Guest kryten2001 Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 Hi guys, new to this forum. I'm writing for any info you guys can provide on Apollo HiFi. I'm looking to drop a fair amount of coin on a new setup and I've never dealt with them before. This is going to be a long distance transaction, so do I not have the ability to check them out in person. Does anybody on this forum have any experience dealing with them? Are they honest and ethical? Thanks guys. Any help you can provide (even if it's in a private message) would be very much appreciated. Cheers.
Gargui Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 I bought some Cambridge audio gear from them a couple of years ago they are good guys. They've been round for a while and have a good local rep. I'd be very surprised if you had any issues.
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 Hi guys, new to this forum. I'm writing for any info you guys can provide on Apollo HiFi. I'm looking to drop a fair amount of coin on a new setup and I've never dealt with them before. This is going to be a long distance transaction, so do I not have the ability to check them out in person. Does anybody on this forum have any experience dealing with them? Are they honest and ethical? Thanks guys. Any help you can provide (even if it's in a private message) would be very much appreciated. Cheers. I've had many dealings with John at Appollo over many years. Never had a problem, with the sole exception that he thinks Bose is good. Other than that, they're great to do business with. They've been around forever, keep their overheads low (I'm pretty certain they own the premises) and they'll probably be around for a good while. BTW: It's an 'interesting' place to visit. 1
LogicprObe Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 They used to own the bottle shop across the road too! (dunno if they still do)
anfs Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 Just wondering, with such a long distance, why choose Apollo Hifi? Especially if you are spending what you consider to be serious money?
New Sensations Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 Isn't their storage area behind/underneath the bottle shop across the road? Anyway, John is a great guy to deal with.
Bus_Boy Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 (edited) Just wondering, with such a long distance, why choose Apollo Hifi? Especially if you are spending what you consider to be serious money? Yeah c'mon spill the beans we all wanna to know what ya buyin !! :eek: Edited September 8, 2012 by Bus_Boy
Guest kryten2001 Posted September 9, 2012 Posted September 9, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the feedback guys. The trail that brought me to them was a bit of a combination of googling, plus looking up the Marantz dealers in aus. I saw they were up there in terms of being a Marantz dealer, and their service thus far has been excellent. The 2 reasons for wanting to go with an interstate dealer (I'm from WA) are fairly simple.. 1) They have stock. 2) They answer/reply to queries The gear is pretty high end, but by no means in the truly hard-core area. I'm looking at a Marantz PM-KI Pearl amp and a Marantz SA-KI Pearl SACD. I'll be mating this with (most likely) some B&W PM-1s. The issue I've got is stock is available over there for a good price, but I can't hear it... The over here is worse, they don't have stock and I can't hear it.... I'm trying to find a dealer here who at least has the PM-1's, and I may have to take a leap of faith with the Marantz gear. Goes a little against the grain not actually hearing something before buying it, but I've had it recommended to me by several people and my research on what I like certainly seems to be pointing in the direction of the Marantz. Any owners or people who have heard this gear can comment on what it's like? I might have to take a flight over to the eastern seaboard to check out what I'm considering buying at this rate... Cheers. Edited September 9, 2012 by kryten2001
Sir Triode Posted September 9, 2012 Posted September 9, 2012 It might be cheaper to fly to Singapore to pick up the gear and get a bigger discount on both pieces than buying from the Eastern states. WA is only 5 hours away and you will have the opportunity to test both components with a larger number of speakers as the dealers there stock a lot more in one area.
MrRogers Posted September 9, 2012 Posted September 9, 2012 It might be cheaper to fly to Singapore to pick up the gear and get a bigger discount on both pieces than buying from the Eastern states. WA is only 5 hours away and you will have the opportunity to test both components with a larger number of speakers as the dealers there stock a lot more in one area. Really? Are you suggesting that even after: - time off work - Airfare - Hotels - Import duty/ GST - Overseas warranty You're better off buying overseas? I doubt it! I've bought from Apollo HiFi and they were very nice to deal with.
anfs Posted September 9, 2012 Posted September 9, 2012 From the RRPs I can see the CD player and amp is $4690 each. Speakers are $3299 All up is $12,670 I would definitely say fly over here (or other states) before spending your money. It wil be money well spent (plus you won't go crazy thinking what if, when you look at other gear, because you already heard them ) Also, do you need a specialist CD player? Maybe a blu-ray player like CA 751BD (or PC) with DAC would be better. You could also upgrade the DAC in future and you got the flexibility of watching movies with the BD player or convenience of storing all your music on the PC Finally, I would send a PM or email to our forum sponsors & ask with your budget what system they would suggest. Any that sound good, go over and listen!
Sir Triode Posted September 9, 2012 Posted September 9, 2012 (edited) Really? Are you suggesting that even after: - time off work - Airfare - Hotels - Import duty/ GST - Overseas warranty You're better off buying overseas? I doubt it! I've bought from Apollo HiFi and they were very nice to deal with. Yup - when airfares are so cheap now to Sg. And you only need a couple of days to make the purchase. It could be done over a weekend. Gear like the marantz is quite cheap in Sg compared to the prices over here esp after you have factored in the exchange rate 1AUD approx 1.28SGD. And visitors to Sg can claim the 7% GST back at the airport too for greater savings. Since the gear isn't too heavy, it would not be hard to bring it back as check in luggage as long as your get it checked in as Fragile items. The savings you make gives you get a short holiday and to savour the good food over there. Perth is only 5 hrs from Sg. Only two more hours than it takes I to fly to the eastern states. BTW, the price of the KI-Pearl SACD player in Sg is the cheapest in the world. approx SGD $2500 with 7% GST incl.(compared with $4500AUD over here) http://www.jay-audio.com/janl01.html The saving alone from the price in Australia is enough to cover the hassle and cost of repairs should the unit fail (low probability). Imagine the savings on both the amps and player. Edited September 10, 2012 by triode12
Sir Triode Posted September 10, 2012 Posted September 10, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the feedback guys. The trail that brought me to them was a bit of a combination of googling, plus looking up the Marantz dealers in aus. I saw they were up there in terms of being a Marantz dealer, and their service thus far has been excellent. The 2 reasons for wanting to go with an interstate dealer (I'm from WA) are fairly simple.. 1) They have stock. 2) They answer/reply to queries The gear is pretty high end, but by no means in the truly hard-core area. I'm looking at a Marantz PM-KI Pearl amp and a Marantz SA-KI Pearl SACD. I'll be mating this with (most likely) some B&W PM-1s. The issue I've got is stock is available over there for a good price, but I can't hear it... The over here is worse, they don't have stock and I can't hear it.... I'm trying to find a dealer here who at least has the PM-1's, and I may have to take a leap of faith with the Marantz gear. Goes a little against the grain not actually hearing something before buying it, but I've had it recommended to me by several people and my research on what I like certainly seems to be pointing in the direction of the Marantz. Any owners or people who have heard this gear can comment on what it's like? I might have to take a flight over to the eastern seaboard to check out what I'm considering buying at this rate... Cheers. Marantz gear generally fall on the warm side of things and from the reviews of the KI Pearl SACD on the web, it seems that the player falls into that mold. If the amp and your B&Ws are also warm sounding, it might be too much of a good thing. Edited September 10, 2012 by triode12
Guest kryten2001 Posted September 10, 2012 Posted September 10, 2012 (edited) The saving alone from the price in Australia is enough to cover the hassle and cost of repairs should the unit fail (low probability). Imagine the savings on both the amps and player. Triode is dead right. I travel to singapore fairly regularly for both holidays and business, and some items are incredibly cheap (due to competition) compared to here. Specifically Cameras, watches and hi-fi gear. And he's also right, getting a listen to equipment is far easier too - and most retailers carry a lot of stock in store. From Perth it's only an extra hour or so compared to the east. Such a quandary I'm in though. Considering the cost, I really should listen to this gear before I drop all this coin - irrespective of where I buy it. I'll either wait for the locals to get in the equipment to demo (apparently only days away), or I'll just wait for my next Sing trip I suppose. Better to be patient than disappointed. I'm hoping I can pull my act together and get the price I like from Apollo. They seem to be a great bunch of chaps and I would really prefer to help keep the retail scene alive in Aus. I know we're all price sensitive, but we all need to make a living too... Just trying to get a listen to this setup locally before I drop the coin, but it's proving very difficult. Edited September 10, 2012 by kryten2001
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