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Listen Up in Denver, CO, is great. Wait a minuteit's the ONLY place. Never mind.
Each year we do a survey to see which dealers deserve special mention. Who has impressed you the most in the last 12 months?
Bill Crane Audio in L.A. Bill has been more than a dealer looking for a sale. He has given me some serious advice about equipment and products he carries and products he doesn't. His prompt service, confidence, extreme packaging, and follow-up at, during, and after a sale are fantastic. We are some thousand miles away (I live in Puerto Rico), but he make his clients feel as if they are living across the street. Way to go, Bill!!
Audio One in Concord, Ontario. They extensively test everything they sell, and all their staff is competent and curteous! They easily know where to point you, whatever your price range, and, although they are a fairly busy store, they remember your name.
Stereo Unlimited in Walnut Creek, CA. They have a well-educated sales staff primarily made up of the store's owners. In my dealings with them over the past years they are interested in cultivating relationships, not just the quick sale of the most recently reviewed audio components. Ultimately they are interested in satisfying their customers' desire to re-create fine music within a variety of budget constraints (for those who have them and those who don't). They provide a relaxed, no-pressure environment in which to audition components in a variety of configurations. They go the extra mile for their customers in providing service that no Web-based business could hope to duplicate. I have purchased a number of audio components from them, and plan to do so in the future. Kudos.
Audio Advice in Raleigh, NC, and Premier Audio/Video in Charlotte, NC. Both places have allowed me to listen just for the sake of listening. At Audio Advice, they even let me listen to a system with Revel Salon loudspeakers, Mark Levinson equipment, and the new Sony SACD player. I can't afford any of it, but I think it is cool that a hi-fi shop wants people to hear how successfully a good system can represent music!
World Wide Stereo in Montgomeryville, PA on Route 309 has been very impressive regarding their sales people (Dan Curelli is the person I have dealt with for several years) and upgrade policy. Dan has been helpful and honest, and the store policy allows upgrades within one year with full credit toward upgraded components. Since they carry mid-fi through high-end (Thiel, C-J, Adcom, Denon), they provided an incremental path for me to reach the high end, based on budget and ability, to appreciate better equipment the more I listened. Without this migration path and Dan's advice, I would not have reached a true high-end stereo audio system. I have also been pleased with their competitive prices and their service.
Access to Music, Bob Sheldon, owner, 2207 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur, CA 94939. Tel: 415-461-1568. Bob has great ears and loves what he does. Unlike many other dealers, he doesn't make you feel there is only one right way (their way), and doesn't push products. He does, however, put together great-sounding systems for you to listen to at your leisure.
Perhaps a better way to phrase the question would have been who has been the least arrogant and pretentious... Fortunately for most dealers the love of music is a universal passion, otherwise they'd have starved to death long ago. I know of few hobbies where people can be treated so shabbily and still come back for more.
Sun Audio, GermanyNot really an audio dealer, but an audio distributor. They distribute here in Germany Mark Levinson, Thiel, Revel, Proceed, and my favorite, Bryston. Sun Audio are the best distributors in Germany, no question.
I actually have 2 dealers I like to deal with. Alma's Hi-Fi of Dearborn, MI, and Audio Video Showcase of Ann Arbor, MI. They both carry a variety of manufacturers, so I can check out a broad range of gear. The service at both establishments is topnotch, and the knowledgeable staff are always ready to listen to my questions.
Van L. Speakerworks in Chicago is more than a little peculiar, but I wouldn't go anywhere else. Not only have I come to respect Ricardo's golden ear more than my own, but they have treated me right in every wayprice, home demos, recommendations, and just hanging out in the listening rooms. When Audible Illusions was seriously jerking me around over a repair this last year, Van L. lent me their demo Modulus 3 at least half a year and finally just outright replaced my unit when it came back still with some minor twitches.