Upscale Audio is up front with customers

Kennyc: "It's refreshing to positively support audio experts and their body of service vs taking a magnifying glass on a oops then blowing it out of proportion."

Exactly! And UA's body of service is 30+ years! 
 

O52rc: "Nothing I said was insulting or out of line, and he just hung up on me. I understand that for him, an $8000 preamp is a nothing sale given how much business he does ..."

No retailer hangs around 30 years by hanging up on an $8,000 sale. If you weren't "insulting or out of line" maybe you were just wasting his time? I'd hang up too. 
 

I bought Meadowlark speakers from him back in the early 2000s after several pleasant and frank conversations; I've bought tubes, I've bought gear, I've had conversations with him and reps there that were informative but didn't result in a sale, with no hard feelings. Don't mistake "No-bullshit" for "Nasty."

I've never had any issues with Upscale. Spoken with Kevin many times over the years and he's always helpful and pleasant.  Maybe once he wasn't but never rude.  I shrugged it off because I'm sure his patience gets tried daily and he's human.  I couldn't imagine dealing with the public as long as he has. Overall, we've had some lengthy conversations. I appreciate his honesty. Kevin runs a very good business and not many like Upscale anymore.  They have always helped me out with their customer service professionals. Hopefully they continue to survive successfully.  

@awise1961 

I’m curious: how do you loo changes? 

Newflash: A/V stores that try to sell you power cords, esp. at $5000, are not "really up front and honest." They are part of the snake oil scum that's destroying this hobby. Educate yourself before falling victim to BS marketing, and those who perpetuate it. 

Uncle Kev was rude to me when I went in and said I wanted to buy speakers, seems kinda stupid. He said here play some music I played a song on his Roon system from a singer that I had worked with professionally for 5 years and was in the studio for the mixing of the song I was listening to. I said these speakers are way to bright, he was offended I said I'm really very sure the music doesn't have this much high end in general, more offense. I said I was in the studio when this song was mixed by perhaps the greatest engineer ever in one of the greatest studios ever and I've recorded this persons voice for 1000s of hours, there is no way I'm wrong about this. He said well this isn't a studio. OK I get it but I had 200k to buy speakers that day and he was just rude for no reason bad choice uncle Kev.