Great place to buy audiophile equipment! Very knowledgeable guidance and wide selection of products.

I wanted a new television for my basement to go over my workbench. It couldn't be large (no more than about 24"), it had to be a smart television with WiFi capability, and it had to allow for apps to be loaded onto it. I didn't care as much about resolution, upgraded speaker quality, etc. as it was a little-used television that I listened to more than watched while working on projects. I am not really tech savvy (nearly everything I was looking for was what my wife told me I needed, as I have trouble just getting the remotes to work) so I decided to come here first. The person I talked to was very helpful. He showed me a couple of televisions that would work but one was way more expensive than I needed (his words actually) and the other was so basic that various apps couldn't be installed onto it. He apologized but couldn't recommend spending a lot on a tv here when a cheap Asian import at Walmart would work a lot better. I appreciated his honesty and advice. If I need a really nice television, I will trust the people here. read more

Had a couple guys come and mount my TV that were very polite and professional. They also mounted my floating TV counsel that was not on the order at all. It was a little pricey but still cheaper then competitors. read more

My salesman Al was wonderful. He explained all the new TV wizbangery so I could understand and make the best choice. Thanks Al.

Very knowledgeable staff. Very courteous. Excellent service. Very responsive to any questions. They will Price match. Simply the best. I Want to support local businesses. read more

Called looking for something specific that's a little hard to find. I know product details and I know what I'm looking for but thought I'd try to buy local. Asked about the product and got a snooty "Let me ask you this... Did you see this at Bestbuy?" No buddy... I didn't... I don't like buying from Bestbuy because I don't like buying from people who know less about products than I do. Not really thrilled about being treated like an idiot by pretentious A/V people either. Same reason I steered clear of the Apple Store for the first 5 years it was in Crossgates. Anyways Looking for the Bravia EX521 Internet TV that sells for $200 bucks less then the EX523 which is the same in all ways minus the EX523 comes with Wi-Fi built in and the 521 comes Wi-Fi ready. They sell the EX523 and the gentlemen on the phone repeated himself twice clarifying to me this is an Internet TV with Wi-Fi when I tried to explain that I don't need the Wi-Fi and that I know its an internet TV but its also Ethernet capable. I know these guys market themselves to a higher end customer, but anyone who knows a thing or two, knows Ethernet is the way to go if its readily available. A product isn't necessarily inferior if its missing features that aren't needed and I don't need snotty questions and pretentious attitude when I've done countless hours of homework on products. If you're looking for expert opinion they're probably your best source in the immediate area. Don't let that go to your head guys. read more

Hippos is a upscale audio and home theater store in Stuyvesant plaza. This is the kind of audio store where you can audition quality stuff. The staff is knowledgeable and polite although they will steer you to certain products. On one hand I love this type of store and want to support them. On the other hand their mark up is sometimes just too extreme. Case in point I was buying a pair of speakers a couple years ago. They were selling the model down from what I wanted for $1400. I ended up buying the model up in an NYC store for $1000. Since they were the only place to go and audition the speakers locally I wanted to give them the business but couldn't justify the price premium. There aren't many of these audiophile high end home theater stores around. The alternatives include the Magnolia store in Best Buy in Crossgates and Town TV in Rotterdam. Check out my reviews of those for more details. read more

I would give zero stars if I could. I will never go back. Terrible, non-existent, service... and as a woman I felt invisible. I went to Hippo's, in the company of my 13 year old son, to purchase a theater system for my husband's 50th birthday. When we arrived, I made eye contact with a sales person who was on the phone. So, we patiently browsed, While waiting for some assistance. About 10 minutes later 2 [male] customers walked on. Immediately a 2nd sales person appeared from upstairs, walked past me and my son, and offered the 2 men assistance and they politely declined. the sales person then walked past us again back to what he was doing. After 5-10 more minutes of browsing and attempting to get some help, we left... walking (again) past the 1st sales person (who had been off the phone for 5+ minutes. No one even bothered to say hello to us. I guess women don't historically spend enough money...? Who knows. But, they lost the $8k I was prepared to spend.. read more

I had a nice buying experience here on Christmas Eve. A busy day, but as I walked in I was greeted and asked what I had in a bag from a toy store. A nice exchange followed the result of which I bought something I had been exploring online for a long while. The showroom is well appointed with lots of goodies to see and hear. My salesperson was knowledgeable and friendly and spent a lot of time with me (even though what I was considering was relatively small potatoes). I liked that he spent as much time getting to know what I wanted to do with the gear as he did discussing the features and specs of the many offerings. Hi end audio and tv is something you really should audition in person. It is only fair that once you've benefited from a positive audition that you give them your dollars. That is if you want them to be there for your next visit. read more

I purchased a television from Hippo's based on their supposed reputation as a quality establishment. After 10 days,the television stopped functioning. A call to the manufacturer informed me that the television I was sold is an older model. A service call would not be scheduled until I proved that the television was a recent purchase. Hippo's return policy states that items may be returned within 30 days for a store credit. Hippo's will nor honor its policy. I was sold a defective, older model television. Hippo's has said, essentially, "Tough luck." I now have to schedule a manufacturer's service technician to come to my house, lose a whole day to waiting, and feel uncomfortable that I own a television that failed with less than 15 hours viewing time. Beware of Hippo's stated policies and guarantees. You might get stuck with a $1,000+ lemon. read more

Paid $100 and waited for over three months for an estimate. The owner apologized, refunded the money, but had no explanation for "why" we never received an estimate! Customer support, from the owner down, is very disappointing. read more

I wasn't impressed with them. Very expensive!! I had them mount my TV over my fireplace and it cost over $1100....more than my 50 inch TV. Three days later, the TV stopped working. I called them and they refused to come out and check out the TV without a minimum charge of $100. I was livid and demanded to speak with the manager. He suggested I call Panasonic since I had a warranty on the TV. I told him I wanted to make sure the connection was ok, but he refused. I'll never go back. Horrible customer service!!! I also like to support local businesses, but I'll never go back. read more

This is only the 2nd review I've ever posted online, if that tells you something. My experience over at Hippos has been craptastic every single step of the way. From the effort of being upsold a ridiculous amount of money, to the people forgetting equipment that I had to drive into town and get, to installing the box in the wrong cabinet and telling me to move it later myself since they were short on time... to an email asking for more money after what was already a F- experience that left me feeling ripped off already. I have no idea how this place is in business other than simple lack of local competition. Like others on here I wanted to keep my business local rather than BestBuy but I wanted to warn others (like the other reviews on here state) that good for you for trying to keep your money local, but this is NOT the place to do it. read more

Don't do it! They are way overpriced and you do not get what you pay for. Mainly I am taking about service. If you have a problem it takes them forever to actually come and fix it. We spent a crazy amount of money on a television/sound system. Simple most would think...... In the past 1.5 yrs the television has stopped working multiple times. Each time we go without for a week until they can come and fix it, and then pay for a service charge. Just to call and make an appt, will have you sitting on hold and then awaiting a call back which takes 24 hours! This is the first review I have ever written in my life, but wish I knew before I dropped money at Hippo's! read more