Audio Proz Service and Sales

Audio Electronic Business for Sale or Joint Partner

(Update)

Jan 1st, 2005

Here is your chance to purchase or partner with a well established audio electronic shop in the Boston area. Audio Pro in Watertown, MA has been in business for almost 25 years repairing and selling audio electronic equipment. We reside in a large rented space with an extremely spacious basement. There are 3 service benches complete with test equipment and tools with two desks for office use totaling 2400 square feet. There is wood shelving from the front of the store to the back which creates slightly cramped conditions. But this is due to 20 years of accumulating units, parts, and rental equipment.

The stock is made up of 50% consumer hi-fi and 50% pro recording gear. 75% of our inventory is used equipment while 25% is new stock. Our parts inventory is extensive and includes a large selection of IC’s, transistors, capacitators, and plenty of assorted mechanical parts (i.e.: gears, belts, motors, etc.) It is well sorted into drawers. We are certified dealers for the following equipment: Bellari, Behringer, Fostex, Audio Technica, Hosa, Stanton, Beyerdynamic, Washburn, Oscar Schmidt, Samson, MXL, GLI, DOD, DigiTech, and many others. We are a contractor dealer for many other companies as well. We are connected to other businesses, which allow us to order in just about any equipment. We have extremely dedicated customers that come to us not only for merchandise or repairs but for consulting on audio related equipment. We take pride in helping others choose the equipment that best suits their needs. Our interest to sell or partner is related to our lack of personnel to accommodate our business.

Audio Pro is seeking a technically inclined and business oriented individual to bring new direction to an ever changing business. What direction, you ask? Our shop has currently been selling off equipment on Ebay where we have an extremely high feedback rating. Vince, the current shop owner, has designed many modifications for popular electronic equipment and is developing a niche market for them. We can repair anything from microphones to mixers, televisions to turntables, receivers to VCR’s, and everything in between. We struggle with efficiency due to lack of technical help.

Audio Pro has survived through many great changes in the audio and video industry. Technology and consumers' desire for very diverse and specially designed equipment is becoming more difficult to keep up with. The ideal partner or owner would be one who presently has been doing some kind of electronics servicing, home installation, or better yet, involved seriously with a pro recording business. Admittedly, most people now buy online or through mass marketing catalogues, but a well known street shop with a good advertising campaign could easily street people to us. With the right tools and army to back it, Audio Pro could easily expand its name with stronger consulting appointments and widen its equipment sales. Due to our limited help, we can’t do as much as the market demands concerning home theatre equipment and installation (the phones are ringing off the hook but we just don’t have the technical support to get the jobs done.)

To my discredit though, there are many people out there who think the shops policies and recommendations are slightly eccentric to the market. Because this shop is personally owned, it has become limited in the emerging markets due to radical changes of technology. Therefore, the financial risks associated with such changes has caused me to be conservative in my recommendations as I have witnessed the rapid erosion of product values and have seen unpredictable changes of manufacturers and consumers tastes. For example, I seldom recommend expensive microphones, preamplifiers, processors, or computer related recording equipment because from a technical stand point, especially recently, rapid changes have made many of these archaic. This is not to say that my shop does not want to deal with vintage equipment or servicing of well built equipment, which is what I know best and like to do. It is more of a problem with consumers having buyer's remorse when they find out six months later that their product has been technically superceeded. As a personal shop owner, I don’t want to be blamed for their misgivings. So in general, the market is truly ruled by chain market stores and the turn over of moderate and mediocre goods.

I have been in some ways discredited in this business because I don’t tow the line for popular beliefs (concerning the supposed amazing fidelity of multi thousand dollar pieces of equipment) or pushing the most popular names, therefore, the most profitable.

I have generated a loyal following by careful choices of equipment which I feel will last. I judge equipment from its technical and manufacturer’s merit. Being a technically knowledgeable person I can see through the marketing and media manipulation of the consumer. My regular customers respect me for telling them what is truly good and will prove itself as a reasonable investment in hi-fi or music recording.

Presently, however, the state of dedicated computer recorded equipment has finally become to be recommendable. Someone with this knowledge can help widen our market. Admittedly, I have great hopes and a passion about recording and music. I want to be involved with the truly remarkable and worthwhile products and business ventures, which might allow me to expand next door and create an audio and listening display room. My ideal room would be to blend a small demo recording studio within an audiophile listening environment. (NOTE: Please read the underlined comment again) Many of my customers are musicians as well as avid music collectors. They will benefit from a little cross training for example: good audiophile monitor speakers and amplifiers can certainly be sold to consumers and pros. At this time, Audio Pro is cleaning up. To put it bluntly, anything that can be put up on Ebay, goes. We are going to upscale the shop the best that we can. There is a large internet market of people wanting products and services, especially upgrades and modifications for older and better grade electronics. We are looking to maintain parts and material inventory of things we know best and which are cost effective to service and sell. This includes everything from McIntosh equipment to Reel to Reel’s. There’s a great demand for us to do modifications on electronics to remove RFI and ground loop problems in professional and consumer equipment. We also do work for insurance companies to qualify loss of damages and it pays very well. No doubt, fewer shops exist and my interest is to concentrate on the more profitable and important service work.

Audio pro is willing to look at many new directions or maintain an existing operation depending upon the skill and interest of a new partner or owner.

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