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HMV Reopening?

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2

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    #32
    Basil Fawlty
    Registered Users Posts: 290 ✭✭Basil Fawlty


    HMV Grafton Street was gutted over the last month. Its now a shell of a store awaiting a new tenant. For HMV to reopen there it would not be a turn key event. I would like to see it reopen but if they dont have low prices and a unique selling point like being a vinyl specialist they wont stand a chance.


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    #33
    aSligoDub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 95 ✭✭aSligoDub


    "Basil wrote:
    if they dont have low prices and a unique selling point like being a vinyl specialist they wont stand a chance.
    Do tower do vinyl? Trying to think of a vinyl specialist near there they'd have to compete with. Theres one in the Grafton Arcade.. couple in Temple Bar.


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    #34
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,252 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    blatantrereg wrote: »
    You should get one of these:

    http://www.amazon.com/Sonic-Impact-15-Watt-Portable-Amplifier/dp/B00009W44B

    Awesome amp. Used to sell them for a tenner. Normal 3.5" audio jack in and outputs to proper analogue speakers. Music on a laptop sounds great if you put it out through this and a decent pair of speakers.
    No. This is an awesome amp. Re-check the definition of awesome!

    http://www.jolida.com/product/tubeamp/jd202brc

    Thinly veiled 'I have an awesome amp' post!

    :D:D


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    #35
    Custardpi
    Registered Users Posts: 2,807 ✭✭✭Custardpi


    aSligoDub wrote: »
    Do tower do vinyl? Trying to think of a vinyl specialist near there they'd have to compete with. Theres one in the Grafton Arcade.. couple in Temple Bar.

    Yep, they have a very good vinyl selection. Bit pricy though. If a company with better buying power & thus more ability to discount could offer a similarly wide range of vinyl they could take a good chunk of Tower's business away in that area.


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    #36
    Ruski
    Registered Users Posts: 581 ✭✭✭Ruski


    hatrickpatrick wrote: »
    I still prefer CDs. You can rip music from them to your MP3 player anyway, but listening to music on a laptop is utter sh!te, there's no bass and the general quality is just rubbish. Give me any kind of hi-fi over a laptop speaker any day.
    If you look carefully at your laptop, you might be surprised to find an input for headphones.


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    #37
    hfallada
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    The HMV store on grafton street is to let with a Zara sister company in the lead to take over it.

    HMV even if it's saved is a sinking ship slowly going under. Amazon are so cheap, quick and easy with a bigger selection. But it's easier to download


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    #38
    winter soldier
    Registered Users Posts: 88 ✭✭winter soldier


    hmv is crap. poor selection of dvds especially horror just mainstream titles only and everything is quite overpriced. i prefer to either buy music online where its cheaper or download off itunes.


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    #39
    WOCM4
    Closed Accounts Posts: 58 ✭✭WOCM4


    hatrickpatrick wrote: »
    I still prefer CDs. You can rip music from them to your MP3 player anyway, but listening to music on a laptop is utter sh!te, there's no bass and the general quality is just rubbish. Give me any kind of hi-fi over a laptop speaker any day.


    You have not got a feeeking clue sonny Jim Bob, me old hearty.


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    #40
    Amirani
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,522 Mod ✭✭✭✭Amirani


    blatantrereg wrote: »
    They should sell Blu Ray audio players at a reasonable price, and release albums on Blu Ray with very high fidelity sound, again at a reasonable price. Of course people would still be able to download equivalent files, but at least the files would be bigger making it a little less practical to download them and store them.

    I understand the resurgence of vinyl too. Improving that technology would be a good idea also really.

    I think a lot of the woes in the music industry are from their blunt refusal to compete with piracy. The fact is that they aren't going to stamp it out, and it's not going to go away. They need to take a positive approach and provide better reasons for people to want to buy a physical copy rather than just get a pirate one.

    This is absolutely what they should be doing. Directly competing with downloads is silly. They should be offering high-quality flac disks or else vinyl.

    I'm fairly sure the DVD market would be dead if it weren't for blu-ray.


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    #41
    YoungKhalifa
    Registered Users Posts: 99 ✭✭YoungKhalifa


    But ambience aside, HMV need to charge less for CDs. Might seem absurd for a company trying to make money, but its the only way they can compete and they were always very expensive. €21.99 for a new release? I don't think so. That can't work anymore.

    I always found HMV to be relatively inexpensive. They always had great deals and offers, waaay better than Towers


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    #42
    YoungKhalifa
    Registered Users Posts: 99 ✭✭YoungKhalifa


    YoungKhalifa wrote: »
    But ambience aside, HMV need to charge less for CDs. Might seem absurd for a company trying to make money, but its the only way they can compete and they were always very expensive. €21.99 for a new release? I don't think so. That can't work anymore.

    I always found HMV to be relatively inexpensive. They always had great deals and offers, waaay better than Towers


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    #43
    stevek93
    Registered Users Posts: 3,088 ✭✭✭stevek93


    Blanchardstown as well has been gutted and turn into Boots. Cannot see any advantage to HMV coming back if people want to have a hard copy of there music you can always buy online.


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    #44
    RobbingBandit
    Registered Users Posts: 18,099 ✭✭✭✭RobbingBandit


    stevek93 wrote: »
    Blanchardstown as well has been gutted and turn into Boots. Cannot see any advantage to HMV coming back if people want to have a hard copy of there music you can always buy online.

    Boots is next door to the HMV store in Blanch it used to be a clothes shop.


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    #45
    Faolchu
    Registered Users Posts: 1,740 ✭✭✭Faolchu


    stevek93 wrote: »
    Blanchardstown as well has been gutted and turn into Boots. Cannot see any advantage to HMV coming back if people want to have a hard copy of there music you can always buy online.


    the one in dundrum still has shelving and tills etc in it


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    #46
    cloud493
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,835 ✭✭✭✭cloud493


    The one in swords has all the insides still set up. Still has the poster in the window of that blue cross sale :P


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    #47
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    Ruski wrote: »
    If you look carefully at your laptop, you might be surprised to find an input for headphones.

    Yeah and when you've mates over and want to listen to your latest acquisition, go ahead and just pass'em around sure...


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    #48
    Hobbes
    Registered Users Posts: 21,264 ✭✭✭✭Hobbes


    Dravokivich wrote: »
    Yeah and when you've mates over and want to listen to your latest acquisition, go ahead and just pass'em around sure...

    We have these things called speakers, which you can plug into the headphone slot. Some laptops have optical audio btw.


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    #49
    Uriel.
    Registered Users Posts: 8,061 ✭✭✭Uriel.


    Or just get a Sonos.

    Amazing Kit...

    Have a great Sonos set up now and Home server with my music on it. Either download from itunes or if I like a full album I'll buy it and rip it at the highest possible quality...digital space not an issue these days...

    Problem with Sonos is they are like rabbits.. you get one and a few weeks later you're saving for the next....


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    #50
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    Hobbes wrote: »
    We have these things called speakers, which you can plug into the headphone slot. Some laptops have optical audio btw.

    The argument the other guy was making was in regards to not buying extra gear to listen with.


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    #51
    Doctor Strange
    Closed Accounts Posts: 965 ✭✭✭Doctor Strange


    Quite happy about this if it happens. I much, much prefer physical media, especially for movies. So if they keep their relatively cheap Blu-Ray boxsets, I'll be back buying.


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    #52
    Prettyblack
    Registered Users Posts: 333 ✭✭Prettyblack


    YoungKhalifa wrote: »
    I always found HMV to be relatively inexpensive. They always had great deals and offers, waaay better than Towers

    Tower has a better selection - more niche stuff, and they also have loads of offers - those "5 albums in one" slipcases that are often the price of one normal album. OK, that's not really a Tower thing but they sell them!

    Interesting books, posters, vinyl, loads of t shirts (and not just ones of the cookie monster and all that), magazines, and then of course the DVDs upstairs. And the jazz and classical sections, they are always good to have too. And since they opened the cafe its turned into a destination, where you can while away an hour or so, instead of just popping in.

    In fairness I always wanted to leave HMV as soon as I was done buying whatever it is I was buying, with its sticky floor, too-loud chart music blaring, too hard to find anything (all the CDs were plonked downstairs), neon lights, and not much focus on MUSIC. That was their failing.

    Tower every time.


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    #53
    Grayson
    Registered Users Posts: 16,161 ✭✭✭✭Grayson


    RobbingBandit wrote: »
    Boots is next door to the HMV store in Blanch it used to be a clothes shop.

    yep. And I had a peek through the shutters last month. The stock was still on shelves. I think the staff were just sent home and it was empty since. I don't know if it's still like that though.


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    #54
    The_Gatsby
    Registered Users Posts: 1,494 ✭✭✭The_Gatsby


    Dravokivich wrote: »
    The argument the other guy was making was in regards to not buying extra gear to listen with.

    But sure you have to have some sort of device to play your CDs on. I'd rather buy some speakers than a whole separate hi-fi system. The other guy was making a stupid and pointless argument to be fair.


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    #55
    Kolido
    Registered Users Posts: 13,361 ✭✭✭✭Kolido


    hatrickpatrick wrote: »
    I still prefer CDs. You can rip music from them to your MP3 player anyway, but listening to music on a laptop is utter sh!te, there's no bass and the general quality is just rubbish. Give me any kind of hi-fi over a laptop speaker any day.
    Dravokivich wrote: »
    The argument the other guy was making was in regards to not buying extra gear to listen with.

    If the guy had only a laptop to listen to music, it would be the same sound from cd and mp3 music I'm sure.

    If he had a Hi Fi, well most will play mp3 also. The original argument is a bit lame.


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    #56
    stevek93
    Registered Users Posts: 3,088 ✭✭✭stevek93


    RobbingBandit wrote: »
    Boots is next door to the HMV store in Blanch it used to be a clothes shop.

    My bad been a while since I was in the shopping centre. :o


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    #57
    Dublinfan
    Registered Users Posts: 233 ✭✭Dublinfan


    any update or could this be a long wait, im wondering weather this was an initial pllan to keep some stores on standby by henry street dundrum ect


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    #58
    jjbrien
    Registered Users Posts: 2,678 ✭✭✭jjbrien


    Well i for one am happy to see HMV reopening here. The jobs that will be brought back will be a good thing and god knows those people deserve them. I was in grafton street 3 weeks ago running a bit early for a show in the gaiety and I would usually always stop into HMV when i am in the area was sad to see it shut same with the one on henry street.

    Another poster asked about HMV in Canada I have been in there and they do sell DVD'S pretty cheaply almost at amazon prices so it it goes the same way here we are in for a treat.


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    #59
    PickledLime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭PickledLime


    Kolido wrote: »
    If the guy had only a laptop to listen to music, it would be the same sound from cd and mp3 music I'm sure.

    If he had a Hi Fi, well most will play mp3 also. The original argument is a bit lame.

    Wrong.

    MP3 is a lossy format, if you want to rip audio files that have the same sound quality as CD you need to use a lossless format like FLAC or WAV.

    Don't get me wrong, I've got a 320kb/s mp3 playing back right now, (via the laptop's line out through a set of dedicated speakers), but if the stuff gets played through my main source (I've an old school beastly hifi and decent headphones for proper listening sessions) you can tell it's of a lower quality.



    On topic, I think if HMV were to be competitive (music-wise, at least) again, they need to ditch the over abundance of 'Best Of' compilations and get proper albums onto their shelves. Plenty of times I've been in there and spotted an artist I might enjoy (so I'd start with their seminal albums) or one that I have a few albums by and want to explore more and found myself thinking 'meh, it's just a best of, i have half of it already'' and put it back. Or why not stock a band's classic album when they release a new one?

    Oh, and if my jazz collection is bigger than your entire jazz section when jazz isn't even my favourite genre, you really are failing as a music 'specialist'.

    Edit - was the bit in bold intended as a pun? I can't stop laughing at it! (is it a subtle reference to the LAME encoder is what I'm thinking?)


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    #60
    bitburger
    Registered Users Posts: 364 ✭✭bitburger


    well considering that CD's are digitally recorded and locked at 128kbps the whole argument is invalid, maybe theres one there for vinyl but not cd's


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    #61
    PickledLime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭PickledLime


    bitburger wrote: »
    well considering that CD's are digitally recorded and locked at 128kbps the whole argument is invalid, maybe theres one there for vinyl but not cd's

    This isn't the thread for it and I shant derail, but that statement couldn't be any more misinformed if it tried.


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