Testimonials

Quality Sound

First, this is not Walmart, or Best Buy, or Radio Shack, or any other low/mid-level consumer grade tripe that gets promoted by college students and internet showcases. This is the real deal; audiophile quality equipment. And, in general, the old adage of “you get what you pay for” is true.

When I was young(er), louder was better. But, what I’ve discovered over the years is that it’s not always what you hear but what you don’t hear. Any manufacturer can make it loud. Quality components give you the music quality in terms of linear frequency response, stage presence, and elimination of noise that are not part of the recording. That’s the real difference. You can hear the quiet between the chords, the pluck of the string, and even more emotion in the artist’s instruments and voice.

Like anyone else, we’ve had various stereos over the years and most of them have found their way into the garage or the workout room as technology advances. Our most recent system we’ve had for several years and we considered it not too bad. But, once you become used to the higher quality system, everything else sounds distorted and noisy. The old system found its way to the basement and it’s like night and day to listen to the difference. A quality system is good for decades.

My wife and I have different tastes in music, although some common as well. The system that we are enjoying from UA does justice to them both without problem. It has the capacity and fidelity to handle all of our needs without compromise. As a result, we’re rediscovering a lot of music we haven’t listened to in a long time. It’s hard to describe until you’ve lost yourself on a comfortable couch with music you’ve listened to hundreds of times, now sounds like you’re hearing it for the first time; familiar, yet deeper.

Home theater should also be mentioned here. Certainly a lot of systems that do HT decently are not suitable for general music reproduction. They might have a lot of thump (for explosions and car crashes), but when it comes to music, they can’t “keep up” with the dynamic frequency response required for music. Needless to say, a system that can handle music well will make HT a new experience. Utah Audio knows the difference and the demands both place on a system.

Mentioning one last thing here. The folks at Utah Audio realize that their showroom is not your home. In a controlled environment, things can be optimized to sound better and they do a great job demonstrating the performance of the systems they sell. They don’t just focus on the equipment but make sure they fully understand how and where you’re going to enjoy it so that what is sold sounds just as good in your home.

Professional Sales and Service

Some background is appropriate here. I’m a 40-something Electrical Engineer with two out of the nest. I’ve been to a lot of electronics stores, and sometimes could be accused of making sport of some poor unsuspecting “kid” that works on commission. So, I went to UA with my cynical hat on, expecting to hear fluff and sales pitch. I expected to be drowned in acronyms for every little feature along with a glazed over explanation of what it actually does. Instead, I was very refreshed to hear how educated the equipment representative was in the science of high definition audio components. My inquiries of every aspect of a system were not only met with firm answers regarding the technology, but also the problem it solves and how it benefits the listener. He was very well educated in present and proven new technology from traditional analog two channel to multichannel digital audio, signal processing, digital distribution, compression, acoustic geometries, and even down to the frequency response of interconnecting cables. Good luck getting that at Best Buy.

Competency didn’t come with an attitude, though. This capable professional, for all his knowledge was not condescending (as some can be) but quite affable. They all really love music, and can appreciate all tastes.

They are generous with their time and listen to what you want. They were willing to meet outside regular business hours to accommodate work schedules.

One thing I liked was that they never go on to say that what you have is bad. No one likes to be insulted for previous purchases, even if they were on a budget. Instead, they work with you to invest in sound quality through components you will like and even go so far as to try to re-use some older quality components. That is, they work with you to give you the best sound, not their best bottom line.

A word for the budget conscious: Try not to get hung up on sticker shock. Quality is not cheap and your initial reaction will be to reconsider whether you’re in the right place to be investing that kind of money. Everyone is different of course, but ask yourself where your entertainment is being spent right now. If your answer is that you like to listen to good music while you putter around the house or perhaps you like to have movie night with the family, then it makes a certain amount of sense to invest in a system that optimizes that entertainment medium. I will say that I have an ongoing relationship with UA. I didn’t have tens of thousands of dollars to spend and they were OK with that. They worked with me so as not to sell me the most expensive system (although you will drool over the McIntosh), but placed my immediate dollars into the most critical components that would give me the most immediate value. I recognize that other components that I want will come a little later. They respect that and are willing to follow up at your pace.

One last mention about service. After a few months, I noticed that one of the surround channels had gone out with my Arcam receiver/amp. Their response was amazing. Not only did they process the unit for an immediate warranty repair at a top notch facility, they made sure I was taken care of. Thank goodness because the speakers on the plasma TV weren’t cutting it. They set me up with loaned equipment…so that my audio experience would not be interrupted. This level of customer service is not only unexpected in this day, it is all but extinct. Utah Audio has a customer for life here.