Brad-S.A.

iTrader: (35)

Do you know why. (And this is only my opion)Its because we have been force fed the advertising bullcrap since christ was a baby. RF, KICKER, ALPINE, MTX were all small companies in the begining "Basement Brand" and the name has gone on and on and on. IN the late 80's early 90's these companies had there owners walking around at the sound off's just like you or me talking to customers and they were hand building products and then they grew. And started to outsource to china, or korea, or Japan because they could build more product *cheaper* and more of it. Now because the roots were small company they have kept up some of the quality in there product but everytime one of these companies grows you pay a premium for there name. There is still companies from the old school building handmade product that get overlooked. US AMPS is one of my favorite amps. Still hand made and just as bullet proof as a usa-150 from the 90's. Liner Power still building awsome amps. And these guys are still small business using the same heat sinks from the 90's but unbelievable quality products and not expecting a logo premium. I would take a USAMPS or Liner Power amp over a JL Audio 1000/1 any day. USA and Canada would not be what it is today with out the support of customers that were willing to try new things and companies like RE, Adire, Treo, eD and so on. The list is endless. These customers and companies allow grow and progress in the world. And thats fine if you think I am sappy or lame. But with new equipment becoming effordable, more people can enter in SPL or SQ competition with out having to be a millionare. The old way of thinking is the one with the most money wins. The new way of thinking is the sky is the limit and the limit won't cost as much with all these companies around. The way of the retail car audio shop with the professional installers is becoming a way of the past. We have seen it in Ontario shops closing down. The new thing is DIY and I have a budget and now its possible for all to get it this awsome hobby. Be it SPL or SQ. (sorry for spelling)

Cheers

92zed34

iTrader: (4)

For me the ease of going out and coming home with subs....worked for me.
If the others brahma,re,ed etc etc,were more readily available i may have GLADLY went that way.
I'm not an online shopper in any way,And cant stand waiting!!
I've never even laid eyes on a brahma or the others for that matter,maybe if i had known what i was buyin it would have been different?
Nothing against the "basement brands" But what about all the others?RF/kicker/mtx/alpine The brahma cant be the best????or is it??

Is the only reason the cost? Cause if you buy too much they will then be mainstream and you 'll pay through the nose,lol

Brad-S.A.

iTrader: (35)

Ya I know what you mean I hate waiting for stuff too. And ya I guess if you buy too much they would become mainstream but will the company go that route remains to be seen.

[img]smile.gif[/img]

92zed34

iTrader: (4)

You know what the problem is with mainsteam companies.
The company gets so big they are forced to hire "whoever" qualifys.
Not like the smaller places that are more like "family"
The big companys can't keep as good an eye on employees to see if they really give a ****! In most cases they dont!
You think the guy sitting there answering the phone thats just there for a paycheck gives a damm if YOU are happy,NOT!

Hardwrkr

iTrader: (5)

Seems your question has been answered.
You believe "they are generally more money, less warranty, internet sold" when in actuality they are cheaper, have more warrranty (ED even has a 3yr TRANSFERABLE warranty) and many can be found in stores these days. They have better pricing and as good if not better customer service.

So with the small "cult" companies proving they are worth recognizing in the marketplace mayeb the question should be asked why do YOU hate them and why are you such a follower in the mainstream brand "cult"?
BTW, I have nothing against many mainstream products. One only needs to look at what's in my car to know that but I do believe the smaller "internet" companies have something to offer.

Toolman

I definitely thought so. I feel that I am pretty easy to please when it comes to recieving customer service. I used to have a pretty good contact in town here that was good to me (not because of prices) that has since moved on to other things unfortunately. Maybe it is the fact that I am also in the sales industry and I get pushed away by certain forms of customer service. I hate being fed BS by a salesman who 1.Does NOT know his/her product at ALL.
2.Lies to my face.
3.Doesn't give a **** (even remotely) about what I need/want.
4.Uses "textbook" direct aggresive sales tactics (such as those taught in courses) and then gets mad at me when I do not fall for them. I am not really that hard to sell to.....just talk to me like I am a person.

Treat me with a little respect, let me look at and listen to the gear for as long as I need to without trying to close prematurely, don't lie to me (I am familiar with a great deal of today's products....don't tell me that "eclipse headunits must be more expensive than Alpine headunits because they are more flashy " )


Like I said, Audioconcepts Mobile has treated me well, but I simply cannot afford the stuff that I want there. Audison and Focal is unfortunately out of my price range at this current moment. When I am done school I will probably pay them a visit to upgrade. Anyone know of any other good shops in town?

[ January 22, 2005, 08:56 PM: Message edited by: Toolman ]

Haunz

iTrader: (3)

LMAO !

Ive been talked out of sales before too....

hmmmm, had a guy try and sell me a plain jain eclipse head based on its superior 'sound quality' over other CD players (when I was looking for an MP3 unit to boot)

Had a guy try and get me to dump my 15s for 10s because '10s sound way tighter' (when I came in for some wire and coax speakers)

Had a guy try and talk me out of subs with stamped steel baskets and into something more expensive (with about the same specs) cause 'steel baskets take force out of the magnet'

The list could go on for awile..... But listening to sales guys promote caps and interconnects are probably the two worst... [img]graemlins/puke.gif[/img]

[ January 22, 2005, 10:41 PM: Message edited by: Haunz ]

BooLeaN

Why are they disturbing? I'm not trying to cause any problems just saying that the JL W7 woofers being price at well over 1000 dollars each + taxes led me to the internet, which in turn led me to the other underground companies. I try to buy from my local shop if I can but I'm not gonna spend 400 on something I can get for 150 bux, I will however spend 50 on something I can get for 35 or 40 bux cause I like the owners and respect what they are trying to do.

Sorry if I offended anyone, but I was just trying to help Tim understand the question he asked.

Thanks,
Craig G

M.C. Ryan

LMAO !

Ive been talked out of sales before too....

hmmmm, had a guy try and sell me a plain jain eclipse head based on its superior 'sound quality' over other CD players (when I was looking for an MP3 unit to boot)

Had a guy try and get me to dump my 15s for 10s because '10s sound way tighter' (when I came in for some wire and coax speakers)

Had a guy try and talk me out of subs with stamped steel baskets and into something more expensive (with about the same specs) cause 'steel baskets take force out of the magnet'

The list could go on for awile..... But listening to sales guys promote caps and interconnects are probably the two worst... [img]graemlins/puke.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]Just curious about the worst two... mainly interconnects. What's wrong with promoting them as they are an important part of any system? I hear all the time that "interconnects are interconnects" and "wire is wire"... Just curious if you were not happy with that because you have decent RCA's already and they were trying to sell you something you already had, or if you're happy with entry level. I think I'm going to post my first topic... sorry to be a little off topic...

Haunz

iTrader: (3)

^ there has only been once or twice someone tried to sell me interconnects... But Ive been in stores several times while a sales guy is talking someone into an expensive set... also know quite a few people who have been sold an expensive set they didnt need....

20 feet of T/P at canadian tire for $8.99 is all anyone needs in most cases.... hell, most people dont even need T/P as thier amps cant take advantage of it !

EDIT: there is not an interconnect in the world that will solve ground loop (the most common noise problem in car audio)....

[ January 23, 2005, 05:06 AM: Message edited by: Haunz ]