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Avid at Richer Sounds?

Harbeth are now being stocked too (with limited finish choice), I don't know if this has been mentioned. The deal was apparently signed at Bristol.
 
Doesn't surprise me. There still seem to be people on PFM who think that Richer Sounds are just box shifters.
 
I think the last time I looked at Richer's inventory they had Avid's entry level Ingenium TT listed, seems they now have expanded the range.
This is probably good all round, for Avid, Richer and buyers.
 
Good to see, though I hope they don’t follow the rest of the audio industry ever-upmarket and end up alienating their core entry-level sector. Richer Sounds reputation has always as a great place for new and younger buyers, so many first systems will have been bought there. Decent unpretentious kit at prices everyone could deal with. Accessible hi-fi. Most of their high st stores are very small which inevitably focuses stock choices.
 
I'm not convinced there's much of a entry level market or enthusiasts mid level market now or what is is dying off @Tony L judging by the show reports , independent shops stock and ever increasing prices I would hazard a guess that the only way to remain a lucrative business is to stock products with an ever increasing upmarket price tag, changing times imho
 
I’m sure the entry-level is still very much alive as young folk love music as much as ever, it is just different. Headphones are a huge deal, as are nice desktop or portable DAC/headphone amps/preamps. I suspect those in that sector just add a pair of little active Genelecs, Neumanns or whatever and have a hell of a good digital system. Richer certainly deal with the headphone aspect.

To be honest playing around with Qobuz and a Chord Poly/Mojo has helped me better understand the modern marketplace. I know that is far from entry level, but it isn’t oligarch-fi by any stretch, and conceptually it shows just how easy and versatile modern audio can be. Superb with headphones, fits in your pocket, even has an SD slot for a music library, and works great as a preamp with speakers too. I’ve used it straight into a pair of vintage Leak mono valve amps, but a pair of active monitors would be far more its context. Adding a record deck to such a system would be complex and expensive, but I can see a lot of folk needing to go no further.

The UK is in such a mess economically comparatively few younger folk get to move out from the family home, so a headphones and small desktop monitor rig is likely as far as many will get before middle-age. I was well out the door at 18, I don’t think many are these days.
 
I think it’s a savvy move on both parts. I’ve dealt with 5 dealers over the last ten years and enquired about products with countless others. 2 of which were great. The rest have been rude, pushy, nose in the air or just can’t be arsed with their jobs. I think they are archaic in the way they do business, some of the best service I’ve had has been with richer sounds👍👍👍
 
Tony L said:
Good to see, though I hope they don’t follow the rest of the audio industry ever-upmarket and end up alienating their core entry-level sector. Richer Sounds reputation has always as a great place for new and younger buyers, so many first systems will have been bought there. Decent unpretentious kit at prices everyone could deal with. Accessible hi-fi. Most of their high st stores are very small which inevitably focuses stock choices.
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I tend to think that happens when investors muscle in rather than greed from the current ownership. Thankfully JR is benevolent and has a social conscience but I do wonder what happens after he’s gone, assuming he is still at the helm.
 
It’s how retail works, you want to reach your competitors customers. Richer Sounds have a really strong retail footprint & hi-fi retailers have started to dwindle.

It’s why Aldi stocks nice wine, get the middle classes in & pinch a bit from Sainsbury’s etc.
 
Paul L said:
I tend to think that happens when investors muscle in rather than greed from the current ownership. Thankfully JR is benevolent and has a social conscience but I do wonder what happens after he’s gone, assuming he is still at the helm.
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Julian Richer is no longer at the helm, and when he left in 2019, aged 60, he began the transfer of 60% of his shares to an employee ownership trust.
https://www.whathifi.com/news/richer-sounds-founder-hands-control-of-business-to-employees
 
Now if only all business people were like JR, seemingly you can be successful & wealthy and still treat staff and customers well, the guy should be applauded.

I sincerely hope their premium range grows and wish them continued success.
 
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