Best Buy Polk Insult

N5061R

Upon visiting Best Buy to personally experience the latest and greatest Onkyo AVR's I asked the tech to allow me to here the sound through Polk speakers so I could compare to my 2.3's sound experience. He actually said "oh this room is for our better speakers, you'll have to go to the room next door". Dang, that blew me away and I left.

Conradicles

Dude...it's Best Buy what more do you expect?

leroyjr1

Best Buy in my neigborhood only carry the TSI models which is considered entry level.

KrazyMofo24

You were probably in the Magnolia section of Best Buy. Everything outside of that is entry-level.

Face

I'd rather listen to Best Buy's entry level speakers over some of their "high end" speakers.

Toolfan66

Best Buy here only has the TSI series as well.

shack

Face wrote:

I'd rather listen to Best Buy's entry level speakers over some of their "high end" speakers.

I prefer the Martin Logans and Vienna Acoustics at the Magnolia Hi-Fi in our Best Buy here in town to the entry level Polk series...but thats just me.

comfortablycurt

It's Best Buy...they don't exactly cater to the audiophile. Every time I've went there recently, I've ended up knowing more about the products I'm looking at, than the salesmen themselves.



And for the record...None of the current production Polk's are going to compare to the sound of your 2.3's. I've heard most of the newer Polk's, and they're very different sounding.

KrazyMofo24

shack wrote: »

I prefer the Martin Logans and Vienna Acoustics at the Magnolia Hi-Fi in our Best Buy here in town to the entry level Polk series...but thats just me.

Same here. Hard to imagine any series sounding better than the ones in Magnolia, although I didn't spend much time listening to the Klipsch and Mirage.

Face

I found the Martin Logan and Klipsch speakers and just about any sub in BB's Magnolia awful. It probably has something to do with how everything is set up because even the Bose setups on the floor sound better.

KrazyMofo24

Well I'm happy they added the Magnolia it's definitely better than nothing. I noticed they added some Rel subs, and on best buy's website for magnolia shows Polk RTIA series right now it shows online only. It wasn't on there before so it's possible they'll start showing up in stores.

Knucklehead

xcapri79 wrote: »

Best Buy does a poor job setting up and displaying their speakers period.
They often have damage due to poor handling. It is sad to see at times.
The Magnolia rooms are a little better, but are mediocre at best.

Best Buy doesn't show the full line of TSi'e either. I haven't seen a TSi500 in a store.
To me they give a little better prominence to the Klipsch line than they do to Polk Audio.

That said, the now defunct Circuit City was even worst. I guess you can't expect much from supermarket audio and video.

well said X.

DeusExa

I visited Best Buy several days ago (for the iPad launch), and happened to walk into the Magnolia room (entry-level ML, Vienna Acoustics, Def Tech). One of the "experts", upon inquiring about my setup claimed that the "higher-end" Polk lineup were worth more now than they were first released, due to some kind of audio equipment markup several years ago. Hm.

cnh

What is that supposed to mean...hasn't Polk actually reduced its MSRP? I love the mark ups and non-competitive pricing at BB. Last year I sent them an e-mail asking why their Pioneer units were 'usually' priced higher than Pioneer's MSRP? And got back a curt reply about prices being set by the 'buyers' lol. What a shame!

On the other hand they're one of the few spaces left where you can demo Polks..not TSI-500s or Rti-As (even those are sold online--well at least they are available!)...but entry level TSIs.

cnh

BeefJerky

What is that supposed to mean...hasn't Polk actually reduced its MSRP? I love the mark ups and non-competitive pricing at BB. Last year I sent them an e-mail asking why their Pioneer units were 'usually' priced higher than Pioneer's MSRP? And got back a curt reply about prices being set by the 'buyers' lol. What a shame!

I remember the "good ole days" with the awesome commercials with that old dude who shopped around. I also remember that back then they actually did have good prices. Times have certainly changed, and not in a good way. It's really sad what happened to this company, as I used to be an avid shopper there. Now, I pretty much avoid them at all costs. There is a reason that I call them Worst Buy now, simply because it is true.

Nowadays, I tend to shop at Fry's. Granted, the salesmen tend to know little, and they rarely have their speakers hooked up properly for a demo. But, if you know what you're looking for, you can usually get some great deals. In addition, they carry pretty much everything but the kitchen sink, and carry way more electronic components and parts than RadioShack does anymore.

Speaking of another company that has gone for the worse: RadioShack. When I worked there years ago, I knew they were going downhill, and they've only gotten worse. Anytime I look into info about them, it's like they're on an even steeper slope straight into the ground. I honestly believe RS will be bankrupt or sold within the next 5 years, if not sooner.

cnh

I agree. One of the worst decisions the Shack recently made was to CUT the generous supply they carried of electronics parts and accessories that gave them their 'name'. It was always 'the' place you could get a 'quick' fix for something. Now--how about those cell phones, hey!

cnh

george daniel

Why would you listen to anyadvice regarding audio from a Best Buy employee?

BeefJerky

cnh wrote: »

I agree. One of the worst decisions the Shack recently made was to CUT the generous supply they carried of electronics parts and accessories that gave them their 'name'. It was always 'the' place you could get a 'quick' fix for something. Now--how about those cell phones, hey!

cnh

Ugh, that brings back some bad memories. They were just getting started with the heavy push on cell phones while I was there. Simply put, you either sold a bunch of cell phones or you made less than minimum wage. Unless you were at one of the few high-income stores, you chances were slim to none. They've only gotten worse since then, so I can't imagine how awful it must be for current employees.

dudeinaroom

How is the shack even in business yet. Just about any time I go in there I walk out carrying the same thimg out every one else does, nothing. I have not seen anyone walk out of a radio shack in a long time with something in their hands.

AudioGenics

That is poor customer service but there is very little effort to build a client relationship.

I like to purchase at the "Mom & Pop" stores. It may seem to be a little higher in price
but I think of it as supporting the basic American businessman and their family
and I feel I am getting better service in return for my business.

That is why the large retailers are called "BIG BOX" stores ......

Hillbilly61

Outside of televisions, I haven't been real impressed with BB and their HT/audio line in a very long time at the Albany, NY store I stop into. This is one of their mainline stores, so the same is assumed for the rest of the chain.

The shacks in this area has gone to pot too as far as things they built their reputation on IMHO. Dumped most of the local hard to find, unless ordered, stuff in the rear of the store and replaced them with cheap electronics. (The front used to be reserved for electronics and cell phones ... now that is their 'high end' electronics).

comfortablycurt

cnh wrote: »

I agree. One of the worst decisions the Shack recently made was to CUT the generous supply they carried of electronics parts and accessories that gave them their 'name'. It was always 'the' place you could get a 'quick' fix for something. Now--how about those cell phones, hey!

cnh

I can't put enough +1's on that one. It's pointless to even go to Radio Shack anymore, unless you're looking for a cell phone. They carry next to nothing in the way of electrical components/devices/tools.

I went into Radio Shack a few months ago, looking for an SPL Meter. They didn't have any!! I asked the salesmen when/if they'd be getting any more in stock, and he said they simply don't carry them at this store anymore.

They don't even have Deoxit at my Radio Shack anymore...all they have is the Radio Shack brand generic Deoxit. Which doesn't work anywhere near as well in my experience.

Radio Shack has really gone downhill.

Lasareath wrote: »

You ever seen anybody who works for best buy on these forums?

The answer will be No and it's because they are just doing a job and getting paid $8.75 an hour. they don't love audio, to them it's the same as flipping burgers or working at a car wash!

Exactly! The Best Buy salesmen have absolutely no interest in what they're selling 9 times out of 10. They can't understand why you'd want to hear x speakers with x AVR, and compare them with x speakers on x AVR etc...

Compare this to a lot of smaller mom and pop audio shops, where they have absolutely no problem hanging out and shooting the **** with you about audio, letting you hear rigs in different configurations etc.

But, Best Buy is the way of the future. They're probably due to be merging with Walmart anytime now.:rolleyes:

hagmanm2

Lasareath wrote: »

You ever seen anybody who works for best buy on these forums?

The answer will be No and it's because they are just doing a job and getting paid $8.75 an hour. they don't love audio, to them it's the same as flipping burgers or working at a car wash!

Lasereath, you're absolutely right, their wages is the big reason. Best Buy employees represent Best Buy; they are the face of the company that customers deal with each day and are payed very little especially considering the sort of gear they are supposed to peddle. Best Buy caters to the meat of the consumer market, and wastes very little money by "over" educating employees in a slice of business (hi fi) that most likely only makes up a small slice of their gross margin.

As I'm sure you guys are all aware, to know even a decent amount about hi fi, one has to have the desire to immerse themselves in it to gain practical knowledge. Even if they are trained on the basic terminologies and ideas, they aren't going to genuinely absorb the information if they don't have a passion for it. It's not the employees fault: they are paid too little to even encourage them to be interested in such specialized audio tech and too few come in with a knowledge base that would appease many in these forums.

All that to say, I agree: Best Buy employees are sorely undereducated in hi fi gear, which is why you don't see a vast majority of the 'good stuff' in their stores. I also think that Best Buy underappreciates (yeah, I totally made up a word) their employees enough for it to negatively impact their customer service & relations. Sometimes they get lucky and hire someone who already has a healthy passion for the gear they will eventually sell to customers (I'm sure you guys have experienced those employees before). It's by no means an easy job, especially when you consider the type of questions they have to deal with day-to-day.

Norm Apter

Picking up on the Radioshack stream here, I agree with Curt and CNH...they have definately gone downhill from what they were and what they became known for. However, I would suspect that this, in part, reflects changes in consumer habits/behavior since the 1970s. Back in the day, many more customers were interested in buying parts that could allow for repairs or tweeks. It was part of the hobby for many.

Since the 1980s, much (not all) of the consumer-grade electronic stuff (I'm not talking about hi-fi equipment here) is cheaper in quality and price than it was back then. Therefore the mindset now is just to replace an item that has a slight problem or needs a tweek rather than bother tweeking/repairing it with parts bought from the Shack. Shoot, a lot of people will now replace items that work perfectly well, because of the rapid changes in technology coupled again with cheaper prices...the idea of getting the "latest and the greatest" seems to have gained particular traction since the year 2000 or so. So while I'm sure there are plenty on this forum that still would appreciate the old Shack for what it had offer, the general trend in society is just to treat most electronic items as disposable goods that have a life span of 5 or 6 years (if that). And thus perhaps the powers that be at the Shack tried to shift gears, focusing on items like cell phones in which there is a high turn-over and perhaps at least the illusion of profits, deeming that the general public is just not interested seeking parts and such.

I'm not defending RS; just suggesting how their changes in market strategy might reflect broader shifts in society over the past two or three decades.

comfortablycurt

Norm Apter wrote: »

Picking up on the Radioshack stream here, I agree with Curt and CNH...they have definately gone downhill from what they were and what they became known for. However, I would suspect that this, in part, reflects changes in consumer habits/behavior since the 1970s. Back in the day, many more customers were interested in buying parts that could allow for repairs or tweeks. It was part of the hobby for many.

Since the 1980s, much (not all) of the consumer-grade electronic stuff (I'm not talking about hi-fi equipment here) is cheaper in quality and price than it was back then. Therefore the mindset now is just to replace an item that has a slight problem or needs a tweek rather than bother tweeking/repairing it with parts bought from the Shack. Shoot, a lot of people will now replace items that work perfectly well, because of the rapid changes in technology coupled again with cheaper prices...the idea of getting the "latest and the greatest" seems to have gained particular traction since the year 2000 or so. So while I'm sure there are plenty on this forum that still would appreciate the old Shack for what it had offer, the general trend in society is just to treat most electronic items as disposable goods that have a life span of 5 or 6 years (if that). And thus perhaps the powers that be at the Shack tried to shift gears, focusing on items like cell phones in which there is a high turn-over and perhaps at least the illusion of profits, deeming that the general public is just not interested seeking parts and such.

I'm not defending RS; just suggesting how their changes in market strategy might reflect broader shifts in society over the past two or three decades.

That's basically dead on. We live in a use and throw away society now, unfortunately. There really isn't much call for places like the Radio Shack of old. I remember reading a while back, that they were taking "Radio" out of their name, and becoming simply "The Shack".

fattmann

hagmanm2 wrote: »

Lasereath, you're absolutely right, their wages is the big reason. Best Buy employees represent Best Buy; they are the face of the company that customers deal with each day and are payed very little especially considering the sort of gear they are supposed to peddle. Best Buy caters to the meat of the consumer market, and wastes very little money by "over" educating employees in a slice of business (hi fi) that most likely only makes up a small slice of their gross margin.

As I'm sure you guys are all aware, to know even a decent amount about hi fi, one has to have the desire to immerse themselves in it to gain practical knowledge. Even if they are trained on the basic terminologies and ideas, they aren't going to genuinely absorb the information if they don't have a passion for it. It's not the employees fault: they are paid too little to even encourage them to be interested in such specialized audio tech and too few come in with a knowledge base that would appease many in these forums.

All that to say, I agree: Best Buy employees are sorely undereducated in hi fi gear, which is why you don't see a vast majority of the 'good stuff' in their stores. I also think that Best Buy underappreciates (yeah, I totally made up a word) their employees enough for it to negatively impact their customer service & relations. Sometimes they get lucky and hire someone who already has a healthy passion for the gear they will eventually sell to customers (I'm sure you guys have experienced those employees before). It's by no means an easy job, especially when you consider the type of questions they have to deal with day-to-day.

I was starting to foam at the mouth, then you calmed me down with a well put post, hagman.

I work for Best Buy, and for the most part, I wholeheartedly agree with many of you. However, be nice people!

How many gas station clerks know if your alternator belt needs to be replaced? How many video store clerks could tell you how many movies Reagan was in? How many kids working at Borders can list the anthology of H.P. Lovecraft?

Few. And far between. Gone are the days of specialized labor in franchised retailers. Deal.

I Love my job at BBY. I love audio. I'm that guy that will hangout with you for an hour if you mention THD levels. No I don't know everything, no where near as much as some of you. I'm a college kid, as are many of my coworkers (many are even Highschoolers). Many people (not just kids) work at BBY cause of the discount, which directly affects job performance and focus on duties.

Training there does suck, you really do have to care. We have guys in our store that do million $+ commercial installs for their day job. We've got guys that are award winning photographers. We have car installers that have been doing their gig for 20+yrs. Some of us know, even if it's a little, what we're talking about.

Please don't lump us all into one category. Pompous and egotistical attitudes are the reason "knowledgeable" customers get crappy service in retail. Making the employee that's helping you feel like a worthless capsule of a human being is counterproductive. I learn things every week about my hobby from customers that know more than me. Those people come in to share and chat on a first name basis. I won't be a mindless worker if you're not a soulless human.

Sorry for the rant. I shall sit back and let the argument ensue.


Oh BTW, going on and on about whether Polk is the Best is about as productive as the thread bickering about the cable elevators... Dumb.

dudeinaroom

I don't think most on here say polk is the best. They are one of the best bangs for the buck though, new or used modern or vintage.

BeefJerky

fattmann wrote: »

How many gas station clerks know if your alternator belt needs to be replaced?

Poor analogy. Their job is not to sell car parts, nor repair cars. As such, having knowledge of such things is not necessary for the job.

fattmann wrote: »

How many video store clerks could tell you how many movies Reagan was in? How many kids working at Borders can list the anthology of H.P. Lovecraft?

Off the top of their head, very few. However, they should know how to find and lookup said information. They should also be willing to make the effort.

fattmann wrote: »

Pompous and egotistical attitudes are the reason "knowledgeable" customers get crappy service in retail. Making the employee that's helping you feel like a worthless capsule of a human being is counterproductive.

I fully agree with this. Treating the employees who are trying to help you with an awful attitude is pathetic. I know that when I worked retail, I would go the extra mile and do whatever I could to help a customer who was friendly and polite. However, if you came in screaming, yelling and insulting me I would do the absolute least I could.

fattmann

BeefJerky wrote: »

Poor analogy. Their job is not to sell car parts, nor repair cars. As such, having knowledge of such things is not necessary for the job.

Ok, so maybe a stretch, I'll give you that. Idea is job descriptions aren't always static. Retail isn't as hands on or specialized as it once was..

In all my bitchin, I do not defend the Magnolia employees. Those Busters ought to know their stuff.

thuffman03

I don't even bother going into BB any more. I have not been in one of their stores in over a year. If I want to see if they have something I look on the web and most of the time they don't have it or they are priced to high.

bruss

thuffman03 wrote: »

I don't even bother going into BB any more. I have not been in one of their stores in over a year. If I want to see if they have something I look on the web and most of the time they don't have it or they are priced to high.

+1.. their prices are just to high. You can always find something cheaper than BB if you just look a little.