Thank you so much for this interview. I have a very fond memory of Hi-Fi Excellence in Alberton, I believe in 1991. Enamored by my circle of audiophile friends, AVSA magazine, and Hi-Fi shows at the Parktonian and Indaba Hotels, I was a 13-year-old boy who deeply wanted a hi-fi of his own. A complete hi-fi was well beyond my parent's means, but with considerable effort, they managed to save up R900 for a CD player. It remains a pivotal day in my life - the day when my parents took me to Hi-Fi Excellence to purchase my Marantz CD593 Midi CD player. Even though I was only 13, Eugene and his team treated me professionally and with courtesy. They allowed me to audition the player with an Aura integrated amplifier partnered with a variety of 600 series B&W speakers. The track was a Telarc recording of Olympic Fanfare - which remains a reference track of mine to this day. Eugene and his team also kindly entertained many ambitious questions about connecting the player to a high-end DAC (keep in mind I was purchasing a R900 CD player) and even indulged me by letting me listen to my new player playing through very high-end 800 series B&W speakers in another room. I cherished that player throughout my youth, and it played a huge part in my formative years. Today it's still working - now part of my cousin's collection (who turned out to become a much more serious audiophile than myself, and a now an HFX customer). A nuance of my experience that only South Africans may appreciate, is that the kindness that Eugene showed me as a 13-year-old boy, happened just as negotiations had begun to dismantle the apartheid regime. A 13-year-old Indian boy whose parents were buying him a very entry-level CD player yet being treated well in a VERY upmarket Hi-Fi shop was likely unheard of at the time. So thank you to Eugene and his team. I remember - and it meant a lot.
Thank you for this heart warming message Shun. This is how lifelong relationships are created and maintained (cemented). Eugene and his teams are still as committed as ever and are sure to attract many more lifelong relationships/friends. Thank you again for sharing. Everytime I visit HFX I feel like a VIP customer, I am sure many customers do feel the same...thank you HFX, Eugene and team!
Eugene is such a great guy. I have always had excellent service from HFX. He always goes the extra mile to help you source rare equipment and gives just as much attention to his customers whether you buy new or vintage equipment. I am always twisting his arm but he has always been fair. He is very knowlegable and never to busy to make time for his customers. Their installations I have seen is awsome. I have also had dealings with their parts department and get equally great service. I have also bought new equipment from them. They really stand behind their products and in an industry that is very difficult. I can only wish HFX the best for future business. PS. Nimrod those JBL's look great!!! Again a great video 👍
