Safe & Sound Inc — Local services in Chicopee

I cannot recall a better customer service experience than the one I had recently with Safe & Sound. Before I give details, let me get to the highlight. On a Saturday afternoon (4/18/20), Aaron Martin, store manager, spend at least an hour with me on the phone, walking me through the setup of a Denon X-3500H (including a length speaker calibration), from the store in Massachusetts to my home in Florida. He did it off the top of his head, based on his product knowledge. Remarkable. I wanted to send him a check. He shrugged it off — said he was just doing his job.

That was only part of my excellent experience with Safe & Sound. When my 10+-year-old Marantz tapped out a couple of weeks ago, I used the speaker(s) on my 10-year-old plasma TV for awhile, which proved intolerable. I did some online research. It came down to Onkyo and Denon. The X-3500H ($999 list) was priced at $549, ultimately too good to pass up. It was available through Amazon, Walmart etc. for the same price. I decided to call Safe & Sound, which I'd not heard of, thinking I'd get a more personal experience.

Man, did I. I talked to Aaron about the purchase, wondering whether the X-3500 might be overkill for my room. He assured me it was not, and suggested that the price was too good to pass up. Sold.

Within two or three days, I received a "shipped" email from S&S. It arrived, around a week after I ordered it. Inserting it into my five-way SurroundSound (with subwoofer) proved daunting — for me, at least. At one point, the amp just shut down during a speaker test.

I called the store. Aaron answered on the second ring. He told me how to do a reset, and then our saga of getting it up and running ensued. Aaron was patient and helpful the entire time. He knew every answer. We finished a few minutes before 5 pm, closing time at the store, and I probably kept Aaron past that thanking him.

My wife and I had a lovely night of TV watching, and look forward to many more. The Denon is ideal for our room. My LPs sound great.

A couple of kickers:

• Before calling Safe & Sound, I called Denon customer support. I left a message. No one ever called back. • By buying through S&S, I saved the 7% sales tax I would've have paid had I purchased through Amazon or big box store.

If you're making a tricky purchase like an A/V receiver or other gear, it only makes sense to consult an expert. I honestly did not think that was possible in this climate. But S&S made it easy and gratifying. If you've read this far, I cannot stress enough to consider buying A/V gear from Safe & Sound. Ask for...

My most recent encounter: 5/6/2023 I have been buying equipment from David at Safe and Sound for over 10 years. With the new store, it is "too much candy" for the eyes and ears. I just picked up a Marantz AV10, BluSound Node, and SmarTractor last Saturday, and I got to see the finished new store/showroom. I was in total shock and awe of the place. They have things for $100 and things for over $100,000. Very futuristic with the lighting, demo rooms, even the detail down to the plates for the plugs and lights. The Staff is very very very knowledgeable and are able to walk you through the pros and cons. They take pride down to the detail of dusting and cleaning so that there IS NOT one speck of dust in the entire place. As a point on the Marantz AV10, it is a major upgrade in all regards relative to the Marantz AV8805 which I also got from them. Well worth the purchase and from the right people for any issues going forward. I have seen David start with the small store in Chicopee, MA, building things up, and working himself ragged. As a person, I just don't see people working or driven to such a level of customer service, as he does for the sake of his pride and joy in music and electronics. I cannot recommend this place enough, whether you deal with them in person or through the internet, you will be impressed. What is also impressive is that he often quotes his dad as his inspiration and model in business, and to hear of the side projects that his dad does to help towards the success of the business. BTW: I am not related to David. Previous Review/4 years ago: I have bought over $20,000 worth of sound equipment from them over the last 2 years. I keep coming back because they are hands down the best at everything that they do. David, is very knowledgeable, exceptionally pragmatic about equipment, is not pushy about products, delivers on time, backs up his products, and is exceptionally decent as a person. I am jealous of guys who are able to play with all of these cool toys all day long! I will say they are constant workers. You literally see the sweat on their brows all the time. Very fast on reply with emails and text messages. I cannot recommend this place enough, and it is the ONLY place I get my equipment. Equipment I have purchased: Marantz: AV 8805, AV 8802A, MM8077, MM7055 X 3; Blu-Ray player Parasound Amplifier: A31 Martin Logan: 8 ceiling speakers, ESL center speaker; 2 Motion 4 bookshelf speakers Furman power conditioner

Another point: I have never seen customer service to the level of excellence that they...

Living in an age where most people have jaded dread of dealing with sales people, this place offers a glimmer of hope and i am truly surprised a place like this exists and thrives.

This is not a product review. This is more a review for the person who assisted me (Aaron) and acknowledged the effort i put in to research their store and took time off to visit the store ( i live about an hour and 20 minutes from this establishment).

Yes, i did end up spending more than what my budget entailed (but in the grand scheme of things, not by too much). Yes, i bought a product i had no clue about and had done no research about (that's saying a lot as i tend to go into a state of analysis paralysis for any kind of purchase that cross the 100$ mark). Yes, i truly believe that i will enjoy what i bought for a long time.

The reason i feel this way is the transparency and knowledge that Aaron displayed without being condescending or patronizing when i listed out my requirements and mentioned my budget.

He heard me out (i had very specific needs in a pair of floor standing speakers), More importantly he understood exactly what i didn't want. That's a real listening skill, which most sales people or any people for that matter, don't possess.

He displayed genuine patience, business acumen (in convincing me on why i could pay more and get a better deal, in terms of quality) and most importantly let me make my choices by giving me space (literally, i was in a demo room and given the controls) and time to sample a few speakers without being rushed or forced into a decision.

Big box stores (especially electronic) need to send their "sales" folks to this establishment to see how it should be done.

If you are in about 150 miles radius of this establishment and have a need for new home (and car, i believe) audio, do not buy online or from other stores without paying a visit to this one.

A rare find! I could go on about my positive experience, but i think you should treat yourself to it, if you are in the market...