Dear Fellow Music Enthusiast,
We've been doing this (importing and distributing quality
audio components) for well over thirty years.
During that time we've learned a little.
We've learned that there are a lot of "good
stories" in the audio industry. Every manufacturer seems to have a special
understanding of the laws of physics that allows them, and only them, to make the perfect
product.
But mostly we've learned to be skeptical. We don't
blindly believe manufacturer's stories. We take reviews with a grain of salt. And we
firmly believe that the only way to evaluate a component is to listen to it. Either it sounds better than competing products or it
doesn't. It really is as simple as that.
Every year we are offered
hundred of products from dozens of
manufacturers. However, we rarely take on new lines. When we do,
it is not uncommon for us
take a year or more to reach that decision.
The type of products that excite us fall into
three major
categories:
- Those that offer outstanding performance for the money (like Arcam). In these products we are
looking for true "high-end" performance at a price that anyone
with a passion for music and/or movies can afford.
Typically these products compete directly with components
selling at double the price.
- Those
cost-no-object components that really are head and shoulders
above the rest (dCS).
Unlike typical "high-end" companies, all came out of the "pro"
side of the business. This provides them with a unique
understanding of the entire recording/playback process. It
also forced them to grow up in a "no bullshit" environment.
Recording engineers expect products to deliver the performance
promised, and to do it day in and day out.
- Finally
there is a third group, those products that just brought a smile
to our collective faces when we heard them in action (Nottingham).
Typically these are products that we didn't even seriously
consider the first time they were mentioned. But, we ended
up listening to them, usually by accident or coercion, and were
so thrilled and surprised that we just had to do it.
Selecting the right products is
half of the equation. We also try to select the best dealers,
those that can provide you with guidance and
after-the-sale support that you need. And, standing behind it all, you will always find
us. We're pretty sure that you're going to be thrilled with products from any manufacturer
we represent. But, we also know that things can, and do, go wrong. When that happens we're
going to do our best to sort things out.
Best regards & happy
listening,
The staff at Audiophile Systems