers I know own iPods. Dave Wilson of Wilson Audio demoed his $42K/pair Maxx 2 speakers driving them via an iPod at CES last January. I think there are more audiophile iPod users out there than you think. > Yes, they are likley to already have a PC, but again, these are > audiophiles and it is unlikely to be adequate for a large music > collection, so now they have to upgrade and it makes it a tougher sell. Those same people are not likely going to be satisfied with a 750GB internal hard drive on an Olive Opus, either...and as such, will likely not like the idea that they will be buying a redundant internal hard drive on an Opus. > This product will need to be demoed in HiFi showrooms to gain credance > and that means getting dealers onboard with possible IT issues. $2000 > worth of kit isn't going to be bought by a new to SB audiophile without > wanting to listen to it. I really do hope that Slim make the effort to > produce a bundle for dealers who do want to demo the Transporter, > because without it, it'll be Sonos on display still - it's easier to > sell. I think the key here is the Squeezebox. For most of these high end customers, $299/$249 is the price of a couple of brass cones, and it can be a great way for them to get into it to see if its really easy to use. Then if they discover that they want better performance, its an easy step for them to move up to the Transporter (this is exactly what happened to me). > Hey, if it really is that good and if it can be made appealling for > dealers to recommend to their customers, I'm sure it'll do well, but > Slim are now in a a new market where HiFi dealers are a main conduit to > customers and their wishes have to be considered. As much as I would love for dealers to be "the main conduit" to customers, it does appear to be trending the other way. The Internet (either via the direct-sell model, or the used Audiogon market) is moving the majority of "high end dealerships" into becoming "Home installation shops"...in which case, your "I/T consultant" point becomes another potential revenue generator for them. FWIW, I focus my business almost strictly on 2-channel music systems, and have recommended the Squeezebox to more than a handful of my customers because it fit their needs better than other products I have seen out there. They usually stare at me at first, like "you want me to hook up that $250 box to my $8000 DAC??", but never comment about how hard it is to set up after they buy. It'll be easier to point them to a $2000 box.... ;-) Paul -- PhilNYC Sonic Spirits Inc. http://www.sonicspirits.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PhilNYC's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=837 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=25773 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
