Absolute Phase, Bangalore A Review
Buying a new piece of kit is always a time of mixed emotions for me. Theres the thrill of the hunt, coupled with the fear of being taken for a ride. And, going by a recent thread on this forum (boycott dealers), Im sure there are many others who share my feelings. It is, therefore, a real pleasure when you come across a dealer who makes the entire experience a memorable one.
What follows is a quick recap of my interaction with Absolute Phase and Prithvi, in a quest to upgrade my speakers:
At the outset, let me state that Im one of those people who doesnt like to buy new hi-fi kit unless Ive tested it in my system, in my home. Sure, Ill read all the reviews and scour the forums for user comments. But at the end of the day, only a home dem can tell me if the change is worthwhile. And, this is where the problem starts with a lot of dealers. Perhaps, its the beady look in my eyes, or my seedy appearance that causes dealers to balk at letting me take equipment home. Imagine my surprise, then, when Prithvi offered to deliver a pair of well run-in speakers for a home dem over the weekend. The catch? It would cost me Rs.2k for the privilege.
Ah well, I thought, if Im going to spend over a lakh on new speakers, then 2k is a small price to pay for ensuring Im making the right choice. Man, was I ever right!
The speakers I was auditioning, the ProAc Studio 140s, were a completely different animal from my Epos m22s. No way would Ive bought these speakers after spending 2-3 hours with them in a demo room somewhere. In fact, for the first 2 days I didnt think they fit in my system at all! Luckily for me, Prithvi was traveling, and called to say I could keep them for a few days more. This is not a speaker review, so Ill skip the gory details. Suffice it to say, that, at the end of the third day I was sold. What followed was even more amazing.
At 10am yesterday, Prithvi and Babu, his ever smiling and knowledgeable assistant, arrived with a shiny new pair of Studio 140s. As Id been working till 4am the night before, I was keen to have them unpack and plug in the speakers, and leave me to crawl back to bed. But that was not to be. They werent here merely to install the speakers, collect the money and run. No sir, they wanted to treat me to a level of service I had rarely seen before.
The first thing they did was unpack an industrial-size blower and begin blasting the dust off my cdp and amp. Then, Babu unplugged the two components and went to work with a cloth and cleaner. The speakers were still in their boxes.
After a while, the now gleaming cdp and amp were inserted back onto my rack (also cleaned), and the speakers were unwrapped. As this post is getting really long, Ill rush through this next part:
Install plinth, insert spikes, polish gorgeous cherry wood to a high gloss, use tape measure to set speaker distances, tighten spikes, plug in cables, power up system, insert disc, smile broadly!
Its not every day that I get to experience a level of service that exceeds my expectations. Especially when the dealer has a host of other customers, all with much deeper pockets than mine. Needless to say, I have no hesitation in recommending Absolute Phase to others. Im sure youll be blown away, too.
By the way, heres the icing on the cake: when I asked Prithvi what the demo charges were, considering Id kept the pair for a week, heres the figure he quoted Rs.101!
I paid up gladly.
Buying a new piece of kit is always a time of mixed emotions for me. Theres the thrill of the hunt, coupled with the fear of being taken for a ride. And, going by a recent thread on this forum (boycott dealers), Im sure there are many others who share my feelings. It is, therefore, a real pleasure when you come across a dealer who makes the entire experience a memorable one.
What follows is a quick recap of my interaction with Absolute Phase and Prithvi, in a quest to upgrade my speakers:
At the outset, let me state that Im one of those people who doesnt like to buy new hi-fi kit unless Ive tested it in my system, in my home. Sure, Ill read all the reviews and scour the forums for user comments. But at the end of the day, only a home dem can tell me if the change is worthwhile. And, this is where the problem starts with a lot of dealers. Perhaps, its the beady look in my eyes, or my seedy appearance that causes dealers to balk at letting me take equipment home. Imagine my surprise, then, when Prithvi offered to deliver a pair of well run-in speakers for a home dem over the weekend. The catch? It would cost me Rs.2k for the privilege.
Ah well, I thought, if Im going to spend over a lakh on new speakers, then 2k is a small price to pay for ensuring Im making the right choice. Man, was I ever right!
The speakers I was auditioning, the ProAc Studio 140s, were a completely different animal from my Epos m22s. No way would Ive bought these speakers after spending 2-3 hours with them in a demo room somewhere. In fact, for the first 2 days I didnt think they fit in my system at all! Luckily for me, Prithvi was traveling, and called to say I could keep them for a few days more. This is not a speaker review, so Ill skip the gory details. Suffice it to say, that, at the end of the third day I was sold. What followed was even more amazing.
At 10am yesterday, Prithvi and Babu, his ever smiling and knowledgeable assistant, arrived with a shiny new pair of Studio 140s. As Id been working till 4am the night before, I was keen to have them unpack and plug in the speakers, and leave me to crawl back to bed. But that was not to be. They werent here merely to install the speakers, collect the money and run. No sir, they wanted to treat me to a level of service I had rarely seen before.
The first thing they did was unpack an industrial-size blower and begin blasting the dust off my cdp and amp. Then, Babu unplugged the two components and went to work with a cloth and cleaner. The speakers were still in their boxes.
After a while, the now gleaming cdp and amp were inserted back onto my rack (also cleaned), and the speakers were unwrapped. As this post is getting really long, Ill rush through this next part:
Install plinth, insert spikes, polish gorgeous cherry wood to a high gloss, use tape measure to set speaker distances, tighten spikes, plug in cables, power up system, insert disc, smile broadly!
Its not every day that I get to experience a level of service that exceeds my expectations. Especially when the dealer has a host of other customers, all with much deeper pockets than mine. Needless to say, I have no hesitation in recommending Absolute Phase to others. Im sure youll be blown away, too.
By the way, heres the icing on the cake: when I asked Prithvi what the demo charges were, considering Id kept the pair for a week, heres the figure he quoted Rs.101!
I paid up gladly.
