A question I often get asked.... more so this (summer) time of the year. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out that during the summer time most audio geeks out there are pre-occupied with other stuff (vacations and various outdoor hobbies). So, my answer is generally slow but steady. Given the recession though, things are slower than our summer time usual. What is selling??? Given that most folks budgets have tightened in this economy, used gear is doing fairly well. The used/demo stuff that would normally be slow or tough to sell even during good times is still sitting there, but most normal type used items like good used interconnects, used Rega turntables and other more well known type used gear has been selling at reasonable prices without too much hassle. Having said that, I (as a retailer) do find it funny because some folks think that the economy is slow that I must be desperate to sell popular used Cardas interconnects for 20% or more off my (very competitively priced to other folks selling the same used items) advertised price though.
On the new gear front, analog related items continue to sell during this summer.... Rega turntables offer a very good performance & value for the dollar and folks keep buying 'em (along with cartridges and other stuff for them). Otherwise, it is the occasional new cable here, new amp there type business this summer... mostly more of the middle of the road Hi-End stuff. Business in the more big bucks end of Hi-End Audio continues to be off this year and I foresee it being that way for a while longer (at least for me and my market).
I am also going to guess this will be a slow year for new product introductions. It does cost money to develop new products, so many HiFi companies are going to watching the bottom line very carefully and be pretty conservative with expenditures. I'm expecting to see more product improvements over new models. I do continue to hear rumors about some new products from the folks at Rega Research... in particular about a new top-line CD player (a step above the Saturn, not a replacement for it) and possibly a table above the P9. I've got no firm info from official Rega channels yet.
Dave Belles @ Power Modules is actually downsizing some of his products to make them LESS EXPENSIVE! Dave has taken his Belles 150A Reference amp and 28A Reference preamp and has made some changes to allow them to be less expensive with VERY little compromise, if ANY, in regards to performance. How do you do that???? For example, in the 150 Ref power amp, the circuit board count is down, along with a slightly less fancy chassis and a smaller (less overkill) power supply transformer. The result is that Dave is able to knock several hundred dollars or more off the retail price of these products. Why? Like you and I well know, Dave understands that money is tight so he is doing what he thinks he can to provide a even better value than before and allow folks to still afford a top quality hi-end audio product.
I think that's about it here... summer is coming to a close soon (September is just a few days away) and I am starting to see a small upward tick in calls/interest which is a good sign. I will be attending the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in early October, so it will be interesting to hear from friends in the trade, show goers, etc have to show and say about the biz and how things are coming along. I'll give another report after the show to let y'all know what's new and how things are looking!
On a Rega Apollo CD player that is a $995 retail, you save $150 and on a Rega Saturn CD player that is $2,395 retail, you save $600!!!! This is a terrific savings on two really nice sounding CD players (personally, I think the Saturn is a killer deal with 25% discount!). What are we going to do with the old players???? The ones that don't work will be recycled appropriately, and the working units will be donated to a local charity. As always, please feel free to call (315-622-4137) or e-mail to ask questions or order! As a additional special promotion here, I am extending this offer to the two (2) remaining new Apollo 35th Anniversary Edition CD players we have left in stock! I will offer a 20% off MSRP on the two Apollo AE CD players we have left when you trade in your digital clunker towards the purchase of one! This program is good from NOW (October 2009) to the end of December 2009!!!
