Upscale Audio is up front with customers


I have not bought from Upscale before but have enjoyed their videos. The approach Kevin Deal is taking with his customers is really up front and honest. A good model for how to communicate in audio, and in general.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV0oswlwx2M&ab_channel=UpscaleAudioHighFidelity

hilde45

I did watch the video, and I’m not sure why you chose this one for a virtual high-five to Kevin. Tariffs and price increases have been the hot topic for weeks, months - this is literally the furthest thing from "insider info".

I agree it’s not that special but I have not seen that many of them. It was short and direct and I appreciated that. That’s really it.

As for it being strange without being an actual customer, I guess I don't feel I need to be a customer to appreciate someone communicating in an honest way. In fact, if I was a customer, I'd have a bias to like his posts due to cognitive dissonance.

If you find one you think is a better exemplar of what I’m talking about, I’d like to see it. By the way, I do appreciate your knowledge and point of view, so I consider this a friendly exchange.

@hilde45

Same - sorry I came off as salty! There’s no accounting for some of my mood swings :)

I'm curious as to when Kevin stopped being a Tannoy dealer. I only ask because it was known as far back as some 20 years that all of Tannoy's high end speaker cabinets were made and finished in China. That was around the time I went to TEAC headquarters out in Commerce, Ca. to pick up a TEAC CD player. The US rep for TEAC/Esoteric took me on a tour of the place and demo'd it for me. That's when he told me about Tannoy.

All the best,
Nonoise

@hilde45 , great post. I called them to get advice on retubing a prima luna integrated amp. I was also surprised, as one mentioned in this thread, that they said they don't give tube recommendations. They weren't rude at all. In fact they were very friendly. They gave me the following advice: research the tubes on your own, check out all the reviews and choose the tube that you think is best for your needs. I followed that advice. Called them back and ordered $800 worth of tubes. Couldn't be more happy. The amp sounds wonderful.

 

@mulveling   don't even worry about your perceived "salty mood". I have learned so much from your posts. Any discussion that includes your 2 cents of knowledge is gold in my book. You are a great presence in these threads.