Finally Answering Your Questions: Where's Vilip and Ceci?

[@ericszkoda8690]

I’m very happy that Adrian made good living running hi fi store where most of them are went out of business… All west end of Toronto to Niagara have only 2 stores now… Vilip oh Vilip …. To my knowledge he is fine and back to the roots at different store . Almost bought Brystons from him week ago. Sometimes change is good for everyone.

[@DCfocal]

Vlip was excellent to me and I got two good pieces that’s moved my system forward a lot. Opened my eyes to preamps. Tried to get a streamer but ended up with a different approach. Not without confirming that the U2 Mini is excellent. Just a little rich for me. In the end I heard the reason Vlip left and it is a shame he and Adrian had employee and employer conflicts. Andrian has been good to me even though I never bought directly from him. Always his staff John (RiP) and now Vlip. I would love to bump into Vlip and thank him for the piece he sold me. Great preamp

[@teslatalk42069]

Vilip may have been entertaining to the viewers but he was an absolute asshole to me in the store. Glad he is gone. Now I can go back in.

[@philiprichardson5645]

I have only just discovered this brilliant audio channel & loved the technical and musical insights that the combination of Adrian, Vilip & Jay covered in the videos. The episode on 'the speakers that started Audio Excellence' is one of the best & most important hifi / music pieces Ive ever seen, as the rabbit hole for ever greater transparency can become a real problem for many & you, sometimes, dont realise the fact youve lost your way, en route.

[@richardbertin7302]

Villip the wordsmith was very dynamic, insightful and honest with his reviews..I wish him well wherever he is.

[@vladimirdorta6692]

Adrian, thanks again for the great conversation you have with all of your customers and admirers out here.

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks for that!

[@jakbenardete7707]

I’ve had a lot of speakers throughout the last 35 years, DeVore, Quad, Klh, Shindo, Sonus Faber, B&W, Martin Logan, and others I don’t even remember, and the brand I always come back to is Sonus Faber. Great explanation about them being the decathletes of the speaker world. The one thing I would add which is extremely personal and that’s tone. I just love the tone of the Sonus Fabers. For me they are the perfect long term listening speakers.

[@kosmictheblue6080]

I do miss Vilip and his insightful comments.

[@SantanKGhey1234]

blabberface he was

[@Xiaoguan8845]

Great video. straight to the answer. not a waste of time.

[@jackstraw1756]

Adrian I do have an idea, it would be great to hear a little more about the McIntosh phono stages, and maybe some turntable / cartridge recommendations to go along with it. I’ve always wondered do the phono stages get better as you go up in model price and also good cartridge matches for the units that have fixed MM stages. I would also love to hear more about how the Integrated Amps perform as a Pre-amp, my dream is an MA 8950 and a MC275 to heat up my condo in the wintertime😂. Love the channel and thank you for all the great reviews and insights.

[@aussie8114]

I hope Vilip is doing well. I valued his knowledge and opinions.

[@francisdelacruz6439]

How about guests on the show discussing audio in general or part of a review? Maybe a reunion like with Jay? Or some of your clients? Cheers

[@kenmcglown6642]

I must say, I really enjoy your videos. Thank you.

[@adrianlow2114]

Thank you for your support!

[@Teachering]

I enjoyed Vilip a whole lot. He was entertaining. But, a person who polarizes can be a great source of difficulty for everyone. Letting Vilip go I have no doubt was a difficult decision for you to make. I enjoy your videos, Adrian. Happy Thanksgiving!

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks, same to you!

[@Mark-rw3kw]

It may have been a difficult decision to let Villip go, or maybe not. Depends on what Villip did. I don't think Adrian would do something like that with out good reason. I am 100% sure it had nothing to do with whether Villup was "polarizing."

[@simonkonglo]

Vilip was the reason I stopped shopping at the store. Wasn't just one incident, as soon as he left I went back. Keep up the good work Adrian.

[@SantanKGhey1234]

SAME! He was a snotty nosed ego maniac everytime i visited... i only lasted a min and walked out

[@TuanMinh-sv2gq]

​@@SantanKGhey1234can you guys elaborate? I liked the guy, but I only watched the videos

[@mollyjansson1894]

Hi Adrian ! ! Your videos are generaly great and makes you want to learn more and more of High End Audio , BTW it was the right move to end Vilip , he made the videos worse

[@KevvvDub]

Thanks for addressing that; hopefully people can now let that go and move on

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Adrian, one reason people asking about CeCi is that many people don't know what a Co-op is, and you should explain that in a little more detail.

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks!

[@muhammadvandy6458]

Can u explain?

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@muhammadvandy6458 Try Googling "university waterloo coop"

[@markzurowski3627]

A Co-op is usually where a student taking a particular course at a post-secondary school works at a business to get experience in the particular field that they are going to school for. It's like on-the-job training while they are still enrolled in school. The Co-op term usually only lasts for a few months (the length of the term is prescribed by their course requirements). I work for a large construction company that usually has at least 2 Co-op students around the office at any time.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@muhammadvandy6458 You can search the Internet for Co-Op programs at University of Waterloo in Canada for more info.

[@molecularaudiocanada]

October 6 I visited Bay Bloor Radio for a quick yet very focused listening experience with the Sonus Faber Lumina ii bookshelf speakers. Through a series of 3 songs served by Tidal; I would like to offer the following observations. Bright Techno music- The bass response began strong, hard and rather well suited to punchy effect. Once the bass began to drop lower, The Lumina ii' speakers showed a clear sign of dynamic limitation with lots of distortion. Next I listened to one fast-moving, detailed instrumental piece. A mostly harmonious experience that produced clarity and rather accurate presence of all string instruments with good percussionist performance. Aspects I felt lacking in the Lumina ii’s performance comes from their low frequency bottleneck effect, hence the slapping wood sound. Song 3 played at my request was Caribbean Queen- Billy Ocean to harsh disappointment. This open and very airy recording seemed completely robbed of it’s natural ear candy & genuine charm. This song I chose is strategic as It provides a clear differentiation between systems that can & can not reproduce the high fidelity requirements. I have invented a new bass balanced speaker design which corrects and eliminates all negative effects mentioned in my review.

[@nick_45678]

Love you guys, very informative and witty. 1 quick question….. Yamaha RN2000A or Hegel H120?

[@korling99]

no surprise about Vilip - I enjoyed his point or counterpoint - hope the best for him

[@1JRW1]

What do you think about the McIntosh speakers? Why you have never reviewed them?

[@Mark-rw3kw]

I have asked that also, but never received a good answer. Many of them use a bunch of tweeters in an array acting as the midrange (and crossed over with high and low pass filters) that is similar in theory to Tekton speakers.

[@TheCamerlengo7]

I liked his insight.

[@zizendorf]

Ceci was obviously a very nice young lady. I had no idea why she was on the channel. She had absolutely no knowledge about hi-fi gear and she seemed to know even less about music. I'd take the polarizing Vilip any day. At least he possessed knowledge and wasn't afraid to offer his opinions.

[@SantanKGhey1234]

Ceci brought in a fresh eyes and ears point of view to the audiophile hobby. In short time, thru watching the videos, you can see how she developed an ear thru Adrians guidance. She brought a much needed lift to the channel. Where Filups closed minded egotistical & condecending mouth made the channel and AE stale.... Would love to see her make an appearance again once in a while

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Adrian brought in several co-ops in the spring semester to help out at the store. A co-op is a university student who has a part time job as part of a work-study program that is related to their coursework or degree of study. Ceci and the others (not sure if there was one or two others behind the cameras) mostly did stuff that didn't require knowledge of audio equipment since they worked on the store's Internet site and helped with social media, such as making/editing the KZbin videos. Both of those things are important to running any type of business these days. I am pretty sure they had the education and experience to do those things and that it was related to their college education. But Ceci did make it on camera to express here opinion about which audio products sounded better than others, and I don't think one actually needs to know anything about hi-fi gear to do that, they just need an interest in music appreciation and critical listening ability, and hopefully some exposure to live music. In one respect, I think that Ceci's opinion on which equipment sounded better was refreshing, because she had no prejudices about solid-state vs tubes, integrated amps vs separate pre-amp and amp, ported vs acoustic suspension speakers, soft-dome vs metal-dome tweeters, dynamic vs electrostatic drivers, etc, since as you stated she had no knowledge of those things. She also had no emotional baggage related to any particular brand. Her opinion was strictly based on how it sounded to her. Ceci also knows something about social media communications, as demonstrated when she masterminded that prank against Lewis.

[@zizendorf]

@@Mark-rw3kw LOL. It didn’t hurt that she was attractive as well…

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@zizendorf Yep, and I would estimate that about 80% of the subscribers are dirty old men.

[@davidopalecky7318]

Thank you for sharing.

[@mikeamato1768]

Great video! I loved all the questions. I hope you do more of these. I thought you would say MA12000 as best value as it was the first integrated that you thought was comparable to separates. I realize the price tag might be hard to make it a "value".

[@adrianlow2114]

MA12000 is indeed superb.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

In a previous video Adrian said he was reluctant to order the new MA12000 when it was first announced because he wasn't sure people would pay that much for an integrated amp. But the McIntosh rep convinced Adrian to order one, and when it came in and was set up as a demo, on the first day a customer took the demo model for an in-home trial and then almost immediately purchased it. The MA12000's have apparently been flying off the shelves since then (or flying off the floor since they are heavy). Integrated amps or separates aside, I think there is a trend towards having a tube pre-amp stage and solid state power output amplifier. Even some stand-alone amps like the PS Audio BHK Signature 250 Stereo Power Amplifier combines a vacuum tube input with a solid-state MOSFET output. I am also seeing this in some Class D amps, with a vacuum tube input stage. Personally, I think Adrian should look into this more, as it may be the future of high-end audio.

[@aceofspades6667]

Really enjoy this channel was a fan a vilip but Jay is more my style but really do dig this channel as well.

[@digggerrjones7345]

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Adrian and staff! Even though I'm American, I give thanks every time I watch one of your videos that *he who shall not be named* is no longer in the picture. I'd bet money that your sales have significantly increased since his "departure"?

[@Mark-rw3kw]

I didn't like Villip, especially in the videos when he constantly interrupted people. He even put my KZbin comments on invisible so that no one but me could see them because I criticized him for his behavior. But I don't think sales will increase because he left.

[@MrBonger88]

@@Mark-rw3kwhow do you know if someone has made your comments invisible to others? Does it say so? I didn’t know that was even something you could do

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@MrBonger88 At some point I noticed that no one was responding to my comments on this channel anymore, and then I logged onto KZbin with a different account and could not even see my comments using that other account. Then I sent a note to Adrian who said my id was made invisible (to others beside me) and he fixed it (or had someone else fix it). This was after Villip left, and I know that Villip was the person who did it, or instructed someone else to do it, mostly because of some comments I made about Villip constantly interrupting people in the videos. This was after Adrian constantly complained to Villip IN THE VIDEOS to stop interrupting him and others.

[@MrBonger88]

@@Mark-rw3kw interesting and thanks. Yeah I definitely don’t miss his attitude and constant interruptions . On the other hand I hate to see anyone get fired . Hope he has found another job, maybe in some field where he doesn’t have to deal with the public 😉

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@MrBonger88 Someone else posted that Villip is working at another audio store. Adrian said he didn't want to publicly discuss the details of why he had let him go, because that might inhibit him from be able to get another job.

[@maurice4407]

Hi Adrian, just want to say I really love the Watt Puppy 3.2 I just pickup from you. I have to say coming from Canton Vento Speakers I don’t find the WP bright or unforgiving at all. I find them more open or like my wife says more precise, I love the dynamics, they feel more like live concert in a small intimate venue but It is true though that they will reveal made recordings. Speak soon Mo

[@adrianlow2114]

Very true. I don't find them bright either! Glad you are enjoying them!

[@snomofilms]

I miss Vilip too. But it sounds like in real life he was like he appeared on the videos…

[@frankgeeraerts6243]

Some amplifiers play music too instead of pure sounds ....using a looking glass is not the way to go , only if you want to use it ...........for detail instead of looking to the whole picture.

[@pizzaearthpancakesandother2549]

I recently heard that Vilip and Cici are engaged! Can anyone confirm this? Adrian and Vilip need to settle their differences in the ultimate Korean tradition: An Audiophile Celebrity Taekwondo Match for a Toronto charity! It will be a battle of Adrian's muscular power and speed VS Vilip's raw athleticism and sneakiness! If Adrian wins he picks the charity and if Vilip wins Adrian rehires him as the new Vice President and CFO (Chief Fun Officer) of Audio Excellence ! Finally as a TRIBUTE to Vilip, Wilson should build a new speaker named the speaker the WILSON AUDIO VILIP™ All in favor say AYE!

[@SantanKGhey1234]

No...

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Villip is working at another audio store according to others who commented. You need to get on with your life and get over it.

[@SantanKGhey1234]

I'm glad Villup is gone…. The channel got so much better!! and going into the store was more inviting

[@psyphonyxaudio]

🎉🎉🎉 Thank you! Great detailed answers for speaker comparison.. I noticed a few things with the editing. How do I reach ya for feedback?

[@adrianlow2114]

email me [e-mail] and I'll forward to Alison

[@enniol8043]

I will say this. There is a lot about Vilip and Adrian addressed it. I will say this, I don't know if Adrian knows the most about audio but I don't think that anyone else knows more. We have the privilege of listening to man who has spoken with the titans in the industry: Wilson, D'Agostino, Nelson Pass, Paul McGowen; who has visited factories and who has listened and owned more equipment than we can fathom. We live in a world where salaciousness is valued more than knowledge. Enjoy the videos for what they are and not for what they are not.

[@user-rg4xn3ib4c]

Sometimes intelligent, arrogant people forget, "He that holds the gold makes the rules."

[@Mark-rw3kw]

I am pretty sure that the rules Villip broke are universal moral rules and not just something that Adrian made up because he owns the store.

[@user-rg4xn3ib4c]

Either way. @@Mark-rw3kw

[@tarichar8]

I thought Villip and CiCi eloped ❤

[@Ricky-cl5bu]

I liked Vilip he had a good sense of humour

[@jdekong3945]

Did not care for Vilip in the videos but hope he is doing ok

[@petekutheis3822]

so that did not tell us where he is............

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Someone said he is working at another audio store, probably in same city, so it would not be appropriate to mention that.

[@stanlee3619]

He's not at Audio Excellence, that's where he isn't.

[@HPPG2017]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@ericszkoda8690]

Adrian is super smart businessman and he knows his stuff. Honestly there is maybe two other businesses names in Ontario who made it . Very happy for him to be able to combine business and pleasure of music and make great living. Girl was I guess good new look on music but let’s face it … it’s man’s over 50 hobby lol. Vilip … great knowledge but I have pretty good understanding what happened there ( I’m business owner too) All the best Adrian !

[@adrianlow2114]

Thank you!

[@lightbread4767]

I am glad you got rid of that d***k Vilip. It will be nice to watch your videos again. It sure took you a long time to realize a "polarizing" person is not good for business. You want everyone to feel welcome and valued in your shop. I would bet my last dollar his leaving was because not everyone was happy leaving your shop after dealing with him and they were leaving empty handed not to ever return.

[@stevesmith3033]

Hey I haven't seen your videos in a while. Actually I stopped because Vilip and the other guy were irritating. Not that I like to see anyone get fired but the change is a good move. Hi end audio should be delivered with class. So another change I see is you've grown some guns. What's going on? New doctor and trainer? Are you on the TRT program?

[@tabl10s]

Are talking about Jay?

[@filipviljamaasvensson]

Funny comment, nice slide into "are you taking steroids?" :)

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Adrian has always looked that way to me. Maybe you weren't paying close attention before.

[@stevesmith3033]

@@Mark-rw3kw Nah, more like you don't have a discerning eye for details and evidence.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@stevesmith3033 All I can say is that I noticed a long time ago that Adrian lifted weights.

[@zaoria123]

10:22 where is Vilip?

[@louisperlman8030]

So the last straw was the JBL’s that Villip brought into the store? 😅

[@tabl10s]

What happened?

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@tabl10s He was joking about when Villip convinced Adrian to take some old JBL as trades. That was not the reason he was let go. As Adrian mentioned in a comment above, Villip was let go for "cause" that would survive a lawsuit against Audio Excellence for wrongful termination (and in Canada, it is very easy for employees to win lawsuits for wrongful termination).

[@alaincayer8999]

Funny Adrian, when talking about Vilip, you are looking everywhere except at the camera. Your body language is talking.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Yea, but what do you think that means? I think Adrian is trying to take the high road, and not mention the actual reason.

[@alaincayer8999]

When you do not look into the camera, you do not want to be judged. Being responsible is response + able. So simple and so difficult. I know, I managed over 1,000 employees.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@alaincayer8999 Every single company I have worked for has a strict policy of not revealing the reason why an employee was terminated for cause, unless forced to do so in some subsequent legal proceeding. That includes several major corporations where I was a manager. In this case, if you go back to previous videos right after Villip was terminated, Adrian said that it was for specific incidents or behavior that were unacceptable. Adrian said he didn't want to discuss it in any more detail because he thought that it would not be in the best interest of Villip to discuss those reasons in public. Your claims about knowing what happened simply by someone looking or not looking into a camera is ridiculous.

[@enniol8043]

I think Adrian didn't owe anyone an explanation and he was very accommodating along with respecting privacy. I think now we are asking more than to which we are entitled.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@enniol8043 Adrian would love to tell us why he fired Villip, but because Adrian is a nice guy he hasn't explained the exact reason. I am quite sure that Villip doesn't want Adrian telling us why he was fired.

[@signalfixer]

I hope Vilip starts a youtube channel. He could be be like Jay.

[@SantanKGhey1234]

lol... hes too busy singing Hey Laura

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Villip did start his own KZbin channel; however, he was late to every one of the video shoots so it had to be cancelled.

[@SantanKGhey1234]

@@Mark-rw3kw then he got fired again

[@Leicaphile27]

I think what what people are actually wondering is" Where is Vilip now?"

[@pswitzeny]

He's working at another very good hi-fi store.

[@aussie8114]

@@pswitzenyhopefully one that doesn’t open too early 😂

[@sean_heisler]

@@aussie8114 😂😂

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@aussie8114 I suspect that Villip was late for the video's because they were filmed before normal working hours.

[@SantanKGhey1234]

I saw him working at 2001 Audio Video on Kennedy rd

[@samlowry5008]

You can tell Adrian is still bummed out about having let Vilip go..

[@SantanKGhey1234]

didnt sense it

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@SantanKGhey1234 More so in previous videos. But Adrian is more bummed that Villip did something that required him to be let go.

[@howardskeivys4184]

Adrian, here is a very simple question for you, which everyone I’ve asked, struggles to answer. Define ‘high end’?

[@saint6563]

1

[@shawzingarelli4690]

😞 'Promosm'

[@johnruppert5630]

Seemed rather arrogant to me🤷‍♂️

[@LegendV12]

Bring back Vilip

[@raymaksimavicius4902]

You are biased. You really have to change your product lines. They are not that good. Try Vandersteens they are superior. The truth is in the listening.

[@dacatman2518]

BRING BACK VILIP!!!

[@entity279]

💯💯 his pov will indeed be missed

[@Mark-rw3kw]

He is working somewhere else, so will not be in any Audio Excellence videos. Villip (or his new employer) is free to make his own KZbin videos.

[@dacatman2518]

@@Mark-rw3kw Well where is he working? I will call his new joint, and ask them to put out some videos.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@dacatman2518 Someone else said he is working in another audio store, not me, so I don't really know. You can call around other stores in the area and try and find out.

[@SantanKGhey1234]

hes working at Walmart in the TV section

[@MrWookie1981]

Vilip kinda lost me when he said you have to spend a minimum of $12k on speakers to get decent sound.

[@divertiti]

Depends on what your definition of "decent" is, especially if it's CAD

[@MrWookie1981]

People do not get to choose the definition of a word. Decent - of an acceptable standard; satisfactory. There are plenty of speakers that meet this definition under $12k CAD.

[@aussie8114]

In what video did he say that? If he said that then it was likely from his own listening perspective so for him it may be correct. I could get very decent sound from a $3,000 pair like my monitor audio floorstanders, but my idea of decent is based on my limited listening experience and my not so great hearing.