I usually decline to interview people that ask my recruiter too early about salary. We work hard to post very clear job descriptions and requirements so if you read it and apply and get through the initial screening, then that's a pretty good indicator that we are in range on salary even if we've never discussed it.
Undoubtedly you're turning away the best candidates and almost exclusively interviewing candidates whom have extreme difficulty finding work elsewhere; so much so that the applicants value their own time so poorly that they believe it worthwhile to interview for a job which may not meet their personal financial requirements. I'd strongly suggest you change your practices and observe the improved calibre of interviewees.
EDIT: Also, if you really want good candidates, stop using a recruiter.
When ever I see a posting with out a range I figure they're just trying to hire someone they just aren't willing to pay for. They think they're going to wow someone with their great culture and/or the awesome technology their working on. Good luck on that.
Or get a person who trains up in your environment and then bails once they can prove to another employer that they have the skills and know they're underpaid. And god knows how much internal work/knowledge/skills they take with them.
I ask because most of the approaches that I get, or even when I approach (I'm actively looking) tend to fall short of where I've been in terms of income for the past several years. And culture, cool tech, and neat opportunities only count for so much. Until companies return to a cradle to the grave mentality (like IBM of old), then I'll reconsider.
Until then... I like technology and have some preferences, but for the most part, I'm a mercenary for hire, looking for the highest payout. There's some wiggle room for a cool company, working with cool people and dealing with cool technology, but more than a 20% cut in pay isn't something I'm likely to go for.
In the Phoenix area, a "Senior" or "Lead" developer can range from $40/hr or $75k/year on the low end to $80/hr or $150k/yr on the high end... I've been at the higher end, and have no intention of hitting the lower end. That's a very large gap for equivalent titles and job descriptions... so yeah, I ask.
Alternatively, if it was more like parts of Europe where I'm working 30-35 hour weeks, and getting a month and a half a year off, it might be different.
Why? Recruiters aren't shy about asking about pay expectations up-front and it lets you know if you're all on the same page before wasting everybody's time.
