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In today’s fast-paced world and with such ease of access to information, we are blessed with the ability to find product reviews and companies from whom to purchase almost every conceivable household item we should have a need or want for. But with this access to so much information can come potential pitfalls, knowing what reviews, testimonials and product breakdowns to trust before you part ways with your hard-earned cash can be confusing.
Our customer Gerry experienced this problem during last year during his quest to upgrade his amplifier. He spent an amount of time reading product reviews to narrow his choices, before making an online purchase of an amplifier, for what he believed would be a worthy upgrade – but which he found not to be suitable for him. Gerry went through the process no less than 3 times, having been dissatisfied with the performance of each product he bought, which involved returning all three items and awaiting a refund for each transaction in turn.
With frustration rising, Gerry reached out to the Home Media team for help and advice.
During our initial conversations with Gerry, Home Media’s Simon first requested photographs of Gerry’s listening room, which, as in most cases in the UK, is a multi-use room. With a better understanding of the listening space, Simon was able to provide a considered recommendation, which included a set of speakers, stands, amplifier and subwoofer. He and Chris subsequently arranged a visit to Gerry’s home to better gauge the space and to gather the necessary information to arrange a home demonstration, with the aim of providing a symmetrical balance to enhance the look and feel of the room, as well as improve Gerry’s listening pleasure.
First, concerning room layout: Gerry’s usual seating position is offset to the left of the centre line of the television. There is a 3-seater sofa alongside the left speaker, with a wall immediately behind and the right speaker is located within open space that extends to the right by approximately 10 feet. As a result, the sound stage weighted to the left speaker. Gerry’s existing speakers were KEF Q150s, mounted directly to the wall for convenience, but this height meant that the sound stage was above the natural listening position when seated.
With all the facts about the room layout and financial budget made available to Chris and Simon, their wealth of experience enabled them to identify what products they thought would best suit the configuration of Gerry’s listening room as well as its décor.
The shortlist of recommended products included:
A home demonstration was duly undertaken in November ’24 to establish whether Chris and Simon’s recommended system would work well in the available space, to meet and (hopefully) exceed Gerry’s expectations. In order to overcome that left speaker bias as a result the location of Gerry’s seat, Chris and Simon experimented with the loudspeaker positioning in order to get a good centre image and width to the sound stage.
The system was left in place for approximately 10 days, enabling Gerry to make absolutely sure he was happy with the performance – which we’re pleased to confirm, he was.
With an order placed for above products, the new system was then installed in January. A new cabinet was also purchased to enhance the look of the room and to provide adequate space for Gerry’s turntable, music server and Gold Note amplifier.
We’re delighted that our newfound friend and customer is still extremely happy with his new system and enjoying listening to his eclectic music collection – which is what we’re all about, after all.
While it’s always a good thing to thoroughly research any audio products you have your eye on – especially if you’re planning on making a long-term investment – for us, you simply cannot beat a bespoke recommendation from an experienced team of people who know and love what they do and can find the best solutions specifically for you and your home.
Home demonstrations, your chance to ‘try before you buy’, we believe are the best way to test the best products for your space before you commit, giving you full confidence in your purchase and ensuring you can enjoy your audio kit for years to come.
To find out more about home visits and how we can help improve your enjoyment of your music collection, please contact Chris, John or Simon at Home Media. Call us on 01622 676703 or email sales@homemedialimited.co.uk
