the car audio industry
04-24-2004, 10:53 AM
#1
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i would be interested in everyones opinions, consumers, reatilers, installers etc, on what they think of car audio in canada compared to 1 year ago, 5 years ago etc. i think it would be interesting to know what consumers think of the products avialable now and what they think of how they have get it, as well what retailers and installers think of the products avalable today, where they get them from and the customers buying them. i was just talking with a friend about the customers of today compared to 5 years ago, and he said that he felt consumers were much the same and i disagreed saying that i felt the consumers were much more informed today that 5 years ago just an opinion though [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]
04-24-2004, 11:06 AM
#2
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well first retaillers get their stock either direct from the company or through a distrubitor and as far as car audio now to five years ago, it is just more mainstream now, so they are making stuff cheaper now so everyone could afford to buy it because 5 years ago only the richest people could afford to put a high-end stereo in their car...
04-24-2004, 11:22 AM
#3
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yes, i know most retailers get their stock from disributor, i assaumed that was a given, do you think the popularity of the internet and sites like this have increased the knowlege of consumers, is the product cheaper in quality or just cheaper to manufacturer, do you think that the quality of pioneers, sony's, alpine etc hi-end units are better quality both in build and design, i mentioned brands but dont want this to be a brand discussion
04-24-2004, 11:53 AM
#4
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well since there are so many people out there want the stuff the car audio companies can produce a lot of products so the end cost per unit is cheaper, but as for the quilty it depends on the different brands, but most of the well known brands have a very good QC (quality control)...
well I wouldnt say that the internet sites made the car audio world the way it is today, yes it can give you info you need without asking someone but since over the years it has become more mainstream, music has become a bigger part of our lives so home audio companies such as Pioneer saw this as a way to make money and started to make car audio equpment more affordable which is why 9 times out of 10 you will see someone with Pioneer, Kenwood, ect. equipment because they saw it in Crappy Tire, Future Shop, Ect. so it is just the companies out there that have made the stuff easier to get that have made the car audio system world the way it is, but you still get the people that have gotten deeper into the car audio world by going to a strictly car audio store only which is where you get the Memphis, Orion, Alpine, JL, Focal, ect...
[ April 24, 2004, 12:56 PM: Message edited by: I'm a Memphis Man now ]
well I wouldnt say that the internet sites made the car audio world the way it is today, yes it can give you info you need without asking someone but since over the years it has become more mainstream, music has become a bigger part of our lives so home audio companies such as Pioneer saw this as a way to make money and started to make car audio equpment more affordable which is why 9 times out of 10 you will see someone with Pioneer, Kenwood, ect. equipment because they saw it in Crappy Tire, Future Shop, Ect. so it is just the companies out there that have made the stuff easier to get that have made the car audio system world the way it is, but you still get the people that have gotten deeper into the car audio world by going to a strictly car audio store only which is where you get the Memphis, Orion, Alpine, JL, Focal, ect...
[ April 24, 2004, 12:56 PM: Message edited by: I'm a Memphis Man now ]
04-24-2004, 12:06 PM
#6
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I would say that the gap between the informed customer and the misinformed customer is just wider today. Back in the day there were two types of customers, ones that knew what they were talking about and those you had to educate. Now we have ones that know what they are talking about and those who think they do but are so full of misinformation that it boggles the mind. As for equipment there is always the nostalgia factor for us old timers, but todays equipment is better and cheaper than ever before. Also better installation techniques are being used more often now than ever before. To get the same performance as a $10,000 system five years ago you need to speand less than half IMO.
04-24-2004, 02:18 PM
#8
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car audio has changed a lot in the last 5 years, in my opinion. It is moving away from the custom & SQ days where big money was spent, and the average system is smaller than it used to be.
It is more commodity based than it used to be, ie, walmart, crappy tire, blister packs containing cd players, etc. As a retailer this means more competition, and lower margins(from 40% down to avg 25%). As a customer this means, greater selection, and better deals. Unfourtunately, I think that this means that we have less "professionals" in this industry than we did 5-10 yrs ago (with the exception of installers, who have to know more than ever), however with the way cars and gear are going, combined with buying trends, opro's are needed less and less.
It is more commodity based than it used to be, ie, walmart, crappy tire, blister packs containing cd players, etc. As a retailer this means more competition, and lower margins(from 40% down to avg 25%). As a customer this means, greater selection, and better deals. Unfourtunately, I think that this means that we have less "professionals" in this industry than we did 5-10 yrs ago (with the exception of installers, who have to know more than ever), however with the way cars and gear are going, combined with buying trends, opro's are needed less and less.
04-24-2004, 02:42 PM
#9
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i would agree that there are 2 types of customers, the informed and the misinformed, what would you attibute that to, diy'er, internet, misinformed salespeople, the installs these days are definitley flashier(is that a word)but better, maybe. i think the products available today make car audio funner(is that a word) as well as making it easier to to get good sound in cars. tv's, dolby digital, time delays, amplifiers etc, what would you all say is the single biggest advancement in car audio in the last 5 years, i would say component speaker design
04-24-2004, 02:51 PM
#10
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I Think the internet will have had a large effect on the well informed, and the misinformed people. The internet is a place where information can be like crazy, be it correct, or incorrect. I think for the DIY'er, the internet has come to make them alot more well informed, about products, and the technical aspect of audio as well. I myself, have no run into alot of misinformed salespeople, but that may be attributed to the fact that i dont shop around much, i go to one or two shops that i know the guys there on a first name basis, and i trust them. I do all my installs myself. I agree with you about the gear and installs being flashier, but not always. There are alot of people out there who spend ages making stealthy installs.. didn't see too much of that a while ago. As for the video aspect of it, it just seems to me like we're moving more of the gear that would normally be in our homes, into our cars. First the audio, now the video, and videogame consoles too.. There's even a lot of PC installs in cars. I'm not saying this is a bad thing.. It's quite fun to install, and neat to see some of the stuff people have got.. but it's not for my car. [img]smile.gif[/img]
