What happend to car audio? My little rant

[duro78 10+ year member]

Arent you guilty of the same thing **** near every shop I've been to carries as much low end no name stuff as they do the mainstream. Then 9 out of 10 shops have no clue about the internet subwoofers that blow away there mainstream equipment and this among other things they loose a lot of credibility, not to mention over pricing the installs.

 

[vingasoline 10+ year member]

The problem is the internet and "B stock". Example- here in canada when PG was big and expensive, dealer cost was half of retail. Zx500 cost was $1200, that same amp online refurbished or B stock was 300. Pretty tough to compete with that.. All the big brands are available and very easy to find online for way less than any local stereo shop can sell for.. It's the manufacurers, they need to stop selling their refurbished products on the cheap. I have seen the price list on refurbished panasonic, and PG(back in the day), and most of the stuff is like 70 points below cost..

Back in the day we sold PG, Alpine, Kenwood, Jl Audio, Soundstream

Today, it's Clarion, Kenwood, and exile. It sells cause it's cheap.

 

[will3 10+ year member]

Well first off its OK to be mad, the glory days are over, but the internet is not the root cause of the problems you have with the industry, the manufactures , and distributors should share most of it , manufactures want to move a certian amount of volume, and for the most part could careless how they get to those #'s, the online dealers couldn't sell it so cheap if they didn't get it so cheap, either from the same distributors that most of the small shops use or direct paying 30-40% or more less than a small audio shop.

This is sad in alot of ways, one being the lack of HQ product , because the internet doesn't care about the quality , just the bottom line.

The small shops are still the backbone of the industry and always will be, but times have changed and as a small shop owner you need to change as well, it is hard to focus on the cheaper run off the mill stuff because you really can't compete with the online discounters.

There are companys still out there that are committed to quality and doing things thourgh a network of dealers such as yourself and do not play with the cut throat distributors , these should be your primary lines and use the new genaric stuff like Kicker,MTX, etc. to fill in.

But this will be more work on your part , you can't just sit back and rely on a brand name you have to work hard to build the reputation for the lines you carry

Just my 2 cents

 

[Havoc Evan 10+ year member]

Well i should have just kept my mouth shut i guess. I'm not hurt because i dont make as much money as i did in the good ole days, because i didnt make any money in the good ole days, i didnt have a shop. 95% of my customers dont shop online so it makes no difference in that aspect. I do push the good stuff but few people want it and i expect this, whos gonna buy zapco when u can have sony for 1/8 the price. I realize that most of the "big brands" ruined themseleves by getting rid of protectionism and selling to distributors that clear old stock out on ebay or sell directly on the internet.

This really wasnt about my shop, it was just the overall trend of people trying to build systems that they cant afford and breaking everything in the process. The improper installation part of it just makes the whole 12v industry look bad, like everyone who likes car audio is an incompetent 12 year old.

I was only noting my shop and other shops because of the massive amounts of sub par crap that i see come threw both of them. If you saw what I did on a day by day basis you would probably be mad too.

As far as not knowing about "internet brands" i know plenty about sundown, IA, Stetsom(not really an internet brand), Adessa if its even still around, RD, diablo, and the rest of it. I used to work for one of those small internet companies. I know where its all built, i know that alot of the better stuff is all copy cat from zenon of south korea. And I know alot of people on this fourm love it so ill probably get flamed for saying anything about it.

As far as over priced installs i really do try to keep our cost down, to run an amp kit and hook an amplifier up we normally charge about 40$ to install a radio (parts and labor is usual around 60$ unless its a GMOS-04 harness or something special). But yes i know most shops charge about triple that and honestly i can understand why overhead is just rediclous in todays market. But im going to get off that topic because this really isnt about my shop even if everyone believes so.

Sorry if i failed to respond to anyones comments i just did a quick readover.

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

I think part of the issue is the lack of reliability in the "local shops". I have been to too many shops where the people working there will not know hardly anything about charging systems, enclosure efficiency, the effects of a car's environment.

This was the main thing to drive me away. The prices are not very fun to see, but for me, it came down to paying strangers who I did not trust touching my car. So now I do all my own work, as do many people on this forum.

I still enjoy that shops are around, because it offers a great spot for people who aren't able/willing to do the research, math, install.

Havoc, the point I will agree with is more and more people are getting sloppy with their installs. Laziness is becoming very visible. Lack of install materials and "cheaping out" on deadener, proper wiring, etc after throwing 2 grand at a woof woofer and a massive amp doesn't do the hobby justice. I also miss the "SQ" threads. They are vanishing...

Edit: On a side note: Though not necessary, I'm a firm follower of neat installs, not foam and wires everywhere...Cosmetics, to me, are important. Just a pet peeve of mine.

 

[twistedchild420 5,000+ posts]

Mainstream **** ***** compared to the small online company's ..you probally sell shitty pre-fab boxes and 1500.1 amps for 750$ and sleep like a baby at night....GTFO ***....start selling your old lady to accommodate your shop losses

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

I think part of the issue is the lack of reliability in the "local shops". I have been to too many shops where the people working there will not know hardly anything about charging systems' date=' enclosure efficiency, the effects of a car's environment.
This was the main thing to drive me away. The prices are not very fun to see, but for me, it came down to paying strangers who I did not trust touching my car. So now I do all my own work, as do many people on this forum.

I still enjoy that shops are around, because it offers a great spot for people who aren't able/willing to do the research, math, install.

Havoc, the point I will agree with is more and more people are getting sloppy with their installs. Laziness is becoming very visible. Lack of install materials and "cheaping out" on deadener, proper wiring, etc after throwing 2 grand at a woof woofer and a massive amp doesn't do the hobby justice. I also miss the "SQ" threads. They are vanishing...[/quote']

That's because SQ doesn't get you the ladies... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif

 

[DonH 5,000+ posts]

IMHO i support local shops bu buying dash kits, wire harnesses, fuses rca's etc. i dont buy there equipment due to the RAPE they call selling at shops! total ********! thats what happened to car audio. its not a hobby anymore for shop owners. thats the key. most are there just for $$. Thats not wrong in any way, you cant tell business to be stupid. But to come on here complain about the biz grow the fuck up and shut the fuck up. seriously. Go market your SHOP! have great specials! dont have a 200% mark-up. and dont bull **** on here saying your markup is not that high. Also set up local Shows! thats the problem! not enough shops have shows! let the local kids come out and get hooked! show off your install skills! its all about doing good business.

and about the companies producing **** product, thats solely based on business venture. who is bought out by who.... reason why new companies come out and are better but more pricey. its business.....

my .02

-Don

 

[gunz4me2 10+ year member]

This is a double edged sword. I'm sure that most car audio guys in the US, given the choice, would prefer to buy equipment designed & built in the USA. The problem with this is cost. Americans don't work cheap and that extra cost gets pushed on the customer.

Sounds like you have me pegged. The majority of the amplifiers I am running were made in the USA with the exception of the Clarion DPX1851 that I am using on my subwoofer in one of my vehicles. The Clarion was a cheap experiment to see if I really needed something dubbed as a "sound quality" amplifier for subwoofer use. I am happy to report that I do not. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Anyhow, the newer amplifiers I use are made by Lunar Amplifiers who happen to be about 20 minutes away from me. The older stuff in use in the other vehicles was either made by Rockford Fosgate or Orion. I didn't mind paying extra for Lunar because I had the money at the time. Sadly, this crappy economy has cut my toy fund because I don't get as many side jobs as I used to. Even worse, I sometimes have to wait 2 months for people to pay me for work that I already performed. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

I sometimes have to wait 2 months for people to pay me for work that I already performed. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

Story of my life.

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

There are good stereo shops and there are bad stereo shops, the one by my house charges anywhere from $300 to $800 just for a custom subwoofer box, they have no price on any of their products that they carry so unless you know how much something SHOULD cost you'll just get ripped off. For example I bought that new JVC KD-AVX77 and they first quoted me $599, but then I showed them the average pricing on the internet and got it down to $480. They said they won't even do this normally but they're doing it because a few years ago I placed 1st in their SPL contest in my class until some dude showed up with 8 MTX 10s walled, so they know that I know what I'm doing.

The only advantage of shopping at a local stereo shop is warranty in case if the product is defective, but even that can be fishy sometimes. So what should a shop owner do these days? Provide EXCELLENT customer service and follow-up, which 99& of internet companies can't do. Oh and organize a bikini car wash with $20 coupon to your shop if they get a car wash.

Know your target audience, be creative.

 

[IMOVeCHICKENS! 10+ year member]

That's because SQ doesn't get you the ladies... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif

x2

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

That's because SQ doesn't get you the ladies... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif

Bump gets the girlz, SQ gets the ladyz //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Oh and organize a bikini car wash with $20 coupon to your shop if they get a car wash.

What? You would need incentive to go to a bikini car wash? You gay bro?

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Bump gets the girlz' date=' SQ gets the ladyz //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif[/quote']
Well I must be doing it wrong because it's gotten me neither, lol