Upscale Audio and Primaluna

I’ve had 2 dealings with Upscale. The first I called to enquire about a CJ ET3se preamp. I talked to Kevin who then educated me on the difference between PL preamp & the CJ. Though I understand his logic, I don’t necessarily use the weight & the amount of stuff in the piece as the only criteria. Yes the CJ looks very sparse under the hood while the PL is packed full. CJ has a simplicity is better while PL packs it full. OK. I didn’t really get upset but thought his demeanor out of line. And I have no PC in my blood whatsoever. But I am aware that I can be abrasive to some & try to find workarounds to make the customer comfortable. Kevin doesn’t seem to know of his abrasive nature or doesn’t care. Not a good business practice IMO.

The 2nd time I called to get info and buy a PL Dialogue amp. I talked to Kat & she answered my questions fine. I was looking a 2 different amps and wanted time to weigh my decision. I called back the next day to purchase and she wasn’t in so I left a message to call me back. 2or 3 days later I had not heard from her. Forty + years of business has taught me that sometimes messages don’t get to their proper place so I called again and left another message for her. That was a year or so ago. Still haven’t heard from her or anyone. I bought another amp from someone else. Lesson learned

@mozartfan I've heard from a longtime experienced speaker maker that Cayin is the real deal and very similar to PL. He thinks they're a great deal.

I had a lovely conversation with John Rutan at Audio Connection. Why not work with someone with both expertise and sympathy for the customer. You want tubes? Quicksilver and/or Rogue would be great. QS is made in CA. Rogue in PA.  My two cents.

"plus he pushes Tannoy that is ancient history"
Lmao, you have no idea what you are talking about.....

mozartfan, pick up the current issue of Stereophile , it has an article titled Hi-Fi in the Age of Covid -19 , it will give you a different perspective of the current state of the audio industry then your " These are very hard times in new audio sales". Plus, while I’m not a fan of Upscale Audio from a couple of prior interactions, it doesn’t seem like Kevin Deal and Upscale are having a hard time (" he’s having a rough time selling new."), again take a look in each of the last few months of Stereophile, he has personnel recruiting ads for his business expansion.

As is typical in many of these threads, the OP starts a rant ant then disappears, not bothering to answer a simple question.... what is your system? If you don’t like the way you were treated ,shop elsewhere. Im sure at some point being on the phone with tire kickers can be tiring and seen as a waste of time. Kevin runs a business that is successful enough that he can avoid kissing ass. He is also very knowledgeable,but if his business model offends you, shop with your feet. That simple.