Some of my not so-fond memories of being a low-income young man include walking into higher-end stores and being treated as if I had leprosy. Today, some of my favorite activities include walking into higher-end stores intentionally looking and acting like a low-income middle-aged guy, but now with cash in the bank ready to purchase from people who treat me with respect.

During a trip to visit some friends who own an upscale restaurant in Portland, OR, my wife and I added a trip to the Seattle area to see if we could purchase some audio gear to install in our secondary home. True to form, we walked into one local store looking like your average Joe and Jane. Now, we are not newbies to the audio market. We have been buying high-end audio gear from various dealers located in different parts of the country for over ten years, we are long-time subscribers to Stereophile and other A/V publications, and we have attended several specialty audio conventions in the past.

During a visit to a high end audio store in Seattle , we thought it odd to see a high-quality amplifier attached to mid-quality speakers, while a set of higher-quality speakers were attached to mid-quality source components. After listening to one song on the system that included the higher quality speakers, I asked if we could hear the same speakers hooked up to the higher-quality amplifier. The salesman responded that such a thing is done “by appointment only.” We did see a very familiar component that we were willing to buy on the spot, but it appeared to have an inflated MSRP. I questioned the pricing of the component, whereupon he responded that perhaps we would be better off purchasing something from the used market (!!!). We thanked him for his time and walked out. If their business relies on selling equipment based on inflated MSRP’s to those unfamiliar with audio equipment, we definitely are not their target clientele.

Then we met with Jim Lee at Nuts About Hi Fi. His courtesy and his enthusiasm for audio were immediately apparent. We listened to several songs from our standard set of CD’s that we always bring when we audition audio equipment. When I asked to listen to different source/amplifier/speaker combinations, it was “no problem!” He simply moved the speakers around and swapped the cables among the components accordingly. We stayed about two hours, and he was there the entire time to answer our questions with the utmost courtesy and respect. After we obtained pricing information, we left with no commitment to buy, and he thanked us for visiting. There is no doubt in our minds that he is a true audiophile (and, in my opinion, a darned good businessman). He earned our business. A couple weeks and a six-figure sale later, we are now the very happy owners of a wonderful audio system.

For those who know audio gear, for those who want to learn about audio gear, and/or for those who simply want to be treated with respect no matter what their budget, Nuts is THE place to go.

Jim and Beth

Northern California