Revel Be series discounted by 25%

[amirm]

Have not seen a sale like this from Harman. Performa series often goes on sale but not the high-end Be series. As the title says, there is a 25% discount for the entire line from July 1 to October 31, 2023.

Amir

 

[Grotti]

Can't find discounted prices in Europe. Is this a world wide offer?

 

[MarkS]

Also not seeing the discount at US retailers that show prices online ...

 

[abdo123]

Can't find discounted prices in Europe. Is this a world wide offer?

Where can you even buy them in Europe?

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

New series incoming?

 

[CleanSound]

I thought really long and hard if I wanted to make this post. I finally decided I should.

While this is a *good* deal. I am going to let you in on some industry "secrets."

Most speakers' MSRP are 4 to 6 times the cost of bill of materials and labor. The reason why it's so high is because the distributor gets a huge cut, the dealers gets a huge cut too, then defects and warranty, logistics, etc. So in order to be profitable it has to be 4x to 6x of cost.

In my ~28 years of being in this hobby, rarely have I paid MSRP for a new, factory sealed HiFi product. There are few exceptions: ChiFi and manufacturer direct. ChiFi margins are already low and there are only a handful of online retailers. Manufacturer direct of the likes of Axiom, they are the sole sell-side supply chain, so they have every aspect of price control, manufacturer direct are generally 3x to 5x.

How come I am not finding these deals then, you're full of shit!

Because one, you are shopping at the wrong places. Almost ALL chain retailers or retailers with an internet commerce presence (I will not name any one of them, but you can easily guess who I am referring to), you will not get much, if any discounts. Their business model and customer base are "soccer dads" or "naive new buyers."

Two, you are not aggressive enough in negotiating. Remember, you are the buyer, and you have something called the buyers' power, that power is to walk if you are not happy with the deal you are getting. Now this won't work under extraordinary circumstances, such as the supply chain crunch during COVID.

Three, what is your stand on some very personal and social choices? For example, is supporting local businesses important to you, does paying extra from a dealer that's driving distance to your house have value to you, do you have a relationship with a dealer over the years and you feel like he needs to pay the bills too? For me personally, it's a free, capitalist market, and if a local businesses can't be competitive in pricing, they will sink sooner or later.

So in short 25% off of the Revel Be line is a good deal but it's not a *great* deal.

 

[AdamG]

ChiFi and manufacturer direct. ChiFi margins are already low and there are only a handful of online retailers.

Hi CleanSound,

I know you don't mean this in a derogatory manner but let's avoid the term Chi-fi as it can have negative connotations for such companies. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

 

[CleanSound]

Hi CleanSound,

I know you don't mean this in a derogatory manner but let's avoid the term Chi-fi as it can have negative connotations for such companies. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Sorry, didn't know that term has a negative connotation. Especially when you churn out equipment with SINADs that is unparalleled and unheard of, in some forums the term turned into a badge of honor.

Apologies, I will not use that term here again.

 

[Dennis Murphy]

..., manufacturer direct (markups) are generally 3x to 5x.

I know of at least one Internet Direct company that marks up less than 2X.......

 

[CleanSound]

I know of at least one Internet Direct company that marks up less than 2X.......

And that internet direct company makes some of the best value speakers in the market today. Great work Dennis. The value is unbeatable, you guys are on my short list for the second room upgrade, hopefully soon.

 

[middlemarch]

We can all talk about support your local dealer and negotiation, etc. But help me understand something. The topic here is Revel. I live in the Seattle area. According to Revel's dealer locator there are 8 dealers in the area. But every single one of those, when looking at their websites, is a systems designer/installer. Unless I am seriously mistaken, not one of those is a store I can walk into and buy a product (I haven't tried to visit every one of them). So effectively there are no bricks and mortar Revel locations within 200 miles of here (and probably a lot further). And Seattle ain't exactly Podunck, Iowa (sorry, Iowa).
So the ONLY option is one of the on-line retailers, with whom, negotiate? Good luck.

And none of them indicate there is any kind of sale on for the Be line. So my question: If I were to want to take advantage of this sale, how on earth would I go about it?

 

[ta240]

....According to Revel's dealer locator there are 8 dealers in the area. But every single one of those, when looking at their websites, is a systems designer/installer. Unless I am seriously mistaken, not one of those is a store I can walk into and buy a product (I haven't tried to visit every one of them). .....

I run into that a lot where the 'dealers' aren't stores but the smart home type people that come to you. It is probably for the best though, saves me a lot of money.

 

[middlemarch]

I'm not sure I understand, they come to you? Do they bring the speakers with them? How does that save you a lot of money? I'm confused...

 

[tmtomh]

I'm not sure I understand, they come to you? Do they bring the speakers with them? How does that save you a lot of money? I'm confused...

I think they mean it saves them money because they don't make purchases they might otherwise make if they could just walk in and buy something without also paying for the in-home services.

 

[middlemarch]

Yeah, I can appreciate that you save money when you don't buy anything. I'm still trying to figure out how I can actually spend money though, unless it's through an on line retailer, who don't seem to be in on the 25% off deal.

 

[ta240]

I think they mean it saves them money because they don't make purchases they might otherwise make if they could just walk in and buy something without also paying for the in-home services.

Yeah, sorry, that is exactly what I meant. I doubt any of these places which are often run out of people's homes actually stock anything for demos.

 

[CleanSound]

We can all talk about support your local dealer and negotiation, etc. But help me understand something. The topic here is Revel. I live in the Seattle area. According to Revel's dealer locator there are 8 dealers in the area. But every single one of those, when looking at their websites, is a systems designer/installer. Unless I am seriously mistaken, not one of those is a store I can walk into and buy a product (I haven't tried to visit every one of them). So effectively there are no bricks and mortar Revel locations within 200 miles of here (and probably a lot further). And Seattle ain't exactly Podunck, Iowa (sorry, Iowa).
So the ONLY option is one of the on-line retailers, with whom, negotiate? Good luck.

And none of them indicate there is any kind of sale on for the Be line. So my question: If I were to want to take advantage of this sale, how on earth would I go about it?

First, the HiFi eco-system is very interdependent but also very fragile . . . manufacturers, distributors, dealers, reviewers, show makers, OEM, ODM. Chinese brands and Amir/ASR are considered the "trouble makers" that turn the entire HiFi industry upside down and they are still trying to recover. . . so any more shock to the industry could be the KO punch.

So I am walking a VERY FINE line here but I am going to go on a limb and comment on this topic one more time here.

1 - Who said you can't buy from an installer? Installers are happy to sell to you, Amir's business can confirm. Yes, you won't be able to audition it in person and there may not be a return policy. But you can get some of the best deals from an installer, because they have lower overhead cost with no store front. But for speakers like the Revel Be line, you are pretty safe in terms of not needing to return it.

2 - Who said you have to buy from a brick and mortar dealer in your state? Some brands have home state territory clause in their dealer contracts. . .but who is to say you, the customer, doesn't have multiple homes across multiple states? Remember, the deal that a dealer can give you has a lot of variables, their overhead is a key variable. . .not all dealers in different state have the same overhead. Washington state is a very expensive state. . .wink, wink.

3 - Make sure you shop around between different dealers and different brand of similar category, even if you are interested in one particular model. Having reference on what a good deal is and draws competition and you be surprised how good your negotiations skills all of a sudden becomes.

If you are seriously considering the Be line, PM me. (PM me as in I can give you more pointers, I'm not a dealer or anything )

 

[ta240]

1 - Who said you can't buy from an installer? Installers are happy to sell to you, Amir's business can confirm. Yes, you won't be able to audition it in person and there may not be a return policy. But you can get some of the best deals from an installer, because they have lower overhead cost with no store front. But for speakers like the Revel Be line, you are pretty safe in terms of not needing to return it.

I know they will definitely order them for me and maybe even with less overhead give me a good deal. But I like looking/listening to things in person before I buy. Especially if I'm spending that much. Sure, they will sound different in my room but I still like it. Mostly because I'm not shopping for speakers but if I found some that amazed me I just might be .
When we bought our last speakers my wife made the mistake of using the bathroom in a bestbuy. I was completely happy with my current speakers but I wandered into the magnolia hifi section and the salesman just let me play switching through all their speakers. I found some small ones that, to me, sounded better than anything in the room. When my wife came back I said "listen to these". She had the same reaction and I proceeded to switch through all of their speakers for her to listen to. Her only question was "can you switch on the slightly larger version next to those?" After the salesman fixed it so those would go on and pointed out they were an open box deal they were sold. That can't happen without a showroom.
I certainly wouldn't want to have someone bring out demos if they had them just for me to see if any amazed me enough to make me want to buy. I feel bad enough wasting the salesperson's time when I'm not seriously looking.

tldr: I'm happy with my current speakers but, it is fun to look at others and that needs a showroom.

 

[Doodski]

just let me play switching through all their speakers.

Nice! Let the customer sell it. Hehe. A nice sale.

 

[ta240]

Nice! Let the customer sell it. Hehe. A nice sale.

Maybe he thought I looked like I couldn't afford anything in there so he didn't want to waste his time. Come to think of it I get ignored a lot at Magnolia HiFi. They unplugged a TV we were looking at once... But, still I wish more would do that. When they get in my space and start trying to be my best friend I leave. Same thing with car dealers. I just need them to relax and let me fall in love with the car.