Kevin
Sorry to hear of your loss that had to be very difficult to go through and something I hope I never have to experience. As far as expensive cars making you a bad person Absolutely Not! I wish I could afford a Ferrari and I also enjoy cars and motorcycles and audio and my dog.
I have had limited dealings with Upscale Audio(Cary SLI-80F1 and Assorted NOS Tubes)and they have always been positive experiences; can't say the same for Cary Audio.
Chuck |
Kevin,
I'm really sorry to hear about your loss.
As to this thread, I suggest that you do your best to take it in perspective. Per my earlier post, enough transactions probably statistically guarantees some dissatisfied customers. I'd also argue that unhappy folks make disproportionately loud noise, relative to happy folks. That's just human nature. So, it is what it is.
Hang in and best of luck going forward.
Marty |
Kevin, very sorry to hear about your wife. The time period that you spoke about would have coincided with the conversation with my Dr. friend. I'm sure that would explain a lot and I will make sure to contact him and explain.
Hopefully, he will be a customer again. I will encourage him. |
Kevin, I'm glad you pulled through those hard times, that gives me courage to try and pull through some tough things I'm going through at the present.
I want to thank you for advice you gave that improved the sound in my room without spending one red cent, and I've never been happier with any amp, as I am with my Primaluna mono blocks; I'm another one of your satisfied customers.
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06-04-13: Upscaleaudio
"Wow....what a thread...here's a response kiddos...
Note to high-end audio purveyors: This is how to respond to critical threads.
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He has yet to address the rumors that he's an arsonist who hates the little children and leaves the seat up. He does owe a large "Thank You" to the 'Gone community for another avalanche of free publicity...you're welcome. |
Kevin is a great guy to work with. I've been purchasing equipment from him for several years now. I have nothing but praise in his ability to deliver and stand behind his products (even when the manufacturer won't). Here's a recent example. Three months ago, I bought a Cary SLP98L F1 edition preamp from him. I used it for one month before the problems started. Sent the defective unit to Cary, at my expense, for evaluation and repair. The unit was diagnosed with a faulty Audio 1 cap and other problems in the circuit. The tech rewired the unit direct coupled because he couldn't isolate or fix the underlying circuit problem. I thought, great. Shipped back to me. Within three weeks, SLP98L crapped out again. Spoke to Cary, told them enough was enough and I wanted a current production model of the same type and configuration shipped to me immediately. I also wanted them to email the UPS prepaid shipping label since I wasn't going to spend any more money on this unit. Cary told me to pack sand and work with my dealer (Kevin); I was going to do this anyway given the poor product build and inadequate customer support (from my perspective). For what I spent on the Cary SLP98L, they should have readily agreed to my request just to make up for the defective equipment. In any event, Kevin, to his credit, took the unit back, fully credited me with the entire purchase amount and set about the task of obtaining a brand new Mystere CA21 tube preamp. I used to own the Mystere CA11. Don't know why I ever sold that unit. Thought Cary Audio was light years ahead in product quality, sound, and customer support. Not so. The takeaway - Kevin is a quality person with high integrity who will back up his promises and deliver. That's why I never doubt making any purchase from him. |
Not really sure how him selling a defective product and exchanging it for one of his own is good service |
Dchang81,
It's better than getting kicked down the road which a lot of dealers do. They would tell you the problem is with Cary and deal with them. At least he exchanged the unit and made the customer happy. I'm no fan of Mr.Deal but I will say in this Instance he did the right thing. |
I have bought quite a few products from Kevin over the years. He has been nothing but helpful. Kevin has a very good ear and I have bought many items without ever hearing them. In all cases I was very satisfied. It's important to have a dealer you can communicate with, Kevin is an advanced audiophile so his skill set is a better match to other advanced audiophiles than he is to guys just kicking tires or new to the hobby.
I have known two trusted dealers in my 40 years in this hobby. Walt from Woodland Stereo and Kevin at Upscale Audio. Whenever I have a need, Kevin gets the first call. Thanks Kevin. |
I had a similar experience with Cary as Wescoman did and will never buy any of their products again. |
Czbbcl,
Is that why Kevin doesn't have Cary anymore? |
I wasn't aware that Upscale Audio wasn't still selling Cary Audio Products. |
Kevin still has a number of current Cary components listed, on his website. Dennis Had retired from Cary in Oct, 2009. Often; when the founder of a company retires, the quality/conscientiousness of same unfortunately suffers. I hate to think that's happened to Cary Audio. I love my(modded) SLM-100's! |
Upscale Audio is no longer a Cary Audio dealer, though they do still have some closeout units in which the warranty is being honored. I purchased one of these a few months back. I think that Kevin dropped Cary when Cary decided to start selling direct, though I cannot say for sure how that marriage broke up.
I bought a SLP-98 from Kevin, just as Wescoman (Steve) did, but my unit has the internal phono stage (P) and has performed flawlessly so far. I have heard a lot of scary rumors about Cary customer service, but I know of other high end companies that I can attest to having poor service records.
It does appear as though Cary is headed downstream since Dennis Had's departure. They appear to be headed for the less expensive end of the high end spectrum, which is unusual as I watch the rest of the high end brands spiral ridiculously into the upper economic stratosphere. Most American companies seem to be racing to the upper price levels, meanwhile Cary seems to be wanting to go toe-to-toe with the Chinese market (Jolida, PrimaLuna, etc.) It will be interesting to see how this turns out for them. |
As an FYI, Cary only sells direct into markets where there are no dealers.
I do not see Cary headed downstream at all. Quite the opposite actually. Same great products as in the past (SLP98, SLP05, 805, 211, 120s, etc) with new digital models forthcoming (2 new DACS and a CD player). Also new models to compete on the "lower end" of the range with the AES gear (which is also built in the US).
***Cary dealer disclaimer*** |
Kevin was a complete gentleman with me, an under informed buyer who ended up returning two items and not making him any money. He was helpful in explaining tube concepts, and a professional about the business aspect. I was really impressed, and have wanted to say as much, and this would be that opportunity. He is TOP notch.
Chris Meserve |
Kevin rocks and so do my Primaluna monoblocks and NOS tubes. Straight up, no reservations. Besides being one of the few dealers that really understands tube electronics, he has exceeded my expectations with every purchase. He gives me sage advice on whether my hard earned dollars will be spent making truly audible differences and doesn't just move product. Lately I've been bugging him to sell me a recently released product and he has me on hold...until he has a chance to give it a good listen and his stamp of approval. And, he totally supports his local dealers, ensuring multiple layers of support for customers.
Yes sometimes he is busy and has to call you back, and always does in a timely manner. No he doesn't sell new equipment at used prices, and he shouldn't. Anyone who doesn't think Kevin is the coolest cat in home audio should check their egos at the door and start looking at their own manners. |
"It does appear as though Cary is headed downstream since Dennis Had's departure."
I was agree with this. Most of the newer products definitely have that "made outside the USA" feel to them, and not in a good way.
I've listened to a few of them and was not impressed. I still think the SLP-05 is one of the best tube preamps of all-time however, so I'm not a Cary hater, in fact I owned one for several happy years. |
