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62 Posts
One of the recent threads was on why Adire subs weren't getting as much positive PR on this forum as the Hsu and SVS subs. Some of the discussion on that thread focused on the Adire web site. Some people liked that site. I was one of those that thought it wasn't up to par with other web sites I've visited.
In the past seven months I have probably made in-depth visits to well over 50 vendor web sites (looking for TV, receiver, speakers, sub, cables, entertainment center, leather sofa, etc.). During this time I've been exposed to web sites that I thought were very good and some that were not so good.
Anyhow, the Adire thread got me started thinking about what a vendor web site should and shouldn't include. Therefore, my opinions on what should and shouldn't be included in a vendor's web site are...
These are the things I think every speaker/sub web site should include:
o Clear identification of the full set of products complete with specs
o Either a tabular comparison of the various offerings or a text description that differentiates the various options. For example, I've been looking for a box sub with certain characteristics in the $800-$1000 range. Each web site should make it easy for someone like me to hone in on the products that match my criteria.
o A vendor-specific forum accessible from the vendor's web site. I have found these to be very valuable sources of information. Obviously, a vendor-specific forum is going to be biased but that's OK (I do find it annoying when a non-vendor-specific forum is biased).
I have discovered the existence of some forums (that were not accessible from the vendor's web site) after I had completed my analysis of that vendor's product set (in at least one case after I had already made a purchase)
o A web page that identifies recent releases (and upcoming releases). As an example, the SVS web site does this very nicely.
o A web page devoted to personal testimonials and links to professional reviews.
o A contact within the company where certain questions (that, for whatever reason, require direct contact with the vendor rather than getting an answer via the forum) can be answered
o A customer-support contact
o If the vendor is a B&M vendor (versus an Internet-direct), then a web page that can be used to locate stores in the area that sell that vendor's products
Other things that would be nice include:
o Online versions of all the product documentation
o A FAQ web page
o A web page for buying used/refurbished equipment (preferably including those being sold by individuals)
o Frequency response graphs and other pertinent technical data
Things (I guess I just have one) that should not be included in the web site are:
o Links to general forums (like this one). This is especially true if the web site doesn't have its own forum. This encourages a takeover of the general forums by owners of that product (witness the number of SVS owners at hometheaterforum).
In the past seven months I have probably made in-depth visits to well over 50 vendor web sites (looking for TV, receiver, speakers, sub, cables, entertainment center, leather sofa, etc.). During this time I've been exposed to web sites that I thought were very good and some that were not so good.
Anyhow, the Adire thread got me started thinking about what a vendor web site should and shouldn't include. Therefore, my opinions on what should and shouldn't be included in a vendor's web site are...
These are the things I think every speaker/sub web site should include:
o Clear identification of the full set of products complete with specs
o Either a tabular comparison of the various offerings or a text description that differentiates the various options. For example, I've been looking for a box sub with certain characteristics in the $800-$1000 range. Each web site should make it easy for someone like me to hone in on the products that match my criteria.
o A vendor-specific forum accessible from the vendor's web site. I have found these to be very valuable sources of information. Obviously, a vendor-specific forum is going to be biased but that's OK (I do find it annoying when a non-vendor-specific forum is biased).
I have discovered the existence of some forums (that were not accessible from the vendor's web site) after I had completed my analysis of that vendor's product set (in at least one case after I had already made a purchase)
o A web page that identifies recent releases (and upcoming releases). As an example, the SVS web site does this very nicely.
o A web page devoted to personal testimonials and links to professional reviews.
o A contact within the company where certain questions (that, for whatever reason, require direct contact with the vendor rather than getting an answer via the forum) can be answered
o A customer-support contact
o If the vendor is a B&M vendor (versus an Internet-direct), then a web page that can be used to locate stores in the area that sell that vendor's products
Other things that would be nice include:
o Online versions of all the product documentation
o A FAQ web page
o A web page for buying used/refurbished equipment (preferably including those being sold by individuals)
o Frequency response graphs and other pertinent technical data
Things (I guess I just have one) that should not be included in the web site are:
o Links to general forums (like this one). This is especially true if the web site doesn't have its own forum. This encourages a takeover of the general forums by owners of that product (witness the number of SVS owners at hometheaterforum).
(Then I can go back to browsing the sites with all the pop-up ads... ROFL. 
