I've only had a couple transactions with TMR but found the the representatives involved to be both highly professional and cordial. I would buy from/sell to them again with no reservations.
Now, about supporting B&M stores...
We hear again and again in these forums the refrain "treat the room" . . . are these the same folks who insist we ought to support B&M stores who, for the most part, do not offer in-home demos? ? ?
If so, I'm unable to follow the logic.
For such stores to survive, it would seem they require an ongoing supply of two types of customers-- 1) those who are too inexperienced to realize the risk they run when buying gear on the basis of a showroom demo alone and 2) those who are so wealthy that the risk of bringing home a component that may or may not sound good their room is of no consequence.
No doubt you'll suggest there's a third category-- those audiophiles who are so experienced they can hear an unfamiliar component in an unfamiliar system in a unfamiliar room and accurately determine how it will sound in their system, in their room. I don't pretend to be an expert and I don't discount the possibility that such individuals exist.
Nevertheless, as I do not fit into this latter category or the two preceding categories, such stores hold no appeal.
I bought my Aqua DAC from a B&M store-- Alma Music and Audio in San Diego-- because they were willing to send me a demo. On the basis of that in-home trial, I happily ordered a new unit from them.
In another case, I was seriously interested in the Moon 260D transport.
As the local dealer would not send me a demo, I approached an out-of-state dealer that also advertised online. As it happened, they were willing to offer me an in-home trial and again, on that basis, I bought and kept the unit.
This is an expensive obsession ("hobby" is too tame a descriptor) and for those of us with moderate means AND sensitive ears, the showroom-based sales approach makes little sense.
Now, about supporting B&M stores...
We hear again and again in these forums the refrain "treat the room" . . . are these the same folks who insist we ought to support B&M stores who, for the most part, do not offer in-home demos? ? ?
If so, I'm unable to follow the logic.
For such stores to survive, it would seem they require an ongoing supply of two types of customers-- 1) those who are too inexperienced to realize the risk they run when buying gear on the basis of a showroom demo alone and 2) those who are so wealthy that the risk of bringing home a component that may or may not sound good their room is of no consequence.
No doubt you'll suggest there's a third category-- those audiophiles who are so experienced they can hear an unfamiliar component in an unfamiliar system in a unfamiliar room and accurately determine how it will sound in their system, in their room. I don't pretend to be an expert and I don't discount the possibility that such individuals exist.
Nevertheless, as I do not fit into this latter category or the two preceding categories, such stores hold no appeal.
I bought my Aqua DAC from a B&M store-- Alma Music and Audio in San Diego-- because they were willing to send me a demo. On the basis of that in-home trial, I happily ordered a new unit from them.
In another case, I was seriously interested in the Moon 260D transport.
As the local dealer would not send me a demo, I approached an out-of-state dealer that also advertised online. As it happened, they were willing to offer me an in-home trial and again, on that basis, I bought and kept the unit.
This is an expensive obsession ("hobby" is too tame a descriptor) and for those of us with moderate means AND sensitive ears, the showroom-based sales approach makes little sense.