robborollover:
Thanks Claire,seems like manufacturers are putting up prices due to a weak pound,and still making a killing by not dropping vat !!
A high pricetag (I won't even try to define "high" here) doesn't necessarily mean that any one/all organisation(s) involved in putting a product on the shelf make "a killing".
All those people need to make a profit. From the government (that'll be the non-negotiable 15%), to your dealer (margins around 30% as a ballpark figure), to the distributor if there is one (another 3-5%), to the manufacturer (anything from 5% upwards depending on the product).
Now bear in mind that the manufacturer is also incurring increased price on raw materials, labour costs, and strenghtening dollar, yen as well as a weakening pound. And of course they have to finance all the necessary research and development costs to make sure that the general public and also the media at large find their products attractive and potent enough to be deemed worth parting with the consumers' "hard earned".
Bearing in mind all of the above, along with the current downturn, we (the hi-fi buying public) should be grateful there are still dealers out there when so many of those are just independent shops with little purchasing powers.
As Clare pointed out it is a buyers' market no doubt. You can always try to negotiate a small discount or some free stuff thrown in. I doubt your local dealer (independent/"multiples"/etc.) can afford to further reduce the already low prices without losing money. Of course, and as always, it pays to shop around.