Sure, direct side-by-side comparisons of the components on your "Wanna Buy" list may not entirely be in the cards, but the NY Metro area has got to be a veritable candy-land for high-end hardware. Phone a bunch of dealers. Ask them what they got. Tell ’em your stories, your tastes and what you currently got. Make an appointment. Look serious but mellow when you show up. Twiddle some knobs. Bring some vinyl & CDs, or ask ’em if they can stream your favorite tunes on Qobuz or Tidal. Listen with an open mind and open ears. Be disciplined when they pressure you to take one home for a spin. In any case, it won’t be long before you’ll have a pretty good fix on what you want to take home. Finally, oh yeah, do your best to actually make the purchase from the lucky dudes.
How to shop for an integrated?
I live in the NY metro area, and I’m looking for an integrated. I’ve been researching and reading about audio equipment for years, and now I’m ready to buy.
The problem is, most stores don’t seem to have much inventory or carry about 2 manufacturers (leaving one in my budget). They say things like “we only carry this manufacturer because they’re the best”, or “we stopped carrying that other manufacturer because of...”. Even if it’s an amp I like, I’ll hear “but the next one up is so much better, unfortunately I don’t have it to demo” or “I only have the higher end model, but the one you want pretty much sounds the same “.
And of course you’ll find similar with the speakers, making it nearly impossible to get an idea of how different amps sound with different speakers. Some don’t even have a turntable to use to demo.
It seems like I’ll need to heavily rely on reviews because it’s very difficult to sit down and really compare in person.
Conversely, I used to live in Singapore, and that was so much better. There’s basically a multi level shipping mall filled with high end audio stores who each carry a significant amount of inventory.
I’m hoping for some good suggestions.
Thanks
The problem is, most stores don’t seem to have much inventory or carry about 2 manufacturers (leaving one in my budget). They say things like “we only carry this manufacturer because they’re the best”, or “we stopped carrying that other manufacturer because of...”. Even if it’s an amp I like, I’ll hear “but the next one up is so much better, unfortunately I don’t have it to demo” or “I only have the higher end model, but the one you want pretty much sounds the same “.
And of course you’ll find similar with the speakers, making it nearly impossible to get an idea of how different amps sound with different speakers. Some don’t even have a turntable to use to demo.
It seems like I’ll need to heavily rely on reviews because it’s very difficult to sit down and really compare in person.
Conversely, I used to live in Singapore, and that was so much better. There’s basically a multi level shipping mall filled with high end audio stores who each carry a significant amount of inventory.
I’m hoping for some good suggestions.
Thanks
- ...
- 21 posts total
I think more information is needed. Your proposed budget, the speakers involved, the room size, type of music being played, and any sound characteristics you prefer. That said, the Schiit Audio Ragnarok is very musical can be ordered with a built in dac and phono stage. $1500 and up. I’ve actually heard of that shopping center you speak of. Too bad there’s nothing like it in NY. |
Op we have currently integrateds from rega peachtree unison research musical fidelity hegel micromega naim atom,star, nova Krell t+a,nad masters,anthem,parasound synthesis,s coda and a few others we can special order Www.audiointellect.com Speakers kef,elac,quad,legacy,goldenear, atc paradigm, artison rehym,waterfall,jern Digital 432evo servers,nsd,naim,bricasti, lumin baetisifi m2 tech https://m.facebook.com/audiodoctor1/photos/a.122500301156525/2028027157270487/?type=3&source=54&... https://m.facebook.com/audiodoctor1/photos/a.1114621131944432/2414413985298467/?type=3&source=54. https://m.facebook.com/pg/audiodoctor1/photos/?tab=album&album_id=122499441156611&ref=page https://m.facebook.com/audiodoctor1/photos/a.122499441156611/1884269391646265/?type=3&source=54&... https://m.facebook.com/audiodoctor1/photos/a.122499441156611/1774618099278062/?type=3&source=54&... You are just going to the wrong shop we have the widest and most diverse selectionof gear in the tri state area we are 3 miles outside of the city and we are open and doing safe demos Please contact us as you can see we arevery well stocked Sincerely Dave and troy Audio intellect nj |
- 21 posts total