The Sound Environment — Attraction in Omaha

To be clear and fair to the Owner ( Gale ) of this Audio Salon, my comments here are strictly directed at Todd's manner and behavior during a recent phone conversation. As a man who originally lived in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Omaha in 2004, I thought High-End Audio Snobbery would be left behind with the Elitists at the Audible Difference in Palo Alto, but apparently not. But I digress… I called recently just to ask a simple question about what they had available for used, high-end Preamps. So after letting me know they didn't have a anything in price range, Todd completely hi-jacks the conversation and ( I realize he is in Sales, but this isn't a Used Car dealership... ) starts foaming at the mouth about Integrated Amps and Wilson Speakers that were clearly outside of my price point, doesn't hear/ignores me tell him I do NOT need/want a Streaming Integrated and continues to rattle on breathlessly about several products I CLEARLY have no interest in. But that isn't even the worst of it. I attempted to have a friendly conversation with Todd to "put the car back on the road" and told him that I'd call back some other time and check if they had any used High-End Gear from say the early 90s ( Threshold, Mark Levinson, Conrad Johnson, etc ) that was in my price range, and Todd said in a very snarky, snobby way, "Well, you COULD do that, ( as if to imply that the brands I mentioned from the 80s or 90s couldn't POSSIBLY be good because it's older !? ) but it's better to have new gear with a Warranty!" And that’s aside from the obvious fact that Todd isn’t even old enough to have listened objectively for any meaningful length of time to high-end gear from the 80s and 90s in the first place! Needless to say, as long as am living in Omaha I will deal ONLY with Custom Electronics on Pacific Street for my audio needs, or go Online. Much like Peter Frampton, "Audio Snobbery Comes Alive" at The Sound...

I recently stopped into the Sound Environment one evening where I met Gale. Despite closing within thirty minutes, Gale thoughtfully answered all of my questions related to turntables in a kind and knowledgeable way. Based on this positive experience I returned a couple of weeks later and met Todd. Todd provided fantastic, no pressure coaching on the areas that I wanted to upgrade my system (new subwoofer and turntable), and allowed me to audition better RCA cables. I ended up purchasing a new subwoofer, turntable, and phono preamp on a subsequent visit. While there have been delays in shipping on the subwoofer, Todd did a magnificent job installing and setting up my turntable and phono preamp at home...of note, Gale had optimized the turntable at the shop before Todd brought it over. During the installation, Todd also optimized my television picture/sound settings as well as my amp settings. While I have purchased equipment on line, you can not beat the outstanding hand-on service provided by this company. I am looking forward to receiving my new subwoofer and am planning on purchasing a high-res streaming component in the future based on their amazing upgrade program. I highly recommend this company and staff, especially Todd and Gale for their personalized service and...

I'll try to keep this as on point as I can but that's not an easy task because The Sound Environment (TSE) is so far ahead of their competitors they are on an entirely different level. In my opinion TSE is among the absolute best in terms of sound and video reproduction in your home. They emphasize value at all price points whether that be a mega-bucks world-class system or simply a small desk top system you could use at your computer. Regardless of your budget TSE will provide you with the highest quality sound and video for your money. Period. Beyond that, they have an immensely helpful and patient staff of experts that are as passionate about what they do as anyone in any field. I would absolutely, without hesitation or equivocation recommend TSE to anyone who values high quality sound and video. If you've got a budget give TSE a shot before dropping your hard earned money into something from a big box retailer. TSE is locally owned and operated and it shows. I hate to sound over-the-top effusive but I just cannot say enough about these guys. They are the real deal. Give them a shot. I'm...