Is Audiogon Representative of the Audiophile Market and Sentiment?
- Thread starter caesar
- Start date
Just like this site, it is "Representative of" a particular segment of "the Audiophile Market and Sentiment".
Audiogon is very, very segmented. and instead of being owned by a hifi dealer, or dogmatic reviewer, or a laid back community, it's a purely commercial entity without a particular hobby perspective. so it's an outlier in terms of how it works and how the forum is moderated. and there is no one perspective which is valid.
if we just observe the Audiogon forums, it's the wild, wild, west. there is a commercial aspect to it where certain types of posts which might be negative toward advertisers are quickly deleted. some dealers are quite aggressive there. and a strong cynical, sarcastic objectivist group somewhat pooh-poohing more high end gear. but then there are very serious hobbyists that have serious discussions about interesting things and music too. lots of very inexperienced newbies doing newbie things at all points of the price spectrum. lots of very basic type questions.
so in general, it is inclusive of all levels of high performance music reproduction commitment; so it covers audiophiles and non-audiophiles. objectivists and subjectivists. a melting pot. i don't see any sense of a vibe on Audiogon you can pin down.
as far as the listings and sales from Audiogon, it's just a slice of the market. lots of dealers use it. much more reality on US Audio Mart in terms of overall depth and action. Audiogon is just the tip of the sales iceberg. it might reflect the level of action, or lack thereof, at the higher end of the marketplace to a degree.
if we just observe the Audiogon forums, it's the wild, wild, west. there is a commercial aspect to it where certain types of posts which might be negative toward advertisers are quickly deleted. some dealers are quite aggressive there. and a strong cynical, sarcastic objectivist group somewhat pooh-poohing more high end gear. but then there are very serious hobbyists that have serious discussions about interesting things and music too. lots of very inexperienced newbies doing newbie things at all points of the price spectrum. lots of very basic type questions.
so in general, it is inclusive of all levels of high performance music reproduction commitment; so it covers audiophiles and non-audiophiles. objectivists and subjectivists. a melting pot. i don't see any sense of a vibe on Audiogon you can pin down.
as far as the listings and sales from Audiogon, it's just a slice of the market. lots of dealers use it. much more reality on US Audio Mart in terms of overall depth and action. Audiogon is just the tip of the sales iceberg. it might reflect the level of action, or lack thereof, at the higher end of the marketplace to a degree.
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Elliot G.
Industry Expert
IMO Audiogon is the most significant change that ever happened to the audio business.
I am not saying its good, I m not saying its bad as these value judgements obviously change from your financial perspective.
It changed the business irrevocably. IMO not for the better but many would argue that I am wrong and I would understand thier reasoning.
Im not talking about the forums BTW
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what you really mean is the the internet/world wide web/social media changed high end market things from the brick and mortar days. that genie was out of the bottle a long time ago. if it was not Audiogon it would be something else doing that.
OTOH the internet does allow 'quality' lower footprint HiFi dealers to proper. so there is also the positive.
but for an old hifi dog like yourself, the 'good old days' have some undeniable charm. i felt the same about the car business.
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Elliot G.
Industry Expert
actually I said exactly what I meant. AG changed the business period. The internet was the platform. The entire audio business is reactionary. It is never revolutionary.
AG is a joke. IMO/IME.
No one can really communicate and GTG. No protections. Lots of BS and anti-"everything".
I don't even waste my time, unless I am in the market for something specific (which is very rare).
The fees can be over the top.
Tom
No one can really communicate and GTG. No protections. Lots of BS and anti-"everything".
I don't even waste my time, unless I am in the market for something specific (which is very rare).
The fees can be over the top.
Tom
I still rhapsodize about the migraine inducing reads of the ol' Audiomart out of Crewe, WVa. Nothing beats skimming through hundreds of tiny type ads with highlighter in hand, looking for "Straightwire", or whatever was my fancy that time. I'm too poor of sight at my advancing age for that old format now.
US Audio Mart is a much better platform and imho a much better indication of pricing.
Here's my take-I have been selling gear there for years. they are always helpful with the transaction. When selling, there are a few tire kickers, but mostly folks looking for the grear and asking appropriate questions.
the forums are really under moderated, And the discussions run off the rails pretty badly a lot of times, but overall, it is a good source of information. Its search engine is fairly robust, and if you can disregard the arguments stay on task, they are worth using.
There are far fewer "fights" here, the moderators are active. posts are moved to where they belong. This sight is more representative of what i think an audiophile site should be, while Audiogon is more centered on Sales and seller/buyer interactions and the forums are wide open.
MikeG
the forums are really under moderated, And the discussions run off the rails pretty badly a lot of times, but overall, it is a good source of information. Its search engine is fairly robust, and if you can disregard the arguments stay on task, they are worth using.
There are far fewer "fights" here, the moderators are active. posts are moved to where they belong. This sight is more representative of what i think an audiophile site should be, while Audiogon is more centered on Sales and seller/buyer interactions and the forums are wide open.
MikeG
In the old days/beginning('97), it was strictly sales and free(it made S'phile classifieds all but disappear and the print version of 'Audiomart' obsolete). Forum section was added, Artie got overthrown, ads were no longer free and the fun began.
I just left audio gone because of all the stupid people on there and the moderators are no better anybody that cries to them they'll get rid of the other person without even getting the other side of the story, A lot of very unknowledgable people trying to put their stupid two cents in when they know nothing.
I hope your experience here would be much better.
I like audiogon and have been using it since 2001 off and on. The tone seems to have changed over the years, with less help and more confrontation, especially objectivist v subjectivist. And certain egos figured out ways of monetizing it, beyond selling gear. I suppose my main complaint would be that, as a community, we seem unable to refrain from feeding the trolls. But over the years, I've received some solid info and good advice.
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
AG market place is great. Their forum is a snake pit run by 4 or 5 members.
I use Hi-Fi Shark for gauging prices of some used gear, and to check out patterns for certain things. Thanks. I hadn't really used US Audio Mart that much, honestly.
I really have no real issues with the 'Gon. I rarely go one there, as it seems that there is nothing of interest for me, except on occasion. My biggest gripe with the 'Gon has always been this -
You can't simply say on the 'Gon, "Hey, I'd like to have an audio event for local folks in the area. Here is the location. Please contact me if you are interested in attending or joining the group at some point in time."
Years ago, a couple of people in the Charlotte and surrounding area (within about 130 miles) tried to arrange a GTG and make somewhat of a local audio club and the way they have it set up? It basically became impossible, so everyone who was trying this gave up. I ended up making my own small club of folks that have gotten together and visited each other's systems for years. The WBF has no such restrictions. GTG's seem to happen all the time, and all parties are able to discuss this from the first thought to inception, to the reviews and commentary afterwards. I like that!
I will admit, everything I have purchased through the 'Gon has had no issues. That part is solid, IME. *knock on wood*
Tom
I stopped using Audiogon to sell. , and make one off purchases a few years back. They make it very difficult to interact on potential transactions. USAUDIOMART makes everything much easier, and is less expensive to use
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