Nice! Thanks for sharing and glad your pre is back and better than ever.
A Few Nice Words For Upscale Audio
Back in October '23 I started to have problems with my preamp, a 2005 edition Pathos InControl. Upon turn on there was a hum/throb in one channel. Hoping for a simply solution I ordered a pair of replacement tubes from Upscale Audio. When swapping out the tubes I observed that the ceramic collar to a tube socket had basically fallen apart. Not that that mattered since the hum/throb was still there. Upscale happened to be the US importer/distributor/service center for Pathos, an Italian company, so I called them for advice. They told me to ship the unit to them and they would make repairs.
I'm going to make a digression here and say what a total PITA it was to ship the preamp. I'll never use UPS again, that's for sure!
Upscale gets the preamp, fixes the tube socket and removes an annoying click at "32" on the volume control, but they could not reproduce the hum/throb. They talked to me and we agreed that they should test it a little bit longer. Just when they were about to give up a say the preamp is functioning perfectly, it completely stops working. They determine the problem was a failed circuit board in the power supply. Upscale contacts Pathos and they are told they don't stock the board, but that they could make a new board. I authorize the repair.
The first week in January I contacted Upscale for the status of the repair and I was surprised to find that it was ready to be shipped back to me. It was sitting on my front porch in less than a week.
So thank you Upscale and Pathos for providing first rate support for your product. All told the cost came to approximately $1k of which boxing and shipping totaled nearly 1/3 cost. I doubled boxed the preamp when I shipped and Upscale tripled boxed when returning. A nice touch!
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@dill , Thanks. What speakers are they running? |
"advise" means "to give advice."
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WOW,that's great to hear as 6 weeks ago I bought a new Classic Remix Mk.II with the HiDac Mk.II board installed from them! |
@audphile1 hahahah
Upacale rules, Kat there had always given solid advice and hooked me up with shirts and special prices. Looks liked she moved on to SME, but she was a solid asset and why I always go to Upacale first. |
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@thecarpathian Not everything is about you, this is a thread about Upscale Audio. Go back to your cage. |
I stand corrected, I just did not see that I typed the word wrong even on the proof read. Then again, I am not on this forum for lessons in perfect grammar or spelling and sentence structure. No, I don't think I overreacted at all, they (Upscale) do rock, always helpful without a lot of BS, unlike some folks on this forum, I might add. |
Back to Upscale… Bought a few things from them online ranging from streamers to cartridges and phono amps. There was an extremely minor snag with the streamer being out of stock when their system indicated that they had it. Kevin stepped in and had the distributor prioritize it. There was only a superficial delay. |
My hand full of purchases from Upscale have all been top notch. Most recently with Bill. He spent a good amount of time answering my questions, asking me thoughtful questions so I could land on the wonderful Hana ML cart. Even during my sausage fingered home installation, Bill was a pro. I will not hesitate to buy from them again. I just wish they were closer to the east coast, I'd probably visit weekly and spend too much money.. Are you listening Ken? 😁 |
Upscale is awesome. I bought my TT, first cartridge (Hana ML), phono stage, SACD player, integrated amp, and speakers all from them. Only if I’m in a real hurry will I go somewhere else, and that’s usually Music Direct since I can get stuff from them generally in one day. Big ups to Upscale! As an aside, I recently upgraded my Hana ML to a Hana Umami Blue and I'm just absolutely blown away by the Blue. I couldn't pass up the $500 off sale they had at the end of last year and I'm so glad I jumped. |
Glad to hear it got resolved quickly @onhwy61. Upscale is around the corner from me. Oddly enough, my visits to them always seem to be at that same precise moment when I find out finances will allow. For years now, I also stop in once in a while just to check out their new stuff. Everyone there is really nice: Sean-Paul, Brandon, Jordan, Ken, and forgot the other guy with the beard and of course Kevin and his Sister. I’m forgetting a few others. I feel fortunate to have them so close to me. Good people and nothing but good things to say about them. Plus Kevin is a tubes, motorcycle, and car guy as well. No one I’d rather spend my hard earned money with. I’ve purchased 75% of my gear there and would strongly recommend them to others. There are a few others I forgot, but I can say everyone (including the guy in the warehouse) are all cool people.
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It’s late for me but I couldn’t let this pass without my complete agreement on the integrity and quality of Upscales customer service. I had a really "over and above" customer experience with them a couple of years ago that I haven’t forgotten about. Based on my experience, Upscale is worthy of trust. That’s my highest recommendation:-). |
I find Kevin's videos annoying but for some reason I watch most of them anyway if the gear looks interesting. I did buy a pair of KLH Model 5's from them and it was as smooth as can be, and yeah, they super-box those things; I would consider buying from them in the future something I can't get locally. |
