How Do I Get Advice on the Best Turntable?
August 19, 2024
Music was my First Love…
October 17, 2024
When Peter, our customer, wanted a home demonstration of an upgrade to his existing CD Player, Simon and the team at Home Media’s Maidstone HQ did not bat an eyelid… even though he lived in Bournemouth. It was all part of the service.
Peter made contact a year prior with regards to a home demonstration of a pair of loudspeakers. A change of plan then led to further contact a year later and a demonstration of Rega’s ‘flagship’ Isis CD Player was put into action. The trip involved an overnight stay for Home Media’s Chris in Andover, ahead of the home visit the following day. Chris set up the CD Player, leaving Peter to listen in the comfort of his home for the period of a week, enabling Peter to qualify that he was happy to proceed with the purchase, before a second visit and hotel stay was duly arranged to install Peter’s new pride and joy and collect the demonstration unit. A final third visit was also arranged, on this occasion to deliver and set up a headphone amplifier, to enable Peter to enjoy his music late at night without disturbing his family.
The Home Media team undertake a great deal of home demos and are of the firm belief that it is only by understanding the listening environment can the team establish what equipment will work best and make the right product recommendations.
If, for example, a room is large and minimalist, the surfaces will reflect sound. However, if the room is heavily furnished, adorned with carpet and cushions this type of environment will absorb sound, and the team’s approach and product recommendations will differ.
Achieving the right balance is where the Home Media team’s expertise comes in. We understand how sound works and what equipment produces the best sound in a variety of different environments.
Travelling to homes across the country – or indeed the world – is fundamental to achieving that goal. Northern Italy and Portugal are among the locations the team have travelled to in pursuit of excellence.
Simon also remembers frequent trips made to Essex for a home demonstration…
“Our customer Michael knew he wanted a turntable but some of the information he had received elsewhere had left him feeling unclear about his options. When Michael initially called us, I gave him concise answers to his questions and after long, full discussions, it reached the point where he felt he could trust me.”
Simon is not afraid to challenge preconceptions.
“It is all too easy to give people what they think they want, but I think it is important to politely challenge their ideas. I will ask a variety of questions relating to their listening environment and system, to find out what they really want and what I believe is best for them. Home visits by our team ultimately help us to establish the best course of action.
“When Chris and I delivered the turntable to the home in Essex, it required careful set up and there was no way we were just going to deliver it and leave. I said: ‘We will set it up with your system and make sure it is done with the utmost attention to detail’.”
The team’s care left Michael feeling impressed. Having heard the noticeable improvement brought to his system, he was intrigued to hear what more could be achieved. A combination of three moving coil cartridges and three phono stages were then demonstrated to establish the best combination to extract more information from Michael’s vinyl collection. When the chosen moving coil cartridge and phono stage was installed, Michael’s thoughts then turned to further improvement to his 20-year old amplifier and speakers, with the desire to produce even better sound quality.
“We had lit the blue touch paper. He said a fire had stirred in Michael and he wanted the best sound quality he could afford.
“Trust works both ways,” said Simon, “and he trusted us.”
Thanks to the team’s diligence, a completely new sound system was created which wowed our customer, Michael.
“It is not about the money,” said Simon. “We aim to help our customers achieve an emotional connection with their music collection.”
Home Media offers free home demonstrations to their customers and will return if equipment needs further fine tuning. Simon reflecting on the offering: “Our service is unique and an integral part of Home Media’s expertise and identity.”
For more information and advice, contact our team on 01622 676703 or visit our Home Media HQ on Union Street, Maidstone.
