| Editorial May 2002
The Upgrade Bug
I recently helped a close friend upgrade his home-theater
system. He owned what most would consider a very high-quality rig to begin with, but he
was hankering for more. The question was, more what?
One of the first questions I ask someone when they mention
the upgrade bug is, "What do you use the system for?" Then I want to know other
things. Is it primarily music, home theater, or an equal combination of each? Is the
system used and enjoyed by the whole family or is it more of a solitary endeavor? How
often is it used? What do you watch and listen to most?
Establishing where the person is coming from is more than
just looking at the list of components he or she has, or even the room where the system is
used. It’s finding out what the owner’s priorities are so that a recommendation
can be made based on long-term satisfaction in real-world use. But mostly, it’s a
personal decision made factoring-in personal priorities.
Dealers do this everyday, but I’ve seen many instances
where the advice is dictated by the bottom line: to sell more gear. It may take more or
better gear for that person to experience a true upgrade -- it likely will -- but
that should not be the primary consideration, especially when you don’t know what
gear will make the biggest impact or provide the person with the most satisfaction.
I’m always amazed at the lack of investment I see dealers make in their customers. I
was talking to a restaurant owner the other day and he said that 90% of his business was
repeat customers that come in multiple times each week. He’s built his clientele by
serving the same people well time after time. Would this same model not apply to
audio/video? As prevalent as the upgrade bug is, I’m sure repeat business should
be more of a factor than it is.
Once I have a general feel for the person (in the example
using my friend, I had a good idea of where he wanted to go), I then like to take a
look-and-listen to the system in question. In some instances there is a glaring area where
a large improvement can be made; one that perhaps the owner does not know exists.
It’s a moment of discovery for me because now I can see what this person has based
their opinions on. Many times their gut feeling is right on, and the area they want to
improve upon is the best way to go.
When I write an article or review a component, there is
quite a bit of research that has to take place before I put pen to paper (or finger to
key). After all, someone is going to read the piece in the process of informing him or
herself. I don’t take this responsibility lightly. I also do this same legwork when
I’m asked to help a friend or acquaintance. If I make the correct assessment and give
the appropriate advice, it will likely wet the person’s appetite for more. And that grows
the industry. It also means the chap will ask me again. That is precisely how experts
become labeled experts.
What did we do in the case of my friend? Well, first, we
replaced a good set of main loudspeakers with an exceptional set. This was the biggest
expenditure by far, but made the most difference by far. Better detail, impact,
clarity, and less distortion, made everything sound waaay better. We then increased
the quality and quantity of his amplification. This further improved the performance of
his new speakers. The center-channel was ditched after numerous listening sessions -- the
new main stereo pair was just too focused and too clear. The center-channel was hampering
dialogue intelligibility, and I’m not sure we could improve upon it with a better
center-channel speaker. Having better mains, the sub he was using to augment the old
speakers was no longer needed for that reason. We reconfigured it to handle the LFE
channel and redirected bass from the surrounds, which we set to "Small" within
his processor (correct bass management means a lot, and cost nothing). Next up is a new
HDTV.
The result of all this? He is so thrilled with the
sound of his home theater; he can hardly talk about it without an ear-to-ear grin. And
I’m extremely happy I could help. Mission accomplished.
...Jeff Fritz
editor@hometheatersound.com |
