Speaker Sales Numbers

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The top of the line Wilson's I read about were their Modular Monitors listing for $685k per pair and the planned production run when they were first reviewed was 77 pairs.

 

This.

 

Interesting topic. My home automation company focuses on Whole House Audio and Home Theater… very very little interaction with anyone into two channel.. with that said, I inquired 3 different times with Magnapans to become a dealer and they have never responded. I could easily sell 2-3 pairs of .7’s or LSA pairs per month and they just don’t care. They don’t even have the courtesy to respond to me. So if their sales are low, I think I know why.

Most of what I sell is Klipsch, Kef, Triad and Monitor Audio. We sell about two turntables (mid high $1800-$4000) a year. I would like to build that side of the business up and I think Magnapans would have been a great way to do that. Too bad they just don’t care.

Most of my sales are hybrid HT systems with a pair of nice towers for two channel and maybe a turntable, so it’s hard to separate revenue numbers. I would imagine we do $50k to $100k in tower sales a year. Last year we did $6500 in turntables and we’ve sold at least $15k in two channel amps. We’re a very small company without a retail store. Our two channel sales come about because we’re involved in whole house automation with that client. Imagine if I could get numbers up and then add a retail or more dedicated two channel side. It wouldn’t be the practicle or safe thing to do, but it would be fun.

 

Unless they’ve changed course, and I have no reason to believe they have, Magnepan is extremely selective in choosing their dealers. You have to be a very established dealer, and there can’t be an existing Maggie dealer nearby. It took several years of communication to get the line at the dealership I worked for. The next dealer was 2 hours away.

if it’s any consolation the margins on Maggie’s are pretty low. This is one of the reasons it’s hard to get much of a deal on a pair.

 

At one audio show, they had the weirdest demo-3 sets (left, center, right) of Magneplanars stacked 2 on top of each other (?!?) and the center did not even match, and no rear channels that I recall. All this behind a screen so you couldn't really see, with a bunch of potted plants in front. I believe this was the origin of the phrase "WTF?!?"

 

The interesting part is it’s not about the money for me. I really enjoy providing quality solutions that are “different” or unique. If there are Magnepan dealers around me, nobody knows it. My buddy had to have my old employer become dealer to buy the one pair and then that dealer never sold them again.. So there you go Magnepan. I would put you on a pedestal and use you as my main go to and premium solution.. but hey you go ahead and hold out for the established Wilson dealer and get no sales. I’m over it. I’ll keep cranking out the 950C Kef’s, their one of the best bang for your buck speakers that do everything well in their price point.