Great story, there are some good people in this biz.... enjoy!
My experience with Joseph Sahyoun of Earthquake Sound
Hello All,
So I felt the need to share this experience because not only is Joseph Sahyoun one of the smartest and well-rounded individuals I have ever had the pleasure and honor of speaking with, but he also makes one HELL of an amplifier!!!
I had always had my eye on the Cinenova Grande and for many years said that would be my next amp. I currently have a Simaudio Titan 5 channel. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a super clean, low hour unit for a steal. I had always wanted this one from the beginning but could not afford it back when it hit the market. Obviously many years later on the used market the price was greatly reduced and as soon as I had the opportunity I jumped! I have had it for almost 3 years now and it was everything I had hoped/thought and more. It is 20+ years old but Sim "overbuilds" their amps so I wasn't concerned about her age...
The flukiest of things happened as I just checked out Earthquake's site and I had always wondered about the power receptacle on the unit. I've seen pictures where it looks like a normal 20 amp receptacle but other images with this weird looking 3 circular prong thingy looking thing. My curiosity led me to place a call and it was answered by one of their customer service reps. Well when I asked that question he didn't have the answer but said "The President of the company is right here so let me pass you over to him". Well Joseph gets on the phone and that was it! We ended up speaking several times (Facetime on several occasions) and he actually sent me the video of him building my amplifier! This guy is truly AMAZING! So yes I pulled the trigger and bought one. I was quite skeptical that this unit could compete with the Sim but after getting to know Joseph and learning more about his background I felt quite comfortable buying this unit and figured I could easily return it on his generous offer or keep and sell the Sim on the off chance it bested it. Well it did! I could not have been prepared enough for what the Cinenova did when it entered my system (my speakers are all Revel Performa3-F208's, 208C, M105's). I'm no reviewer and would not try to even play one here, so the best way I can describe it is it's now like listening in 3D. I could use all the typical cliches like hearing things for the first time, vocals having a true room presence, speakers completely disappearing, etc and whilst that is all true the best way I can describe it is like listening in 3D if that makes sense?
This is not at all a knock on the Sim it's just the Cinenova Grande is that good. Add in the experience (and just speaking with Joseph is that-the guy is absolutely HILARIOUS and has such a refreshing down to Earth straight up style that I loved) and this one was truly the best purchase I have ever made all the way around! The guy sent me a video of him making my amp - who does that???? AND he would call me to check in and just shoot the breeze man...He is the real deal and his products are otherworldly. This amp is truly the beast-it arrived in a wooden crate for Christ sakes, LOL! And as large and intimidating as it is, it is able to belt out the sweetest sounds I have ever heard from my Revel's...
Sorry for rambling but I couldn't not share this experience and give the biggest shout out to Joseph and Earthquake...
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I had a similar experience with Joseph. I have owned an EQ Cinenova 5 Ch for many years along with an EQ SuperNova Subwoofer. Both are amazing products. Several years ago I decided to have my amp serviced so I took a trip from where I live in Santa Barbara Ca. up to see my brother who lives in San Carlos and brought my amp with me so I could deliver it to the Earthquakesound HQ in Hayward Ca., just across the bay from my brother's house. My brother decided to take the trip across the bay with me. When we got there we were greeted by someone who worked in the shop and told him why we were there and gave him my amp for service. He said they would have it done within a couple of days. While we were looking around, Joseph came into the showroom from his office to introduce himself. We got to know him real fast because of how friendly he is. We spent the next 2+ hours talking and joking about everything imaginable. He explained all kinds of physics and electrical engineering using diagrams with pencil and paper. Quite possibly the biggest character I have ever met. He was brilliant and hilarious. He had a lot of not so complimentary things to say about some other people in the industry like Sandy Gross among others but was generally not mean spirited. About midway through our time together his son, who works there (So does his brother Abe), came in the room we were in to tell him that the woman who had an appointment with him was there for their meeting. He was having so much fun with us, he said to us “Don’t leave, this meeting will only take a few minutes”. We said we would stay but we had to head back home soon because we were going to a Steely Dan concert that evening. He took his meeting, hurried back to us, asked us what we wanted for lunch and had sushi delivered, which he insisted on paying for. I have talked to him on the phone a couple of times since then and he was just as engaging. A great experience I will not soon forget. |
@gregavi Thanks for sharing! And agree 100% about Joseph being “the biggest of characters”! So wish I could’ve met him in person, but I’m on the other side of the country in Nashua, NH. And had similar conversations regarding others in the industry-he is not at all a fan of Furman or power conditioning😂! The funny thing is he did have good things to say about my Simaudio Titan! He really is the largest, and most well rounded of characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with…and yes I got some face time with Abe as well. Much more laid back than Joseph and truly one of the nicest people you’ll meet… |
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