Yeah, they were just $40 cheapo stuff and they'd sell them for $80 but claim they were $200 speakers. Things like that. It wasn't only a Philly thing, and it wasn't a 2000-05 thing. Odds are only single, younger males would want to buy speakers, so they targeted them, not women or families.

It wasn't a cult, but I'm sure those guys weren't the best, probably hustlers out looking for side money. Drawn into it from friends, friends older brothers, or older brothers friends.

Funny, my brother in the early 90s worked his first job outta school and his boss came in one day and said "Oh wow, guess what?! I got the best set of speakers over the weekend. I was at the mall, and these guys had an extra set they were getting rid of, their boss made a mistake and gave them one pair too many..." He said they held up over time, no complaints, probably just something from K-mart. Not the Bose or whatever they claimed to be, but his boss swore they were great. Placebo effect probably.