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B&W Speakers ... now in Best Buy

robobxman

robobxman

Roll me away tonight...
http://www.stereophile.com/news/bw_heads_to_magnoliaville/

Best Buy is often disparaged in these parts (and oftentimes, rightly so, based on the low- and mid-fi gear they stock), but in this case their upscale Magnolia 'store-within-a-store' will soon be selling B&Ws. I'm not sure I care either way, but it will give more people the opportunity to hear B&Ws, which sound good to my ears.
 
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I think BB gets a bad rap. Like any large retailer, they carry quite a bit of cheap mass-market stuff. They've also carried quite a bit of nicer equipment over the years. My dad has had a pair of Eosone speakers (designed by some Polk engineers) for almost 20 years now that are still going strong and sounding great. They came from BB.
 
In Chicago they also carry McIntosh.

I know a rep for various high end companies...he said the dealers are not at all happy about B&W going into BB. While I don't think it's a bad thing that more people will be able to hear speakers like B&W, I do think it sucks that they're going to probably be taking business away from the local hi end retailers.

I was at the local BB that had McIntosh, and I'm sure they'll get B&W, and everything was set up very poorly. One salesman actually knew what he was talking about, he was very knowledgeable, the others had no clue. It was nearly impossible to hear what the big mac tube amps they had could do, as they were sitting right in the middle of the room, with the speakers only a couple feet apart. It was more "look what we have!" than it was about sound. But maybe that's the customer they're after.
 
JohnVF said:
I was at the local BB that had McIntosh, and I'm sure they'll get B&W, and everything was set up very poorly. One salesman actually knew what he was talking about, he was very knowledgeable, the others had no clue. It was nearly impossible to hear what the big mac tube amps they had could do, as they were sitting right in the middle of the room, with the speakers only a couple feet apart. It was more "look what we have!" than it was about sound. But maybe that's the customer they're after.
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That's my biggest gripe about Best Buy. By and large, their sales staff knows far less than I do on just about any purchase I intend to make if I go there armed with a hour or two of Interweb research. And this applies to things I know little to nothing about.

On things where I know my way around a bit, (computers, cameras, stereo gear, TV's), they seem to know frighteningly little.

As for a local store carrying more and better gear, that's a good thing IMHO, even if the sales staff are highschoolers. It gives me a chance to look, touch and listen - and then order online from elsewhere.:yes:
 
Last week, I took a staycation, and while my wife was at work and my 3-year old daughter was at daycare (my boys being 16 and 18, they can look after themselves), I went to the local hi-fi shop where I bought my B&W DM603 S3s and the matching LCR600 S3. I spent an hour listening to a pair of 802Ds (the ones with the diamond tweeters), and I gotta say, they were an amazing pair of speakers to listen to (and they better be for $15K a pair, plus a lot of really top-notch electronics pushing them).

He said a few things that I was unaware of:
  • While my 603s were built in England, the new 68X series are all built in China
  • Almost all B&W speakers are now built in China
  • B&W is really struggling right now
Given this last point, I'm not surprised that B&W has found its way to Magnoliaville. They want to increase sales in a really challenging economy. Magnolia stores represent a great way to do that.

Still, if I were looking to buy high end gear like that, I'd definitely seek out the expertise of a boutique shop. It may cost a bit more, but you'll get better service and support.

Heck, I haven't bought any new gear in three years, and these guys still welcome me in. Granted, it was two salesmen and an install technician sitting around and me... so they had time to burn bee essin' with me.
 
finnbow said:
That's my biggest gripe about Best Buy. By and large, their sales staff knows far less than I do on just about any purchase I intend to make if I go there armed with a hour or two of Interweb research. And this applies to things I know little to nothing about.

On things where I know my way around a bit, (computers, cameras, stereo gear, TV's), they seem to know frighteningly little.

As for a local store carrying more and better gear, that's a good thing IMHO, even if the sales staff are highschoolers. It gives me a chance to look, touch and listen - and then order online from elsewhere.:yes:
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It also seems to go both ways. Whereas the usual customers I overhear in highend stores seem to know maybe 'too much' (very overly opinionated), the usual customer at Magnolia seems to know frightening little as well. The one very knowledgeable salesman I found, when I wanted to ask them about when they got McIntosh, was as shocked to find out I knew a little bit about what I'm talking about as I was to find the same thing about him. We talked at length about various gear and what BB was trying to do by bringing in these brands. He's said they were trying to further differentiate Magnolia from what's on the regular sales floor, and going more upscale with it. This particular store was part of a test they were doing, rolling out higher end gear. The also have Sonus Faber there now in addition to the Martin Logan speakers they've had for a long time. He complained, like I did, about some of the setups but that's how management wanted it displayed. I think he used to work at a high end retailer.

From a marketing perspective (it's my day job, I can't help but think about it), I'm not surprised that it is B&W and McIntosh that are going into BB. They're sort of the Starbucks of the high end. I don't mean this as a knock on them, just an observation of how the public buys things. They like to know what they're getting, every time. They value consistency over something that is potentially better that carries risk from experimentation. Starbucks might not be the best, but it's the same everywhere you go. B&W and McIntosh are consistently mentioned as being excellent. Some other brands' products may be better on a one-on-one basis, many are worse (or far worse), but few if any are as consistent. They are also 'badge' brands, in that the average person that doesn't really know much about audio will still recognize what they are. You could have a shelf full of Meridian gear and it won't look like much to the uninitiated...and a lot of customers that shop at a place like Magnolia will be those people. They may know a little, a lot, or nothing...but chances are they will recognize the B&W and McIntosh brands. Krell, Levinson, Classe...might as well be Coby to some of these customers who just want to walk in and buy something with a comfortable knowledge that they are getting something worth the money.

Ok, out of marketing mode. I think it's smart of BB, but not good for the local smaller stores.
 
JohnVF said:
In Chicago they also carry McIntosh.

I know a rep for various high end companies...he said the dealers are not at all happy about B&W going into BB. While I don't think it's a bad thing that more people will be able to hear speakers like B&W, I do think it sucks that they're going to probably be taking business away from the local hi end retailers.

I was at the local BB that had McIntosh, and I'm sure they'll get B&W, and everything was set up very poorly. One salesman actually knew what he was talking about, he was very knowledgeable, the others had no clue. It was nearly impossible to hear what the big mac tube amps they had could do, as they were sitting right in the middle of the room, with the speakers only a couple feet apart. It was more "look what we have!" than it was about sound. But maybe that's the customer they're after.
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this is the worst news i have ever heard. which bestbuy i want to see this if only to finaly convince myself to call Dr K :tears::tears::tears:

whats next is Hitler going to come back to life
 
Also - McIntosh and B&W hold their value extremely well, making them great buys if resale is taken into account (beyond their performance attributes). As such, perhaps a lot of people who may have bought new are buying used. Both brands fly through AudioGon, and many owners take care of this gear.

I wonder what the BB employee discount is ... hmmm, maybe a part-time gig to save some $$. ;)
 
stereocuuple said:
this is the worst news i have ever heard. which bestbuy i want to see this if only to finaly convince myself to call Dr K :tears::tears::tears:

whats next is Hitler going to come back to life
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It's the one on Elston, just off of the Armitage exit on 90/94, close to the city. They had two Martin Logans being driven by a pair of Mc75s and a big Mc preamp, right in the middle of the sales floor. It sounded terrible, and I know this gear doesn't really sound terrible, so...goes to show you what they're after. They had other Mc gear in one of the rooms, and Sonus Fabers being driven by a big HT receiver. Hitler is actually their sales manager, didn't you know? He said his name was Andy Hitler but the mustache gave him away. :) Oh..my girlfriend's father knows Dr. K, so I might have an in if you want to go that route.
 
I'm wondering how quickly B&W's reputation as a "high-end" speaker manufacturer, will go down the drain with this move?
Rightly or wrongly.....customers will often drop thousand of dollars on gear, on the prestige-factor alone?
B&W must really be hurting financially, to do this.

Steve
 
I'd imagine that, hurting or not, the potential profit for B&W would be mighty tempting. With the general lack of high end stores around in most markets, BB would be one of the few places that a large part of the population could hear their gear. They can call it Magnolia but a separate room does not a separate store make.

That said...I have heard that the local B&W dealer is not happy, at all. I don't blame him...the potential cheapening of a brand image that has been built up over decades is sad, regardless of whether the actual product changes or not. Just seeing it sold a few aisles over from a kiosk of cell phones and Coby all-in-ones is disheartening. More for the lack of care that B&W would be showing it's own image. But what route do they really have if they want to sell more of their product, like any manufacturer? High end stores are few and far between.
 
I have not set foot into a BB here in Orange County CA for a long time. The last time I remember was when I walked in and saw low to mid-line stuff in the Magnolia section which was odd. Then I turned around and saw the new musical instrument department walked over looked in and ran out of the store in disgust as most of it was cheap Chinese/Mexican stuff. The highest quaity they had was Squire by Fender (mexico), that's sad.

Now they are carrying B&W? I might just wonder into a store to see. A pair of B&W mains would be a nice replacement for my 1985 Kenwoods even though they are in fantastic condition and I have been using them since 1985. Of course I'm also interested in Klipch. However, it's all dreaming right now, I'm not ready for new speakers yet.
 
The article makes a distinction between the Magnolia sections, and the Magnolia 'design centers'. I believe the one with McIntosh near me is a design center and honestly, there really isn't a big difference. It's bigger, has more separate rooms (and a kitchen for some reason) but looks just like every other Magnolia beyond that, with gear randomly spread around rooms. Unlike upscale hi-fi stores, the prices were very plainly marked, which was nice. I guess they figure if you have to ask it's too much, but that's a huge, and wrong, assumption.
 
stereocuuple said:
sonus faber too? oh my god!

someone should call sumiko they are to blame for this.

anything for a buck
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Yes, there were a pair of Cremonas sitting in one of the rooms last time I was there, to buy an air-conditioner. Those two things, together, are kind of funny in a world-turned-upside down way.
 
The speakers that B&W do build in China are built right though. I'm old enough to remember when "made in Japan" meant junk and was joked about.
 
When you think about it, not many other retailer's left selling hi fi gear. Most here in the Detroit area have closed up shop. If Best Buy get's some decent sale's people and set up nice display's maybe not so bad. It's alway's nice listening to speaker's before you buy, so at least it's an option.
 
ssmith3046 said:
... I'm old enough to remember when "made in Japan" meant junk and was joked about.
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China is now trying to shake its reputation for building junk -- not an easy thing to do when many of its manufacturers are still shipping shoddy and/or unsafe goods to the West. I estimate that it will take at least another ten years of improvement before Chinese goods are no longer regarded with suspicion.
 
I really dont see any problem with Best Buy selling brands such as McIntosh, B&W, Klipsch, etc. True, most of the people that will purchase those items will probably plunk down the coin based on an "if its expensive it must be good" basis, but its their money and they can spend it on what they want, uneducated or otherwise. Another thing I dont like is how people automatically knock down some otherwise good brands of gear just because theyre now sold at Best Buy. I seen quite a bit of this with Klipsch when their Reference series was first carried at Best Buy. The quality of the gear hasnt changed one bit, its just whos peddling it.
 
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