Ioman
03-07-2003, 08:14 AM
http://www.designtechnica.com/article.php?sid=2799
"On February 13, the Indianapolis-based manufacturer announced that it would discontinue its relationships with retailer chain the Tweeter Home Entertainment Group and its subsidiaries. Klipsch will instead begin selling a limited line of its Synergy Series loudspeakers (excluding custom installation and outdoor models) at Best Buy stores across the US beginning on Memorial Day. Best Buy, headquartered in Eden Prairie, MN, is North America's number one consumer electronics retailer, with almost 1900 stores in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Best Buy has been selling Klipsch ProMedia computer speakers for the past two years.
Klipsch will also discontinue its previous arrangement with Magnolia Hi-Fi, now a Best Buy subsidiary, acquired in December 2000. Magnolia has 16 stores in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. The Klipsch Reference Series of loudspeakers will continue to be sold through a network of specialist dealers nationwide, the announcement stated. Those dealers, Denver's upscale Ultimate Electronics stores, and West Coast retailer Good Guys have been designated Klipsch "flagship" retailers, according to chairman Fred Klipsch."
Do you guys feel that when a brand leaves the small specialty stores in favor of the large chain stores, they lose their uniqueness and possibly even their quality? I remember a year or two ago when Denon made the choice to sell their recievers ar Sears. Sure they were probably making more money because of the shear number of Sears stores, but a lot of rumors hit the market that Denon's quality was going down because they were mass producing their units. I thought the same thing when I saw that Yamaha was selling their units to Best Buy a couple years ago, but the audio review magazines seem to still give them high priase. Has Klipsch always been considered high-end in the first place? In my opinion I would call them good entry level equipment for the most part....but then again I have never been a huge fan of the horn driver.
"On February 13, the Indianapolis-based manufacturer announced that it would discontinue its relationships with retailer chain the Tweeter Home Entertainment Group and its subsidiaries. Klipsch will instead begin selling a limited line of its Synergy Series loudspeakers (excluding custom installation and outdoor models) at Best Buy stores across the US beginning on Memorial Day. Best Buy, headquartered in Eden Prairie, MN, is North America's number one consumer electronics retailer, with almost 1900 stores in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Best Buy has been selling Klipsch ProMedia computer speakers for the past two years.
Klipsch will also discontinue its previous arrangement with Magnolia Hi-Fi, now a Best Buy subsidiary, acquired in December 2000. Magnolia has 16 stores in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. The Klipsch Reference Series of loudspeakers will continue to be sold through a network of specialist dealers nationwide, the announcement stated. Those dealers, Denver's upscale Ultimate Electronics stores, and West Coast retailer Good Guys have been designated Klipsch "flagship" retailers, according to chairman Fred Klipsch."
Do you guys feel that when a brand leaves the small specialty stores in favor of the large chain stores, they lose their uniqueness and possibly even their quality? I remember a year or two ago when Denon made the choice to sell their recievers ar Sears. Sure they were probably making more money because of the shear number of Sears stores, but a lot of rumors hit the market that Denon's quality was going down because they were mass producing their units. I thought the same thing when I saw that Yamaha was selling their units to Best Buy a couple years ago, but the audio review magazines seem to still give them high priase. Has Klipsch always been considered high-end in the first place? In my opinion I would call them good entry level equipment for the most part....but then again I have never been a huge fan of the horn driver.