Utah Audio — Attraction in Cottonwood Heights

I am so glad that I found Utah Audio! They were amazing to work with and offer such a valuable service in that you can go and hear a wide range of speakers and even speaker cables in every imaginable price range with your very own ears. That helped me find exactly the right set that gave me the best bang for the buck for my listening preferences. I'm absolutely thrilled both with the system I bought and the service that Tyler provided!

To give you more detail about my experience, I recently decided to fulfill a lifelong dream and buy a nice set of floorstanding speakers. I had been shopping around online reading reviews and researching different brands. There are definitely plenty of compelling options out there, but I really wanted to be able to listen to a variety of speakers in different price brackets to see where the point of diminishing return would be for my ears. Having never had the chance to listen to high-end speakers, I just didn't know if I would hear a significant difference between a $1,000 pair and a $10,000 pair.

After doing a little searching online, I discovered Utah Audio and immediately called to see when I could drop in and do some listening. I was so very happy I went. They have a wide range of options set up from just above big-box store quality to a couple mind-blowing Wilson Audio systems each of which costs more than I have spent on all the cars I've ever owned combined. (I've never had a very nice car either...) Anyway, Tyler was amazingly helpful and patient with me. He happily let me listen to all the speaker sets that I wanted to hear starting at their entry-level stuff and moving up until I felt like I was hearing very little improvement anymore for the increase in the price.

In the end, I fell in love with the sound of the Dynaudio Excite line. To me, they sounded every bit as good as Bowers and Wilkins options that cost 3-4x more and, to make it even better, I absolutely loved their beautiful design and the finish options on their cabinets. Tyler recommended a model in that series that is a great deal and would fit perfectly in the relatively tight space I had available to house them. I wanted to sleep on it and do a little reading up on the company as I hadn't ran across the Dynaudio label in my online searches. He was very easy going and there was absolutely zero pressure to commit to anything that day despite how generous he had been with his time.

After doing a little research, I decided to move forward with the speakers. He did a great job of working with his supplier to make sure that he could match the price that I was seeing online at Crutchfield. I also asked about speaker cables and expressed my concern that it is such a hot topic online that I wasn't sure if it would be worth doing anything more than the equivalent of a heavy gauge lamp cord. He offered to let me come in and do some A/B comparison tests when I picked up the speakers. As expected, that was tremendously helpful! I ended up going with a relatively entry-level Transparent Audio cable because it gave a marked improvement in sound quality relative to the basic reference cable he had, but moving up any more from there really didn't do much for me.

I've had the set for a week now and I have been having an absolute blast rediscovering all of my favorite recordings. The sound is so engaging and lifelike. If I close my eyes, it's like being right there at a concert hall or in the recording studio. It has been so much fun and I am so very glad that Utah Audio gave me to ability to hear the speakers ahead of time and know that I would be so pleased with them before making such a large purchase....

Short Version: Thanks to Utah Audio, I have fallen in love with listening to music again.

Not So Short Version: I recently decided to upgrade my home audio setup. After spending countless hours researching components and chatting with various 'audiophiles' on the forums I had a short list of 'possibles' but was far from concluding what I wanted.

It was at this point that I realized I needed to see, touch and hear the components on my 'short list.' Utah Audio is an authorized dealer for many top brands that had caught my attention: McIntosh, Clearaudio, Rotel, arcam, b&w etc.

I called the shop, explained I was looking to upgrade my turntable, preamp, amp and speakers. After a few minutes chatting with the owner Tom, I became very impressed with his knowledge but even more so by his down-to-earth and friendly attitude.

A few days later I popped into their store and met with Tom and Tyler. They took the time to understand my goals and budget for the new system. Then came the fun part: the auditioning. I was asked to sit in one of their listening rooms and simply enjoy the music.

FINALLY! I was able to hear a number of my 'short list' components and fell in love with the McIntosh MT5 turntable, McIntosh C2500 preamp, McIntosh MC275 amp and then something not on my shortlist: Dynaudio Condfidence speakers.

A week later Tyler and Steve came to my home and methodically setup and calibrated the equipment...literally AND figuratively a 'white glove' experience.

To say I'm happy with the whole experience would be an understatement.

If you're shopping for quality home audio components, take a minute to visit with Tom, Tyler, Steve and the rest of the team at Utah Audio. They're good people, who know their stuff and will treat you and your needs with the utmost respect and...

I was looking to upgrade my old, old hi-fi set. Randy, from Interwest Electronics (GREAT store, btw) turned me on to Prima Luna. Prima Luna sent me to Utah Audio, as the only authorized dealer in Utah, and I haven't been the same since. After talking with Tyler, the purchase was a no-brainer. Everyone needs to visit this store. Do you like the immediacy and hands-off approach of digital or SS? Utah Audio. Are you a keeper of the secrets and need to push vinyl to the next level? Utah Audio. Are you a Supreme Master of the Secret and need tube amplification? Utah Audio. Their showroom lends itself to wonderful, real-world listening. Their stock is specifically curated for good, above-entry quality that meets all needs and budgets. They do not approach sales with an attitude of 'carry one of everything, and we'll see what moves'; they know what value to the customer is, and they tailor to that. Rooms are set up to listen in hall setting, an open large room setting, and a sitting-in your-living-room-relaxing setting, among others. Staff is beyond courteous and knowledgeable, and takes the time to demo, explain, and provide answers to the customer. With a bit of my tongue in my cheek, I feel it's safe to say that when our higher consciousness shuffles off this mortal coil, as it inevitably will, those who have spent time (and money, perhaps?) here will greet the sounds of angelic choirs with a knowing smile of familiarity, while those who did not will kick their ectoplasmic butts in regretful knowledge that they COULD have had similar audio experiences while alive, and chose not to. OH! They also have a reel-to-reel! It's not hooked up, but it's nice to stand and look at while remembering the days. (At least it...