AVRev:
Can you tell me how you got into the business as a high performance audio component dealer and a bit about your own background?John Barker:
Music has always been an important part of my life and interest. I went to as many live shows as my parents would allow me to when I was a kid. I remember the first LPs I bought; my first guitar and the tracks my friends and I would play together. Music has an amazing way of creating a mood, moment and atmosphere that leaves a lasting impression. My equipment was generally modest for many years but I continued to push the envelope of my budget to get the most performance and reward out of the systems I owned. It was a challenge, at times, but always a rewarding pursuit. For love of the game and the enthusiasm to share my musical interest with others, I decided to start the business. After reviewing a list of potential business names with friends and family, the consensus seemed to agree that Sonic Culture was the most appropriate and conveyed our sense of community sharing a common interest in sound. The company was officially founded in 1999. We established relationships with a number of our favorite vendors and built up a respectable inventory of demonstration equipment and stock. The business grew almost entirely through customer and manufacturer referrals.
AVRev:
Can you tell me how you go about choosing which product brands to carry among so many high end manufacturers?
John Barker:
In order to promote and recommend a product honestly, you have to believe in it first. It’s easy to get caught up in the "flavor or the month", heavy marketing campaigns and press but ultimately you have to trust your own ears. Performance, diversity, value and reliability are key when identifying product lines for representation. Every component should satisfy a need and application and have support from stable and responsive manufacturers. We pursue system synergies and strive for neutral, uncolored presentations. We represent manufacturers from all over the globe, the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, etc. Each manufacturer represents high performance in their respective class and a unique approach and design philosophy.
This is a very interesting time in our industry. The computer and technological revolution continues to evolve; including the way in which music is stored, accessed and played back. For the traditional audiophile (with vast collections of both analog and digital recordings) the thought of sourcing music from a computer is alarming and a perceived compromise. These technologies will continue to imbed themselves deeper into our industry. Traditional playback and modern playback options can peacefully co-exist. “Crossover” products continue to find their way into the market. We have been giving more attention to this area of the industry recently and focusing on products that represent progressive performance, flexibility application and strong value. We expect this sector of the industry to continue to evolve rapidly. Our philosophy is to embrace it conservatively without investing too heavily in technology that is certain to change and further improve.
Manufacturers are trying to find the right balance between ease of use, performance and affordability. We have component options for customers that take advantage of computer stored music and traditional playback without compromise and enhanced utility. We're trying to bridge that gap without getting too far ahead of ourselves or recommending a technology or approach prematurely. Two particular products that have impressed us and our customers immensely include the Peachtree Audio iDecco (link) and the Micromega Airstream (link).
AVRev:
Can you tell me what kind of services you provide your clients, your sales philosophy, and the different types of clients you typically deal with?
John Barker:
We're a little old school in the way we approach our business and are very focused on building relationships with our customers and not just moving boxes. We run single speaker demos and conduct demonstrations that duplicate a customer’s system as closely as possible. Variables within the listening environment are always a challenge to control although we strive to minimize them. For these reasons we encourage home trial and offer an evaluation period of 7 days, or longer, if necessary. It is often easy to recognize performance differences between components but in order to truly experience the impact components have within a system and the way in which a listener responds, an extended “in home” evaluation period is encouraged. If we don't have the products that are best for that particular client's application we're happy to refer them to another local dealer who can assist further.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of our business is sharing music. It’s always interesting to hear what genres of music and artists customers identify with and choose to use as an evaluation tool. We've had the good fortune to meet, interact and assist some outstanding customers over the years and made plenty of good friends along the way. We've had celebrities, musicians and even customers who'd prefer to continue taking the bus to justify purchasing a new pair of speakers. Our shared interest and pursuit of connecting closer to the music we appreciate most is obvious.
AVRev:
Anything else you would like to mention in relation to the business?
John Barker:
The most rewarding part of our industry is sharing the appreciation of high quality music playback with others and demonstrating the performance levels a finely tuned, synergistic system is capable of. More recently, the appreciation for this level of performance is often overshadowed by the conveniences of downsized, compressed, pocket products that continue to populate the market. These products definitely have their place and application within our environment. Our challenge and goal is to make high performance music playback more accessible to the music lovers that remain unaware of the resolution and reward a finely tuned system is capable of. We hope our approach, philosophy and experience will contribute to that goal. Ultimately, trust your ears, enjoy the music and the reward of sharing it with others.
Sonic Culture Info:
Website: www.sonicculture.com
Contact: John Barker
Phone: 858-509-1117
E-mail: GoodSound@SonicCulture.com
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