It’s becoming quite difficult to remember a time before Covid, but back in early February 2020, I was eagerly expecting a visit from my oldest friend ‘D’. We have known one another for almost 65 years and have enjoyed sharing our love of classical music for decades, both at live performances and from home-listening. If we can arrange it, we try to spend a few days listening intensely, discussing and comparing, but opportunities have diminished as a result of serious health issues and so they are therefore all the more precious when they happen.
Imagine my utter dismay when, early in the morning of D’s proposed arrival, I discovered that my amplifier had suddenly crashed. I have been a customer with Martin’s since January 2009 and received expert advice and support from Marcus and Steve, while Ian master-minded my latest brilliant upgrade to incorporate T+A Elektroakustik’s superb multiplayer PDP 3000 HV and Melco’s excellent N1ZS2A Music Library. But they were useless without a functioning amp.
I immediately got on the ʹphone to Ian to see if he could possibly help, and, incredibly, by 3.00pm that day (and we are talking Essex here) he had delivered and installed a replacement amp, literally minutes before my old friend turned up. ‘D’ and I enjoyed wonderful hours that week, and I cannot express strongly enough my profound gratitude to Ian for ‘saving the days’. Then Covid struck in March, so it was impossible to resolve the amp issue for several months; I am hugely indebted to Martin’s for letting me keep the T+A PA 3100HV. Of course, it was such a wonderful partner for the T+A PDP that I could not bear to part with it, so I got a stunning upgrade, and Martin’s got a sale!
By any standards, this is an astonishing example of service way beyond the call of duty, but that is why Martin’s has my custom and my loyalty.
England
Dear Elizabeth,
One of the beliefs that I have acquired during my life is that people are far readier to criticise rather than to praise!
I am therefore writing now to record the excellent help and advice that I have received recently from three of your colleagues. My challenge was effectively to exchange some major equipment I bought some years ago from Martins for a large flat in London (now sold)—in essence a pair of B & W 803s backed by Classe amplifiers etc. In its place I sought something more appropriate to the Norfolk cottage to which we have retired.
I felt I was well advised by Steve, who is a pleasure to work with and clearly very knowledgeable, and I am really delighted with the final installation, a naim Uniti Star driving two small but excellent Spendor speakers together with a REL bass unit. The actual installation was carried out by Jack and Kevin, two delightful professionals for whom nothing was too much trouble.
All in all Martins did a first class job. I really am delighted with my set-up and you certainly have good colleagues.
With best regard,
B.
PS...As I write this email, I have George Shearing playing in the background on the new outfit, controlled from my i-Pad!
London
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Dear Marcus
Good morning.
I want to let you know that I am delighted with the work undertaken by Kevin and supplied by Martin’s HiFi.
Roon is working very well on iPad and iPhone.
The zones are all set up and working and it integrates seamlessly with Tidal - I am delighted.
The Zenith is a lovely piece of kit and I love that it has SSD drives, ripping is much faster than on the Sooloos, but the lack of a progress bar is a change but in some ways reduces stress!
May I say that the support from Martin’s is a very valuable part of the service and I tell everyone that Martin’s provide exceptional after-sales and ongoing support that makes dealing with you so superior to buying from competitors- you get a service that values the customer rather than just a bit of kit in a box.
The service from Roon is very good - I even got a daily email for the first few days to help me get going and they have an active online forum
So in summary, thank you for your professional advice and for the supply and installation.
Special thanks to Kevin.
I almost forgot to mention, the playback through the upgraded Linn LP12 with the Karousel is awesome.
I hope the firm continues to thrive and you all keep safe and well.
Very best wishes
D
Norfolk
I've written books on Hifi, cheque books, and then I discovered Naim, in particular the olive range, to me the beauty lies in it minimalist look, whilst delivering a jaw dropping sound
It has taken some time to collect this system, and throughout Martins HiFi have been fantastic both with sourcing immaculate naim equipment and advice on set up,
I would highly recommend Martins, to any serious high-end Audio collector
J C
East Anglia
Hello Ian,
I've had a couple of sessions with the Rega and I'm very pleased with what I hear. I particularly like the way the Isis holds the disc positively and loads the contents quickly (compared with the Vitus).
So far everything is very positive so many thanks for your advice.
Please thank Jack for me, especially for the time he spent tweeking the cinema system which seems to be performing even better now. I'm still researching the streaming options as there seem to be a range of devices available.
Best wishes,
KB
East Anglia
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Dear Marcus,
When I decided to install a new TV and HiFi system in our new home I was daunted by the wide range of equipment on the market, and concerned also by the prospect of installing it. Thankfully, I was aware of Martins Hi-Fi via its excellent reputation in the market place and the in-store demonstration events featuring the best suppliers in the HiFi field, and so It made sense to approach Martins Hi-Fi to advise initially on the choice of equipment and then to undertake its installation. I was impressed by the attention to detail, for example, the initial clarification of my needs and the visits to my home to assess the location of the proposed system, and to check on the necessary cabling.
The installation was carried out in a friendly and professional way and I was particularly appreciative of the familiarisation session to ensure that both of us were able to enjoy our new TV and HiFi system to its full potential from day one. Needless to say, we are delighted with our purchase and look forward to an ongoing relationship with Martins Hi-Fi into the future. Please convey our thanks to all concerned.
With best regards,
LR
Norfolk
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Dear Marcus,
When I decided to install a new TV and HiFi system in our new home I was daunted by the wide range of equipment on the market, and concerned also by the prospect of installing it. Thankfully, I was aware of Martins Hi-Fi via its excellent reputation in the market place and the in-store demonstration events featuring the best suppliers in the HiFi field, and so It made sense to approach Martins Hi-Fi to advise initially on the choice of equipment and then to undertake its installation. I was impressed by the attention to detail, for example, the initial clarification of my needs and the visits to my home to assess the location of the proposed system, and to check on the necessary cabling.
The installation was carried out in a friendly and professional way and I was particularly appreciative of the familiarisation session to ensure that Rachel and I were able to enjoy our new TV and HiFi system to its full potential from day one. Needless to say, we are delighted with our purchase and look forward to an ongoing relationship with Martins Hi-Fi into the future. Please convey our thanks to all concerned.
AB
East Anglia
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"Thank you Ian. You give me first rate advice with excellent service and great prices. Why would I ever go anywhere else. Mr Hood"
East Anglia
Many thanks for doing some homework on my behalf with regard to potential upgrades. As always, I much appreciate the expert advice and suggestions that I am offered by you and your team. I remember Tim talking about the Tellurium interconnects having significant potential for improvement.
Norfolk
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Dear Steve, Many thanks for recommending the Koetsu Black Cartridge which I have now got running to my satisfaction. The soundstage is both full and wide and I am sure that is down to the meticulous and professional attitude of Kevin who set the cartridge up for me. He took time to ensure everything was perfect, even to adjusting the turntable speed. It is great to have someone who takes pride in his work and reflects well on your business. Once again, many thanks.
East Anglia
A massive “Thank You” to Ian and the team at Martin’s HiFi. Their post-purchase support provided is nothing short of outstanding. Whether its firmware upgrades, arranging visits to manufacturers or discussing new equipment options, it’s clear that they value a long-term relationship with their customers. Irrespective of where you live in the country, I cannot recommend Martins highly enough. Kind regards,
UK
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Thanks so much for your help, knowledge and answering my seemingly endless questions, I am so pleased with the results. It was such a shock for my beloved Arcam to stop working after 17 years and really wanted to buy British still so Cyrus was the answer. The sound improvement of Cyrus over the Arcam is truly amazing. Easy to set up (even for me) had a cd spinning within 15 mins of returning home oh and then looked at the manual! The 3 small boxes have gone down well with Mrs. F - ‘that looks tidier’ being the only real comment! I am sure I will be returning for speaker upgrade and a turntable in the not too distant future,
London
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A massive “Thank You” to Ian and the team at Martin’s HiFi. Their post-purchase support provided is nothing short of outstanding. Whether its firmware upgrades, arranging visits to manufacturers or discussing new equipment options, it’s clear that they value a long-term relationship with their customers. Irrespective of where you live in the country, I cannot recommend Martins highly enough. Kind regards,
"By the time you read this, I hope that you will have had a clear and swift return trip (if one can ever do anything more than trundle on the A140) and have got back in decent time – terrible old road really. You are an absolute star!!! Thank you so much for stopping by this morning and fixing all those problems (missing Entreq cable, Melco deletions, rear panels) – and all in such a short time! That has cheered me up no end, and I am so very grateful."
Norfolk
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"This has been my first experience as a customer of Martin's Hifi & I have to say I have been impressed throughout. My requirements, existing equipment & budget were carefully considered by Ian at Martins, who was able to recommend a small selection of suitable products & even arranged a loan unit for me to use once it became clear the one I chose was only available on a long lead-time. I am very happy with the choice I made & the service I received. I'm sure I will be using Martins again in the future." Mr S.Woods, Norwich, Norfolk.
London
Marcus Thanks for the install yesterday. Also, pass on my thanks to Jack. A rarity nowadays to have someone who is so enthusiastic in his job, a credit to your company. Thanks once again ID Mar
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Hi Ian, Yeah they are set up and working beautifully, the amp drives them really nicely, and they look amazing together. So all in all very happy with them. Thanks for your help. BR
London
Hi Ian, I've finally got round to setting up the deck properly! First of all I have to say how impressed I was with the care you'd taken over packaging the deck. Secondly I have to say how pleased I am with it. I've spent several happy hours already and am looking forward to an occasional weekend of vinyl overload. Thanks!
Norfolk
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Friday, 15th February 2019 The brief was at once simple and complex: a). to replace an ailing SACD/CD player and b). to find a solution to my high-res download playback problems without the nightmares of networking; an earlier attempt (not Martin’s!) was disastrous, and subsequent auditions of potential solutions have proved futile. Ian’s inspired suggestion was to look at T+A Elektroakustik’s multiplayer PDP 3000 HV and Melco’s N1ZS2A Music Library. He generously set up an in-store audition replicating my home equipment where I was able to undertake painstaking side-by-side SACD/CD/download comparisons. That proved revelatory, since the T+A outperforms other high-end SACD players I have heard and, combined with the Melco, is a stunning vehicle for download playback, absolutely nailing the case for 24-96+ files. Over the ten years that I have been a Martin’s customer, I’ve had great support from Marcus and Steve, and now Ian has proved a genius at getting me to the point I so desperately wanted to reach. I am also most grateful for Ian’s exemplary installation - professional, efficient and very considerate. I know that I could never have got here on my own, and it is precisely this exceptional level of expertise and support that keeps me returning to Martin’s. I am hugely pleased with the results which, literally, have to be heard to be believed. G
Norfolk
Hi Ian Just a short note to say thanks for the Rega Brio. The difference between it and the Onkyo is night and day. Everything is clearer deeper and feels like the musicians are in my front room. Also as a bonus my Marantz cd remote works on the Rega amp because that remote was very small Very very happy customer
East Anglia
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"Ian - a massive thanks for today for you and Richard. I’ve listened to a couple of tracks since you left and wow! The performance is incredible - beyond my expectations and it is so much more engaging than digital (from the tracks I’ve heard so far). "
Norfolk
Hi Ian just to let you know that I'm really happy with my Rotel ra 1592 it sounds fantastic with my cm9s."
Gloucestershire
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Many thanks for doing some homework on my behalf with regard to potential upgrades. As always, I much appreciate the expert advice and suggestions that I am offered by you and your team. I remember Tim talking about the Tellurium interconnects having significant potential for improvement.
