Not a Top Ten Thread this time. But lets hear it for the Audio Dealers that are truly deserving and go that extra mile for your dollar. These people never get enough credit for all their hard work.
I would have to say it is Kevin Mcguire at The Sound Station in Bartlesville Oklahoma. He is has a wealth of knowlege, and willing to share it, honest, and stands behind what he sells.
Not many mentions for SoCal here. DSS in Carlsbad are very helpful and happy to let you demo whatever they have whenever you want, Stereo Design in San Diego (though they won't 'haggle' much) with a very nice store and no pressure, and Weinhardt Design in LA. Although he sells a very high level MBL inventory, Mr. Weinhardt entertained me with an otherwise modest budget and provided excellent after sales service. All in all I think most dealers have realized the days of "I know more than you do" sales and name-brand elitism can't win over the values here on the internet. I always try to give them my business over the 'demo at the dealer and then buy off the internet' if they are decent sales people, and they usually come through with the traditional long-term sales and customer appreciation.
Splitte do not feel guilty it is your money. Do you really think that a greedy dealer feels the same way when he is trining to push the sell????? I have exp. with at least ten dealers and from that ten maybe two are OK. Do the math. there is 80% chance that you will get screwed. So when you find a dealer you can trust try to build relationship and whatever you do, do not screw him by buying something for $50 less from another dealer who is just tring to highjack a custumer by the first sweat sell. It is not worth it trust me. Besides they all know each other so it will come back and hurt you sooner or letter. Cheers Mariusz
You are right "chadnliz" however my experience pre-2001 with audio dealers has been frustrating. I do feel guilty when purchasing online instead of paying homage to my local audio dealer. I just do not see the point of visiting my audio locally anymore or even in the LA metro area however I may checkout Gene Rubin audio in Ventura re: turntable.
DynamicAudio in Shinjuku and Harajuku (Tokyo, Japan). Very friendly, reasonably knowledgeable, great used stuff (I got most of my stuff there), not a very hard sell.
I agree about Audio Perfection not giving a red cent discount on anything. I was looking at spending tens of thousands on transparent cable and asked what kind of discount they could give for all of that and their answer was.....get this, "we feel all of our stuff is of great value already to not need a discount added on"! I could not believe that!
Thousands upon thousands for cable thats so incredibly marked high that the minute you get it home you would be lucky to get more then 50% of what you paid for it, and they say its a good value already.
The one guy mentioned stereoland instead of audio perfection and I agree. Stereoland has some decent stuff though not near what audio perfection has, but the guys at stereoland like HiFi sound in downtown Mpls are all great and down to earth.
Music Direct - great folks and service Tim at Bradford's in Eugene, OR - one of the finest audio retailers anywhwere Bob November of McKenzie River Music - guitars and amps but still the finest guitar shop on the planet!
Funny thing when I read the forum "best retailer" I thought I don't know the best but I know the worst. Funny thing is as I read down tons of other people think the same thing that Audio Perfection in Minn is the worst. The most aragant men, and everything the other guys all said. I remember In 1992 I was shocked when they said my kef 104 where decent, but since everything I have or used is the worst and theirs the best.
Do yourself a favor. Don't go to Audio horrible Perfection and check out a great place with great nice guys called HIFI sound in downtown Mpls.
Splittie, your opinion would most likely change if you meet a great dealer like the ones I and others mentioned. We all enjoy a deal and many can only participate in this hobby with the help of used websites but when you can and if you can if feel we all have a responsibility to do business with actual audio stores, after all this and other arena's for used gear wouldnt exist without them.
To be honest Ebay or Audiogon is my high end audio superstore. I do my equipment research on audiokarma, 6 moons, audiogon, as well as audition friend's systems. Yes I take a risk when purchasing gear from a Ebay. However, I would rather gamble $200-$1k on pre-owned gear once loved by my fellow 'Goners or Ebay than the alternative: "The High End Shop." I have been buying gear on both Ebay and Audiogon since 2001 and have had no issues (knock on wood). Most sellers on Ebay or Audiogon are honest audiophiles like the rest of us. I am tempted however to talk with Gene Rubin.
Most of us (me included) do not have the disposable income to pay the exorbatant prices high-end audio fetch these days especially from boutique-like dealers in my area (Santa Barbara) that have little or no knowledge about the gear they sell.
Eugene Hi-Fi In Oregon. Dale is easy to get a hold of. Always talks to me with respect (not so with a lot of other Audio store owners). Very honest IMO. Looks out for his customers. I have dealt with him before and will again although we have never met.
Another vote for John and Nick at Audio Connection, truely what a Hi-End store and staff should be, John and I keep in touch every few weeks or so, he is great to talk to about anything, and with audio he knows his business.
Music Direct in Chicago IL.: Mark, Jim, Jason, Rocko, Michael, Neely, Bes and Roger are wonderful to deal with and have done much to take care of my needs...
AudioETC in Orange CT.: Sam, Gary, Ed and Josh are wonderful to deal with...
Okay I started this thread some 4 years ago and Audiogon has grown by leaps and bounds and probably beyond anything the owners of Audiogon ever imagined.
But now it is time to vent a little. Not only with the membership but the retailers on this site.
I buy,sell and trade a lot on this site and most all need to improve the way they do business.
First of all pictures on Audiogon. We have some good photographers, though not many of them. If I can't see what your selling, I am not buying or bidding, no matter how much I may want that product. There are plenty of digital picture editing programs, - GET ONE or loose the sale. I am tired of looking at black blobs!!
Second, ad descriptions are getting just awful. You don't have to be Hemingway, but you should be knowledgeable enough to write a decent description, after all you own it,tell me about it. Include the dimensions and what voltage it runs on is always a help.
Third, this item just irritates the crap out of me and that is Pay Pal fees. First of all I never charge the customer a user fee of Pay Pal. It is the cost of doing business. When I had a retail store I never charged a user fee to the customer. And when was the last time you went into a retail establishment and were charged additional to use a credit card?? Most likely never and I never have and I am an old fart now. If you feel you need that paltry 2.9 percent include it with asking price.
Fourth is the shipping charges involved. No one makes a nickel out of this but the shipper. To haggle on shipping is like going to Dennys on the highway and trying to negoiate a deal on breakfast. Shipping is shipping, get over it!!
As far as I am concerned, in the future I will deal only with members and dealers that can take decent photographs,with enough ad copy to peak my interest and do not charge a Pay Pal fee. And yes I will pay all reasonable freight and insurance.
Fifth ripping off someone's picture,ad description or product review is getting out of hand. If you do at least be courteous enough to give the owner a heads up or at least mention the author in your ad. Have had my pictures,ads and reviews ripped of many times without even a courtesy menetion. Just remember if you rip off a copyrighted item, you will have lawyers down your back in a hearbeat. So be wise and ask permission before you do this.
The Audiogon site is maturing quite quickly now and we all need to be more professional in what we do here.
Actually, I have the fortunate situation of dealing with two "high-end" audio/video dealers in my area. Each offering me differing (but no less valid) points of view in every phase of system assembly and construction. I go to one for my audio hardware, and the other still, for other intricate type of items like cables, power conditioners, and power cords. But I must say that one also offers me an "in home" type of setting each time I want to stop in and audition (or might I say....... listen to) some equipment. But nonetheless, both of the guys I deal with at both of my dealers are courteous, professional, and more importantly...... VERY patient. Anyone who spend a large amount of time with me usually gets rewarded by getting my business when it is time for me to open my wallet. And they get rewarded VERY handsomely, mind you.
But anyway, the two dealers I deal with here in the Washington, D. C. area are as follows:
(01). JS Audio -- Bethesda, Maryland (has a nice assortment of high-end equipment there, and some of the most knowledgeable people around. They listen to what you have to say, and then they come up with VERY NICE solutions accordingly. And all of their salesmen have very good ears on top of that). Be sure to ask for Mike when you get there. Great guy. I cannot wait to buy my next SERIOUS piece from him.
(02). Myer-Emco -- also of the Washington, D. C. area. They have store all over the area. But the one I frequent the most is located in the Georgetown area of Washington, D. C. Also, very nice guys. But the guy I have bought most of my gear from was Oliver Pagen. Also very knowledgeable. Gives me a fair price on my gear each time when it is time to open my wallet. One of the nicest guys you ever want to meet. If I have ONE TINY criticism about him (and I am nitpicking), it is that he's not as ambitious as Mike at JS Audio is when it comes his systems (Mike at JS Audio strikes me as more ambitious....... as he has the most serious system of the two). Oliver to me, takes a more conservative approach. But that point aside, if you ever come to Washington, D. C., and you want to check out some audio gear while you are visiting, and somehow end up in Georgetown, I highly recommend that you stop in and meet Oliver. Like I said, great guy. And tell him Charles sent you.
In Connecticut I went to most every high end shop in that state. Roberts (New London) and Take Five (New Haven) were very helpful and let me spend (waste there) alot of time there. Knowing full well my meager income. And I did learn alot from both. Louis
Audio Art in Richmond VA - in business over 27 years offering solid, knowledgable advice about component matching and system synergy. The owner, Tim Harrison, has built an excellent dedicated listening room to allow you to make an informed evaluation. All auditions are by appointment only, so you get 100% of Tim's attention for the time you are there. And the system will be set up and optimized to allow you to hear together in one system the components you want to hear. Tim also is a lover of vinyl. When I was there this past week, he had four turntables set up in his listening room that he could demo.
Since moving to the Denver area,I have had the pleasure of doing business with Moon Dance Audio div.,Second Sound Inc.True High End dealer with New and Vintage gear. They have treated me well and totally stand behind every piece of gear sold new or used. They keep their word.One cannot ask for more than that.
Audio-video logic in Des Moins Iowa. I went in and took a few minutes to tell them what i was looking for in a system. They listened attentively and within about 20 minutes had put togeather a system that was exactly where i wanted to be and then left me in a well treated room to listen to my hearts content without pressure. Those guys have great gear and they know their components well. I went to a number of shops in the Minneapolis area and as a contrast either got the dumb look when i tried to describe what i was looking for or they ignoed my comments altogeather and tried to sell me what they though sounded the best. Another great shop for service and attentiveness is the sound environment in Omaha Ne. I've been going there on and off for about 20 years now and they always have very friendly and helpful people working there. The current manager, Doug ,is a great guy.
Danny Oovlin at "BestofDeal", a clicks-and-mortar audio business in Santa Clara, CA. Danny advertises in the back pages of Stereophile mag, which is where I first learned of him. I got excellent service and a GREAT price on my Bryston 4B-ST amp. He carries a number of high-end lines, and I recommend him highly. The easiest way to contact him initially is by E-mail: bestofdeal@aol.com
Audio Perfection is the worst!!!!!!! I wish I could remember the name of the guy I dealt with but I think I have repressed the painful memory of his obnoxious, insecure little mind. Those guys are the kind of guys who give audio a bad name and are largely responsible for the lack of mass market acceptance and commercial success of the sector. They looked at me and spoke to me like a homeless person who had just wandered into the Ritz hotel. I admit I am jeans and t-shirt kind of guy but I work at home and trade commodities. I have 3 dedicated rooms at home -- one for playing the piano and listening simultaneously, one asymmetrical sate of the art 2 channel room and one for home theatre. I have easily spent over $500,000 on equipment alone in the last couple of years. I was considering a major revamping of one of my systems when I went into Audio Perfection but was so offended by their arrogant attitudes that I WOULDN"T BUY A FUSE FROM AUDIO PERFECTION IF IT WAS SATURDAY NIGHT, MY SYSTEM WAS MISSING ONE CHANNEL AND I WAS HOPING TO ENTERTAIN DINNER GUESTS WITH MY STEREO. I hope you guys are reading this and maybe you will learn and change your ways. In the mean time, why don't you get some therapy to feel better about yourself. Working as a waiter in a pretentious restaurant would be a better career match for your skill set.
Audio Perfection has been good to me, sorry to hear that others have had less than positive experiences. Mark and his staff have gone out of their way to provide me with their time, experience, product...and discounts. I have delt with audio stores from New York City to L.A. ..and points in-between, and Mark and Co. are as good as any.
I agree with Hungryear about Audio Perfection. The overall tone there is "everything you own is crap,everything they have is to die for". Several friends of mine [some with stellar rigs] have gotten the same treatment.Not friendly or helpful at all.
donmorrisonaudio.com has a product unlike any I have ever purchased and I have purchased well over $100,000.00 in 2 channel audio alone, not to mention HT, not to mention the office, the boat, etc....maybe I have a problem....but I recognize exceptional sound and value when I hear it...in short, buy the g-- d--- thing, for <800 dollars, late night, you own a product worth > million. As a refreshing plus, Don Morrison is a unique and honest individual that handbuilds every unit and is genuinely intent on helping you enjoy music as close as it gets to 6th row center...both accoustic and processed music. If your into objective measurements ( the Audio Critic tested it as the best measured preamp ever)as well as the ethereal or supernatural aspects of reproduced music, it don't get any f------ better than this, IMHO. In fact, given the 3 to 4 month wait, and the likely resale value of this classic, I will pay anyone what they paid to Morrison for the unit, assuming no damage or "tweaking" by the original owner, plus shipping paid by me, if they think there is a better 2 channel at any price......email for details. Thanks.
AUDIOPERFECTION in Minnesota is run by an opinionated, self-important group of individuals who feel that they have the last word on audio gear. They show little interest in assisting customers and will not, under any circumstances consider a discount even when one is intending to spend more than 20K on a system. Most maddening is their condesending attitude. I will never step back into their higgeldy-piggeldy toy shop pretending to be a high end audio operation.
Robert at Star Sound, who make Audio Points, is really cool and helped me out a lot in replacing my speaker spikes. He knows a whole bunch of crap and worked with me in getting what I wanted. I definately plan to call him again for my componenets. The guy who owns? designs for Merlin is also cool to talk to. Both these guys are really confident about their products, which i think is great. My experiences with these two and some others have led me to routinely call the company instead of or before going to a dealer.
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