49 replies to this topic

[Pops110]

Drove past Simply Hi Fi yesterday and saw a for sale sign out the front. Curiosity got the better of me so I popped in for a look. They will be shutting the doors for good in December. The boys have a few side projects on the go, but they said the shop just wasn't viable anymore ( they did look a bit worn out over the whole thing and I think need a break.). But it is a bit of an end to an era of Perths premier Hi Fi shop. Sad to see them and their advice gone.

[robin-hobart]

Weren't they exclusive agents for Accuphase amps?

[firefly0071]

Sad - I purchased a Musical Fidelity buffer off them and it was a good price and great service.

[brumby]

Damn, yet another one bites the dust.

[JohnA]

it is a shame and a sign of how bad things are.

Forget the overseas online shopping, no one is spending full stop. Even second hand items at bargain prices are getting harder and harder to move

[wolster]

Bugger. That will be a big loss to the Perth Hi-Fi scene.

[wolster]

Just had a look at their website.
30% off everything in the store through October.

Details here.

[Pops110]

They are the agents for accuphase, I think Pierre is going to take that on with a few other brands, not sure how he is going to work it.
Cheers Dave.

[Darryl]

Bugger. That will be a big loss to the Perth Hi-Fi scene.

Not just Perth.
I've bought two things from them, one new and one second hand, and their service was fantastic.
Their 'trade in' web page is one of my favourites.

[Braddles 63]

Ive known about this for a while but wasnt sure if i should blab or not. Its a grest shame that another is biting the dust.

Im afraid to say that the way i got spoken too a few times there left me cold. The boss came across very rude and abrupt some times. When things are as hard as they are you cant afford to be scaring people off by making them feel like they are waisting your time.

[joz]

Perhaps the strain of bad times is difficult to contain.
It's hard to stay positive when your lively hood is being ripped out,but as a customer we only ever expect courtesy.

[:) al]

very sad, I have even though being other side of the country bought the odd item from them. always found them courteous and ready to help. as a place people could go listen to some hifi to audition and buy they will be missed. slowly theyre all going one by one..

[GSpot]

Not just Perth.
I've bought two things from them, one new and one second hand, and their service was fantastic.
Their 'trade in' web page is one of my favourites.

I assume that the items you pruchased were of a "decent" value? I ask because the boss has a bit of a reputation for showing disdain to people with smaller budgets.

Good riddance I say.

[GSpot]

very sad, I have even though being other side of the country bought the odd item from them. always found them courteous and ready to help. as a place people could go listen to some hifi to audition and buy they will be missed. slowly theyre all going one by one..

Courteous and ready to help because they see $ signs Al. Try and get after sales service after they get your money though. The bloke had the nerve to chastise me because I queried the status of my power amp repairs...on the 2nd hand amp that was faulty upon purchase...despite them stating that it had been checked. Apparantly waiting a week after the due date to make the enquiry was rude on my part.

Don't lament the loss of that particular store because there is no loss. We have gained by having people like that out of business.

Good riddance and piss off.

[Grimmie]

Not quite sure I'd go that far, but yeah I do know what you mean about the boss and his attitude. Pierre was a good sort, but I was one of those who walked out of there one day saying 'never again'.

[kajak12]

OH NO !!!!!!!!!!!! sad news luckily i am into diy now and no need for simply hifi much cheaper and more bang for buck simply diy pierre could always be a politician full of bs.
The more $$$ you had the better the service you received

[triode12]

I assume that the items you pruchased were of a "decent" value? I ask because the boss has a bit of a reputation for showing disdain to people with smaller budgets.

Good riddance I say.

Which would be the wrong way to go about things as it is usually the people with smaller budgets that are the bread and butter of many a high end retailer w/o whom they would go bust.

A certain hi-fi retailer very close to where I live does the same to me. I have contacted them twice and they have never bothered to call me back. I realised why when I was told that their usually clients spend a minimum of $30K just on their HT setups. Business must be still good for them even in this uncertain period.

[turntable]

I wanted to buy an Accuphase product from there, however their prices were just not competitive. Even against the USA full distributor - dealer model.
Pierre said he was partner with Accuphase for 25 years, yet his buy price was supposedly higher than Japan retail price.

I gave up

[Ken]

I have also known for some time but chose not to say anything, hoping that things would turn around.

I am surprised at the level of SNA members getting 'poor service' I have always found nearly all of the staff very helpfull whether spending a couple of hundred on smaller purchases or spending thousands on larger gear. I have bought Amps, Pre Amps, CD Players, CD Transports, DAC's, Speakers, my Olive HD4 and cables, never had anything but decent service, especially from Wyn, Pierre or Alan when he was there.

Always allowed me to take the item home to try without obligation.

Sad day for me.

Ken

[DaveMS]

I agree that on my first visit they were not exactly good at the salesman 101 stuff. On all subsequent meetings I have found them more than helpful and generous with their time and home demos.

In a different era they had survived catering for the upper end of the market. Nothing wrong with that. Wynn was telling me that he was being squeezed out of business by people wanting demos armed with internet prices. He also pointed out that he was close to retirement and probably didn't need the stress of modern retail any more. He said that he may operate a much more slimmed down operation from home.

I will miss them when they close.

[Monkeyboi]

I have also known for some time but chose not to say anything, hoping that things would turn around.

I am surprised at the level of SNA members getting 'poor service' I have always found nearly all of the staff very helpfull whether spending a couple of hundred on smaller purchases or spending thousands on larger gear. I have bought Amps, Pre Amps, CD Players, CD Transports, DAC's, Speakers, my Olive HD4 and cables, never had anything but decent service, especially from Wyn, Pierre or Alan when he was there.

Always allowed me to take the item home to try without obligation.

Sad day for me.

Ken

+1 Ken.
Although I purchased very little from them I found them both helpful and polite to me.
From memory the last purchase from Wyn was a VPI RCM.

Cheers,
Alan R.

[Pops110]

I do understand some peoples problems with the boys there, it has been a bit hit and miss sometimes. Normally Pierre would tell me when he was busy or having a bad day, so I understood. Alan has always been great. I think a few comments have been a little over the top, but that's just my take on things. I have spent probably close to 2k there which isn't much to some people but is a fair whack to me, money is hard to come by when you have a huge mortgage, but the boys always remember my name, my likes and dislikes, let me take home some cables, tube buffer etc to try, so in my book I think that is fairly good service. It's a shame to see them go. Their second hand gear has probably been a great way for people to get their way into highend stuff otherwise out of reach. Maybe if they catered for the DIY crowd as well it could have opened some possibilities for them to stay open, who knows.
Cheers Dave.

[kajak12]

Wynn was telling me that he was being squeezed out of business by people wanting demos armed with internet prices.

Bingo dave wanting demos armed with internet prices That is the problem for simply hifi they can take home audition and look at the www for a better price new or second hand.

[kajak12]

I do understand some peoples problems with the boys there, it has been a bit hit and miss sometimes. Normally Pierre would tell me when he was busy or having a bad day, so I understood. Alan has always been great. I think a few comments have been a little over the top, but that's just my take on things. I have spent probably close to 2k there which isn't much to some people but is a fair whack to me, money is hard to come by when you have a huge mortgage, but the boys always remember my name, my likes and dislikes, let me take home some cables, tube buffer etc to try, so in my book I think that is fairly good service. It's a shame to see them go. Their second hand gear has probably been a great way for people to get their way into highend stuff otherwise out of reach. Maybe if they catered for the DIY crowd as well it could have opened some possibilities for them to stay open, who knows.
Cheers Dave.

No problems for some i started shopping at simply hifi back in early 1990's spent a lot of $$$$ over the years,i know a few close friends that have also bought and traded in goods,i understand that wyn was trying to make a living and a good retirement fund (we all do).What i didn't like is the bs that i was fed before i knew what i know now good luck to simply hifi crew,not many places left in perth for other music lovers.

[kajak12]

Maybe if they catered for the DIY crowd as well it could have opened some possibilities for them to stay open, who knows.
Cheers Dave.

I bought some dvd7600 marantz players from them (5 in the one transaction half price of rrp) when they asked me why i am buying so many i replied to moddify them.Since then i got treated like crap never been back since,they didn't like diy it was stepping on wyn's toes all i was after is bang for buck from a system they could not offer me or others.

[Shane F]

It is disappointing to read so many negative posts regarding Simply HiFi.

I've had numerous delaings with Wyn and Pierre for more than ten years, and I can only say that I have always found them to be extremely helpful, genuine and a pleasure to deal with. In fact they have always been perfect gentlemen, which is somewhat of a rarity these days.

I'll be very sad to see the day when Simply HiFi closes its doors.

[yardley]

wyn always thought he was the best with the best gear. i found him pretty arrogant and to me he was just after your dollar at the end of the day. havnt been in the shop for 5 years so i wont miss the shop...

[Pops110]

Just curious, but where do the people that don't like simply hi fi buy all of their gear? Local, interstate or off the net?
Cheers Dave.

[wolster]

I was in there today, picking up some cartridge bolts. Pierre told me that the business will continue as an online operation.

[kajak12]

Just curious, but where do the people that don't like simply hi fi buy all of their gear? Local, interstate or off the net?
Cheers Dave.

Ebay great bargains if you know what to look for imho

[rantan]

I am really not sure why people have had negative experiences with SHF. I have dealt with them a few times and just very recently as well and I have found the overall experience to be superb and second to none in the industry.
There are several people at several very well known retailers in other states who could definitely take a lead from this business and develop an ethos of customer service and good manners.

IMHO, Wyn is a complete gentleman and sets a good example.

Nice to know that they will maintain an online presence.

[kajak12]

wyn always thought he was the best with the best gear. .

I think war audio has a lot more to offer then simply hifi in terms of sq quality vs $$$$$

[Monkeyboi]

I bought some dvd7600 marantz players from them (5 in the one transaction half price of rrp) when they asked me why i am buying so many i replied to moddify them.Since then i got treated like crap never been back since,they didn't like diy it was stepping on wyn's toes all i was after is bang for buck from a system they could not offer me or others.

Why would modifying them be a problem for Simply HiFi? They would not have to honour the warranty the minute you took a pair of cutters and a soldering iron to them.

Also what mods were you doing to them that would possibly upset Wyn? IMHO, it's your project, your money, your property. Personally I can't see any problem.

Cheers,
Alan R.

[kajak12]

Why would modifying them be a problem for Simply HiFi? They would not have to honour the warranty the minute you took a pair of cutters and a soldering iron to them.

Also what mods were you doing to them that would possibly upset Wyn? IMHO, it's your project, your money, your property. Personally I can't see any problem.

Cheers,
Alan R.

Ask Pierre he had a problem with it not wyn (wyn got a sale)

[Monkeyboi]

Ask Pierre he had a problem with it not wyn (wyn got a sale)

I still can't see what business it is of them what you do with the players once you've paid for them.
Your comment (see post #25) implies you were stepping on Wyn's toes not Pierre's.

Cheers,
Alan R.

[Whatmore]

They seem to have some pretty good prices right now:
http://www.simplyhifi.com.au/

[kajak12]

They seem to have some pretty good prices right now:
http://www.simplyhifi.com.au/

A friend of mine is the new owner of some genesis 5.2
Genesis Model 5.2 Stereo Loudspeakers. Four-way, floorstanding loudspeaker with powered woofer section. Drive-units: two 1" (25mm) circular aluminum-ribbon tweeters, 4.5" (115mm) titanium upper-midrange cone, two 6.5" (165mm) aluminum lower-midrange cones ("midbass couplers"), three 8" (200mm) aluminum woofer cones. Inputs: speaker level on 4mm terminals, line-level on balanced XLR, LFE line-level on XLR. Output: LFE pass-through on XLR. Frequency response: 20Hz–36kHz, ±3dB. Crossover frequencies: 71–135Hz, 300Hz, 3.6kHz. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Maximum power handling: 500W. Woofer amplifier power: 500W, class-D, servo-controlled. High-gloss Piano Black finish. Excellent condition and complete with original packaging, etc. For further information go to http://www.stereophi...peakers/206gen/ (Advertised for sale on consignment)

[aertex]

Mario
thats good news about the 5.2's. I am sure your friend will really enjoy what those speakers can do. They are the sort of speakers most could live with and enjoy for the longest time. I wouldnt mind a listen to them actually!

[kajak12]

Mario
thats good news about the 5.2's. I am sure your friend will really enjoy what those speakers can do. They are the sort of speakers most could live with and enjoy for the longest time. I wouldnt mind a listen to them actually!

next time your down send me a pm i am sure it can be arranged
ps:good enough to live with

[Devo]

A section of the Perth hifi community stopped going to Simply hifi sometime ago due to the very issues already raised in this this thread. Food for thought... the GFC may not have been the only factor.

[firefly0071]

I purchased an item two years ago - the service was fine. Just my experience.

[:) al]

bought couple of times with them over the years as well. no issues with service or quality of product. hopefully they continue on in some form, but a loss with one less bricks and mortar store I would say for WA which is already pretty stripped in this regard.

[THOMO]

I always found Simply Hi Fi good to deal with.
Wyn can be a bit abrupt sometimes but that is just his personality and I would rather have that than a slick and slimy sales approach.
Overall I think Simply Hi Fi has been a professional,honest and well conducted business.

I wish them well in their change to an online business.
The shop will be missed however.

[yardley]

at least thomo we have bunbury hi-fi with the 2 brothers down our way still going...so how many hi-fi shops are still going in perth without taking in west coast hi-fi? i think some of the perth guys would answer this....also is the shop in myaree off leach highway still there? it was called audio equip i think when i first started going there...

[yardley]

surround sounds were also big afew years back and i think they only have one shop that is in subiaco...