World Wide Stereo went on a mission to promote audio this week with an event called “Music Matters.” The long time A/V retail store started by Bob Cole, which turned 30 this year, operates two stores in the southeast Pennsylvania region. It created an invitation-only event for customers that focused on promoting the audio side of the business. Its top vendors, such as McIntosh, Klipsch and NAD were on hand to help with education seminars.

“We’ve gotten so obsessed with flat panel technology—dealers and the customers,” said Mark Jones, who runs World Wide’s Montgomeryville, Penn., location, where the event was held. “[Customers come in and they want to buy a flat panel. That’s been the focus and the audio portion has been the aside.”

Jones explained that this tendency was the genesis behind the event (which the company has held before), and he feels the onus is incumbent on the dealers and vendors. “The industry really needs to attack this; we need to expose customers to good audio and that’s what this event is about,” he said. “We don’t expect sell a lot of stuff tonight, we just hope to educate people on things like how to make digital music sound great. People think their iPods sound good, but they really don’t. Yet, there are ways to make them sound good.”

The company got help from representatives of several key audio vendors. Klipsch, B&W, NAD and McIntosh each ran short presentations that talked about the nuances of their products, spoke about what makes good audio and conducted A/B testing to show just how different products can sound. Signal Path, Int. was also on hand, demonstrating how its Peachtree Audio digital-to-analog product (popular with high-end A/V retailers) can help make iTunes audio sound better.

Jones also said that events like this one (World Wide has had them before) are happening at other dealers around the country, some even calling it by the same name. “A lot of dealers are calling about it,” said Jones, “or ask about it when we are at industry trade shows.”

The timing of the event was fortuitous. Jones said that just a few weeks ago, regional big-box retailer 6th Avenue Electronics moved in across the street, filling in an advantageous vacuum that was left by the departure of both Tweeter and Circuit City. An event like this one helps to remind customers of World Wide’s presence and expertise. To future entice attendance, the dealer offered discounts on select products, some as high as 20 percent. There was a contest as well. Raffle tickets were given out at each presentation, increasing the odds of winning a Klipsch satellite home theater system or a Zepplin iPod docking speaker.