I went up to richer sounds this morning to buy an additional piece of hi-fi equipment. [ no other musical equipment apart from HI-FI, PA or musicians amplification crosses my threshold! ] Only to find that once mecca of bargain priced quality HI-FI with listening lounge and floor to ceiling seperates, is now ruining it's reputation.

There is a wall of televisions and no listening room in the back.
I was horrified. :rant:

This kind of lack of standards and dumbing down of quality, to think of richer sounds as a TV shop, rates along side such disasters as the loss of Rebels nightclub, the death of Jimi Hendrix, and the shutting of redgates.

What next?

Motorcycles banned from the town centre? Compulsory Macdonalds for breakfast? I'm already thinking of joining the conservative party.! :loopy:

I too love richer sounds got all my gear from them its a piity if its going down the road you mention was only on there web site yesterday to see if they were holding a open box day used to get some good bargains so has it changed hands then? muddy or are they just after the plazma t.v market and such :thumbsup:

haha, in a way im relieved, i thought you was going to say it had shut down:)

i suppose they have to branch out into other areas to keep alive, and we all know home cinema systems is pretty big business now.

is there any other decent hifi shops people could recommend, my mum was asking me on christmas day as their hifi no longer plays cd's, so i said what about just buying a seperates package, i'e, cd player, amp and speakers.

im not sure if sevenoaks is still around but if they are, im avoiding using them, as they nearly gave my hi-fi to the wrong person when it was being repaired (they'd lost all my contact details and when i rang them up, they said somebody else was picking that hi-fi up later that day:suspect: :rant: )

Yes Sevenoaks are still on queens road in the old TSB building, and Moorgate Acoustics are still on Fitzwiliam street in town.

In my view Moorgate Acoustics are still the place to go for the best quality stuff, although not cheap.

There used to be loads of other places over the years.

Quadraphenia, Superfi, Sheffield Sound Centre. etc..

they used to be a great shop................ but went recently for some speakers they was unhelpful not a lot of choice and mostly brands you have never heard of

yes what did happen to them ?

if you dont shop at moorgate acoustics then you are wasting your time.

richer sounds = quick fix for ok stuff

moorgate is more welcoming, comfy sofas in the demo rooms :) and they have a 2nd hand section which usually has some amazing deals in. (stuff like 1 scratch on the back of a speaker...oh thats £450 off haha)

yeah pricey.....but if your into hi fi and home cinema then accept no substitute :thumbsup:

nice one, i'd forgot about moorgate, i'll have a look in there:thumbsup:

not a hifi shop so to speak........but if the funds are lower i have been known to buy a few items from BIG DEAL across from where the old HMV used to be in town.

small shop, but well packed out.

Originally posted by SpeedwayDan
nice one, i'd forgot about moorgate, i'll have a look in there:thumbsup:
whats good is you can go in and say.......look ive got x amount of money and i want these things..... what would you recommend. they will pick stuff out, link it up and let you have a listen.

be aware they may be playing them through £5,000 speakers though :rolleyes:

I would also like to endorse the customer service at Moorgate acoustics. When I bought my more expensive loudspeakers for my best HiFi system, I took in my 5 sample CDs and was provided with equivalent components to what I had at home at the time and a cosy lounge with nice coffee and as long as I liked.

It wasn't long before I was moved to tears, hearing some of my favourite music in such detail and clarity that I had never heard before. When I got the new loudspeakers home, I didn't go out much as I spent a long time re-listening to many of my favourite albums.

Originally posted by muddycoffee
It wasn't long before I was moved to tears, hearing some of my favourite music in such detail and clarity that I had never heard before. When I got the new loudspeakers home, I didn't go out much as I spent a long time re-listening to many of my favourite albums.
dont you find how you get used to the quality thou? i got some amazing monitor audio studio speakers and the clarity and things i could hear were amazing, as was the bass when i got a better amp... but now i dont really hear the bass and take the clarity as the norm!

maybe i should go back to crappy stuff for a year so i can see how good it sounds all over again :cool:

Originally posted by MTheo
dont you find how you get used to the quality thou? i got some amazing monitor audio studio speakers and the clarity and things i could hear were amazing, as was the bass when i got a better amp... but now i dont really hear the bass and take the clarity as the norm!

maybe i should go back to crappy stuff for a year so i can see how good it sounds all over again :cool:

what monitors as in studio monitors used in a r3ecording environment, if so ouch:o

those things seriously tire your ears, and are made so they dont colour the sound at all, i'd much rather use proper hi-fi speakers for anything other than mixing down music

tis a sad sad day if richer sounds are moving away from the age old selling of cheap/quality hifi gear :(

Originally posted by SpeedwayDan
what monitors as in studio monitors used in a r3ecording environment, if so ouch:o

those things seriously tire your ears, and are made so they dont colour the sound at all, i'd much rather use proper hi-fi speakers for anything other than mixing down music
nah monitor audio studio 12's... one down from the studio 20's that what hi fi magazine uses as its reference speakers :thumbsup: and they sexy lol

edit....not the same. but this picture gives you an insight http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/gold/series/Gold_Reference_20.htm

ah right, they look impressive:thumbsup:

Originally posted by SpeedwayDan
ah right, they look impressive:thumbsup:
my pride and joy :clap: i got quite anal about home cinema a few years ago and spent far too much... and ive even got 5ps under the spikes to improve performance :gag: i saught help....im ok now (gibber gibber)

I order online from them, find the shop has gone from the top of the hill to the bottom in Sheff. Still supply the best audio gear through.

Originally posted by melthebell
tis a sad sad day if richer sounds are moving away from the age old selling of cheap/quality hifi gear :(

The email 'specials' I get from them are full of DVD recorders, headphones and vacuum cleaners.

Originally posted by UKer
Still supply the best audio gear through.

as long as you don't mean best in terms of quality. Best Hi fi value yes of course.

One of the best things they gave the nation was the focus on proper hi-fi seperates. I actually feel physically sick when someone who I know shows me some rammy tower system they have paid £200 for.
I always tell them to put it straight in the bin.

Even at the age of 13 years I was collecting my first hi-fi seperates. There is nothing available which is worth listening to which isn't actually hi-fi. Apart from actual real live music.

Richer sounds has to keep moving with the times, at the end of the day they are in business and need to make money. There are plenty of other shops for the hi-fi fan.

You can't beat seperates.
I have just got some Castle Harlech speakers for the lounge, a few years old but WOW they sound awesome

Originally posted by muddycoffee
One of the best things they gave the nation was the focus on proper hi-fi seperates. I actually feel physically sick when someone who I know shows me some rammy tower system they have paid £200 for.
I always tell them to put it straight in the bin.

ive given up telling people lol, this lad who is spoilt rotten by his parents who goes to same college as me comes in and goes...weve got a surround sound system and it cost 2 grand, i asked what speakers he had and after a mumble he said...err SONY of course.

id get him round to hear something good...but he's too much of a prat.

Originally posted by MTheo
and after a mumble he said...err SONY of course.


If he'd said BUSH or AIWA it would have been the same difference! :gag: