A Few Nice Words For Upscale Audio


Back in October '23 I started to have problems with my preamp, a 2005 edition Pathos InControl.  Upon turn on there was a hum/throb in one channel.  Hoping for a simply solution I ordered a pair of replacement tubes from Upscale Audio.  When swapping out the tubes I observed that the ceramic collar to a tube socket had basically fallen apart.  Not that that mattered since the hum/throb was still there.  Upscale happened to be the US importer/distributor/service center for Pathos, an Italian company, so I called them for advice.  They told me to ship the unit to them and they would make repairs.

I'm going to make a digression here and say what a total PITA it was to ship the preamp.  I'll never use UPS again, that's for sure!

Upscale gets the preamp, fixes the tube socket and removes an annoying click at "32" on the volume control, but they could not reproduce the hum/throb.  They talked to me and we agreed that they should test it a little bit longer.  Just when they were about to give up a say the preamp is functioning perfectly, it completely stops working.  They determine the problem was a failed circuit board in the power supply.  Upscale contacts Pathos and they are told they don't stock the board, but that they could make a new board.  I authorize the repair.

The first week in January I contacted Upscale for the status of the repair and I was surprised to find that it was ready to be shipped back to me.  It was sitting on my front porch in less than a week.

So thank you Upscale and Pathos for providing first rate support for your product.  All told the cost came to approximately $1k of which boxing and shipping totaled nearly 1/3 cost.  I doubled boxed the preamp when I shipped and Upscale tripled boxed when returning.  A nice touch!

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@thecarpathian 

I stand corrected, I just did not see that I typed the word wrong even on the proof read.  Then again, I am not on this forum for lessons in perfect grammar or spelling and sentence structure.  No, I don't think I overreacted at all, they (Upscale) do rock, always helpful without a lot of BS, unlike some folks on this forum, I might add.

Back to Upscale…

Bought a few things from them online ranging from streamers to cartridges and phono amps. There was an extremely minor snag with the streamer being out of stock when their system indicated that they had it. Kevin stepped in and had the distributor prioritize it. There was only a superficial delay. 
Also had few questions on phono amps and cartridges. Kat was awesome in helping out. Bought tubes, cables, and accessories from them. Worked with Bill and others there as well. Always solid! Can’t complain.

I have bought a number of items from Upscale and their products and customer service is second to none... thanks for starting this thread and giving them the recognition they deserve! Highly recomment them. 

I couldn't be more pleased with all of my purchases and purchasing experiences  from Upscale!

Upscale is exceptional, I had great experience with them too, mostly with Kat who had moved on since then. But I don't doubt that the service is still outstanding, whoever is on the other end of the line.