faq
why can't I buy products directly from your website?
This is partly down to manpower. For the most part, this means extra staff, which then means we have to sell more product, so the business focus then centres around chasing numbers, and that's not what we are about.
An e-commerce site would also mean heavy outlay in stock and storage space, which isn't a viable possibility at this early stage in the growth of the little audio company.
Ordering via a website is a faceless process, with no real relationship between customer and retailer. Most people buying products within their hobby tend to prefer to build a relationship with their retailer. They want to talk to someone for advice. That may sound a bit old school, but there's benefits for both parties, particularly the customer, including the avoidance of making costly mistakes.
Also, some of our products may be restricted to in-store purchasing only by the manufacturer, and therefore cannot be mail ordered.
We do provide a mail order service for manufacturers and product lines that are allowed to be sold online - just get in touch for more details.
Having said all that, we are looking to offer 'click-to-buy' buttons on select products on our website during the first quarter of 2025, and will put in place just as soon as we can.
do you only cater for 'little audio' systems?
While it is true that we cater for music lovers with limited space or those wanting more discreet systems, we don't wholly restrict ourselves to compact products. We also provide full size hi-fi components, and really, really big speakers! Everyone's listening space is different, everyone's requirements are different - therefore our chosen product portfolio should, and does, reflect that.
why can't I see many names I'm familiar with?
We want to provide you with a good range of equipment to choose from, but we don't want to become a generic hi-fi store - there's plenty of places to visit if you want to see the same names over and over again - we'd like to give you plenty of good reasons for visiting us, and not just for the 5 star service! While there will be some product ranges we do that you may see elsewhere locally, we aim to provide you with a great range of alternative options that are just as good and sometimes better than this month's "hot product" and five star award winners.
Some of these brands are very selective of their dealer base, so may only have a handful of dealers in the UK, and will more than likely be exclusive to the little audio company in Birmingham, and sometimes surrounding areas. Others, while very well known in their country of origin, some for many decades, may not have the marketing budgets of the big boys for the UK, so aren't necessarily brands that spring to mind when thinking of certain types of products as you may not see them regularly in the UK press.
This makes visiting the little audio company a different experience, and gives you a chance to hear some products that you'd normally have to visit hi-fi shows to hear.
why don't you have a high-street shopfront like other hi-fi stores?
We don't feel an expensive shopfront is relevant to our business model. A shopfront is great for getting noticed and being stared at like a goldfish in a bowl, but it naturally commands much higher costs in numerous ways and brings with it greater security issues. As we work on an appointment basis in order to dedicate our time to our visitors, an 'open door' would be a distraction for both parties - so having a shop front brings negatives with the small number of positives.
Our lack of a shopfront has zero bearing on the service we provide. Actually, that's not true - our lack of shopfront DOES have a bearing on the service we provide - it allows us to give you better service! So if you'd like to visit us, even just for a look around, it is highly recommended to call ahead of travelling to avoid disappointment.