Audio Visual Therapy........Exceptional service


I just wanted to say thanks to Mark and John at Audio Visual Therapy in Nashua New Hampshire.

I went there with my father to find a replacement for his 15 year old B&K Ref 20. He had some issues with BluRay soundtracks cutting in and out so it was clear a receiver with the latest codecs was in order. It was my first time there, I live in Massachusetts but it was well worth the drive.

They do home theater but they have a really great selection of 2 channel gear on display. They carry some great lines, Classe, KEF,B&W, C-J, Linn, NAD, Paradigm and Anthem. Plus the best headphone demo room I've ever seen.

Mark spent a great deal of time with us and is very knowledgeable, he's been in the biz a long time. I'm a 2 channel guy and he got me up to speed on the latest codecs and was able to answer every question.

We ended up taking home an Anthem MRX 510, it was perfect for my dad. After running a HDMI monitor out under the floor and new speaker wiring he was up and running in no time.

A great experience overall and I will keep them first in mind now when I get the itch to upgrade.
128x128oddiofyl
oddiofyl, you're right. I'm glad you enjoyed your experience.
Seriously though, ..didn't know places like this still exist. Hell, Sound by Singer went belly up. Thought that was the last real financiallly struggling hold out. Appears there are others. Sad..but true
Sound by Singer didn't go belly up, they moved to a new location. I have had similar great customer service at Audio Concepts in Attleboro, Mass. I bought Golden Ear Triton Ones last week and I had some problems with the speakers. No questions asked, they delivered another new pair to my home on a Sunday morning no less, at 6:30am. That to me is the BEST customer service I have ever received.

I am so glad I bought then from Audio Concepts and not online or worse, used here. I would have been in rough shape. The salesman kept apologizing to me and I felt like I should apologize to them. If I am looking to buy something that they carry, I will always buy from them first. The level of customer service I received is rare in this day and age and the declining brick and mortar stores.
Avgoround: sorry my response was a little harsh, but I started the thread to show that places like that still exist.

There's only a handful of dealers that were there in the 80's

Now it's just Audio Lab and Q Audio in Boston/Cambridge. Goodwins in Waltham is mostly High End, like Boulder and Magico...although they treated me great when I bought my sub there. Spearit Sound in Northhampton is a 2.5 drive for me but some of my best deals have been there. They really stepped up when my DAC died after 5 weeks. They are good with trade ins too. I've traded in a few things there which let me afford to buy new when otherwise I may not have.

I live down the street from Audio Concepts.....they are good guys that offer personal service, something that is rare these days. They'll spend the time with you because they know the importance of repeat business. I bought a Blu Ray player from them last year, I suppose I could have bought in on Amazon but I like supporting local business.
Hey listen, Im just saying that the days of prospering "Ultra Hi-End" Audio Salons are, for the most part, a thing of the past. Only way for these dinosaurs to have survived, really, is if they integrated (no pun) custom into their business model, continue to sell exclusive high end stuff that is NOT available online (although it still is, and does), and they're located IN THE BEST UPPER CLASS, most AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOOD you can find, thats a growing (building) community! Anything else, and they fought a losing battle vs every online discount warehouse on the east coast (and China), for no profit! Been there..done this...seen all that.
I must say that I do not go into hi-fi stores anymore, and I worked in a few over the past 2 decades. I simply play with gear in my own system, and move it on if it doesn't fit my needs. (it costs me nothing, ultimately..FREE HIFI!)
Hey, you can go to Carmax and they'll give you pennies on the dollar for your nearly new condition exotic sports car...and they'll also turn around and sell you the same thing for 3x's what you paid for it, if you're a buyer!!
This works for some...just not me. All I'm saying. I think it's the lazy route, for people who like to pay too much, and lose some "fun coupons" along the way, so they get an "experience". No problem. I just think the world of audio/video doesn't like that model as much anymore. Used survives, and new struggles...at least over the counter.
Still, I respect and even enjoyed the years of prosperity of hi-end AV goodies and surround sound infantcy , represented in a nicely laid out store front, with a knowledgeably staffed sales crew.
Them were the dayzz.....