If you are looking for high quality Hi-Fi and want first class personally tailored service with friendly and accommodating staff then this is the place to go. I wanted to replace my aging separates system as one of my speakers had given up the ghost and having not read What Hi-Fi or Hi Fi Choice (if they even still have them!) for some years, was a little rusty in what I wanted. I was in Hull for a day and knew that I would have some time to spare, so I emailed Fanthorpes and organised a demonstration of some Spendor A6's and some Cyrus equipment. Dale was superb from the start, and got my gear all set up while I relaxed with a cup of coffee. 4 hours and 3 different sets of speakers and multiple changes of the system later I was been my usual indecisive self. However I never once felt rushed or under pressure to buy or make a decision and nothing was too much effort. Dale was really informative and professional and seems to genuinely enjoy working with hi-fi, which is not the case for all (see below). I took my current Roksan equipment with me for comparison. However, not having been to Hull before I found the shop a little tricky to find and I had to carry the heavy Roksan gear for 10 minutes to the shop which wasnt ideal. But as for negatives, thats it! Like everyone I had compared prices before I went to Fanthorpes and they are really competitive. The system I finally bought was the cheapest price I could find nationally. Does it end there?? Not quite, the speaker cable I had wanted was not in stock from Fanthorpes and they were going to send it to me when it arrived. However it transpired that it was going to take longer than thought and so to avoid any delay they sent me the next model up for free, which was fantastic cable. I also had a few issues with the set up at home and they were quick to be on the phone to help me out. Does it end there..if only! As I said I can be a difficult customer and a few weeks later I decided the speakers didn't work for me. Determined to get it right I decided to try some B&W's at Sevenoaks and ProAcs and Monitor Audios at Vickers. On arrival at Sevenoaks I was told I had about 30 minutes and wasn't allowed a cuppa (apparently we cant be trusted with it near equipment)! Sufficed to say I didn't fancy spending £2000 on speakers there! However Vickers was much more accommodating, but it still not quite the involved care I had from Fanthorpes. After been to Vickers I realised that the ProAcs were the speakers for me and thought I would have to sell the Spendors so that I could get the system right. Fanthorpes didnt stock this manufacture either so sadly I didnt think I could give them my business . However I mentioned to Dale that I didnt get on with the Spendors and yet again he beant over backwards and is taking the Spendors back and has managed to get me some ProAcs whilst once again been the best price nationally. I wonder if I would have got this type of aftercare had I gone somewhere else? My experience in the hands of Fanthorpes from start to finish has been truly excellent and they genuinely care about the experience you recieve and that you get the Hi-Fi that suits you and unlike most, once they have your money the afterservice continues to be second to none! read more
