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96.39.151.49
Any feedback?
They claim to be NAD authorized reseller, but
no such indication at NAD Electronics website.
Thanks!
There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.
—Leonard Cohen
Follow Ups:
I bought a cd player from them and also contacted them a year later with a question. I like my experiences with Spearit Sound, responsive and easy to deal with.
They can't say whether the unit was simply open box or an actual refurbish
done at the factory. Plus the warranty was halved, so I lost interest. This
would have been for a friend, just getting into the game, and he's both
tube-phobic and previously-owned-phobic.
There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.
—Leonard Cohen
Drove there, over the weekend to buy an Esoteric SACD Player. The huge box wouldn't fit in my trunk so they removed the 2 inner boxes from the outer box, put that in my trunk, then broke down the large box and put that in my trunk plus the packing. Jack was truly a pleasure to deal with and I will do business with them for a long time to come. They are a class act.
I throw my windows open wide and call to you across the sky.
Edits: 06/25/12
I drove from Long Island to audition/buy CJ preamp. It was a pleasure dealing with Dick Moulding. I intend going back for a power amp.
Ok service but I was a little disappointed they didn't double box, especially as the factory packing was a little lame.
Whatever you buy tell them you want it double boxed cause they don't have the sense to do that on their own.
"Lock up when you're done and don't touch the piano."
-Dr. Greg House
I don't want any manufacturers that allow selling into other dealers' territories. Beyond small accessories, it's bad for the industry and ultimately bad for consumers.
Brian Walsh
With respects to the other posters on this subject, I thought I would share another retailer viewpoint. The whole question of distribution of high-end gear has no right answer, IMHO. We (Spearit Sound) have been successful at expanding our brick and mortar store into a solid Internet business. A sad reality is many of the high-end stores with which we all grew-up are gone. Sadly. many of the retailers still around are by appointment only and cannot afford to stock or display the variety of equipment that the audiophile wants to consider.
We will be the first ones to say to our mail order customers "Support your local dealer if you have one." As Mr. Walsh points out, a local dealer is a prize and a good local dealer can provide a level of personalization that cannot easily be achieved in a mail order setting. However, everyday I speak to audio enthusiasts who tell me their nearest "brand X" dealer is 8 hours away. The same person is also considering "brand y," and the nearest dealer for that brand involves air travel. What is that person supposed to do? Buy a Denon surround receiver at his local big-box store? (not picking on Denon, just making a point.)
There is a tendency to equate mail order with those ads that used to be in the back of the magazines saying "Best prices on Nakamichi." With quality Internet sellers, local dealers should have their territories respected. Since cj has been mentioned, let me use them as an example. We honor the territorial restrictions on all of their current "A" stock models. Checking our website will show price and description on something like the ET5 but no "buy" box. Instead, you will see a note "This conrad-johnson component is not available mail order. If you do not have a local dealer, please contact us, we can often get cj to allow us offer you their products." If someone calls looking for a limited distribution product we will actively try to find out if shopper has a local dealer and will literally contact the manufacturer if there is a question of "territory." On current "A" stock product, we will not offer it to the end user without the manufacturer's specific permission. I'm not kidding, we really do this. Our contract requires it and, I know it's old-fashioned, it's the ethical thing to do. You cannot build a long-term relationship with a customer or a manufacturer without ethics.
High-end mail order is not a matter of taking a phone call and selling a $20K preamp for $12K and that's it. We couldn't afford to do business that way either. We've got substantial costs, just like any other dealer. Our highly experienced and non-commissioned sales force is not cheap, but it is the most essential element in being able to present exotic gear and ensure that a system actually sounds good. Our demos costs are significant, in addition to the cj GAT/ART or the $100k digital stack from Esoteric on display, we may also need four or five demos on popular models as several people may want to try these things at home before committing to buy. We've had customer's who have had thousands of dollars of our stock in their home for auditioning. (Just like when we were strictly brick and mortar.) It doesn't matter if you're next door or across the country, you're going to want to listen to that $20K preamp before plunking down the money. A good dealer, Internet or local has to understand that.
I didn't mean to go on so, but the industry is in a transitional period and it is difficult for some while new paths from the manufacturer to the buyer are being sorted out. We need to find ways that encourage business growth but also ensure that dealers and manufacturers that will be around to provide support for all that expensive stuff we sell. I believe this is best served through dialog and I hope this note is taken as such.
Jack Tozzi
www.spearitsound.com
Agreed, Ed really does know his business and cj really understands the concept of customer service. The industry could use more guys like Ed.
Jack Tozzi
www.spearitsound.com
Jack, this is just an FYI from me to thee:
A few years ago I was talking to Ed D. at CJ about a particular piece of gear and mentioned that there was, to my knowledge, no CJ dealer in my area. He asked me for my zip code and confirmed that I was not within any "authorized dealer zone." I specifically asked him if dealing with Spearit via the web would be alright and his words were something very close to "Oh yes, they are wonderful people."
As always, Ed knows what he's talking about.
Very well stated, Jack. It is wonderful to know that excellent retailers are still out there - internet or otherwise.
When Spearit Sound (or online store "XYZ") is the only place I can find a used piece of gear that I've been lusting after for years....
Jim
Simplify.
I bought a lightly used CJ Premier 18LS (solid-state) linestage from Spearit Sound many many years ago.
Brian Walsh
It's great for consumers! Just because you're a dealer and want to keep prices high is understandable but as a consumer we want the best prices possible and a little competition is good.
You do not see the long range big picture nor are you showing any appreciation for customer service, demonstrations, try-before-you-buy loaners, and after sale support. Competitive pricing is one thing -- most dealers do that -- but predatory practices do not benefit anyone in the long term. In view of your past posts it is clear you consider price the most important thing. At the end of the day it isn't for most people.
Brian Walsh
I've never lived in Texas, but on a trip, I stopped in Galen Carol Audio & was bowled over by the way I was treated. MANY years later, I purchased a few items from them via mail order & have more than once sung their praises.
I went to school down in New Mexico, and when I had the chance, I frequented a pair of dealers in Albequerque. Never directly purchased anything from either dealer, but sent a number of friends to each & they certainly made $$ from my good will word of mouth.
I was born and raised in Illinois, and for the last decade plus that I was in the state, I lived probably 20 to 30 minutes from your store. Was quite interested in a number of lines you carry, but never felt terribly inclined to visit. When people I knew were interested in rather big ticket purchases, for whatever reason, I directed them to a dealer in Louisiana, or to take a trip to Utah.
Sometimes it isn't just the bottom line price, and at other times it may just be. Often, it is just a matter of convenience or general "feel" for a particular transaction.
Something similar would be a friend of mine who wanted to replace the bass panels in his full range ribbon speakers. He would have spent multi-kilobucks just for the parts, but the (current) manufacturer does not make them available to individuals & requires you to interact with one of his representitives/installers. He didn't wish to do so, and simply chucked his full-ranges in the bin.
Some manufacturers have a distance deal in the sellers agreement.
Reno HiFi, for example, won't sell you NEW Pass if you live within 100 miles of an authorized dealer. Used? Ship it anywhere on the planet. New? NOPE, unless you are out of a dealers 100 mile limit.
Next time I hit it big in Tahoe, I'll have to drive all the way back to SoCal to buy my new amp!
Too much is never enough
David, I know you lived in the area. I would welcome a phone call from you sometime.
Brian Walsh
I can see why you wouldn't want to sell products from manufacturers who sell to internet dealers like Spearit Sound has become, but I don't consider what they are doing to be wrong so long as they are following the rules of the manufacturers. If, for example, CJ wants them selling worldwide, then that's CJ's decisions. If NAD wants everyone in the world selling its products, then that's their decision. It's then up to the dealer to decide if they want to sell those products or not, but it's not unethical of Spearit Sound to do so if permitted. I don't think you are saying anything other than that, but appreciate your views as always.
___
"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
And it also helps explain the difficulties some manufacturers have getting and keeping good dealers. But it cuts both ways.
Brian Walsh
I was eventually able to find Spearit listed at the NAD Electronics site by
entering their zip code. Appreciate all the responses!
There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.
—Leonard Cohen
Easy recommendation!
Jim
Simplify.
I bought an expensive preamp from them online. I expected to keep it, but it didn't work out in my system. They have a 7 day return policy, and they took it back with no questions asked. I would buy from them again with no qualms.
The NAD website indicates that Spearit is an authorized dealer. They are "brick and mortar", about a half hour north of me. A few years back, I purchased NAD separates at the store: C270 / C160 amp / preamp combo. Don't think you would have any problems dealing with them. Employees there with whom I've spoken: Dick Moulding and Jack Tozzi. (Don't know if they've moved on.)
Also have main branch in Boston, or did last time I checked. On Comm Ave.
Been about two years or so since they vacated.
Rumor has it that Ralph was paying on a monthly basis and the landlord offered a lease he thought excessive, believing that others would too. Punch line is the landlord found Audio Concepts as a new tenant and they now occupy the space.
I've also heard that the Boston store was perhaps no longer necessary given all the online sales they now make and that the lease story is not true.
In any event, they're gone from Boston. It's a shame for Bostonians - I really like Ralph, and his employees too. They carried good brands, were knowledgeable and generous with home demos and dealer discounts.
But Audio Concepts is solid, and one of the good guys from Spearit, named Chris, is still there. More of a HT installation oriented business model, but they do have nice high end sound room and also permit home auditions and give dealer discounts on certain things (albeit more modest ones).
___
"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Too bad. Ralph was a good businessman first though and I'm sure made the prudent decision. I met him and his business (which used to be called Goodwin's untll Goodwin bought back or sued back his name) in Worcester which was for a while a sister to the Boston store. Ralph "moved" to Northampton when he bought out Dick Moulding's Sound and Music, wisely keeping both Dick and his great staff. My favorte story about Ralph was that while he sold popular gear, again ever prudent, he had Quads at home!
Call and ask him about NAD
Spearit is good people and a pleasure to deal with.
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