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October 2023 by Jeff C.
I have been quite impressed with both Definitive's Seattle and Bellevue locations. When I first visited Definitive's Bellevue location over 10 years ago, my initial impression was that their focus was more on home theater installations than on 2-channel audio for music listening. Definitive certainly does have some of the nicest looking listening rooms in the Seattle area. But I've learned through subsequent visits that they do have a high degree of expertise in putting together good sounding systems. In addition to their work in home theater and home automation, the folks at Definitive are highly capable of putting together great sounding systems for serious music listeners and for people looking to have music playing around the house. Buying speakers three years ago Buying a DAC two years ago If you are into playing vinyl records. Definitive has one of the few experts in the US skilled in setting up the Linn LP12 turntable. Though the LP12 is an older design, it has been continually updated through the years. I appreciate that on a recent visit, Hans at the Seattle store took the time to allow me to hear several configurations (with increasing sound quality) of the LP12 turntable with two levels of phono preamps. Though I have loved the sound of the LP12 turntable in the past, my impression was that newer turntable designs have since surpassed what the LP12 can do. Boy, was I wrong. The ability of the LP12 turntable to sound musical remains exceptional & I was surprised by the ability of a phono preamp to clarify the sound.
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August 2023 by David Goodwin
I had a big problem with my existing home speaker system which had not been installed initially by Definitive. Loose wires were going everywhere and I could not possibly figure out "what went where." Although Definitive does not normally work on systems it has not installed, Mel Mesick made an exception. He came to our house and sorted through the confusing (to me) array of wires and got the system running. It's not the system I would have bought had I originally gone to Definitive, but it now works and meets my needs. I admire people with expertise in an area in which I am totally lacking. Thanks Mel.
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April 2023 by Doug C.
A couple of years ago, I picked up an old Linn turntable with the goal of refurbishing it to the latest specs. After accumulating the necessary parts, and building my own base, I approached Ron, who recommended a fantastic Dynavector cartridge to top it off. He then assembled the table and tuned the suspension. After letting the cartridge break in for three months, I can say that the table sounds spectacular, thanks to Ron's recommendation and meticulous assembly skills. Highly recommended!
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January 2023 by Adam
A great headphone collection and an amazing speaker setup. Thank you Ted for letting us demo everything and sharing your time!
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December 2022 by Josh Gifford
Amazing service, above and beyond. I live in Anchorage, AK and I was looking to upgrade to McIntosh gear and high end B&W. There are no dealers up here for that equipment, so logistically this could be challenging. When I called Definitive Seattle to discuss audio gear and upgrading my system, Mel Mesick took the call. Immediately, we clicked and throughout the entire proceess from up here to listening in the showroom, he went above and beyond any other salesman I have ever worked with. The knowledge and expertise he has at his fingertips will blow you away. I have only come across a couple salespeople in my life that have been this knowledgeable. He spent hours over the phone and in person discussing options, suggesting cost effective solutions, coordinating the listening session, and expertly shipping and crating all the equipment to a standard I have not experienced before. In the end, the system is beyond what I could imagine and I consider Mel a friend as much as a salesman. Thanks again Mel!
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July 2022 by Andrew R.
Purchased a home recently with a whole home system. Due to some projects it needed to be unplugged and the seller had also removed some of the components. Spoke with Ted and he was able to identify what needed to be reinstalled and walked me through plugging it back in - free of charge. Other stores were quoting as much as $1500 just to get someone to show up. Definitive Audio has earned our trust and future business when we handle our upgrades after remodel. Customer service at its best. Thank you again.
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June 2022 by Alexander Y.
They were very helpful and friendly when answering my headphone questions! As a new person going into audio they helped me narrow down which headphones I want to get and the equipment needed to power them
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June 2022 by Marcus D
I needed some hard to find cables for a home theatre system I was trying to complete over a weekend. Definitive had then in stock and Carrie found them for me and was awesome to work with. Great customer service! I'll be calling her first the next time I'm trying to find some hard to find AV stuff. Thanks!
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June 2022 by Geo Pat
Everything had been excellent up until my world-class reference speakers arrived both damaged deep down inside in the exact same way, and nearly to the same extent. This was due to an engineering design flaw in this reference-model line of speakers, that's revealed when exposed to LTL or similar shipping/transportation no matter how well they're handled. Damage was clearly impossible to repair without dismantling much of the speakers' exquisite and sophisticated cabinetry. Something that also seemed abundantly clear would be impossible to repair without altering the reference sound of these magnificent speakers. Early on it seemed everything was going to be handled properly. After one of the upper people of the manufacturer's parent company saw the photos and videos of the damage, stated they'd replace the speakers. However, this all changed after everyone's hands got into the mix, at which point conversation shifted to how all involved could profit from this at my expense. After 8mo of going in circles, it wasn't until I got an attorney involved that Definitive settled. It's important to note my salesperson was excellent throughout going above and beyond (even on his own time without compensation), but Definitive management was not until pending legal action was looming over their heads and mathed out for them.
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May 2022 by BarbW W.
I moved into a home with built in speakers but didn't know the first thing about what I needed to use those speakers the previous owner had taken all the equipment when they moved. Carrie at the seattle definitive audio was so helpful going back and forth by email answering all my clueless questions and even after the technician left she called and made sure everything went perfect and it did. Mark was the technician that came to my house and matched up what wires went to which room and brought the amplifiers with him so all I had to do was hook up a few simple wires and the built in speakers worked just like Mark and Carrie said they would. Mark and Carrie make a great team! I may add another amplifier in the future and will do it from definitive audio!!! Thanks for the great job Mark and Carrie!
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March 2022 by Susan
Best Customer Service Hands Down! Mel Mesick not only put together an amazing TV/Audio package for me, but was there for the install too. When I had an issue (operator error) a couple of weeks later, he came to my house and gave me a tutorial. He has followed up along the way to make sure everything is working and sounding A-OK. To me, customer service and quality products are worth a few extra bucks. Just say no to big box stores.
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February 2022 by JL T.
I had a frustrating and occasionally troubling experience with Definitive Audio and my sales representative. My wife and I had sold a home and were moving into a new home and decided to take advantage of the situation to vastly overhaul our home cinema/music system. My old system was not going to fit into the new space. I approached Definitive Audio and explained in detail what our goals were with the new system and told them we had a firm budget of $100k (if necessary). I had some existing components that I wanted to keep (for instance, a Lyngdorf MP-60 2.1 processor). It took over a month to get the first proposal from Definitive and it was chock full of mistakes and over selling. The proposal was more than 50% OVER my budget, and worse, included expensive items that I did not ask for, nor did I need. For instance, the proposal included an expensive audio rack, surge protectors, and services that made no sense. There was no collaboration whatsoever during the initial proposal development...for instance: "hey, do you need an audio rack?". All of that mess could have easily been prevented. Another challenge was that it took Definitive so long to turn around a proposal, all these mistakes took additional weeks to clean up. We were on a tight timeline getting moved in to the new system. Definitive has created many layers of bureaucracy in an attempt at quality control and separation of duties, but that process did not work well in my experience (and I spent an entire career as a business transformation consultant). I lost trust in my sales rep after this and frankly he never earned it back. Beyond this sloppiness, or worse, unethical approach to selling, I often thought Definitive was condescending and non-collaborative. The only reason I didn't walk is because they were the only dealer for a specific product line that fit my needs very well. However, I did descope many of the items that other dealers in the area sold and purchased those elsewhere. A Deep Dive and specific examples of lack of collaboration: With respect to my Lyngdorf MP-60 processor that I already owned and wanted to keep as the heart of my new system, Definitive immediately wanted me to scrap the Lyngdorf and buy a Trinnov from them. They claimed they didn't know Lyngdorf and every time an issue arose (many times) they simply said "we don't know anything about Lyngdorf". Here is the problem with that: It wasn't true. Definitive sells McIntosh processors. McIntosh licenses Lyngdorf functionality (RoomPerfect) for use on their processors. Configuring a McIntosh and a Lyngdorf MP-60 are virtually exactly the same except for the branding. This attitude was super disappointing and Definitive should have been above such petty, hollow tactics. Definitive may be fine when you are going in to buy one or two items - but if you are buying and installing a large system, it could be a very, very painful process in my experience. Pros: - They sell quality products - Their installation team do good work Cons: - Try to sell you products and services you don't need or want - Despite the large purchase Definitive management never once checked in to see how things were going - Non-collaborative - Condescending - Slow
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January 2022 by David D
I have been shopping at Definitive on-and-off for 25 years for various audio-related things, and have always been happy with them. In fact, my original salesperson from back in 1990, Tom, is still working in the store! I am a rare upgrader, but it came time for an all-new system, which for me this time meant going all digital. This time around I worked with Paul, and he has been fantastic. He has always been happy and ready to back up his beliefs and statements with real-world demonstrations for me to hear. I spent many hours with Paul on many different days, and he was always the most pleasant and helpful person, whether I showed up unannounced or at a prearranged time. Ultimately, after shopping around and listening out of town to speakers that were not available in Washington, I again purchased at Definitive. They know what they are doing, we put together what I wanted in my budget, and they can simply deliver. And, the support through all of this has been awesome! Thank you for 25+ happy years of music, with many more to come!
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December 2021 by Travis L.
Friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable staff. Also amazing inventory. Could spend all day in here checking out gear.
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December 2021 by Robert D.
I hesitate to say this because I'm not sure whether they actually believe the misinformation they're peddling or are brazenly brandishing it to get sales, but my experience with Definitive Audio was like walking into a den of scam artists. I expressed my intent to get a Marantz receiver, and asked about 48Gbps-compatible HDMI cables capable of carrying a 4k/120Hz signal. As I intended to carry the signal from my PC to the receiver, and the receiver to the TV, I was looking at purchasing two HDMI cables, one 5ft and one 15ft. The cables they presented me with would have cost in excess of $400, probably ~$500 after tax. I asked if these were truly necessary, and was met with near-derision at the suggestion that anything cheaper could deliver the same experience. When asked for an explanation why, I was met with vague terms like "sparkling" and told that the picture would simply not look the same, despite coming from a digital signal. "Surely I don't need cables with magnetic shielding," I pondered aloud. "Uh, actually you do--" one of the salesman returned, as he hastened to justify the price. This explanation included the phrase "48 KHz bandwidth cable," which was uttered in the presence of 3 other employees at the counter and not one stepped forth to correct him. Gave me a pretty good idea of their technical understanding. Anyway, despite their insistence I bought only the receiver, later buying the aforementioned cables online for $25 after tax. It's been roughly a month since then and I have no issues delivering a 4k 120Hz signal to my TV. No "sparkling," no signal cut-out, no missing pixels, no derezzing, downscaling, or any other such nonsense. I conferred with another local audio retailer to ask about my experience and they confirmed it's a common practice in the audio business. Just thinking about the brazen confidence with which they tried to scam me makes me sick.