Should a dealer have a state of the art room to show their state of the art gear?

[Believe High Fidelity]

Also something no one has brought up: the leading High-end companies do not just give their gear to any old dealer. They usually undergo some sort of credit check and many manufacturers will actually visit a dealer to see and hear how their gear sounds!

Not a guarantee of anything though. I went to Dallas when the CLX was there at a dealer in the Truth in Sound Tour to hear it and it was awful. Most of the space was awful and I couldn't see how anyone could get a fair assessment and they had all the name brands.

Later hearing the CLX at other opportunities in a well treated room it was much much better.

 

[witchdoctor]

My favorite dealer didn't have a showroom, he brought the gear I was interested in to my house, we plugged it in, sat down, and evaluated. I always bought something because I didn't want the guy wasting his time on a house call.
When I visited SOTA show rooms whether or not I bought depended more on whether I liked the sales person than the room. Often I could by cheaper on the internet but I preferred connecting with a good sales person who could save me hours of auditioning by asking me a few questions and then suggesting something. Some of the sales people had showrooms, some I just spoke to over the phone. 100% the sales person was always the biggest factor in my decision assuming he made the right recommendation, not the room.

 

[mullard88]

There are rooms that are natural listening environments that do not need treatment.

If the room is noisy or echoes or difficult to carry a conversation without raising my voice, then regardless of selling SOTA equipment or not, as someone who comes in to listen, I would have a difficult time assessing the sound produced, and really difficult to enjoy the music.

For me, a dealer's listening room for auditioning equipment must be quiet, absent of echo and I should be able to speak to others in the room without speaking louder than normal.

Customized treatment is inexpensive. I had it done in my room last year. I am so sold on it . I have engaged the same acoustician to do acoustic treatment in a 20 foot container van where I have my weekend system.

If a dealer has a short term lease, the dealer can always use ASC or other brands of treatment that can be brought to the next site.