Keeping Portland weird........
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Exactly, @robert53. I really hoped True Audiophile would prove to be up to my expectations in regard to turntable/arm/cartridge setup and alignment. But being told I would be met at some location in the area (I'm in Vancouver, just over the river from Portland) to take receipt of my table, and that the cost for a mere cartridge alignment would be $400 (absurd, imo. How 'bout you?), I'll do it myself. I'm no Brooks Berdan (or his son Brian, whom Brooks trained, and who now has his own shop---Audio Element---in Pasadena, CA), but I have the tools and experience to do the job. I don't have that Audio Technica machine, but neither does True Audiophile! |
I don't see anyone trashing True Audiophile here. I inquired information and was given a couple of real experiences people had with you. The ones that did not know anything about you stated that and not in negative ways. Instead of being defensive, you could have provided information about True Audiophile, which is what I was seeking. As far as meeting someone at an agreed location to take equipment, which you have to admit is not the norm, you can't blame someone for being skeptical. |
In the name of clarity.....when I asked via email if I would be dropping off my table/arm/cartridge to have it aligned, I was NOT offered an in-home visit, but rather was told, as I stated above, that they would meet me at a to-be-arranged location for them to take possession of the gear. I found that unacceptable, and still consider it highly unprofessional. An in-home set-up of a table is actually the best arrangement of all (with a couple of caveats---see below); no chance for anything to change during the car ride home. My long-time turntable man, the late Brooks Berdan, did that with some of his clients, including Bill Johnson of Audio Research. Bill's winter home was in Desert Wells, about an hour-and-a-half drive east of Brooks' shop in Monrovia. However, that made impossible a few things Brooks routinely did with all his turntable set-ups: 1- after initial alignment, Brooks "ran in" the cartridge for a number of hours, until the cartridge suspension had relaxed and stabilized. Brooks would then redo the entire alignment. 2- Brooks had the state-of-the-art Audio Technica Phono Cartridge Analyzer and it's related LP, which he used on every cartridge he aligned. The analyzer considered every parameter involved in cartridge alignment, an amazing piece of diagnostic gear. By the way, when one purchased a cartridge from Brooks, the installation, alignment, run-in, realignment, and Audio Technica computer analyzation (with printout of results) were provided free of charge. |
We never post in forums because it’s a difficult proposition. However, this thread is saying some remarkably negative things about us by people who have never even been customers. Many never even contacted us. This will be our one and only post on the subject. It’s just a response to comments and concerns. What would be considerate for many of you posting here is to actually research our company rather than jumping to negative conclusions. We have 5-star ratings on Google from mostly local customers and over 800 happy customers throughout the country. Everything is clearly spelled out on our home page, FAQ page and About Us page. Including turntable service pricing. We've been in business for over 25 years and customer service is paramount to us. As the thread starter mentioned, we got back to him right away. We were courteous and professional. Said customer wanted technical services. When we do precision TT alignment we normally go to the customer's home. That service can take over 2 hours. In this case, it sounded like he had parts and needed assembly. We made an exception and agreed to meet him since he was from out of town. Please note, in 25 years, we have never met a highly skilled tech who allowed customers to go to their place for drop off. In all those cases, the audio company or the customer had to send the product to them. In terms of cost , again, it’s all spelled out in our FAQ pages. How we work is clearly spelled out in our About Us pages. A simple read would averted the surprises listed here. Our rates are our rates. We have corrected many turntables supposedly set up by 'experts’ so we’re quite confident of our skillset. As are customers who have used our services. If the price is not within your budget that's a different story. If you don't like what we carry or our services by all means go to any of the other local stores. You all have free choice. I'm sure none of the negative posters would like it if someone started to say negative things about them at their work when they don't even know the person and visa versa. Especially if they never even worked with them. Finally, I'd like to address the brick and mortar issue for Portland residents. Those living in Portland know the real estate market is out of control. We are regularly hit with comments like, "You won't make noise will you". Or "our sq. footage price increased from last week". Also, think about the pressure the B&M stores are under. They must make overhead and payroll before they make a profit. Therefore, many have no choice but to push products that are not necessarily the best for the customer, but best for the bottom line. We had a demo room for many years and 95% of the customers preferred our Audio Concierge service. Everything has its pluses and minuses. We prefer to operate in a manner that allows us to curate the best possible musical system for each customer. |
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@robert53, @viridian, and @folkfreak, I sent them an email, and received a very quick reply. They don't have a storefront, and are not open to the public. I inquired about dropping off a table/arm/cartridge, and was told we would have to meet at an agreed upon location for them to take the eq. Weird! @viridian, so there's a Portland audiophile community? I need to send you a pm!---Eric. |
I know them, have been following what they stock for a few years. Nothing appeals to me so I’ve never dealt direct but they do appear to be a legitimate store. Although they are an AS dealer, at least for the setup accessories so maybe I should give the, a call There are a few oddball dealers and manufacturers in PDX who work from home or as an adjunct to another business. For example Whammerdyne, ALO etc |
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