Life’s too short for second-best
I have dealt with David Weinhart, founder and former owner of Ambrosia Audio & Video of Los Angeles, since 1996. Over the years, I have auditioned and purchased many high-end 2-channel audio pieces (speakers, amps, preamps, digital, cables, power, etc.) from him. On every occasion, he offered excellent advice while carefully considering my desires and sonic requirements, even to the extent where I occasionally chose other options. This kind of attention to detail and service is strangely a rarity in the high-end stereo industry, where one would think that the prices involved with this caliber of equipment would virtually compel proprietors and sales staff to wait on customers hand and foot.
In terms of actually handling his clients, I have found that David is equally adept at listening to the customer as he is at listening to the gear. In my case, I take a rather different approach to 2-channel than most; preferring speed in the electronics and ultra-coherence in the soundstage. This is in contrast with most listeners who prefer a somewhat “softer” presentation from their systems (a characteristic particularly popular with high-end gear in the late ‘90s and beyond). So, while my requirements were well outside the mainstream, he clearly understood what I was after and how to go about achieving it.
David is among the ranks of audio professionals who understand the connection between hearing the music (as in live performance) and hearing the playback system, and how the two worlds can actually overlap with the correct synergy between selected system components. While this “live ambience” characteristic is often cited as the grail of holistic system assembly, my extensive experience as a musician and audiophile has shown that many system designers fall rather short of the mark. David has taken this (perhaps Quixotic) quest as a personal challenge, and simply excels at it.
Buyers often face the issue of what to do about putting the finishing touches on their dream systems once the main components have been determined. Many dealers are content to merely recommend the latest preposterously overpriced flavor-of-the-month box, cable, or tweak, for which they of course just happen to be the local representative. David is known for finding exceptional price-to-performance values in the market, thus providing meaningful cost-effective options after you’ve spent your guzillion dollars on those oh-so-magical components (for one of many examples, he was among the first retail proponents of Harmonic Technology products) . . .
Certainly, my own quest for the ultimate system is not over, and I’ll be in the market to upgrade a few pieces in the near future. As has been the case in recent years, the first call I’ll make will be to David. Simply put, if one is serious about good sound, one should start with good sound advice. I can tell you that good sound advice starts with David Weinhart at Weinhart Design. Life’s too short for second-best.
Regards – A. R. Molloy
David Weinhart is Back !!!!!
I saw David and checked out the $150,000 Clearaudio statement turntable and WOW !!!
Talk about equipment lust !
Pared with MBL electronics and the MBL 116 Radialstahler speakers, I was transported into the recording venue.
Every record that I heard I felt that I was hearing the master tape. All of the information on the record was heard. At times on some recordings it sounded like a real Sax and drum set in the room. While not 100% like a real instrument in the room because of the limitations of the mike being used and placement etc. what WAS there …It could trick you into believing that
instruments where really was in the room.
A Sinatra recording put me in the recording booth at Capital Records with the vintage ribbon mikes used on Sinatra’s vocal. You could hear 3 distinct tracks as recorded back them , Vocal Brass and rhythm section.
On Art Pepper plays, the drums with brushes was in the room. The sax on the left was a real sax playing in the room and not a recording of a sax.
It was spooky. If the lights were out you would swear it was live.
Remember in Star Wars where Luke is watching a hologram message. You see the person there in 3 D ?
Well it was like that with Audio !!
We are starting to blur the line between recorded and live sound !
You must check out what’s possible. You will not believe what you are hearing.
Gus Kund
You want knowledge...You want David
In October 1994, I called the manufacturer of a “hot”, new digital-to-analogue (D/A) converter that was getting a lot of “buzz” in the high-end audio press. In anticipation of a business trip to the Los Angeles area, I asked the manufacturer whether he had a dealer in that area. He gave me the name of Ambrosia Audio and Video in Bel Air, California. Ambrosia was founded and operated by David Weinhart.
I called Ambrosia on the Friday afternoon after my business appointments. David answered the telephone. I told him the name of the D/A converter I wanted to hear and the type of equipment I used (solid-state electronics and dynamic speakers). I told David that I would be returning to the East Coast the following Sunday. He invited me to visit on Saturday afternoon.
When I arrived at Ambrosia I met David. He was with another customer (Saturdays are popular with audiophiles). He offered me some refreshments and we chatted for a bit. Apparently he gleaned from our brief conversation that I was not a novice (I had been the high-end audio hobby (“obsession”?) for ten years). David sat me up in a room with the equipment I wanted to hear and gave me access to his CD collection. He gave the remote control unit to me and told me he would return shortly.
After about twenty minutes David returned. I explained that the D/A converter, although quite good, was not exactly what I had in mind, sonically. After we talked a bit, David told me he had a recently introduced D/A converter designed by Ed Meitner: the BiDat. We listened. We talked some more. Although the BiDat was significantly above the price point I had in mind, I bought it.
A few days later the delivery company arrived at my door. I received the BiDat and installed it into my system. However, the BiDat and my CD transport did not play well together. I called David. After we talked about the problem and performed trouble-shooting exercises, he made me a deal on the CD transport, also by Meitner, that I could not refuse. It was then that I knew we would have a long and mutually advantageous audio relationship.
This story is necessarily long in order to describe adequately the level of service one can expect from David Weinhart. In the subsequent 12 years I have made many purchases from David at Ambrosia. He has introduced me to groundbreaking products before they became popular with the audiophile press. His recommendations have always been on-point. CD players, DVD players, speakers, electronics, cables, isolation devices, power conditioners - anything I could think of and some things I could not. Indeed, David has discouraged me from purchasing popular and “pricey” items that he did not think were good performers.
| have referred several friends to David. Some were experienced audiophiles. Some had never heard of interconnect cables. They have engaged in many transactions and spent thousands of dollars with him. Only one of these people has ever met David in person. None had auditioned the products (the neophytes had never even heard OF the products). However, without exception, they have praised David’s knowledge of audio and video and his professionalism.
So what do you want in a high-end audio/video dealer? You want knowledge: someone who has his or her finger on the pulse of the industry and knows the products. You want integrity: someone who will not sell you something you don’t need and will warn you if you insist on making an ill advised purchase. Someone who actually listens to what you wish to achieve with your system and makes recommendations in the price range you have chosen. You want David.
David Weinhart is the consummate audio/video dealer and an all around great guy. I wish him the best in his new venture: Weinhart Design.
Dexter M. Price
Orlando, Florida
September 12, 2006
I have not encountered a single person who has been more helpful to me
than David Weinhart
I'm relatively new to the world of high end audio, having made my first quality purchase only four years ago. Since then, I've learned much, discovered countless brands and models, features and specifications. enough to make a novice utterly confused and dishearteningly discouraged. But being an avid reader and a passionate enthusiast in anything that kindles my interest, I welcome the opportunity to dive into yet another hobby/obsession.
I'd be the first, however, to acknowledge that I require guidance. Thus, I must rely on the experience and wisdom, insight and imagination of others. And in my, albeit brief, quest for knowledge and that ever-elusive "perfect" sound, I have not encountered a single person who has been more helpful to me than David Weinhart. I was not fortunate enough to have known David during his time running Ambrosia AV, of which he was the founder and owner, though even I had been aware of the company's solid reputation. Now at the helm of his latest venture - Weinhart Design -David is available once again to guide enthusiasts on,their seemingly never-ending journey, their quest for audio nirvana.
David's knowledge is unsurpassed in this industry. He simply knows what components work best in any particular situation. There is no one perfect solution, and David knows this well. The same system will sound different to different ears, appeal at varying levels to various tastes. David listens to my specific needs. He is helping me create a pure two-channel music system within a larger audio and video system that in no way compromises my music, which will always come first. I had considered creating two separate systems, at greater cost and use of space, but David has convinced me that having one integrated yet separated system is best for my particular case. There are those who possess the space and the means to have two or more systems, and more power to them. However, David has shown me there is no compromise in having it all in one room.
My system is not yet complete, and David and I have much more business together to come. That quest continues, and may never end, for me. I look forward to finding what treasures lay beyond the horizon, and to the excitement of the chase. And along that lengthy and winding path, I know I will always have David Weinhart to lead the way. Thank you, David.
Ben Chiang
I've been doing business with David Weinhart for over 15 years
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