Auditioning of Grados is a big yes!

[av98m 0]

Ah, thats good to know.

[Blues 0]

great to hear that!

[Rameish 0]

Blues,

 

You yourself have experienced the autitioning at MBD - you didn't see me walking in ;-) They practically left you alone and I didnt see it fit to disturb ya.

 

I would like to add this:

The fact that the owner was concered enough to call me back and expain that indeed his new salesman did indeed turn down 2 to 3 customers is a reflection of how seriously MDB takes auditioing. They are a professional outfit that dare to admit when a mistake has been made.

Basically the poor salesman didn't dare open a new SR-60 box as Grado boxes are sealed (except for the RS-1) and the owner wasn't around. And did not have any stocks of the SR-80 (not even the demo unit as it was sold).

 

 

 

[Blues 0]

Not that I am disturbed.. infact I can say they're very nice people(yep correct they left me alone with the rs-1 and 325 last time). Just abit confused previously as to why they disallowed auditioning u see, and in which it has been cleared. So it's no longer a problem.

Cheers

[Rameish 0]

Anyways,

 

Back to the topic at hand:

 

David,

 

Here's the link to my views on the Grado SR-60 vs SR-80 http://www.sgheadphones.com/index.php?show...&hl=grado+sr-80

 

However, I suggest you try it out for yourself at MDB when the stocks arrive. Or leave your name and contact number with them and they can call ya when the stocks come in.

 

Personally, I'll pick the SR-80 over the SR-60 anyday as there's only a S$50 difference in price between the two.

[david watt 0]

Rameish,

Thanks for clarifying the matter with MBD. It is very good that i can get to test a headphone before deciding whether to buy it. Will be down one of these days to audition the 60/80.

 

Great thanks to everyone else who have read and responded for your suggestions and opinions!

 

Actually as a consumer, was rather surprised then when the salesman told me that there is no auditioning of the low-end Grados, especially with their limited stocks of 60/80 and the headphones' popularity.

 

Prior to deciding on my hi-fi set, had actually gone around Adelphi and the shops at Sim-Lim. All had allowed me to audition the entire set-up, from the amp to the speakers, not the cables though!

 

Anyway, while it is true that once out of their boxes, the headphones will not be able to be sold at the retail price, but auditioning should be allowed since it is the minimum of decent customer service, isn't it?

 

Am glad that MBD take the concept of customer service seriously.

Is indeed very good news for me and other budding audiophiles!

[topcat 0]

Hi all,

 

I'm the distributor for Grado in Singapore (ie from MbD). Rameish called me today to ask for clarification on whether or not auditioning of headphones is allowed in our store after some of the members here reported that they could not get a chance to do so. After reading through some of the posts on this thread, I think it's best that I respond directly.

 

First of all, I have to apologise to those who did not get the opportunity to listen to the SR60s or the SR80s. It has always been our policy to allow whoever wants to listen to the Grados (from the SR60s to the RS1s) to audition them with either their own portable equipment or through the equipment in our store. This policy may not have been fully communicated to our new salesman when he joined the company a couple of months back.

 

Sales of the Grados recently have been very brisk and on certain occasions (eg currently), we were sold out of certain models. In times like these, I believe he used his discretion to inform customers 'sorry no audition' for popular or out of stock models. This will *not* happen again; unless customers insist on buying our display units which leaves us with nothing left.

 

That being said, in our business (as in any retail business), it is quite impossible to make everyone happy. We can always do better so it's good to have feedback from our customers. I do hope that we're doing a decent job.

 

With regards to pricing of Grados, we follow closely the recommended US retail prices. I think a search to see what distributors in other countries charge for Grados will show that our prices are fair. Our prices also include the 5% GST (which unfortunately does not go into our pockets). Of course you probably can get Grados cheaper from mail-order houses overseas; it's only logical that we charge a fair price to cover shipping and our costs of running the business. What I do not appreciate are customers who come in to our store several times, spend hours listening and comparing different models of Grados and then complain that they can get the headphones they want cheaper elsewhere on the Net. Thankfully, such customers are far and few inbetween. I must say the vast majority of customers are much nicer to do business with.

 

Finally, thanks for the support from all Grado users. To those who are still considering a Grado, look forward to seeing you guys (and girls).

 

Cheers,

CF Tan

Music by Design

[Rameish 0]

CF,

 

Good to hear from you and a warm welcome to our small but ever growing forum. I didnt even know you were a member (even though I have been encouraging you to do so LOL). Also, I'll need to change your member group title for ya to reflect your dealer status.

 

Most of the members here (if not all) do appreciate the level of service that your company provides, many in fact have become customers of yours because of the level of service and friendliness that we have experienced at Music By Design.

 

Once again

Edited May 6, 2004 by Rameish

[MERTON 0]

If you don't mind huge headphones, the Philips 890 is a nice pair of headphones at $80+. The cable may also be upgraded at a later time.

where do you buy these? jan doesn't sell philips anymore.

[fishball79 0]

What I do not appreciate are customers who come in to our store several times, spend hours listening and comparing different models of Grados and then complain that they can get the headphones they want cheaper elsewhere on the Net.

I know a big majority of the forum lurkers/posters are students who are interested in getting good portable/home gear and hence price is an issue. I am one myself (student, not headphone) and whole heartedly agree with the statement made by MBD Boss.

 

This is the sort of attitude that some dealers have as a result of the few bad apples and when newbie apples comes into the shop looking just like the bad ones (red in colour, a fruit, smells nicer tho, just kidding i.e. students) they get burned by the aftereffects of the rotten crowd. Hope you guys bear this in mind. Which is worth more, tens of dollars or your reputation?

 

I should've mentioned this earlier but i didn't. I accompanied friend to MBD half a year ago. He was allowed to audition the sr60s (even tho its base model, etc etc) with the gear in the shop and eventually bought them there and then. I assumed the store policy have changed due to unscrupulous apples but thankfully its not.

[cmk 0]

Just to clarify, I did not "come in to our[your] store several times, spend hours listening and comparing different models of Grados and then complain that they can get the headphones they want cheaper elsewhere on the Net". I only came in once and listened for about an hour(your shop was busy), the second time I came to audition the SR325 to confirm whether I wanted to buy or not, I was brushed off, but did not want to make an issue of it, because I know both you and your rep. Given the price premium of the SR325, and the service received, naturally I was disappointed. In fact, it was only after I could not audition the SR325 again that I started seriously looking for alternatives - sources or headphones.

 

I do appreciate your coming forward to clear the air, especially with regards to pricing, but this past experience has put me off Grados for the time being.

[kenshinz 0]

Guys, whatever it is, the main issue has been clarified - Auditioning of Grados are allowed at MBD, so lets just move on. No point calling each other names causing potential unhappiness in the forum. We are all entitled to our respective views and opnions, just like headphones. Its a subjective thing. I suggest that since this issue about auditioning of Grado headphones have been settled to everyone's satisifaction, we close this thread.

Edited May 7, 2004 by kenshinz

[Rameish 0]

The question of whether auditioning is allowed has been answered.

 

Since this is becoming a flame war. I've decided to delete the offending posts from both Ashleybenton and CMK and thread is now locked.

 

Ashley and CMK - keep the peace.

 

Ashley, name calling is a no-no.

 

CMK, CAPs denotes shouting

Edited May 7, 2004 by Rameish

[N@Z 0]

I don't want to get into both your arguments, however just an early warning to remind you guys to keep it civil.

 

Concerning this quote

...

 

It is pretty obvious that you have an axe to grind with MBD and I surprised the moderators didnt step in at that time.

We are under no obligation to step in as, as far as I can recall it had nothing to do directly with SGH.

[nakedtoes 0]

Edited May 9, 2004 by nakedtoes