How far am I going to have to go?

[Ragworm]

I'm in the market for a new pair of speakers. I've read all the reviews I can find, made my shortlist and am ready to audition the candidates. We've got four HI-FI dealers in Cambridge but can I find one that's stocks any (never mind all) of my shortlisted speakers? You guessed it, no chance!
Jamo - Sorry we used to do them a long time ago.

Neat - Who? Is that a manufacturer?

Dali - I know the guy who imports them but I don't stock them! AVI - No chance.

Sure, all four of them stock Kef and MA speakers. Hell , you can probably buy Kef at Tesco these days, but where do I have to go to listen to something a bit less mainstream?
Anyone got any suggestions?

 

[JoelSim]

I would suggest you come into London. Although it's unlikely they will have all 4 of these brands, you will stand a better chance. I have some Dalis, have heard AVI Neutrons at The Cornflake Shop, not heard any Neats but have heard that they sound wonderful, Jamo you see in some shops on Tottenham Court Road.

 

[gregory]

yes i agree with joelsim,i know it's a trek but you stand a better chance of hearing all 4 of the brands you mention.might be a nice day out in the capital as well,you could go and see the arsenal.sorry.the neats are wonderful speakers as are the avi's which if i remember the cornflake shop both stock which is just around the corner from tcr which will have in one or two shops the dali and jamo's.

 

[Ragworm]

Thanks for the advice guys. It's certainly an option but does make home demos a bit impractical. At least I'd be able to hear them.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Neat retailers listed here. Dali retailer-finder here, Jamo retailer search here (though bizarrely you have to know their postal code first) and AVI stockists here, listed at the bottom of the contact page.

 

[Ragworm]

Andrew,

Thanks for trying to help, but I've already been there. These lists are highly inaccurate. I've found a post code map and phoned a handful of Jamo and Dali dealers in the surrounding areas today. They either don't stock them at all or don't have the specific model I'm after. One helpfully said he could get the C803 for me the next day - but only if I was buying it, not to audition!

 

[Andrew Everard]

...And retailers complain when manufacturers demand they stock a certain range of products in order to get the agency for their area.

Note these are the same retailers who wish to distance themselves from those they view as 'box-shifters', but as your experience of the 'I'll get it - but only if you're going to buy it' merchant is concerned, some 'specialist' retailers are not all they would like to appear to be...