New Pass Labs Go To


I’m very sad to see Mark close up Reno HiFi. He offered the best service out there: demo equipment, fair demo pricing, great inventory, etc.  if you dealt with them, you know what I mean.  That said, even though change is always hard to deal with, where is the new go to for Pass Labs electronics? I don’t have a local Pass dealer.  Asking for a friend…

mjjw

Reading this post is how I, just now, learned that Reno Hi-Fi closed up.  Mark was amazing!  The comments about his reputation and professionalism are unanimous. 

He sold me some x-600 monos many years ago and it was one of the best large transactions I have ever made.  "renomarks" and Reno Hi-Fi will be missed!  Daryl

I was as surprised as the rest of you that he retired after the move to AZ, but I guess that was his plan all along. I bought a SIT3 from Mark a few years back and probably one his last XA25s over this past summer. The XA25 was a lightly used demo at a deep discount. When it came time to pay he told me that he was going to sell me a new unit instead, for the same discounted price. I was floored! Made my day!  Many thanks Mark! 

Glad to read this thread tonight.  I bought many wonderful Pass Labs instruments through Mark. He really was a great person to work with and very responsive to email and calls.  Hope he enjoys his retirement!  

I remember reading Mark owned one of the original Threshold amps.  And my bad it was cool car calendars not Xmas cards he sent out.

Reno HiFi and Mark were definitely a great source of info and gear! Anyone know what Mark’s personal hifi rig consists of?

I didn’t know they were closing. Reno Will definitely be missed. Thanks for the great service you provided me many years ago and the cool car calendar you sent out afterwards.

I talked with both Mark at Reno HiFi and Moon Audio, in the end Mark seemed like a friend and Moon Audio seemed like a detached business.  I of course bought from Mark.  I agree, it's too bad he couldn't find someone with his values to purchase Reno HiFi rather than shutting it down. 

Wishing you the very best Mark!

 

Scott

Definitely need more dealers like Reno. Some of the best service (and pricing) I ever received in audio. Mark not only answered all questions promptly but went out of his way to be sure you were happy with what he had told you whether you ended up buying from him or not. Come to think of it Reno is the only audio shop I ever got Xmas cards from.🎄

Mark is fantastic and has a wealth of knowledge that's hard to beat in this hobby. 

@charliee,

I believe you got your wish, post was removed.   I never saw what had been posted so I won’t comment. 

I have handled many phone calls and 3 Pass Labs purchases with Mark.  This has culminated in owning my final Pass Labs mono amps.  

Based on my personal experience, I know I will miss him and probably be dealing with a different audio seller in the future. The thought will come to me -- I wish this was Mark I was talking to.

So long good buddy

Happy Trails

Mark is one of the good guys in all of audio. And certainly Nelson Pass, Kent and crew are too. Makes sense that they worked so well together.

Enjoy the music, Mark! 

agree with @mesch 

kent at pass is a total prince, so attentive, friendly and helpful

am sure he will direct any interested buyer to a suitable dealer

No idea about sales, but Pass offers great technical support and customer service. I’m a 20 year customer of Mark’s...called Pass Labs directly last week: phone answered within seconds and all my questions and more were answered and explained by Kent...

Why is it ok for ghdprentice to drop his political comment on the thread and not have it deleted? I thought we were in a politics free forum???

I almost bought a demo XA25 from them just a couple months ago and then stalled and then it was gone.  
Regarding the OP’s original question… is there a favorite Pass / FW dealer out there now? I see the Pass site lists dealers … but from ppl’s experiences, are there other specific dealers recommended ? 

Great dealer, great person. Great equipment.   All good things must come to an end.  

Selfishly, I hate to see Reno Hi-Fi go and no one taking over mark’s shop. He was a hands-on dealer who valued personal communication. He will be missed.

Indeed, Marc was a special breed. I called him about 10 years ago to discuss amplifiers and we decided that an integrated 250 would be a good  choice for me. Without a credit card, or identification he  sent me the app to try for 30 days telling me that if I didn’t like it  I could send it back  (110 lb beast) based on one call

 who does that now without a prior relationship

. Needless to say I still have the app

I wish Mark the  very best in his retirement. 

I bought my XA25 from Mark, he was personable, efficient and always willing to advise and assist. Set the industry standard it seems for customer satisfaction. I wish him well in retirement.

John

I did some business with him a couple times, good for him to be able to retire. He treated me the best I've ever been treated by any HiFi establishment I've ever done business with.

I wish there were more guys we could say that about, but good on you, Mark!

Regards to all,

Dan 

“Guess he likes the heat”


Well I mean he was surrounded by Pass Labs Class A amps…

Happy Trails and best wishes Mark!
Had many pleasant transactions over the years. Enjoy retirement :)

Post removed 

From his website (I hadn't seen it before now):
 

Originally posted April 11, 2023; revised August 10, 2023:

 

Dear Reno Hi Fi clients and friends: 

After more than 25 years in business, Reno Hi Fi will soon be closed, and Mark Sammut will retire. We’ve had a great run and I believe our business has truly been win-win for all parties involved.  I can’t thank the audiophile community enough for all the good energy and good business over the years. 

We are sold out of all inventory and we are not accepting new orders. 

Mark remains available for a short while to help customers with recent purchases.  We are no longer keeping regular store hours, but we are available by appointment.  Mark will check and respond to email and voicemail on weekday mornings. 

With the announcement of our store closing in April, all merchandise sold out much faster than we originally expected.  

 

Pass Labs factory will help audiophiles with product information and warranty support and help with locating another dealer for future purchases. 

 

I could not be more appreciative of all that Nelson Pass (The One and Only!) has done for my family business through the decades, with Wayne Colburn; Desmond Harrington; Kent English; and my late father, Joe Sammut; and many other great people.  I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by so much talent.  With Nelson’s usual kindness, he recently posted that he wished I would keep working.  And of course, there would be no Reno Hi Fi without our many thousands of awesome clients—Thank YOU!  We’ve had a wonderful time together and now it’s my time to retire in good health and move on to life outside the audio industry. 

 

Early in September 2023, we will be permanently closed. The business itself and its parts, including the customer database, will not be sold nor shared. I’m proud that I’ve always maintained my integrity and kindness.  I’m grateful to have helped so many people enjoy the wonderful Hi Fi hobby.  I thank you all for trusting me with your business. 

 

In my retirement, I look forward to doing many things which I’ve not had time to do these last 25 years, including: taking long vacations, focusing on regular daily exercise and healthy cooking, practicing the piano, enjoying lunch out with friends… and just enjoying the music. 

 

Very Truly Yours, Mark Sammut

 

Wow! He relocated to Arizona, but did anyone have a clue he was going to retire soon after? I never purchased from them, but they were the go-to shop for Pass gear. Bummer. 

Where to purchase Pass Lab products:

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The above link answers the question “Where to buy Pass Labs Distribution & Dealers Locator”.