[Dave]

Having always been in to Hi Fi & thanks to advice I read on HiFiWigwams forum, my Uncle & I spent a most pleasant 4-5 hours yesterday at Coherent Systems

Result........ without doubt the best customer service I have ever experienced from anyone

We arrived 30 mins early ( got the wrong time :?), but Tony was only too willing to get us a coffee. From chatting over the next 45 minutes you realise how much electronics knowledge this guy has ....he knows his stuff. Add in to the mix great social skills, a respect for the customers views/needs & the ability to understand this & turn it into to viable hifi options for you, the need for pushy sales talk are never needed. Great stuff

Anyway we started with following combo

Puresound A8000 cdp valve output staged - CD player
Belcanto S300i integrated amp
Focal Electra 1007be's stand mount speakers
Speaker cable Connoisseur
Mains cables again Connoisseur
Power master II mains conditioner

1st impressions were a) I haven't heard that before on that CD b) this CD player is very good for £900 c) these speakers are pretty amazing. When Tony pointed out the speakers were only probably being pushed to 45% of their ability, I took it with a pinch of salt. Over the next few hours as we upped the source he proved he was right !!

A jump to the Esoteric X-03se CD/Sacd player made a huge difference ....but then again at 5 times the price you would hope so. I was now having trouble believing my ears .... thw whole package is sounding unbelievable & these speakers should not be able to create this presence .... it's witch craft you know.

Well to cap it all Tone then switches on his personally tweaked CD player & Amps to take it yet another level. Words couldn't describe how good this was all sounding & these speakers are making me into a gibbering wreck.

I won't even go in to following changes, with Tones modified stand speakers , followed by the big mother speakers :zip:

Anyway I think my Uncle who has spent fortunes over the years with high end systems of £20-£30K, spending most weekends at different dealers for advice etc on upgrades, summed it up beautifully. " I've just wasted the last 30 years with my hifi upgrades"

Uncle walks out with the Focal Electra 1007be's stand speakers & Tony will be visiiting his house with different amp & CD combos I'll attend also to see what I can build on a more modest budget ...if that's possible

So any downsides from the day ? Well I'm sure the soundstage will not be to everyone's taste . The onslaught of information can be too much at first, but never tiring. If your a name/brand person, you might not like the idea of trying these different products .......but you could be missing out. Lastly you will probably start mentally selling everything else you own, just to buy some of this kit

For me it was great to have a no bull**** approach. To have someone else spend all the time finding products that are not only excellently built, but work well together, can demo a sytem that suits your tastes, is going to save me a fortune in the long run

Just need to find a house to place a dedicated hi fi room now :dunno:

[Dabhand16]

Originally Posted by Dave

Just need to find a house to place a dedicated hi fi room now :dunno:

Suggest you start with a blank sheet of paper, then, and look to go underground for the HiFi room.

[Matt F]

I hope I get some credit for pointing you in Big Tone's direction!

It was from him I purchased my incredible Bel Canto eVo4 amp and, although I didn't get them from him, he also introduced me to Meadowlark speakers - which (as he found out) work with Bel Canto amps in some kind of magical way.

I just knew both you and your Uncle would be impressed and the best bit is Tone's a decent guy who will sell you the right gear without ripping you off.

Did you get to hear his mamoth Meadowlark Blue Herons?

Matt.