This should be listed under “not so favorite demo”

Anyone auditioned Red Rose Music (Mark Levinson’s) products?
Recently I walked into their store in Chicago http://www.redrosemusic.com/dealer.shtml to audition one of their tube amps and was stunned by what I saw. No, its not the price tag even though it could’ve been if I didn’t look them up in their website prior to walking in. I was greeted by a salesman to a listening room which has their Model 5 integrated tube amp priced at $8K and a pair of floor standing speaker (Classics) priced at $8K. I popped in one of my own CD into a Sony CD player (SCD-XA777ES, $3K) in the room and was about to sit down with a good deal of curiosity and excitement. I was thinking, “Wow, I’m about to listen to sound coming from $19K system”. The salesman said to enjoy and closed the glass door. Just before I set down, I was stopped by squeaking, clunking and air turbulence noise coming from the ceiling just above the chair. When I looked up, I saw a supply air louver. Then I looked around the room only to realize that all the walls are painted gypsum board and no acoustic panels of any sort. Above that room was employee office space but without any acoustic insulation so each time someone takes a step, I can hear it loud and clear. By this time, the music was already playing and I wasn’t sure what to make of this demo experience. My jaw dropped. If someone saw me through that glass door, he / she may think that I’m amazed by the sound coming from the speakers.

I did not stay for long and as I was leaving the store I asked myself, “What‘s Mark Levinson up to?” Supposedly these people know what they are doing when it comes to audio (& video) but to set up $19K worth of equipment in an environment like that, there’s got to be a reason. Basically I came up with two scenarios that may explain this.

1. These people don’t really know what they are doing.

2. These people know what they are doing and beyond. Perhaps the potential buyers of Red Rose products are already well aware of Mark Levinson’s line and come to the store to see and feel (touch) the products before taking out their credit cards. By having a listening room as such, keeps the less potential buyers like myself from crowding up the place.

Any gunslingers want to take a shot at what real reason may be?

Two years ago when I heard about Outlaw’s separates, I didn’t think of myself as a potential buyer and was happy with my base model Yamaha HT receiver. Today I own Outlaw’s separates so Red Rose ought to leave the options open if scenario #2 is really the case.

I just got back from the CES show in Las Vegas, and browsing the high end audio/video rooms at the Alexis Park Hotel, I was amazed at the lack of skill and knowledge that I saw from the people doing the demos. Horrible music choices and system setups. I guess it proves that stupidity knows no borders.

Mark Levinson is in a bit of trouble at the moment according to this article:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/ces2004/friday/page3.htm

Basically, Mr. Levinson has screwed up with the last three audio ventures he has had. Mark Levinson equipment by Madrigal is another story. Madrigal actually owns the product name, "Mark Levinson" and their products do reflect good technology and customer service. So, maybe it's not all in a name....

Audio stores are definitely a tricky thing. Audio shows are ridiculus places to here good demos. Nine foot tall speakers with a 1000 watts behind them in 20 square foot hotel rooms just don't match. It's really hard to find places with good demo rooms. That's why companies, like Outlaw, that have a in-home trial period really have my trust.

Some years back I was up to my neck in "high end" gear. I had spent tens of thousands of dollars on a setup of Mark Levinson electronics (not including all the swap-outs and "upgrades" that got me to that point), and I was on a never-ending search for the next tweak or upgrade that would take my system to the next level.

One night, while I was setting up a new preamp (along with some spendy boutique cables), I sat there and asked myself "What the hell am I doing?" I'd gotten into the "hobby" because of my love for music, but I'd gotten so obsessed with the performance of the system that I rarely ever listened to a CD "just to enjoy the music". The music was just a way to measure this-or-that aspect of the system's performance.

The next day I boxed everything up and listed it on Audiogon.

I believe that the "high-end" is basically a scam. Undoubtedly, there are reputable companies that sell well-engineered products, albeit for a hefty price tag. But there's so much BS out there that even shrewd consumers can get stung. Not to mention the fact that the business model for a lot of the vendors and retailers doesn't seem very sustainable.

For me, the cost of the "high-end" stuff is way out of proportion to the reward, and I'm grateful for companies like Outlaw that deliver performance that is well beyond the dollars they charge.