Kevin gets the


Both Stereophile and Absolute Sound review Prima Luna's integrated at the same time...did Kevin threaten to pull his full page ads or else? Don't get me wrong, I have purchased many a tube etc. from Kevin over the years, and he has always been courteous and quite helpful... But this is a perfect example how the world has always worked , and as much as the Internet makes me crazy at times I'm grateful for the free exchange of opinions we still have on sites like Audiogon etc.
goldenear1948

Kevin, I'm glad you pulled through those hard times, that gives me courage to try and pull through some tough things I'm going through at the present.

I want to thank you for advice you gave that improved the sound in my room without spending one red cent, and I've never been happier with any amp, as I am with my Primaluna mono blocks; I'm another one of your satisfied customers.
Kevin is a great guy to work with. I've been purchasing equipment from him for several years now. I have nothing but praise in his ability to deliver and stand behind his products (even when the manufacturer won't). Here's a recent example. Three months ago, I bought a Cary SLP98L F1 edition preamp from him. I used it for one month before the problems started. Sent the defective unit to Cary, at my expense, for evaluation and repair. The unit was diagnosed with a faulty Audio 1 cap and other problems in the circuit. The tech rewired the unit direct coupled because he couldn't isolate or fix the underlying circuit problem. I thought, great. Shipped back to me. Within three weeks, SLP98L crapped out again. Spoke to Cary, told them enough was enough and I wanted a current production model of the same type and configuration shipped to me immediately. I also wanted them to email the UPS prepaid shipping label since I wasn't going to spend any more money on this unit. Cary told me to pack sand and work with my dealer (Kevin); I was going to do this anyway given the poor product build and inadequate customer support (from my perspective). For what I spent on the Cary SLP98L, they should have readily agreed to my request just to make up for the defective equipment. In any event, Kevin, to his credit, took the unit back, fully credited me with the entire purchase amount and set about the task of obtaining a brand new Mystere CA21 tube preamp. I used to own the Mystere CA11. Don't know why I ever sold that unit. Thought Cary Audio was light years ahead in product quality, sound, and customer support. Not so. The takeaway - Kevin is a quality person with high integrity who will back up his promises and deliver. That's why I never doubt making any purchase from him.
Not really sure how him selling a defective product and exchanging it for one of his own is good service
Dchang81,

It's better than getting kicked down the road which a lot of dealers do. They would tell you the problem is with Cary and deal with them. At least he exchanged the unit and made the customer happy. I'm no fan of Mr.Deal but I will say in this Instance he did the right thing.
I have bought quite a few products from Kevin over the years. He has been nothing but helpful. Kevin has a very good ear and I have bought many items without ever hearing them. In all cases I was very satisfied. It's important to have a dealer you can communicate with, Kevin is an advanced audiophile so his skill set is a better match to other advanced audiophiles than he is to guys just kicking tires or new to the hobby.
I have known two trusted dealers in my 40 years in this hobby. Walt from Woodland Stereo and Kevin at Upscale Audio. Whenever I have a need, Kevin gets the first call. Thanks Kevin.