Speaker placement at dealers

Phasecorrect: Unsound's comments were pulled yet he has no affiliaton with Symphony Sound. Unsound was simply responding to and applauding Hackmaster's comments. For those that did not know, Hackmaster operates Symphony Sound here in Chicago. Sean
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Hackmaster and Sean...I live and work not too far from Mike Holm's place and they do try hard. I don't know who the salesman was who gave you a heard time, Sean, but I've never had a run-in with anyone. Mike can be a little opinionated at times, but he'll do virtually anything you ask. Was there last night to take some things home for audition.

Their place is a little small, but the rooms (esp. the vinyl room) are set up pretty well. Last time I bought speakers there, they would only allow one set in at a time. Good for them!

Hackmaster, next time I'm in the city visiting my Linn guy, I'll have to come to Symphony Sound!

Cp: The "salesman" that i spoke of is no longer employed by Mike of Holm Audio as far as i know. If you've been there more than a few times, you should know of which individual that i speak of. Sean
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I just got back from Best Buy. I went in to buy a DVD player, but I ended up buying a few adaptors and cables, which actually ended up to be $114 with tax, which is more than an entry level DVD player. These adaptors allows me to connect my X-Box to my NAD DD receiver via optical means. Now I can watch movies thru my X-box with digital surround.

Anyways, my point is the sales people there were more than enthusiastic that I got what I wanted and tought me how the connections work. I was amazed that they actually were knowledgeable about different region codings and were able to contrast the different quality and functions of S-video and optical vs. coaxial. I never got this kind of service from the snobby hifi/home theater stores/shacks that I've been to. When I asked dummy questions (things I already knew but just to test them), they've always tried to steer me towards something that is more profitable.

Anyhow, just to stretch this post even longer, I was a pretty successful salesperson when I was working in a home theater shack in the early 90s. I was cocky enough to claim a room to myself and fix the room up for whoever my client of the week was. A lot of the times, my clients got off the sofa chair and started moving the speakers and connected the cables with me. There really was no salesperson/client relationship going on.

On a side note, when I sold my brother in law a few used equipment, I helped him set it up in his living room, and he just sat on the sofa... relatives.. can do with out haha.

Dedication is all it takes in a dealer and I have been astounded in what I have found , or ...havent found .. Dedication in listening to a clients needs and dedication in making sure systems are properly mated and set up is very important indeed . Example. I wanted the new Aerial 20 ts. I have owned Aerial for a long time now. Mike Kelly is a passionate craftsman and is in command of his vision. When the long awaited 20 s hit the market I went to a nationally recognized dealer in Raleigh NC to make my decision. Good salespeople in general and a very nice store but set-up was terrible. Cramped in a room that had a obvious bass suck out issue that rendered the 20 s lacking in punch . Air and transparency as well as imaging and soundstage was outrageous however. I had 2 sw=12 subs so I thought I would be fine. I heard a company called A_V in Columbia SC had a pair and went there for an audition and nearly fell out! Everything the Raleigh store had , they had in spades along with an incredible depth that was completely missing before. I mean completely. I was stunned. The guys at A_V were incredible in their appreciation of my enthusiasm and spent tons of time working with me. Its dealers with dedicated employees that make the difference. Speakers like the 20 s just cant be thrown into a room and cranked up. Knowledge of room acoustics and their interaction with the equiptment is a big part of the equation. The lesson is simple. Find an intelligent , caring independent audio dealer and stick by them. I did.