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Going on from my little conversationette with AEjim about dealer locations. The SE is meant to be one of the most affluent areas of the country, yet a fairly significant number of hi-fi manufactuers have by-passed the area: AE Acoustics (0), ATC (1)*, Exposure (1), Dali (0), Thorens (0), Leema (1), Harmon Karden (0), Astintrew (0), Totem (1)**, Creek (1)*, Primare (0)... sure there are many more, just seems puzzling.

*One man and his dog from home set-up

** Only stock Arro

These are all based within a 30 mile radius of north Surrey.

What Hi-Fi commented in the awards edition - comparing to EBs: " ...if you're shopping on your local high street, the ATC SCM11 speakers remain the best..."

You're more likely to trip over one of the Queen's Corgis than find an ATC dealer in a local high street.
 

Andrew Everard

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plastic penguin said:
Why all the silly icons when I pressed the zero button?

Because a zero followed by a bracket is an innocent angel. If you meant none, you should have written 'nun' and then we would have understood what a penguin reminded us of...
 

chebby

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Even by your own weird definition of the SE ("within a 30 mile radius of north Surrey") there are two four five six ATC dealers.*

One of those is a short drive from you.

I am suprised this ATC dealership 'issue' is still burning you up 15 months after your original thread.

Based on Google maps road distances and ATC's list of official hifi dealers (ATC Hifi Products and not ATC professional products).
 

BenLaw

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chebby said:
Even by your own weird definition of the SE ("within a 30 mile radius of north Surrey") there are two four five six ATC dealers.*

One of those is a short drive from you.

I am suprised this ATC dealership 'issue' is still burning you up 15 months after your original thread.

Based on Google maps road distances and ATC's list of official hifi dealers (ATC Hifi Products and not ATC professional products).

Indeed. Tho I definitely wouldn't buy ATC from a dog.
 
chebby said:
Even by your own weird definition of the SE ("within a 30 mile radius of north Surrey") there are two four five six ATC dealers.*

One of those is a short drive from you.

I am suprised this ATC dealership 'issue' is still burning you up 15 months after your original thread.

Based on Google maps road distances and ATC's list of official hifi dealers (ATC Hifi Products and not ATC professional products).

Please show me where?

http://www.atcloudspeakers.co.uk/dealer_uk.php

ATC doesn't burn, it's the lack of many brands, along with ATC, that really burns.

Since the amalgamation of Sevenoaks and Audio-T, they've been swallowed up branded under 7oaks. Most of Audio-T's prime makes have been culled, including Naim and Dynaudio.
 

Macspur

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BenLaw said:
chebby said:
Even by your own weird definition of the SE ("within a 30 mile radius of north Surrey") there are two four five six ATC dealers.*

One of those is a short drive from you.

I am suprised this ATC dealership 'issue' is still burning you up 15 months after your original thread.

Based on Google maps road distances and ATC's list of official hifi dealers (ATC Hifi Products and not ATC professional products).

Indeed. Tho I definitely wouldn't buy ATC from a dog.

Ben,
What's up?... gone off the ATC's?
 

BenLaw

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Macspur said:
BenLaw said:
chebby said:
Even by your own weird definition of the SE ("within a 30 mile radius of north Surrey") there are two four five six ATC dealers.*

One of those is a short drive from you.

I am suprised this ATC dealership 'issue' is still burning you up 15 months after your original thread.

Based on Google maps road distances and ATC's list of official hifi dealers (ATC Hifi Products and not ATC professional products).

Indeed. Tho I definitely wouldn't buy ATC from a dog.

Ben, What's up?... gone off the ATC's?

Hi Macspur,

Sorry, just a poor joke referring to PP saying one man and his dog were selling them :roll: No, I'm still absolutely loving them :) I haven't had as much listening time as I'd like over the last few weeks and an expecting a further improvement but they sounded great straight out of the box :)

I think you said you'd heard the new primare recently and were impressed? I find it a nice combination, tho never heard your electronics.

Cheers,

Ben
 

chebby

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PP is very fussy about dealers having an established 'High street' presence and equally fussy that they should all be within an easy walking distance of his home.

They should also carry all the stock he will ever want to hear (past and present) and offer on-the-spot 40 percent discounts for any gear they had to unbox to demo for him (because it's been out of the box).
 

AEJim

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The problem is that, like most businesses at present, high street retailers are a little under pressure and can't afford to stock as many lines as they used to. Some manufacturers have very pressured targets and stocking requirements so if a dealer wants them it's harder to stock many other lines.

The UK is a tough market at the moment, while it would be nice to have a presence in every town it's sometimes hard to find dealers who are interested in taking on another brand if you're not already in.
 

Macspur

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BenLaw said:
Macspur said:
BenLaw said:
chebby said:
Even by your own weird definition of the SE ("within a 30 mile radius of north Surrey") there are two four five six ATC dealers.*

One of those is a short drive from you.

I am suprised this ATC dealership 'issue' is still burning you up 15 months after your original thread.

Based on Google maps road distances and ATC's list of official hifi dealers (ATC Hifi Products and not ATC professional products).

Indeed. Tho I definitely wouldn't buy ATC from a dog.

Ben, What's up?... gone off the ATC's?

Hi Macspur,

Sorry, just a poor joke referring to PP saying one man and his dog were selling them :roll: No, I'm still absolutely loving them :) I haven't had as much listening time as I'd like over the last few weeks and an expecting a further improvement but they sounded great straight out of the box :)

I think you said you'd heard the new primare recently and were impressed? I find it a nice combination, tho
never heard your electronics.

Cheers,

Ben

No sorry Ben never had the chance to hear any Primare gear.
I had the ATC intergrated for a couple of weeks while my Sugden was away... not to my taste, glad to get the Suggy back.
Pleased you're still enjoying the 40's. From your sig, am I right in thinking you've got them on some isolation platform?
 
chebby said:
PP is very fussy about dealers having an established 'High street' presence and equally fussy that they should all be within an easy walking distance of his home.

They should also carry all the stock he will ever want to hear (past and present) and offer on-the-spot 40 percent discounts for any gear they had to unbox to demo for him (because it's been out of the box).

That's a little unfair. I've never expect anything deemed unreasonable. Sure I got the Leema at a hefty discount - couldn't afford one otherwise.

Over the past few years I've struck up a good rapport with a couple of dealers, noteably Hampton Wick and New Malden, and I've always been reasonable when it comes to asking for discounts, too.

Yes, I do prefer to deal with established high street dealers rather than going to a house or a lock-up and having to order a component just for a dem.

Like to think I'm loyal.
 

chebby

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plastic penguin said:
Like to think I'm loyal.

I have been using my nearest hifi shop for about 20 years through three changes of ownership/livery (Jeffries, Audio-T, Sevenoaks) but it's stock has only ever 'evolved' rather than changed radically. I think the manager of our branch (who has been manager there for over 25 years) has always managed a degree of autonomy (in terms of stock/brands carried) from both Audio-T and Sevenoaks that some other branches don't.

Before that, I used a mixture of two independents (Chichester Hifi and Hopkins hifi) for 10 years, but they both retired and closed their businesses

So three local shops in 30 years. That's quite loyal. (Although I only bought a Rega tungsten counterweight upgrade and two replacement Goldring 1042 styli in the 11 years from 1996 - 2007.)
 
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
Like to think I'm loyal.

I have been using my nearest hifi shop for about 20 years through three changes of ownership/livery (Jeffries, Audio-T, Sevenoaks) but it's stock has only ever 'evolved' rather than changed radically. I think the manager of our branch (who has been manager there for over 25 years) has always managed a degree of autonomy (in terms of stock/brands carried) from both Audio-T and Sevenoaks that some other branches don't.

Before that, I used a mixture of two independents (Chichester Hifi and Hopkins hifi) for 10 years, but they both retired and closed their businesses

So three local shops in 30 years. That's quite loyal. (Although I only bought a Rega tungsten counterweight upgrade and two replacement Goldring 1042 styli in the 11 years from 1996 - 2007.)

Yup, and if I could have purchased the MAs and the Leema at around the prices I paid from those favoured dealers, I would've done.
 

BenLaw

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Macspur said:
No sorry Ben never had the chance to hear any Primare gear. I had the ATC intergrated for a couple of weeks while my Sugden was away... not to my taste, glad to get the Suggy back. Pleased you're still enjoying the 40's. From your sig, am I right in thinking you've got them on some isolation platform?

I'm not doing very well on this thread! :roll: Can't think who it was then said they'd recently heard the new primare, sorry about that. And, no, my sig is also badly worded (it did say 'and Partington Broadsides, which my 11s were on). The electronics are on hifi racks podium (I'm not a big believer in racks causing sonic differences, but it's solid and looks good :) ) and I currently have the 40s unspiked onto a carpet. I haven't even had a chance to experiment with spiked v unspiked but I doubt I'll make any other changes. I've moved them apart a bit and toed them out a touch more than when I first got them but otherwise not played around much.
 

bigblue235

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plastic penguin said:
Going on from my little conversationette with AEjim about dealer locations. The SE is meant to be one of the most affluent areas of the country, yet a fairly significant number of hi-fi manufactuers have by-passed the area
I don't think it's really down to where the money is, more where the demand is. There's plenty of money in my neck of the woods (none of it mine) but practically no hi-fi, as there's only 100,000 people here. The dealers consist of a couple of Custom Installers and an appointment-only showroom. And if the 'money' properties around here are anything to go by, there's more of a demand for Sonos, and in-wall speakers than traditional hi-fi.
 

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