High End Customer Service

[dallasjustice]

On a similar note, I have a tenant, who a couple years ago bought a new BMW i8 when it was first released. His assistant teased him about how that thing literally broke down and left him stranded every other week. The guy was a good sport about it, and joked that was a feature. It allowed him to drive the 7 series loaner as well, so it was like him have 2 cars while paying for one.

My 2016 740i has broken down a couple of times now. I’ve owned a lot of cars. The only one that didn’t break was the Lexus. But it was boring and had crappy tech.

 

[PierreV]

Vivids are the only speaker that I have heard at the audio shows that have always sounded consistently good, no matter what electronics were attached to them or how abysmal the conditions. I always pondered how they could do that.

The G3 beat any other speakers/amp combo in my house with FX Audio D802/Fatman iTube/Marantz HD AMP1/Marantz PM10/Marantz SR7008/Linn Akurate/a couple of cheap Yamahas/NAD 3020 + a few others I tested short term. It is indeed unreal. The Fatman iTube test was amazing: a cheapish Dared 2x13W tube/solid state hybrid amplifier, and the Giya sounded their usual self, except of course - no miracle here - that the sound wasn't exactly room filling and the bass lacked a bit of punch.

The only amps I have tested and it doesn't like _at all_ are full tube designs.

I'll keep them even if it turns out they are the speaker's equivalent of a 1970s 12 cylinder Ferrari, unless they start spilling oil on my carpet

 

[Sal1950]

Oh I have had good service from people in the hifi industry, it’s just so many products have been faulty.

Here's a "feel good" story for ya's. I bought a Phase Linear 700B around 1979 from a Pacific Stereo store in Chicago. It was a demo that I'd been keeping my eye on, it had been playing in the High End room there for a number of years. Anyway they put it up for sale at a heavily discounted price and I grabbed it up. One day a number of years later my La Scala's let out this hellacious noise and then went silent. Not sure where to take it, I looked up a Phase Linear factory repair station and actually found one fairly close to my house. It was a Jensen affiliated repair station since Jensen had bought Phase Linear some years back. Bottom line after a couple weeks they called and said the amp was ready, without asking any questions on the phone I braced myself, grabbed my checkbook, and went to get it. When I got there he had it hooked up to a couple speakers and had it playing, immediately I noticed they had replaced all the soldered in tiny lights that illuminated the big VU meters, most of which had burned out from the extended playing hours it had experienced being on about 16-7 as the stores demo unit. I then though, "oh boy, wait till I get this bill". He disconnected it, wrapped up the power cord and set it on the counter. Turned around and grabbed my invoice off the back counter as I finally asked "how much"?
NO CHARGE he said, I about fell down and kinda asked again, no charge, was again his answer.
At that point I did the smart thing and didn't question anything. I signed the invoice as he asked, like this was some sort of warranty repair, he gave me a copy and I picked up the amp and walked out. Never heard another word from them.
Some times the Audio Gods shine on us I guess

 

[JJB70]

Some businesses do customer service very well, and others don't. Interestingly I have never found cost a good indicator of good service, I've bought some pretty expensive stuff in my life where I've been far from impressed with company service. Other times a gesture really restores ones faith in humanity. A couple of weeks ago I did something really stupid and went for lunch without my wallet, when I was about to order and went for it to get ready to pay and muttered something so the owners asked what was up. I told him I'd be back in 20 minutes as I needed to go back to the office for my wallet when he said just order what you want and you can pay me next time you're passing by. Now a cynic might call that clever marketing as it generates a lot of goodwill but it was also something the guy didn't have to do (he did it happily and willingly with no tut tut or gestures to tell me he was doing me a favour) and it's something a lot of businesses wouldn't do.

 

[JJB70]

Talking about customer service.......

 

[cjfrbw]

Brick'nMortar stores in NYC and the East Coast had the reputation in the pre internet day for brusque and browbeating sales style. I guess they could get away with it then. They were 'dial an audiophile insult' palaces staffed by ersatz snobs.

 

[Sal1950]

Talking about customer service.......

A stellar example of the audio con man. BLAH
"A whole group of really really educated people that fall for the biggest flim flam since three card monte."
The smarter they are, the easier they fall. LOL

 

[PierreV]

A stellar example of the audio con man. BLAH

Well, the reason why he sounds like a con man is obvious... Had he used a proper audiophile cable for his microphone, his rant would have sounded more dynamic, defined and articulate.

 

[JJB70]

There has always been a certain type of person who induces a rather negative view of their field. This guy is one, I guess I am one of the lost generation who embraced the CD and let the side down, shame on me. I also (suppresses a shudder and looks at the floor in shame) find higher quality MP3 to be very good and think 44.1/16 is perfectly good. However opinionated idiots who specialise in parting the gullible from lots of money aren't unique to any field nor arrogant sales people.

 

[cjfrbw]

They play a role in the sociology of audio. If you spend money, you want to feel special and the only way to feel special often is for a sales person to appear to distinguish you from the rabble on the (temporary) quality of your check book. As long as you are forking over, you are a magnetic individual of taste, style, class and distinction. If you aren't, you are a numb nut waste of space.

 

[Sal1950]

There has always been a certain type of person who induces a rather negative view of their field. This guy is one, I guess I am one of the lost generation who embraced the CD and let the side down, shame on me. I also (suppresses a shudder and looks at the floor in shame) find higher quality MP3 to be very good and think 44.1/16 is perfectly good. However opinionated idiots who specialise in parting the gullible from lots of money aren't unique to any field nor arrogant sales people.

I'm with you. I had a killer LP based system back when I got my first CD player, nothing special, a Magnavox CDB560, one of the first really affordable decks. I'll never forget the first time I spun the then just released Dire Straights-Bothers In Arms and said to myself "wow, I've heard the future and it's digital". (Maybe it was J Gordon Holt that said it first. )
I can even listen to my 320kb Spotify stream without pain, it's more than good enough for casual listening.

 

[JJB70]

I've always thought that the principal objection of those audiophiles who hate digital is less about sound quality than their objection to what I call the democratization of audio. Digital technology has made very high quality sound universally accessible, and also very usable without having to become some sort of determined hobbyist. These days any computer, tablet or smart phone can be a genuine hi-fi source. If listening with headphones you don't even need a separate DAC and good headphones aren't that expensive. I recently paid £132 for a pair of Audio Technica ATH-MSR7's (new) and I can use them with my mobile phone and the sound quality is superb. Speakers are more expensive of course, but good DACs aren't that expensive, and you can get some cracking active speakers for not that much or alternatively a good amp and passive speakers doesn't have to cost much. And I think that is what really pee's off the snobbish end of the hobby, the mystique has gone, you don't need to spend $$$$$$$$$$$$$$s, then spend hours tinkering with tone arms, treating records like they were Faberge eggs and all that, you bring up a screen (or switch a CD player on, select what you want to listen to and just enjoy. The idea that ignoramus cloth eared amateurs can enjoy great sounds for peanuts without having to hang onto every word of self appointed experts really drives these people mad I think.

 

[Ceburaska]

Ha ha I have vivid G3 and I went through many many issues with drivers. The latest lot seem to be holding together though I did stick one back together myself, still the other 3 bass drivers have not needed my attention for about 14 months and that’s a record for vivids in my house.. had the B1 before these and I’d be sticking those bass/mid’s back together at least once a month.

I was told i was the only guy in the world with issues with their drivers.... lol

Have you ditched the vivids?

Don’t say that, you’ve made me worried.
I’ve had my B1s over a year and have never had a problem....since they came back from a service when I first bought them without the drivers on one speaker properly in place.
Laurence Dickie came to my flat to stick ‘em in and they’ve been lovely jubbly ever since!
They are the best speakers I’ve ever heard (haven’t heard all that many to be honest) and my favourite piece of kit.

 

[garbulky]

I've always thought that the principal objection of those audiophiles who hate digital is less about sound quality than their objection to what I call the democratization of audio. Digital technology has made very high quality sound universally accessible, and also very usable without having to become some sort of determined hobbyist.

And that goes doubly for recording! I have access to recording equipment in number, quality, that I would NEVER have been able to afford before.

Right now if I want to do a stereo microphone recording, it takes very little setup time, it is completely portable and then a button press. From scratch it would take me about three to five leisurely minutes to start recording. If it's already connected it literally takes two button presses to be off recording in 24 bit 96 khz from stereo microphones. And it sounds great to me. Can't be happier.