while in houston this weekend, i managed to get away for about 45 minutes, and checked out the local 'Tweeter' store in the area. i had been very excited to go there, cause it was the first really 'high-end' type audio/video store i had ever been to.
it was a smaller store, but they had walls of HD tv's upon entrance, and then the amp and listening rooms were off to the sides. i wont say much for their customer service. when i walked in, the guy just kinda looked at me, then went right back to a magazine he was reading. he gave me that, "he cant afford this" look. it kinda pissed me off.. anyway, i mainly wanted to see the subs and speakers that i have been reading about for all these months, so i jetted straight to the listening room. it was pretty cool. they had a few models that i had been interested in buying(polk, vienna, and sonus faber), but their retail prices were ridiculious. and i was not impressed with their sub selection. polks, velodyne, and boston acoustics. big whup?...
i did listen to a few bookshelf/amp combinations, but nothing that really made my head spin. i liked a B&K system that they had, but once again, way too pricy.
all in all, i thought it was a waste of time. their selection of equip was limited, and their customer service was pitiful. hopefully, my next 'audio store' experience will be much better.
bigjohn
Welcome to the high end audio store experience. You're lucky the guy didn't come right out and say that you couldn't afford it. Last time I was in one, he made out as if I was a fool for wanting to compare tube amps and solid state. Needless to say, if I'm ever in the market for high end equipment, I won't be going there.
Yea you are lucky he didnt start talking to ya, those guys are worse than car salesmen.
Sorry if there is any car salesmen around here.
John,
The Tweeter I went to in PHX was the same way, luckily after striking up a conversation with me he walked away with his tail between his legs. I asked about Paradigm, PSB, and some other good bang for your buck speakers I had read about and the salesman was either clueless or just an ass. I went across the street to a small high-end dealer and the guy (who is a former president of the Arizona Audiophile Society) treated me like an equal. He didn't try to sell me anything (he knew I was young), but let me play with some nice toys all by my lonesome. He carried NAD, PSB, Totem, Naim, Thiel, Grado, Rega, and a few other brands. Everytime I go in there he is friendly as can be. The smaller shop owners realize that customer service is #1. I would suggest a smaller more intimate audio shop and see if your opinion changes.
The last time I was in Dallas, I went to a small high-end shop and I had a good time. I mainly went there to hear a pair of Magnepans. I really didn't get the chance to hear all the other speakers they carried, since I was enjoying myself in front of a pair of MG 1.6's. *drool* The guy was really nice and he wasn't acting like a "salesman" at all. I think if I lived over there, I'd be inclined to do business with them. By the way, does anyone want to contribute to my Magnepan fund?
It seems like most of the time I go into a Tweeter I'm disappointed.
Their selection, to me, is pretty limited from what I seem to remember several years ago. But worse (and I know this makes me sound/feel pretty old), it seems like all the employees are just slackers who don’t give a s**t. The place desperately needs dusting and overall housekeeping while I watch the sales guys standing around. The same equipment is in the same position, hooked up to the same other equipment; none of the displays change for a month at a time. Return for a second visit after a month and it’s like nothings changed… even the same chapter of the same DVD is looking on the same system in the same room.
I know it’s tough to find good help, but I blame the management. It really shouldn’t be that hard to let the employees know that it’s their responsibility to TAKE some responsibility in the looks and "presentation" of the place. Maybe they need to fire the two biggest slackers and split their pay among the other employees with the understanding that they start straightening up….
I had a bad "employee" experience last night, but I'll post it later on a different thread so I don't hijack this one!
I'm still in search of a decent B&M around here......
I have never been to Tweeter, but just looked at them online. They seem to be a little more upscale than Circuit CIty/Best Buy/Future Shop. They carry a few lines and models that cross out of the mass market stuff.
I totally agree with the more specialty shop comments from above. The salespeople typically are genuine music fans, or should I say those who want to spread the hobby. They usually take the time to setup decent systems, will spend the time to answer questions and demo different pieces, and are much more knowledgeable than the people in the big box shops.
If you ever want a treat, visit a Linn dealer. Their principles for demonstrating speakers is to have only ONE pair in a room while a system is playing. This can be interesting, as when I wanted to here the Kanns, with the Isobariks (utter monster speakers) still in the room. I said to just move the big guys aside, and he said no, and dragged them out!!!
That is the same store that I bought my Maggies from (I know because they are the only Maggie dealer in N. Texas). They are good to deal with and they don't seem to have that condescedning attitude that I've found in certain other high end stores in the DFW area. They gave me a liberal trade allowance when I traded in my MG 12s for the MG 1.6s and they have never tried to sell me anything that I didn't need(wires and such). It was a good experience for me.
This is a good read. We don't have any "High End" shops up in these parts per say. We have the Butcher Shop's (Future Shop), A&B, Visions etc and in about a week Best Buy will be opening up. None of these are what I would deem high end by a long shot. We do have a few mid fi joints that carry some exotic brands but they to carry the run of the mill stuff also. Most of the high end guys up here work out of there houses which is very nice and a laid back environment. Krell, McIntosh, Dyna are just a few of the brands that can be had out of some dude's basement.
This sounds odd but to me at least, this is the way it should be.
My experience with my local Tweeter store has been pretty positive. I bought my Sony ES CD player there after having a long and thoroughly enjoyable conversation with a very knowledgable saleslady. When I had trouble with my Marantz receiver a few months back, I went to Tweeter to talk to her and get an insider's advice on how to approach the problem with the store that sold me the unit. She's also been perfectly willing to let me try different cables (analog vs. digital for the CD player), and the rest of the staff seems to be equally knowledgable and courteous. I'm sure it's an anomaly - A visit to Circuit City usually makes me want to take a hostage.
In reply to:
Most of the high end guys up here work out of there houses which is very nice and a laid back environment. Krell, McIntosh, Dyna are just a few of the brands that can be had out of some dude's basement.
Those guys are probably true audio enthusiasts and are more interested in making sure you have whats going to make you happy. That is how I perceive Axiom's philosophy to be also.
Not necessarily. The shop I was in was a small shop, and the guys were total dicks. Of course, I've been to some friendly small shops too (usually the salesguys seem pretty obsessive, but they're nice). The Maggie shop in the area is like that. The dude's nuts, but he's friendly, at least.
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The dude's nuts, but he's friendly, at least.
An accurate description, which I'm sure Adam will agree with.
Remember when we were listening to "And Justice for All" on the Maggies, and he took the CD out, put it in the spinning-demagnetizer gadget, and then played it again swearing that it sounded much better?
Yeah... Whatever he wants to think, ya know? Also how he wouldn't let us listen to the Martin Logans... because the Maggies were so far superior!