I second ALTERNATIVE AUDIO it is the best high-end audio store i been to.And i have been to many,and the best store to get truthful advise and great deals.Its worth the drive no matter where you are coming from/Also they have a great web page
Favourite / most impressive audio store
High-end audio (retail, storefront operation) high-end emporiums can thrill or frustrate with equal ease! My favourite store is "Applause Audio" on Queen Street East in Toronto, Ontario. Rob, the owner, always has a moment for those who walk in and has solid, well-founded opinions that are not forced on a prospective customer. In his funky, warm space analog and digital are well represented, everything is labelled and priced, and a useful "pre-owned" section is displayed prominently! (I'm not looking for testimonials or bad-mouthing....just your honest experiences).
P.S. for vintage stuff Steve's "Ring Audio" farther along Queen East cannot be beaten!
P.S. for vintage stuff Steve's "Ring Audio" farther along Queen East cannot be beaten!
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Gotta throw my two cents in for Goodwin's High End in Waltham, MA. Didn't even know they were here when I moved to town. They carry really high-end stuff (I've heard the Dynaudio Evidences there at $85,000, as well as the Martin Logan Statements at $70,000), most of which I can't even identify. Even though I'm at the level where I'll buy a $2500 CD player, I'm in there quite frequently to listen to unrealistically expensive stuff. They're terrific about it. They're very knowledgeable, generous with their time and their demos, and very low-pressure. It's brought me back to using dealers for certain things. Also, I keep having the same repeated experience. I'll be on the phone with technical support (e.g. Theta, CAL, Classe, REL), and when I tell them what part of the country I'm calling from, they say (off the top of their head), "Have you been to Goodwin's High End?" The REL techie in California even knew to recommended them! They're about 15 miles west of Boston, MA, and they do stock used stuff. |
Its sometimes hard to separate the quality of a store from the sales staff you interact with, but I find very often that the treatment I receive from some dealers very much depends on the person I speak with. It's easy to point out quality individuals, but much harder to identify quality dealers. One often discovers the difference when problems arise and you need to deal with someone other than "your" salesman. Generally, when attitude and service vary across the staff, my comfort level with the store drops and I tend to base my dealings with them more on their written policies than with our relationship or attention by any individual. Consistency, fairness and personal service are necessary elements in my definition of a "quality" dealer. That said, I want to mention a couple of stores that I feel fall into the category of high quality dealers. One of these is Bay Area Audio in San Jose, where across the board my dealings with their entire staff over the past couple of years has been excellent. The salesfolks are very knowledgeable, and I've never been treated with anything but the utmost respect on each and every visit. Sadly, their lines don't align well with my tastes, and I haven't bought as much from them as I (or they) would have liked. However, given this reality, and the fact that I'm still treated extremely well by them, I have to include them in that very narrow category of high quality dealers. Another dealer that has been outstanding is The Analog Room, also in San Jose. As their name implies, analog is their game and based on my visits there, high end audio as a hobby seems to be every bit as important as it is a business. The atmosphere is very relaxed, the lines they carry are top notch, and the (tiny) staff is knowledgable and very helpful. Another quality dealer in my book. Cheers, Ken |
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