PhilNYC Wrote: > A couple of counter-points: > - A newbie to networked music systems is probably more attracked to the > SB than either the Transporter or Opus. Then they build up their > library of music, and when they are ready for higher performance, they > don't want to spend the money on a unit with a built-in hard drive. > We're talking about audiophiles here who shell out thousands on gear - in my mind it's far likely that they'll go straight for something that looks familiar and doesn't take them into uncharted territory - PCs. But you may well be right.
The key to me is what will dealers sell? What's easiest to maintain. PhilNYC Wrote: > - The success of the Apple iPod probably means that there are tons of > people out there with existing libraries of music stored on a PC > already. Again, a built-in hard drive is not attractive to those > people. > Are iPod users audiophiles? Again I'm talking about the Transporter and the intended audience for that device. PhilNYC Wrote: > > Well, the Opus is also $1000+ more expensive, and most people who are > looking into this kind of stuff already own a PC. Getting a 400GB hard > drive only costs around $300 these days, so the overall cost of setup > for those already owning a PC is less than the Opus. > Yes, they are likley to already have a PC, but again, these are audiophiles and it is unlikely to be adequate for a large music collection, so now they have to upgrade and it makes it a tougher sell. It's like the remote, yes you can have a graphical one if you go out and buy a 770 and use a different skin. It's all possible, but much harder for a HiFi retailer to sell as it's so bitty. The Olive is limited too, but at least you can just plug an extra drive on the back of it. PhilNYC Wrote: > > I'll agree that for someone without a computer, the Transporter ends up > being more costly. But since you can only buy an Olive Opus online, I > suspect that not many people who are considering Olives don't have a > computer already. :-) I'll go even further to claim that anyone who > doesn't have a computer today is probably not the type of person who is > going to be considering either one of these devices (or even a > Squeezebox for that matter). > It comes down to whether an audiophile has the sort of computer they think they need. If they have thousands of CDs, they'll need NAS or RAID in their PC to be safe and then the HiFi shop has just become and IT consultant, so why bother. All the systems need this eventually, but it's how easily it is to market, package and sell this that will count. Transporter+ReadyNAS is a start, but there's no way to rip, fix that and you start to have a package. PhilNYC Wrote: > > Possibly...although I haven't found many people who think installing > Slimserver on a computer and connecting a SB to their network is > complicated at all, and the Transporter should be identical in set-up. If it all goes well, yes, but any dealer scanning these fora is going to read many tales of WiFi and server woe and although they may be a minority, they'll be put off. The same happens with Sonos, I'm sure, but to a lesser extent since it is proprietary and therefore an easier problem to contain and solve. This product will need to be demoed in HiFi showrooms to gain credance and that means getting dealers onboard with possible IT issues. $2000 worth of kit isn't going to be bought by a new to SB audiophile without wanting to listen to it. I really do hope that Slim make the effort to produce a bundle for dealers who do want to demo the Transporter, because without it, it'll be Sonos on display still - it's easier to sell. Hey, if it really is that good and if it can be made appealling for dealers to recommend to their customers, I'm sure it'll do well, but Slim are now in a a new market where HiFi dealers are a main conduit to customers and their wishes have to be considered. Paul -- CardinalFang You're only young once, but you can be immature forever... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CardinalFang's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=962 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=25773 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
