Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

As a mid 40's white guy I will say that despite ditching the eyebrow ring and bleached hair years ago, they still do not like hoodies and high top sneakers. I get less ignored than I used to. But I still get pretty ignored.

Equally suspicious of jeans, adidas and a leather jacket. Well unless you’re clearly old enough to be having a mid life crisis, it’s designer and you turn up in a Porsche.
 
they were empty when i walked in and wouldn't help me at first even though all their sales people were just standing around. i even said "Excuse me" to one salesperson who just kept walking and ignored me.

i later heard from other friends that if you weren't a 50+ year old white guy, the salespeople there just refuse to help out. One of my friends went in there to buy some gear not long after me. when he went in and asked where their headphone section was, they told him the Best Buy was across the street, laughed and turned their backs on him.

I ended up buying from another brick and mortar shop a friend recommended and they couldn’t have been more helpful. This was probably 15 years ago now and many hi-fi shops I’ve been to since haven’t been as “old-school” with the snobbery
Jerks. I would have moved on too.
 
As someone who hates being bothered by sales people unless I am really ready to buy at that moment, I am taking notes on what to start wearing any time I go to a store. :LOL:

I mean I totally don’t want those big box store in your face sales people on a mixture of commission and desperation. I would quite like someone who comes over and lets me buy something when I’ve made my mind up without it feeling like such an effort for them to deal a pleb like me.
 
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Equally suspicious of jeans, adidas and a leather jacket. Well unless you’re clearly old enough to be having a mid life crisis, it’s designer and you turn up in a Porsche.

I worked at a hifi shop when I was in college (longer ago than I’d like to admit). I remember one guy came in and was getting ignored by my coworkers. I ended up helping him as he was buying many thousands of dollars of gear. I helped him out to his “car” with what we didn’t have to order and he was driving a Ferrari F40. Flip-flops, a Hawaiian shirt, old man shorts and a Ferrari freaking F40.

I commented on his car and he said it didn’t do him any good sitting in a garage. The guy is still one of my hero’s.
 
I worked at a hifi shop when I was in college (longer ago than I’d like to admit). I remember one guy came in and was getting ignored by my coworkers. I ended up helping him as he was buying many thousands of dollars of gear. I helped him out to his “car” with what we didn’t have to order and he was driving a Ferrari F40. Flip-flops, a Hawaiian shirt, old man shorts and a Ferrari freaking F40.

I commented on his car and he said it didn’t do him any good sitting in a garage. The guy is still one of my hero’s.
Who knew Magnum PI was an audiophile?
 
they were empty when i walked in and wouldn't help me at first even though all their sales people were just standing around. i even said "Excuse me" to one salesperson who just kept walking and ignored me.

i later heard from other friends that if you weren't a 50+ year old white guy, the salespeople there just refuse to help out. One of my friends went in there to buy some gear not long after me. when he went in and asked where their headphone section was, they told him the Best Buy was across the street, laughed and turned their backs on him.

I ended up buying from another brick and mortar shop a friend recommended and they couldn’t have been more helpful. This was probably 15 years ago now and many hi-fi shops I’ve been to since haven’t been as “old-school” with the snobbery
Here's the thing, you don't need to be a tool.

The closest HiFi shop to me is MD and that's over an hour away, the closest record store, not Walmart, is about 45 minutes away. To bring my tool comment full circle, a simple "Hello, let me know if you have any questions" will suffice, even if you walk in with tattered clothes.

Same with record stores, I went into this one once and had 2 binders of 78's that were just collecting dust, my intention was to just give them to the place in case they had any 78 collectors, so when I said "Hey, I'm gonna look around, but I have these 78's I just don't need, I'd like to donate them in case you have any customers who might be interested", your response should be...........

A. Thank you
B. Thank you, but we really don't have anyone ever looking

It shouldn't be..........
"Here's what you do, go down the street to Goodwill and just drop them off there", that's what I was told verbatim.

So, as my pappy used to tell me "Son, there's a right way and wrong way to do EVERYTHING" ;)
 
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Oh wow, I don't get excited about many of these things, but as a longtime Dual lover, GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY indeed! Add to cart...

 
Oh wow, I don't get excited about many of these things, but as a longtime Dual lover, GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY indeed! Add to cart...

I mean sure, sure it's only slightly less expensive than a 2022 Toyota Corolla... sure I mean FINE who EVEN CARES
 
Any recs for wired headphones under $200ish? Looking for over ear headphones not IEMs. Will be for listening to music at home in my office when the kiddo is asleep in the room next to me. Long cord preferable!
 
How’s the NAD C338? My integrated (Rotel RA-1570) in my office has some noise going on and I can’t figure out what’s causing it. Debating trying to send it in to get fixed but also came across a lightly used NAD C338 for $350 shipped. By the time I ship the Rotel somewhere and pay to get it fixed (if it can even be fixed) may just pay to go for the NAD if it’s a good amp!
 
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