Home Theatre Store

[KeesW]

Hello all,

I am in the market for a new amplifier. I had a Pioneer A400 which is a unit which I bought in the UK 10-12 years ago. It is a 2-channel amp and was, in its day, rated very highly.

Anyway, my research has led me to shortlist the Denon AVR-1906 and the Yamaha RXV-757. Via the Denon site I found that in my region there are 4 dealers, 3 of which are listed as Videoland but actually link to The Home Theatre Store.

I went there this evening and while waiting for someone for 15-20 mins (they claimed they were short staffed) I eventually got to speak to someone. I asked did they have the 1906 and he checked on the computer. They were oversold by 2 and expected to receive 36 next week. I asked if I could come in and audition one. He went on to explained that they do not set them up and do not keep them in the store. At first I thought he was joking, then I asked why, he claimed that all their rooms were set up for specific systems (a lot of high end Rotel, Krell and Macintosh around). It was not possible to change out components as each room was optimized for specific equipment. I then asked how they managed to sell 36 if they never had them in the shop. His response "word of mouth or advertising I guess". I finished by asking him how he could help me decide if the Denon was something I wanted to buy and he simply told me I could buy it, bring it home and bring it back if I was not happy.

WHat kind of a crappy attitude/service is that ?. Admittedly, the HT Store is a more high end store than Best Buy etc and a $500 sale is prob peanuts for them but still...it sucks. I find it hard to believe his 'optimization' argument as they had one room with maybe 6 different speaker sets. I always thought that sound reproduction was more dependent on the speakers than the amps. If they have 6 different speakers in a room, why not 6 different amps ?.

I then went to Tweeter who sell both Denon and Yamaha. There, the Denon is special order only although the 2106 was in the store. They also had the Yamaha. They had 2 auditioning rooms with different equipment in each but one room had mainly Polk speakers and I think the other was mainly Sapphire. The Yamaha was in the Polk room so my choice of speakers was limited unless I got them to move the amp.

When I last bought equipment it was in London and there any half-decent stereo store has a much wider range of equipment and is much more flexible when it comes to auditions. You typically book a slot and tell them what you are looking for and they will have it ready when you come in.

I am tempted to contact Denon and let them know about the crappy dealer service.

Am I having bad experiences or is the above sort of routine ?

 

[mtrycrafts]

...
I find it hard to believe his 'optimization' argument as they had one room with maybe 6 different speaker sets. I always thought that sound reproduction was more dependent on the speakers than the amps. If they have 6 different speakers in a room, why not 6 different amps ?.

?

Excellent question
Ask him the next time you call, or visit the store. Watch him squirm for an answer. Whatever he tells you will be bs, of course because you are correct in the first place. You optimize a room to a speaker, period, end of story

 

[dan711]

I have been in the Home Theater Store myself a few times. While I do feel your fustration with them. They are geared for more high-end customers. There agreement with Denon perhaps just allows them to be an authorized dealer but does not require them to actually display any Denon products.
I do wish they would have a room setup with more modest priced equipment.
From there point of view though, if they set such a room up. Their thinking might be that most of the potential customers would opt for the lesser priced items and sales of Rotel,Dynaudio and Wilson would suffer.
Most people that go in looking for HT equipment are shocked by the prices of more high-end products. People in the know or people on forums like this are the minority when it comes to knowledge of HT products.

BTW-I have noticed that the sales people there can be rude and their customer service practices are not that great.

 

[markw]

just to play devil's advocate here this could work out to your advantage.

If they have a sane return policy, that is.

The fact of the matter is that differences between receivers of the same class are less than people want to believe. About all you can accomplish in a store is looking at it and touching it. People that believe they can hear the differences in a store environment are fooling themselves.

Now, this leaves you with the alternative of putting it on your charge card, taking it home and trying it out in your home, with your speakers and on your terms.

Before you balk at this, remember, you have their equipment in your home and they have no guarantee they will ever see it again. Look at their having your cc info as sort of collateral.

If works for you, fine. Denon is a fine product and I'm quite sure it will. If not, then pack it up neatly (you DID save ALL the packing materials, right?), take it back and get a credit on your card.

Some stores, if you talk nicely to them, just might offer to hold off putting the charge through for a predetermined period of time.

 

[indcrimdefense]

i have generally found that you receive less than acceptable customer service in most audio/video and or electronics stores, either due to their attitude and often couple with a lack of knowledge & their willingness to bull**** about what they dont know. this stems from best buy/magnolia to several "high end" dealers where i am at. however if they are willing to let you take it home & return it if you dont like it, then that would be my recommendation. make sure you get a copy of their return policy, IN WRITING, prior to the sale. under no circumstances rely on what a sales person tells you unless it is also in writing. without wading into giving you legal advice for a state in which i am unlicensed to practice (im assuming your not in indiana) it is always best to get something in writing. many larger retailers have print outs which you can review prior to making a purchase, or some have large signs posted in their stores. that being said, i would buy one or the other or both, take them home & try them out, taking great care with the packing, receiver, etc. & then return it if you dont like it.

 

[DaveOCP]

If they have a sane return policy, that is.

The fact of the matter is that differences between receivers of the same class are less than people want to believe. About all you can accomplish in a store is looking at it and touching it. People that believe they can hear the differences in a store environment are fooling themselves.

Now, this leaves you with the alternative of putting it on your charge card, taking it home and trying it out in your home, with your speakers and on your terms.

Before you balk at this, remember, you have their equipment in your home and they have no guarantee they will ever see it again. Look at their having your cc info as sort of collateral.

If works for you, fine. Denon is a fine product and I'm quite sure it will. If not, then pack it up neatly (you DID save ALL the packing materials, right?), take it back and get a credit on your card.

Some stores, if you talk nicely to them, just might offer to hold off putting the charge through for a predetermined period of time.

Agree, there's really no point in bothering to audition a product in a store. Pretty much all of the big electronics stores have 30 receivers hooked up through a quality destroying switchboard, with speakers that you dont have, and absolutely zero thought is given to things like room acoustics.

My suggestion is to download the user's manual for all of the receivers that you are considering. This allows you to get intimately familiar with how they operate and exactly what features they do and do not have, so you dont have to ask some highschool kid who hasnt the first clue. The only way to determine what will sound good in your system is to try it in your system.

 

[KeesW]

The Home Theatre Store

Thanks for the inputs and points taken. However, if auditioning in a store is rather pointless, why have a room with 6 or 8 speaker sets ?. Why not cut your costs and work out of a warehouse in a low rent area and spend your overhead on knowledgable people and 'at home' service ?.

I am curious why an official Denon dealer is not even required to have Denon products available for audition or even on display. If the dealer gives me next to no service, sure, I'll go online and get the lowest price I can.

Can anyone recommend a decent store in the Houston area ?.

 

[gellor]

Thanks for the inputs and points taken. However, if auditioning in a store is rather pointless, why have a room with 6 or 8 speaker sets ?. Why not cut your costs and work out of a warehouse in a low rent area and spend your overhead on knowledgable people and 'at home' service ?.

I am curious why an official Denon dealer is not even required to have Denon products available for audition or even on display. If the dealer gives me next to no service, sure, I'll go online and get the lowest price I can.

Can anyone recommend a decent store in the Houston area ?.

Which HTS did you go to? I have had pretty good luck with the one at 1960 and 249. And last time I went in, they were using the Denon 3805 for demos in several of their rooms.

Tweeter in the Woodlands claims that all they can get is the 1905. *shrug*

Aside from that, while I'm not sure if they sell Denon, you might try your luck at Audio Concepts. (Also, Audio-Concepts tends towards the higher-end gear, but they've been pretty helpful every time I've talked to them.)

There's also a company I just started talking to (phone only...haven't been there yet) called Sara International/Audio Video Solutions that's over by 59 and 610 because they're a PSB vendor. They aren't an authorised vendor (no warranty) but they say they can order the 1906.

Unfortunately I haven't found much in the way of good audio shops in Houston...since Houston tends to prefer its big chain stores.