Hi-Fi comes of age

Press, 31 March 1980, Page 18

Hi-Fi comes of age

Any man who would deliberately open a business on April Fool’s Day must make up in. sense of humour what he lacks in? business sense. ' - As it happened, Bob ■Bjcrwri lacked neither/ The jtiny High Street shop wiidi opened ten years ago tomorrow has grown into the most specialised successful audio business in the city/ ; ■ A decade has seen a lot., of changes in the world at audio equipment.’ Bob remembers the days when the most expensive systems were selling for S3OO and there were only two competitors for Christ* church hi-fi New Zealand was considered ■something of a joke .as pi potential market —» the people either" didn’t)know?’ or didn’t care? about stereo! sound, and quality sys* terns.:. simply? were not available. - '■ ; Happily, all that is in the past. New Zealand

today has almost'- caught up with the rest of the ' world in terms of spund ■ .reproduction, in spite of the constant problem of import licensing controls. ~ More people are aware of what is available overseas? and demand a similar quality from the equipment they buy. For those who already know about stereo. Bob is a fount of wisdom on the , latest technological advances and his shops are stocked with as much of Jhe - top-level gear as he can lay his hands on. The demand for this quality equipment exceeds supply, however, even though prices are measured in thousands of - dollars. It is not-unusual to find a true stereo buff‘spending seven or eight thousand dollars ©n his sound system in the pursuit of perfect re-? ; production. As well as being a guru to those already initated into'-.the wonders of sound,

Bob Brown reserves a good deal of time for people who are interested, but ignorant. He never loses sight of .the fact that everyone must start somewhere and devotes as much time and effort to a first-stereo-buyer as to the most knowledgeable. His shops — two in High Street and one m Brighton — stock. -budgetpriced stereos to suit beginners and by taking advantage' of : special offers, a new recruit can save hundreds of dollars on good quality gear. Although this kindly approach to first-stereo-buyers may seem indulgent, Bob has found it to be very good business, As the customer finds out more about sound and quality his tastes change and the original system is traded back on a' more expensive model, It is a process of education and Bob and his staff are always willing to

spend some time talking about their favourite subj e c t, regardless of whether or not there is a price-tag at the end of the conversation.

Always right up with the times, Bob has recently introduced a.video department to the main shop \in High Street. While Video recording is still in its infancy in New Zealand, Bob is convinced that the new medium will have an enormous impact on the country. Licensing restrictions and heavy import duty are once again .thorns in his side, but a respectable stock of recorders, cameras and receivers has been built un. If developments in the next ten years parallel the progress of the last decade, an exciting time lies ahead of Bob. Whatever the future holds in audio technology, one thing is certain — Bob Brown Hi Fi Sound will be in the vanguard.