Empire Ears - Discussion & Impressions (Formerly EarWerkz)
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:30 PM Post #24,781 of 41,335
Did someone say Odin?

OdinJPG.jpg
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:30 PM Post #24,782 of 41,335
Sometimes it ends up being more than that though, especially something in the price range of ODIN where the buyer pool is limited. Even more so in today's uncertain economic climate, that's a potentially expensive audition!

To an extent it is what it is like you said though. Retail is already dead (some of them just don't know it yet) and personal audio is already niche as it is in many parts of the globe. No way a retail network survives and meets & Canjams can only do so much. So either you bite the bullet and blind buy or just don't get a chance to try it and move on with your life. I'm itching to try ODIN, but no way I'm blind buying $3,400.

The other thing I thought about the other day is if you make a club. Everyone pays a monthly due and with the dues you buy a bunch of stuff that goes around touring. Then when the tours up you raffle it or put it up for auction to generate more revenue to buy the next thing.

I’m not sure I agree with your vision of a retail landscape being without promise. It all comes down to execution, and good employees. I always looked at a market and if there was a success story, then I knew there was opportunity.
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:32 PM Post #24,783 of 41,335
Sometimes it ends up being more than that though, especially something in the price range of ODIN where the buyer pool is limited. Even more so in today's uncertain economic climate, that's a potentially expensive audition!

To an extent it is what it is like you said though. Retail is already dead (some of them just don't know it yet) and personal audio is already niche as it is in many parts of the globe. No way a retail network survives and meets & Canjams can only do so much. So either you bite the bullet and blind buy or just don't get a chance to try it and move on with your life. I'm itching to try ODIN, but no way I'm blind buying $3,400.

The other thing I thought about the other day is if you make a club. Everyone pays a monthly due and with the dues you buy a bunch of stuff that goes around touring. Then when the tours up you raffle it or put it up for auction to generate more revenue to buy the next thing.

Try telling that to the six audio retailers in Singapore's Orchard-ish area alone. :D
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:33 PM Post #24,784 of 41,335
Sometimes it ends up being more than that though, especially something in the price range of ODIN where the buyer pool is limited. Even more so in today's uncertain economic climate, that's a potentially expensive audition!

To an extent it is what it is like you said though. Retail is already dead (some of them just don't know it yet) and personal audio is already niche as it is in many parts of the globe. No way a retail network survives and meets & Canjams can only do so much. So either you bite the bullet and blind buy or just don't get a chance to try it and move on with your life. I'm itching to try ODIN, but no way I'm blind buying $3,400.

The other thing I thought about the other day is if you make a club. Everyone pays a monthly dues and with the dues you buy a bunch of stuff that goes around touring. Then when the tours up you raffle it or put it up for auction to generate more revenue to buy the next thing.
I’ve got something that kind of resembles your club concept but we mostly just lend each other gear and sell to the group at stupid low prices because it’s a hassle free experience

I quite like the idea of the club you mentioned, I need to work out some numbers and see if there will be any dealers in the EU that would be interested in getting involved on some level. I’ll definitely investigate it though, I love the concept
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:33 PM Post #24,785 of 41,335
Try telling that to the six audio retailers in Singapore's Orchard-ish area alone. :D

When I was in the Orchard area in Singapore last year I somehow didn’t even make time to check out a single audio shop. :frowning2:
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:40 PM Post #24,786 of 41,335
When I was in the Orchard area in Singapore last year I somehow didn’t even make time to check out a single audio shop. :frowning2:

Oof... you are missing out. I listed down all of Singapore's porta-fi hotspots on a post here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fli...dio-discussion.826876/page-1179#post-15134799

I don't believe anything's changed in that post since then, apart from the fact that Euphoria Audio is now known as Space by Effect Audio. I think the only brand you can check out there now is VE, but every other retailer on the list has more-or-less stayed the same. Since we're on the EE thread, special notice goes to Zeppelin and Co., who're one of the few retailers in the world (to my knowledge) who have the entire MKII line ready to demo.
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:40 PM Post #24,787 of 41,335
Did someone say Odin?

OdinJPG.jpg

That’s a beautiful picture of the Odin. The contrast between black and white and silver jumps.
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:41 PM Post #24,789 of 41,335
Oof... you are missing out. I listed down all of Singapore's porta-fi hotspots on a post here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fli...dio-discussion.826876/page-1179#post-15134799

I don't believe anything's changed in that post since then, apart from the fact that Euphoria Audio is now known as Space by Effect Audio. I think the only brand you can check out there now is VE, but every other retailer on the list has more-or-less stayed the same. Since we're on the EE thread, special notice goes to Zeppelin and Co., who're one of the few retailers in the world (to my knowledge) who have the entire MKII line ready to demo.

Unfortunately I have no idea when I’ll be back in Singapore next haha but next time I’m for sure making it a point to check some places out. I was too busy being in awe of the Marina Bay Sands resort.
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:41 PM Post #24,790 of 41,335
When I was in the Orchard area in Singapore last year I somehow didn’t even make time to check out a single audio shop. :frowning2:
What !? :flushed:
My family visit to Singapore was just insane :heart_eyes:
My wife was very conciliatory.
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:46 PM Post #24,792 of 41,335
Unfortunately I have no idea when I’ll be back in Singapore next haha but next time I’m for sure making it a point to check some places out. I was too busy being in awe of the Marina Bay Sands resort.

Haha, same here. I still have a set of Spiral Ears 3-Way Ultimate's I'm keeping at a family friend's there, to avoid Indonesia's absolutely ridiculous income duty charges. Speaking of Marina Bay Sands, they also have a KEF store there, so... :wink:

A white shelled Odin would make the faceplate even more alluring ...

I've never been one for white IEM shells. They're just asking to get yellow with wax over time.
 
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:55 PM Post #24,793 of 41,335
I’m not sure I agree with your vision of a retail landscape being without promise. It all comes down to execution, and good employees. I always looked at a market and if there was a success story, then I knew there was opportunity.
Sure the best companies are always going to find a way and you're always going to need grocery stores, etc., but unfortunately that's not most companies. Too many run on razor thin margins and are over-leveraged and can't adapt fast enough to changing consumer preference for ecommerce. In the US last year 17 major retailers went out of business and a record 9,548 stores closed. Projections were 15,000 closed stores this year and that was before the pandemic. I work in insurance primarily for construction projects and spending on retail projects is going to be down 34% this year, and it has already declined the last 4 years in a row. Companies are moving to direct-to-consumer and online where you get much better margins, and better data, than what you get in the traditional retail model. COVID-19 is only going to accelerate these trends.
 
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