New System from a friend

Lefisc

Lefisc

New member
Joined
Jun 29, 2013
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482
Location
Long Island, New York
I just had a very nice thing happen, something I don’t usually get!!!!!

A friend, not into home theatre at all redid his basement to put one in. he gave me the original plans of his installers and I made some changes.

First, he did want the 90 inch TV set no matter what.

I told him to get the Oppo 103 player if he was going to have such a big picture. He did and he loves it. (The installer suggested something else)*

He was getting a Marantz, but I had him step up to the 7008 unit.

Believe or not, his installer was giving him a left and right speaker from one company and a middle speaker from another. I insisted that the center channel be from the same company!

Finally, I suggested that he get two subs instead of just one for the middle. He did.

He just saw his first movie: Avatar (In 2D) and was blown away. The picture and the sound, he said, was incredible and he will never go to a movie theatre again. Also the Oppo gave him great CD sound, which he loves!

Frankly, I usually don’t get involved when friends put together systems unless they ask me. And rarely do people listen. I usually get, “But the dealer said to do this……” That the dealer wanted to get such a different center channel is beyond me. I forgot the brand names, but when I see them next week I’ll post.

So it was great to get such great feedback.


*The dealer did not sell Oppo and he ordered it directly.
 
Very cool! I had the same thing happen to me; a dealer that sells the brand of speakers I own tried to get me to buy another brand center channel. I have no idea why other than I must look like I couldn't afford the matching one. :P
 
nice Barry sharing knowledge without it being monetary based is what its all about!!!!!
your a good friend.
i give advise all the time and nobody ever listens to me, obviously they just dont realize that im always right. :roflmao:
 
Yes, like the Oppo 103 for example was great advice. ...And also the center channel speaker from the same manufacturer for a god timbre match. And! ...Two subwoofers (two subs are better than one). And! ...The Marantz 7008, nothing less than dat.
 
Over the last few decades, I have always enjoyed helping people get what was right for them. And that usually works out. Sadly, like Steve, they don't always listen. Some people, mostly people I casually knew...neighbors or people I worked with, would take “half” of my advice. That is, they would hear mention a brand name for one item and buy ALL items by that manufacturer, or buy a different model, ort not realize that components are best when matched properly.

What I have also become careful of, is what I now call, “The Big Bang Effect.” I set up a friend’s system when a friend of theirs heard the system asked me for advice. I laid out a good system and even connected her with a dealer. It took a couple of hours.

I have had this before. That is, then she wanted me to come over and set the system up for her. (and she lived 35 miles away) She thought that audiophiles just enjoyed setting up systems and moving all that stuff around. I always get invited for a “dinner.” I guess audiophiles cannot cook. She got a bit miffed when I refused. (Note: They think they can save money by not paying for installation.) Again, for a friend I have no problem, but for strangers I just don’t have the time to do that. Also if you set it up for them you become their “tech support” for the next few years.

Some think of audio/video (or computer) hobbyists as “nerds” who don’t have a life.

Let me be repetitive and stress that for family and friends I do as much as I can and I do enjoy it. For causal acquaintances I still do my best, I just can’t devote the same amount of time.
 
Well said Barry. The same thing happens to me with computers. People at work realize that I "know" computers and I get phone calls from people when they stop at Best Buy or some other computer store asking for advice about buying a computer. Then somehow the desktop/laptop ends up on my desk to setup. Phone calls are non-stop for a few months until they are comfortable with the new computer. I help as much as possible but sometimes it becomes too much.
 
Petro85 said:
nice Barry sharing knowledge without it being monetary based is what its all about!!!!!
your a good friend.
i give advise all the time and nobody ever listens to me, obviously they just dont realize that im always right. :roflmao:
Click to expand...

You too ? I get that all the time...:exciting:
 
Lefisc said:
Over the last few decades, I have always enjoyed helping people get what was right for them. And that usually works out. Sadly, like Steve, they don't always listen. Some people, mostly people I casually knew...neighbors or people I worked with, would take “half” of my advice. That is, they would hear mention a brand name for one item and buy ALL items by that manufacturer, or buy a different model, ort not realize that components are best when matched properly.

What I have also become careful of, is what I now call, “The Big Bang Effect.” I set up a friend’s system when a friend of theirs heard the system asked me for advice. I laid out a good system and even connected her with a dealer. It took a couple of hours.

I have had this before. That is, then she wanted me to come over and set the system up for her. (and she lived 35 miles away) She thought that audiophiles just enjoyed setting up systems and moving all that stuff around. I always get invited for a “dinner.” I guess audiophiles cannot cook. She got a bit miffed when I refused. (Note: They think they can save money by not paying for installation.) Again, for a friend I have no problem, but for strangers I just don’t have the time to do that. Also if you set it up for them you become their “tech support” for the next few years.

Some think of audio/video (or computer) hobbyists as “nerds” who don’t have a life.

Let me be repetitive and stress that for family and friends I do as much as I can and I do enjoy it. For causal acquaintances I still do my best, I just can’t devote the same amount of time.
Click to expand...

I hear you...like the are doing YOU a favor..I don't mind helping out..but it gets a little old when someone buys a new tablet and asks me to help them get started...which usually means "in the 1990, Microsoft created windows...this is an iocn, this is how you click, that's a window..."...Oh yeah, I really want to teach PC 101..
 
I have it with computers too!

I love when people BUY the unit and then ask me how to do what they need on it, rather than asking me first and getting the right machine!

I also think that people don;t want to admit that price has a lot to do with their purchase. They buy what they can afford rather than what they want or need, but never want to admit that.

Again, my friend Bob got the advice from the Home Theatre dealer and then, before he bought anything asked me for advice. he then asked me to speak to the dealer and he got exactly what he hoped for!
 
joeinid said:
Well said Barry. The same thing happens to me with computers. People at work realize that I "know" computers and I get phone calls from people when they stop at Best Buy or some other computer store asking for advice about buying a computer. Then somehow the desktop/laptop ends up on my desk to setup. Phone calls are non-stop for a few months until they are comfortable with the new computer. I help as much as possible but sometimes it becomes too much.
Click to expand...

Good to know Joe. :)
 
Lefisc said:
I have it with computers too!

I love when people BUY the unit and then ask me how to do what they need on it, rather than asking me first and getting the right machine!

I also think that people don;t want to admit that price has a lot to do with their purchase. They buy what they can afford rather than what they want or need, but never want to admit that.

Again, my friend Bob got the advice from the Home Theatre dealer and then, before he bought anything asked me for advice. he then asked me to speak to the dealer and he got exactly what he hoped for!
Click to expand...

It's a beautiful thing when it goes as planned. That's great that you, your friend AND the dealer were able to work together on the final system.

What I do now regarding computers is try and steer them towards Macintosh (Rob can you hear me :P). Once they buy a Mac, I get maybe one phone call telling me how happy they are and they instinctively figure the rest out for themselves. Now THAT is a beautiful thing :)

The top 10 Mac applications are productivity programs. The top 10 windows programs are virus protection, reg. cleaners, spyware removers, etc..
 
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Joe brings up a good example of why you should check out technology before you buy. “The top 10 Mac applications are productivity programs. The top 10 windows programs are virus protection, reg. cleaners, spyware removers, etc.”

That really means nothing. The fact is that Windows sells 10 times the productivity software as Mac because there are ten times as many PCs. In fact that is why Windows computers are the bigger targets of virus, you want to attack the biggest. Mac are not invulnerable to virus, however.

Macs are great computers and if you are just doing emailing and web surfing at home they are great. They also do the highest levels of graphic design better, however, since Windows computers are the biggest sellers the graphic design software makers cater to that market too. I know because I have been using In Design, Illustrator and Photoshop on Windows (and Macs) for a decade. Very little difference.

If you are doing office functions, Word, Excel, Outlook and Access, as most offices do, Windows is the better choice. If you need to network with your office computer, or take work home, Windows is probably the better choice also. Also, many people who learned Windows on their office computers don’t want to learn another operating system.

Windows computers are usually a lot cheaper than Macs and better available. In the early 2000s there was a $1,000 difference and that was a major factor.

So when someone asks what kind of computer do you recommend , the response should be “What will you be doing with it??”
 
I want to burn the entire planet! ...Movies, Games, Music, etc., and all in hi-def/res picture/audio.
I want a computer that gives me access to all the drones, can do (clone) everything in 3D (including fast women and fast cars), and goes faster than a jet plane! :)

Is there such a thing that exists right now? ...Should I get a Mac or a PC?
 
Lefisc said:
Frankly, I usually don’t get involved when friends put together systems unless they ask me. And rarely do people listen. I usually get, “But the dealer said to do this……” That the dealer wanted to get such a different center channel is beyond me. I forgot the brand names, but when I see them next week I’ll post.
Click to expand...

This is precisely why I offer concierge/consultation services in the A/V realm. I would say it is mission critical to sniff out junk dealers trying to pull the wool over on clients. And for new cases, some skepticism creeps up, where I can quickly say: if you don't want the advice, then don't ask - but if you want it, you're going to pay for it - but then I work for you - not the dealer. Also, I've found that when people pay you - even family or friends - they take your advice way more seriously.

Pisses some brick and mortars off real bad, but I don't really care. If they are there to totally rip off people they don't deserve to be in business.
 
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