Company (Brand) Loyalty- What Audio manufacturer do you like?

geowak · « **on:** 11 Dec 2008, 03:44 pm »

Company loyalty- What has been your favorite?

Thinking about the many different companies, brands and
manufacturers.

High end- Krell, Bryston, Ayre, Wilson Audio etc.
Popular- Pioneer Elite, Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, Paradigm etc
Smaller-(purists) Butler Audio, Odyssey, Red Wine, Salk, etc.
Good reputation- Marantz, NAD, Arcam, McIntosh, etc.

Do you have a brand that you are loyal to? If so, please state why you are? Sound? Quality? Service? etc

Please no company bashing, just postive stuff!!

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #1 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:05 pm »

VPI....fantastic and effective service on a range of subjects. Given the complex mechanical makeup of a belt drive turntable, it is just such a relief to find such prompt and handy service day in and day out.

They neither care that you bought the newest $12,000 last week, nor their mid-level effort 3rd hand and ten years ago....they are always there to help.

At a certain level of audiophool expenditure, you start gnashing over trivial subjective differences....the icebreaker for me is the VPI service. Just having it is a considerable comfort given the complexity of issues turntables face

John

EDIT: I need to throw in Mike Sanders of Quicksilver Audio....just a straightforward gentleman to deal with. I think Chris at BPT also gets an award for good service

And....once you can successfully track him down

, Klaus at Odyssey is all (good) action, and no bull kinda' guy. He's kinda' legendary for both...but his candor and honesty shine thru in the end.

arthurs · « **Reply #2 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:09 pm »

I'm really partial (obviously) to VAC. My experience with their gear and with Kevin Hayes himself has been wonderful. Both my enjoyment and understanding of my system/equipment have been enhanced through my relationship with VAC and Kevin.

mcullinan · « **Reply #3 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:17 pm »

Bryston & Nuforce. Two great companies.
Though only a recent Bryston purchase, I have always been impressed by their amps and JAmes is a phenomenol and personable guy.
Nuforce products, support and follow up have always been top notch.
Mike

JLM · « **Reply #4 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:19 pm »

I'm keen on Channel Islands Audio. It's a domestic easy to talk to small company that offers reasonable balance between extreme high-end sound quality, very solid build, and no nonsense designs.

I'm also very supportive of Bob Brines. He does very good work and is a gentleman to work with who taste for music and ideas regarding speaker design matches mine.

High value leadership awards goes to Oppo and Slimdevices. With quickly changing technology for digital sourcing, this is vital to those of us that have an audio budget.

rydenfan · « **Reply #5 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:25 pm »

I would say Dan Wright of Modwright. Modwright builds quality products while offering great value to their customers, and Dan's service and follow-up is top-notch

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #6 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:40 pm »

I'm not sure yet. I haven't sampled them all.

CSI · « **Reply #7 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:43 pm »

My favorite has been Channel Islands Audio. I have had very few complaints and any questions are usually answered very quickly. Consequently I've owned CIA D.100's, D.200's, PLC.1 and VDA.1 with VAC.1 power supply. Most of it is still on active duty in my home. CIA gear gives tremendous bang for the buck.

I've also had great luck with the legendary Klaus at Odyssey and still have my Khartago. AC'ers are well aware of the amazing cost/performance of Odyssey products.

Although a little too early to say for sure, I think I may be adding Digital Amplifier Co. to the list. I'll let you know.

In the more general market, I really love Sonos and their customer tech support is unparalleled.

saisunil · « **Reply #8 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:46 pm »

Tube Research Labs
A few years ago - I tried the TRL modded CD Player - it really opened my eyes/ears - in terms of cheaper and better.
Next I got a power chord - boy - it lowered the noise floor like nothing else - I knew what I missing when I removed it.

It was just a matter of time and money that I wanted an all TRL system.

That lead to the amp, preamp and a custom made speakers and all the cables in between to an end-to-end all TRL system.

Dealing with Paul has been a pleasure - just pick up the phone and call - of course he responds to emails too.

What you don't get is - instant delivery - I have had to wait months for product delivery but knowing that I am getting one of the best products - not just for the money but at any price - makes it worth the wait.

nrenter · « **Reply #9 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:47 pm »

Ayre, Teres Audio & Green Mountain Audio

martyo · « **Reply #10 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 04:57 pm »

AVA, Salk, BlueJeans cable

MaxCast · « **Reply #11 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 05:13 pm »

Quote from: Big Red Machine on 11 Dec 2008, 04:40 pm

I'm not sure yet. I haven't sampled them all.

Fits you to a T

Gaara · « **Reply #12 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 08:35 pm »

0 brand loyalty here. I buy specific items, irregardless of brand.

If a "bad" brand had a solid piece of gear, I would buy it in a heartbeat over a crappy piece of gear from a "good" brand.

Brands I frequent because of price/performance include amps from Rawsonte, pres from Promitheus, cables from Heartland Cables, and monitors from Sony. But if I were to need a new TV, I wouldn't just go to Sony, I would put in my due diligence and spend time researching what is best currently, if it happens to be a Sony so be it, but I have no loyalty.

nathanm · « **Reply #13 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 08:52 pm »

"regardless"

Van Alstine - Not that I own anything they make, but Frank is cool, doesn't take any crap and I'd buy his stuff if I had the money. Has a simple, uncluttered UI.
Gallo - I refuse to sell my Gallo speakers, even though I should.
NAD - Also has a simple, uncluttered UI; reliable. They never blasted my planet or asked me to throw myself on my sword either.

jaywills · « **Reply #14 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 09:46 pm »

The best I've dealt with (no affiliation with any):

Ack! (don't know if they're still around).
Channel Islands.
Kevin's DIYCable.
Bruce Rosenblit's Transcendent Sound.

groovybassist · « **Reply #15 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 11:29 pm »

I'm partial to Naim. Their gear has always proven to be bullet proof for me, they're focused on making music vs. specific aspects of sound, they make connectivity easy (eliminating constant thrashing through interconnects), and if you stay at the lower end of their line, they can be pretty affordable for the musical enjoyment they provide. If this isn't enough, they are the only overseas company I can find so far that has actually LOWERED their prices recently as the dollar has gained strength against other currencies - and the price reductions haven't been small - $350 on the CD player I own. Nothing to sneeze at.

-Mike

orthobiz · « **Reply #16 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 11:35 pm »

Linn. My Sondek has been continuously upgraded since 1979; it's a 1977 model that I bought used for 600 nearly 30 yrs ago.
Still going strong.

Van Alstine. I had a Sumo preamp driving a Dynaco 410. The Dynaco connection brought me into Frank; the
upgradeability keeps me with him.

Dahlquist. My DQ-10's were upgraded and renewed about five years ago. I still remember somehow packing them into my
Alfa Romeo Spyder (top down, of course) and driving them home from the factory. I used to work there, saw Jon Dahlquist
and Saul Marantz on a daily basis for one summer. Too many memories to get rid of them!

Paul

Scottdazzle · « **Reply #17 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 11:35 pm »

I'll put in a good word for Music Reference. Roger makes components that "last forever" based on sound research and testing. He even suffers phools (like me) gladly.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #18 on:** 11 Dec 2008, 11:57 pm »

There are a few locals here who have served me well:

Logitech (should that be Slimdevices? Execeptional the world of PC based lossless audio, and if not for my SB3, I would not have found this great path!)
Bolder (thanks again Wayne! There is no better customer service, period)
DIYCable (great service Kevin)
GR Research (fast shipping, honest advice from Danny) (on a related note CSS, as they were the local reps for some of the speaker kits I have purchased)
RAW (Al has been really good to me over the years)
Hagerman (although mgalusha built it for me, the Clarinet was a great experience)
Visaton (my b200's continue to make me happy, after nearly 4 years on OB)

Others, from further afield:

Totem (my first real speakers were Totem Rokk)
Sugden (I still have pangs when I see a Sugden integrated for sale) Wish I could afford the Masterclass kit, it is amazing stuff.
Yamaha (mid fi perhaps, but bullet proof amps for university parties!)
Magnavox (anyone who builds a simple amp that plays 55+ years later, gets recognition from me!)

MLS · « **Reply #19 on:** 12 Dec 2008, 12:05 am »

Polk Audio for me. Somewhat because I live in Baltimore all my life but mostly because I like the vintage Polk sound.

I am confident that I will always have a Polk product in my house.

Scott