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McIntosh 1100 cd player


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Hello, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Has anybody heard the McIntosh MCD1100 cd player? I am getting ready to purchase my dac very soon, and have just about decided on the Berkely Alph 2, but then started reading about this cd player. At $10,000, it is approx. twice as much as the Berkely but by the time you buy the converter it is almost as much as the McIntosh. Looks are very important to me and I have always loved the look of Mcintosh. I am going to be getting a Berkely 2 in shortly to demo, probably in a week or two. I have tried to get home demo's of the Aesthetix Pandora and the DCS Debussy, but can't seem to swing it from dealers. I will probably go to Seattle this spring during my vacation to listen to the MCD1100 and a few other cd players just to finalize my decision. I was wondering if anybody here has heard the MCD1100? Thank, Sandra

 

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Yes, I will be hooking up my dac or cdp to my computer but the MCD1100 does have digital inputs for doing this. I listened to the MCD500 and, while I thought it was a nice player, I wasn't really impressed with it. I heard a few others, much cheaper, that were just as goood as the MCD500 but the 1100 is supposed to be much better.

 

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Well, I think I will stick to my plan. I don't know why dealers are reluctant to send out demo pieces, they are covered by cc. One dealer told me he had a bad experience sending out a demo cdplayer, but I would think it would help sales. I'm really reluctant to buy anything spendy without hearing it first. Berkely dealer is more than willing to send me a demo dac.

 

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and it's too bad as I really like looking at things in person. I think that stores would have an easier time of it though, if their customer service was better. I think that this is the downfall of a few of them around my area, although I don't want to mention names. Everytime I think of No returns, restocking fee, exchanges only, I think of Costco and how liberal they are with returns and also how successful they are. Most companies would do good to follow in their footsteps instead of trying to make it more difficult for the consumer to purchase something.

 

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I think I will do that. I'm very interested in the Berkely Alpha II because I've been hearing so much about it, but there's still that curiosity about how a few other players would sound in my system. I don't buy equipment very often, so I think it's important to demo it at home, especially if you're paying a high price for it.

 

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in all dacs, just 3, and this was after careful research with ones that I think would sound good with my system. I emailed 4-5 dealers, as I don't have any high-end shops around here except one that carries very little high-end products. They all promptly emailed me about the product, then when I asked them if I could home demo (paying for shipping both ways as well as put in on my cc)it, I never heard from them again. The one exception was the dealer from Ohio that says he had a bad experience once and wouldn't send one out. The Berkely dealer was very willing to send me a demo. As soon as he sends it in for the upgrade, he is sending it out to me. I know there is a time limit for demoing (30 days I think) so I also don't think I wanted to listen to a player for days on end. If a dealer has a negative view of customers wanting to hear a product that costs thousands of dollars, and thinks that they just want to listen to the next big thing, they probably shouldn't be in business anyway. Most of the dealers I emailed were more than willing to take my cc for payment, but few of them wanted to go the extra step in making sure I really liked the product. They could have at least answered me back and said "no, we don't do that" instead of just ignoring me. When I bought my new car in 2009, I drove it 2-3 times first and looked at it another 2-3 times because it's a huge investment, just as is a $10,000 to $15,000 dac. It seems like fewer and fewer retailers anymore want to take the extra step, it's more important to get your money.

 

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If they would have asked me for a deposit along with the shipping charges, I would have gladly done this. It would still be much better than paying for a piece of equipment that sounds terrible in your system. Most of my complaint comes from the fact that they never even responded to me after I asked if they have home demo's. How hard is it to say "no" or "yes, with a deposit we can let you listen to it for a week" instead of just not even answering back. Then I have to start all over again with another dealer. It's strange too, how the Berkely dealer was so willing to give me a home demo, even knowing I was going to listen to 2 others. If one can do it why can't more? I think most dealers are shooting themselves in the foot with such poor customer service, not just audio but TV's also. Just get on other sites and see what poor customer service is available after the sale. Just about nonexistant. Most dealers want to make a quick buck, then move on to another customer instead of spending a little bit of time and effort with a person.

 

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I know that customer service can be a double edged sword but the dealer should give the customer the benefit of the doubt, especially if he does his homework. I have excellent credit, and with a little communication from the dealer, I think we could have worked out a solution that would fit us both.I personally think that at a certain price point, the manufacturer should carry a demo piece somewhere at his dealerships, even if just one. Then you could get on a list to demo it, it's better than buying then returning it to the dealer in 2nd hand shape.

I willl take your advice Chris and call a few dealers. I will probably end up with the Berkely as I am very impressed already with his customer ettique and service, also knowing the Berkely is a great piece.

 

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I really don't agree about the length of demo time because: an arrival date is just a luck of the draw and I also work 12 hour shifts 3 days in a row. If the product got to me during those 3 days, there is no way I could demo the product until my day off. Then I would need at least 2 full days to listen to it, so I would have to have it for approx. 1 week. The key to all of this of course, is communication. Everybody should know exactly what is expected, then there should be no problem with a home demo.

I also thought about whether I should let them know that I would be demoing 2 others, the Berkely dealer didn't seem to be a bit bothered by it, he was very nice and helpful. Besides, I don't like misleading anybody, and I wanted them to know I may not purchase their item, depending on the outcome of the 3 that I was to demo. Of course, since I can't seem to arrange a demo, I guess it's all mute at this point. I am going to take Chris's advice and call them, maybe I'll get a demo with one of them.

I'll probably be happy with any of them that I end up with which will probably be the Berkely. Going over to Seattle to listen may lead me to something else but we'll see. Signing off for now. Sandra

 

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a relationship with a dealer and went to visit him, would that really help my situation? The whole point of a home demo is to try the piece with my speakers and amps. I don't know about everybody else, but I am very busy and can't really go across country or wherever just to "establish a relationship". What would be next, buying him dinner? This is a business transaction, I only wanted to demo 2-3 pieces, or even just one would have been fine if that's all I were to get. If they would have told me to give them a deposit, that's what I would do. Elliot, if a dealer puts in some work for a customer, then "expects" that customer to buy whatever he is selling, that's very unrealistic. Why would he even bother to take the time for a customer if he expected them to buy. I have had a few small businesses where I put a lot of work into each call I made, and I won some and I lost some, that's how you have to look at sales. I also gave away a lot of samples that cost me money, but I knew that that was the best way to make a sale, going the extra mile for a customer . When you go into Best Buy or Costco or Target, do you always buy something even when you take the time of a salesperson helping you? What is the difference? These audio people are in the business of selling audio equipment, they need to be more flexible if they are to maintain and keep their businesses afloat. There are tons of people that buy products then return them if they don't like them. Then the dealers are saddled with used equipment.

I never expected anyone to give me $30,000 on a whim, the highest dac that I was interested in was $10,000. I would never spend that much money on anything unless I tried it first. As I said earlier, I drove my new car 2-3 times before I bought it, I had no relationship with this dealer, never saw the salesman before. They might have wanted me to buy it, but I doubt that they expected me to. I also won't buy any dac that costs over $5,000 without trying it first. As a potential customer, I may or may have not bought the dac I was demoing, but I definitely won't be buying their product now, so who really lost out on this deal? A potential customer is always worth more than a nonexistant customer, but apparently some dealers aren't smart enough to figure that out until it's too late.

 

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on my computer Wdomeika, plus 100 or so more songs on foobar, so I am slowly but surely getting into computer audio. I have been reading all I could about different dacs as I don't have any high end cd players or dacs in my town and that's why I wanted to demo a few.

Elliot, I think you are putting words in my mouth that were never said, I will try and explain one more time, then I am done with this foolish conversation. I don't know what you mean by writing 5 random emails to car companies. I went to a dealer in my area, several of them in fact, before I purchased. They were all courteous to me and had no idea if I was going to buy their car or not. I was trying to convey that not everybody expects a sale just because they have given of their time. It's the nature of commission sales, you spend time with a customer and he may or may not buy. I have several relatives in real estate, they have shown some customers the same house 4-5 times, as well as shown them other houses, went the extra mile for them, and sometimes they buy and sometimes they don't. My relatives don't get mad because they have spent time with these people and they never bought anything, they don't punish later customers and tell them they are only showing them one house only, they don't close the door to new customers because of past non sales, they know that being courteous with every customer is important to their long range success, regardless of whether they make a sale or not, and taking the time to help them with their needs is part of the job. Any they are VERY successful, even in this real estate market.

I also never said I wanted to try 5 different dacs, then go out and buy the cheapest one I could find, those were your words. "they should change the whole business model for you since I don't want to be inconvenienced to go to store" What store? If you would have read what I wrote instead of trying to change my words to fit your model of what I am, you would have read that I don't have any high end products in my area. Also, every product has a certain way of being offered to customers and there are audio companies that do let custumers demo gear with the right credit checks, credit cards, etc., it's not uncommon. And, like Chris said, there are dealers that will offer demos, I just have to find them. I am just getting started with finding my dac, there are several avenues I will be taking, one of them is trying to demo a few, another is going to Seattle and listening to several, there are more options that I will take. The Berkely dealer was more than glad to send me a demo after he gets it upgraded, there was no problem with him doing this at all and I've never even talked to him before, I just emailed him, now that's true customer service.

You sound like a very bitter exsalesman or dealer who probably blamed everything and everybody else for poor sales instead of doing what was necessary for success. A sale is not a given, it's not based on how much time you spend trying to sell a product, it's getting to know the need of your customer and then providing that service to him in whatever way fits both of you. I emailed these guys because that is one of the ways to contact them. When you work 12 hour shifts, weekends and graveyards like I do, it's hard to call at a convenient time. I think you need to get your facts straight, and hopefully, your not in sales because I would hate to deal with someone as negative as you are.

 

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