I stopped in Curtis on upgrading my system and Jacob was an absolute gem of knowledge! He took me through multiple listening rooms and let me try some incredible speakers and we talked room design and musical instruments, the kind people at Music Lovers Audio are there for your audio questions and upgrades read more

The Zero Hero Strikes Out Again... My purchase in 1995 came to just under $23,000 and with inflation this system would have cost of $53,000 today. Both numbers represent an amount that is close to the average gross income in The States. The issues that I had with Graham persist to this day and over a $500.00 screw up for auxiliary speakers that were charged and never delivered. Did anyone verify from MLA? Who knows, doubtful. The Sonus Faber speakers that I selected needed new grill material. My wife was kind enough to contact the SF location and she was told that Sonus Faber would be happy to send new grills at no charge. SF contacted Graham and guess what? After seven months nothing. I called the distributor and asked if grills could be sent and if Graham ever placed an order for me. Yes on the first and just like Graham, no order was made. This type of behavior contradicts the policy and/or credo of Music Lovers. On the inter web: https://www.musicloversaudio.com/about-music-lovers Graham doesn't live up to the long-term/lifetime relationship. read more

Music Lovers Audio - $53,000 system. Where is the long term relationship courtesy Graham? I've never seen it. - Electronics Near Me - Berkeley, California

I had a mixed experience here Before purchasing a $1000+ turntable: - professional - curt - impersonal/cold - dismissive After purchasing a $1000+ turntable: - welcoming/warm - enthusiastic - happy to go above and beyond - courteous and professional read more

They have a great collection of audiophile gear. I was able to audition the amplifier of my choice and ended up buying one, the same day.

Music Lovers is amazing. I've been to many hifi shops around the Bay Area and can't recommend Music Lovers enough. I had a great experience at another shop only to randomly run into the employee (Nate) I worked with there now working at Music Lovers a few months later. Jae cultivates a great vibe at all his stores and it pulls in the best people. High end audio is both an art and a science. Music Lovers understands that and can be your trusted stewards through your hifi journey. Anyone with a passion for high end audio knows it's not a one and done hobby. There are levels. We all take our own path through them. Finding the right guide can make the journey enjoyable all the way through. There is nothing worse than making an expensive purchase and regretting it. I've never regretted any purchase I've made through Music Lovers, and that's not on accident. Their trade up program also offers great peace of mind. I've worked with a lot of the staff Music Lovers over the years. Chris at the Berkeley location has been especially helpful. They generously set up multiple demos of different equipment until we found the best pairing between components. Regardless of if your budget is $1000 or $500,000 this is the place for you read more

I went into the store first asking about streaming . Hugh gave me enough free advice to send me on a journey, in fact, he suggested I buy a piece they dont even sell. Great advice, thanks. - Next I went in the store asking about fixing balance issues with cables. Jai wisely steered me into an integrated instead of trying to match all the cables I have on my separates, then gave me a killer deal on a power cable I wouldn't normally consider. I could not be more happy! read more

I called in today to inquire about purchasing a number of shunyata products and Graham gave me 30 minutes of his time to offer an in-depth explanation. It was truly above and beyond what was necessary but I enjoyed and appreciated every minute of it. He really knew his stuff and I'd highly rec visiting this shop if you are into Hi Fi. read more

There are a lot of five star reviews of this business for good reasons! I am happy to add mine. This is the most knowledgable audio business I have found over many decades of looking. read more

I just got into hifi after getting my first pair of open back headphones. Because of that, I had an itch to see what other kinds of high quality headphones were out there to sample. I called in to see if they had a certain brand I was looking at to test out and they said they did. Although I was planning to go next week, I needed to get rid of that itch so I decided to visit 30 minutes after the phone call. When I walked in, I was amazed at the selection of all the equipment that was there, including two very well behaved and friendly dogs. The man who helped me was friendly, answered my questions on what I was looking for, and set me up with a selection of high quality headphones to try out. The experience was amazing and I learned a lot of new things and I got more of a sense of what I'm looking for in sound quality. I'm very thankful for that. Although I did not end up getting a pair today, I plan on revisiting and hopefully finding the pair that I will fall in love with in the near future. Props to this establishment for the service it provided! read more

A world class audio store with very knowledgable owners and staff. First class brands are available.

Last couple of times I've been in I've felt like I was in a ghetto liquor store being given the evil eye while being followed around. Kind of like the old In Living Color sketch of you no look,buy. I don't feel welcome to look around anymore. That's a bad vibe considering a lot of sales are made on impulse in stores like this. If you're looking to browse, Berkeley Stereo down the street has a much warmer vibe. Lots of great old high end equipment too. They had a set of Magnepan Tympani 4's on display. Oh ,the good old days. read more

AVOID at any cost!!!. I attempted to buy equipment at this store. The employees I dealt with were extremely rude, indifferent, discourteous and border line abusive. They did not return emails nor respond in any way in a timely manner. The person I initially spoke with was sitting in his chair completely indifferent, did not take any notes and appeared completely uninterested in doing any work or for that matter to get up from his chair. I have purchase Hi Fi equipment from various stores in the Bay Area for a long time. I have NEVER encountered such treatment of a customer. I would not do business with this outfit even if they gave me the equipment for free!!! read more

AVOID. The owner is a bully. Believe the multiple one-star reviews that describe the poor customer service. When I brought back a pair of speakers from a home demo, they invented a policy about a 15% restocking fee ON THE SPOT and bullied me into paying it. I have made multiple purchases from Music Lovers over the years, and although their service wasn't great (they said they couldn't help me when a receiver I purchased from them died not long after buying it) they do carry good brands (think $$$). And it should go without saying that nobody had actually been abusive. But this time was different. After a hard sell, I had put down a deposit on a pair of speakers. The store has a no return policy though, and I had second thoughts. It felt too risky to spend thousands of dollars on speakers without an ability to do a home test or bring them back. Thankfully, the salespeople refunded the deposit when I said I didn't want to go forward with the purchase. They were perfectly nice about it. Jacob, my sales guy, then offered to let me take them home and try them, no cost. Great! I did that. Then I brought them back (on time) because I decided they weren't enough of an upgrade on my current system to justify the cost. The problem started when Jae, the owner, arrived--and then proceeded to chew me out for about 10 minutes for not buying the speakers. He was incredibly angry. He demanded that I pay a 15% "restocking fee," which had not been noted in any of the paperwork. None of the other employees had known of such a fee, clearly, or they wouldn't have refunded the deposit. I felt trapped and just wanted to get out of there because he was so aggressive. I paid the 15% fee. Now I regret giving in and am disputing the charge. We'll see what happens. I have never been treated this way by any business owner, much less one where I had been planning to spend almost $4000 for a discretionary purchase. I hate badmouthing a local business, but in this case I have to say: Stay away. There are lots of other places to buy gear that don't screw over their customers. read more

This is not a store for cheapskates, cowards or weaklings! if you want the audio rapture, it's gotta hurt! You need to lie to your wife about what you just spent! Know your music. Listen. Just listen. People talk way too much. Lester Young. Arvo Part. Black Uhuru, Jascha Heifetz! Take the most complex CD you own and ask these folks to sit you down in the big listening room. The very best store in the world for real. Thanks. read more

I arrived with an amateur query about and together with my turntable. After barely a minute, I was attended to, the machine connected and the problem solved some 8-10 minutes later. Attentive, knowledgeable, courteous, and efficient. If I only needed a new system then I know now where I will end up. This is the first review of a business I ever wrote. Thanks guys. read more

I have visited several times Music Lovers location in San Francisco. The expert help I received from Spencer Giel was invaluable in deciding what to do about upgarding my home system. His assistance resulted in me purchasing a spectacular nnew Cambridge Audio Amplified, CD player, Sonos straming device and two incredible Sub Woofers. My system now sounds like Davies Symphony Hall. Without reservation I would heartily recommend both Spencer and Music Lovers in San Francisco [I have not visited their store in East Bay] The quality of service, attention and professionalism is indeed five stars. read more

This place is a gem. Amazing service and super kind people. Love the headphone selection!

This review is really in two parts. First part: I am giving a 5 star review as I have done business from the very beginning with Music Lovers when they first opened in Walnut Square in Berkeley. The five stars really go to Hugh as he is the person that has helped me over the years. Hugh has always been extremely knowledgeable about audio and a very gracious host to his business. I really enjoyed talking to him about equipment over the many years and the three stores in Berkeley. The newest Berkeley store on Blake is beautiful, the sales people are friendly and the listening rooms are filled with fantastic equipment to listen to. Second part: 0 Stars. Sorry to say that I now am giving zero stars because my last experience was terrible and an insult to me. I had spent a lot of time with Hugh narrowing down what I wanted for a complete rebuild of my home theater system. It was going to be a major job with all new speakers, electronics, cutting holes in the ceiling etc. Everything was settled on except for the AVR. I wanted Anthem which I had never heard of until hearing it at Music Lovers. Hugh insisted that I go with Sony which I wasn't completely sold on. I almost agreed on the Sony but raised some doubts about it, I really was more interested in Anthem. When Jae heard me say that I was not really sure about Sony and wanted it explained why Sony would be best for me, he exploded on me. Told me I don't know anything, that I need to trust the experts, in deciding what was best for me Etc. I really didn't understand the outburst as they sell Anthem and I only knew about it because a salesman played it for me. I agree that my knowledge of audio equipment is zero compared to Jae and Hugh but Jae did not have to insult me about my lack of knowledge. I loved what I heard in the showroom and that's what I wanted and Jae should have been good with making a very large sale as I was completely redoing my home theater. As Music Lovers is not the only store in the Bay Area I went with a different business and I was able to purchase the Anthem 1120 which was able to power my new 9 speaker system with two subs without the need for extra amps. That said, I still think of Music Lovers as a great local business that I would still like to support but only if I know that Jae will treat me with respect and know that whatever I decide to buy is my choice not his read more

I was hesitant to even try Music Lovers because the reviews of their customer service are so spotty. Sure enough, they entirely disappointed. I'm looking to upgrade both my sound and video system for my home. I made an appointment with Hugh in their Berkeley showroom but had to reschedule, so I called and did exactly that. This didn't seem like a big deal to me, but maybe it was. A couple of days later I went to the Berkeley showroom for my rescheduled appointment where Hugh talked to me about my project -- good start. I made it clear that I was ready to move forward and spend money. The next step, Hugh told me, was to make an appointment for him to visit my home to evaluate what would be needed. So we made an appointment a few days later for 9:30am at my house. He never showed. Instead, he called me and told me that he had been "involved in a very technical installation" and so he missed the appointment. It was a weird conversation, he didn't apologize for missing the appointment, he just sort of big-timed me. Nevertheless, I gave them another chance and made another appointment -- and he never showed. Nor did he call. The whole thing felt very purposeful, like he was trying to get me back for rescheduling my initial appointment? There are other high-end audio places in the Bay Area and I decided I don't need to deal with Music Lovers -- and neither do you. Stay away. read more

Terrible customer service! They just don't show up for their appointment. If you complain about it, another representative will apologize on their behalf. It's very strange dynamic. We will take our business elsewhere. Going all the way to Marin from the East Bay since places like this, do not deserve our business. Don't bother with this place. read more

I've bought equipment from them for years and have always been pleased. They hv a great assortment. Also, they know what's trending in the world of high-end audio and do a great job recommending what's new and good. You can't go wrong with them. read more

Went in a while back felt compelled to leave a review, rude service and high pressure sales technics. Not coming back here!

For me, this is the best high-end audio store in the San Francisco Bay Area, by far. I had the pleasure of buying a Clearaudio Performance DC turntable from them 17 months ago and while I met with a very nice salesman named Oliver, in Berkeley, Jae oversaw the demo and transaction. He then met me at their San Francisco store (where I live) with the table. In doing so, he had it professionally set up and nicely packaged. He also attached the Hana cart that I had from my previous turntable. It was then a breeze to set it up in my listening room. The turntable continues to work beautifully with my wonderful DeVore O/96 speakers and outstanding McIntosh MA5300 amp, two products that I wish that Music Lovers would carry. In any case, Bravo to Jae and his exceptional crew of professionals who treat their customers with respect! read more

I used to be a customer years ago when they were In North Berkeley. Generally, in my opinion, they were quite good back then. I recently inquired about a product that they sold. Even though I can easily get it online for the same price with free shipping and a no-hassle return policy from multiple merchants for the same price, so I wouldn't even have to leave the house, I really prefer to support local businesses. I was about to get in the car to go buy it but at the end of the call thought I should ask about their return policy, in case the item didn't do anything to improve the sound of my system or didn't work for me for whatever reason. I rarely return anything but just thought I should ask because, personally, I need to feel that a business has my back when I give them my money. The the sales person informed me that they they have a no-return policy. By the way, the item was not an high-end super-expensive product like speakers or a turntable. So. Before you go down there to buy something, you might want to reach out to them to make sure that they can clarify the return policy if you care about being able to return it if it doesn't work for you. Personally, it would be difficult for me to shop at a place that I'd feel I'm stuck with something once I bought it if it didn't not accomplish the job I purchased it to accomplish, which in this case is to make my stereo more enjoyable to listen to. This is is just my personal feeling. In their defense, there may be compelling reasons for having a no-return policy but in this day and age, to me at least, I just can't get there read more

I found Music Lovers Audio by researching Pro-Ject dealers in the area. I wanted a tube phono pre-amp, but after talking with Harry, I quickly learned I was going about my upgrades the wrong way. I was spending too little and purchasing on impulse arbitrarily. We talked on the phone, I gave him the make/models of my current setup, and scheduled an appointment where he'd put together a hardware demo. While the demo impressed me in the moment, it wasn't until I got home and listened to the same songs, that I was blown away with just how inferior my sound quality has been. So much so, that I felt compelled to write this review. Usually I do not purchase things without researching them to death, but I trusted Harry, and my ears. I purchased the amp he demoed and a recommended phono pre-amp. I've since looked them up, and they have universally excellent reviews, so I feel safe knowing they are selling me quality items. My next purchase with Music Lovers Audio will be speakers, but I now know I need to invest and will be saving to ensure I don't cheap out like I did with my current entry level bookshelf. Thanks Harry and Music Lovers Audio! read more

Sadly walking into this store simply reinforced for me all of my previous thoughts about "high end" audio stores. Basically if you don't have money to throw away, or in my case ARE NOT willing to throw money away, forget about this place. I've always taken great pride in building a super high quality 2 channel stereo without breaking the bank. The kind of stereo where people (such as musicians from the best performing arts organizations in the area) come to my house and say they've never experienced better. But hey, what do I know? It all starts with, if the gear you already own, or might be interested in, they don't happen to carry, they are going to look down on you. Maybe you are interested in used or demo gear, nope, going to take away from some lame salespersons commission. The number of totally ignorant statements made to me, such as "ribbon tweeters suck", and after referencing my own professional studio monitors, being told "we are all about representing accurate sound" anybody that knows anything should know that great studio monitors are all about accurate sound. Also to be told "musicians have terrible taste in audio gear", oh really? Oh, wait I've only used my ears to make a living for myself, and now, I should put my own ears aside to listen to some sales "expert" working on commission?? lol, give me a break. Also to be told, speakers can't be taken home for a demo period? And that their listening room isn't "magic" OMG, every listening space is different. YOU Always want to hear gear in your own space, before making a decision. Oh yeah, and how about "this DAC will change your life", if you believe this kind of nonsense, you shouldn't be reading this review I guess. Also, when dealing with one sales person, who told me, "we don't sell "used" gear", even though I had been looking at used gear just the other day. And also, when a "wide open" schedule became totally closed up, when they realized I wasn't really interested in buying new. LOL!!! I'm sorry this business model is a total dinosaur and sadly it makes it really hard to buy audio gear. I mean, nobody wants to buy at Magnolia at Best Buy, and I never have. Don't get me wrong, I have a system I have invested more than 20K in. Okay sure maybe for some, that's not a lot, I dunno I think in this day and age, it's way more than most would ever sound on a 2 channel stereo. My advise? Sadly, go online. There are plenty of reputable online dealers, that offer no hassle returns, that will listen to you about the gear that you currently own, that DON'T work on commission, and also are conceded know it all individuals. If having a stereo for you is all about status and showing off the newest priciest gear, by all means go here. However if you are into having a fine system because you LOVE MUSIC, and love listening to music with YOUR ears in YOUR house at a "reasonable" budget, forget these guys, total waste of time and energy. read more

Went in to try on some headphones I was interested in buying. They were extremely friendly and not pushy at all. Highly recommend to anyone in the market for a hifi pair of headphones read more

Booked an appointment with Hugh to listen to some Wilson speakers. I arrived and met Hugh and a few other employees, everybody was very nice, masked and I felt welcomed into the space. Good customer service and I'll be going back once I get the money together for the speakers. read more

This store is so cool the staff is very very knowledgeable. It can for sure be intimidating if you don't have any idea about music but the staff is very understanding. Make sure to test out their nice expensive speakers it's a wild experience. read more

I've been a discerning and satisfied customer of Music Lovers in Berkeley for over 25 years. Graham has been wonderful to deal with and I'm always made welcome even if just to come by to shoot the breeze. Whether you're a long time audiophile or making your first foray into the world of high end audio, you owe it to yourself to check out Music Lovers. You will not be disappointed. read more

A real old school, high service, high fidelity shop. I had an older VPI turntable in need of a new cartridge and general tune-up. Grant did a fabulous job, for a very reasonable price. Turntable setup is a vanishing (and surprisingly complicated) art. They got it right. As a bonus, Grant solved a longstanding technical problem with the digital side of my system. Great service, great sound rooms, and two dogs. Highly recommended. read more

Great Service. Graham is a kind, useful, knowledgeable, no pressure to buy kind of guy. I recommend this store highly. read more

I've been a Music Lovers' customer for more than twenty years. They are the one reliable star in a chaotic universe. The equipment I bought from them still works and works great! Tech support is unwavering. I recently added AppleTV to the mix and had no trouble whatsoever. YouTube and Chromecast run through the stereo set-up and I have kissed cable goodbye. Audiovisual retail cannot possible get any better. Now, if they could just help the government... read more

I love this place and have bought a number of components for my 2-channel stereo system from them. This is one of the few remaining stores where people know and love the stuff they deal with and are willing to share their opinions and recommendations with you. They also tend to treat their repeat customers quite well. The equipment they carry is not cheap by any stretch of imagination and whether or not one wants to buy a high end component for a price that is much higher than what one could spend at target or online for a piece of electronics that also emits sounds is a matter of personal preference. What I know for a fact is that I was looking online at the same exact units sold at Music Lovers Audio, and I always got a better price at their store. Plus, it is a pleasure to hear opinions of sales people who can give some useful advice or opinion, provided, of course, that one is not insecure about their own. Huge chains and internet retailers have killed a lot of stores like this one where people can buy quality items and receive great, personal service. Music Lovers is one of the last mohicans left out there in the wild, so I intend to enjoy it while there are still there. read more

Just went into this store today. I accidently made an app. to listen to some speakers in the SF store but the Berkeley location took me in and took the time to set up a demo for the bottom line bookshelf from Paradigm. The demo was set up in a sensible way, pairing the $320 bookshelves with an integrated amp that makes sense money wise. I am hoping Music Lovers will get more items in in my price range or even better, my situation could improve to upgrade to higher level stuff. In this day and age an actual HiFi store is a rarity and I am glad to support them whenever I can. There is much in audio that is subjective and if one goes into a shop where sales people have strong opinions then the customer should be prepared to deal with those opinions. Getting 2 audiophiles to agree on the same thing is harder than getting the left and right to agree! read more

I had a horrible experience here. Jay (Jae?), apparently the founder, was a very rude, snobbish, condescending know it all. He constantly looked down upon me and judged me as a young, know nothing, whom likes to buy Chinese gear and read audio reviews on weebo type of person, those are his words. He was very specific about whom he thought I was, for the record none of that is true and I am not sure what I did to give him that impression, although I do look young. I am a gigging musician looking to upgrade my personal home stereo system, which is admittedly not very good at all, which is why I was there. My budget is 5-10k. First thing Jae asked me is what is my audio setup at home, and he immediately judged me for my piss poor system, that was the beginning of what overall was an extremely judgmental experience for me. He constantly said 'young people like you come in here and don't know anything', without knowing me at all. He said he's been running his shop since before I was born, and I said I am older than I look, so he said 'since you were in diapers', and I again said I am older than I look, and then he asked me how old I am. I don't mind sharing my age, but it seems like an unnecessary thing to ask me as he feels the need to prove his audio superiority to me. I told him I am 39, I was 7 when he opened his shop, and after I said my age he still continuously said 'young people like you'. Normally I like to be called young, but it was demeaning coming from Jae. I did not appreciate him saying 'people like you' to me, when he knew nothing about me. He tried to send me on my way before demoing any gear, he said that I 'look local' and can come back anytime. How can he tell if I 'look local'? What does that even mean? I said I drove out here specifically to listen to some gear at your shop, you are here, your room is free, why can't you demo me some equipment. He reluctantly conceded. I am happy that I did get the opportunity to listen to some gear, and that part of the experience was valuable and will help me on my journey to get a new setup in my home. But overall the experience was degrading and contentious. I feel if you have a big budget, and don't know anything about audio, this place is for you. Jae will happily tell you what he 'knows' to be the holy grail of audio truth, and you will walk out of there with great sounding gear. But if you have any opinion of what you want/like in audio, Jae will eagerly tell you why you are wrong. There is so much more to my experience at Music Lovers that I didn't say, but it is all just more of the same. I feel my experience could have been better if a regular sales rep helped me instead of Jae. read more

I can see what they are trying to do: "personalize" the audio equipment buying experience. To achieve what their website describes as "an exact match between the customer and the system they own." This means that they intend to be not mere retail middlemen, but consultants, combining the customer's personal audio goals with their vast knowledge and experience with high end audio, to help them build their dream audio system. This might work great for some people. If this sounds like what you're looking for, take this one star review with a big grain of salt. However, partnerships built on false assumptions are doomed to fail. If you just want to go try some equipment without all of the extra, you should be aware that there are some false assumptions that Music Lovers Audio of Berkeley seems to hold, in decreasing order of reasonableness: 1. The customer wants or needs help in deciding what to buy 2. The customer wants your opinion about the gear they are trying or already own, and wants to share their opinion of it with you. 3. The customer wants to form a consulting partnership of the kind previously described. 4. The customer wants you to evaluate their goals, price range, and motivations for demoing equipment. 5. The customer wants advice on how to select songs, which equipment to try out first. 6. The customer requires frequent prompting to help them figure out if they like what they are hearing. 7. Customers who don't respond in the way you are expecting to advice, questions, and information are not serious about buying, and are wasting your time. If these assumptions do not apply to you, and/or you have your own opinions about: 1. The relative value vs. cost of equipment 2. How to demo equipment 3. Your own reasons for demoing equipment 4. The value of the equipment you already own 5. What the relationship between you and Music Lovers Audio should be ...they will continually undermine your opinion in an apparent effort to establish dominance so that they can form the type of consulting partnership that is most lucrative for them. They will also continually act as though you have broken a sacred covenant by not committing to buying something on the spot. If on the other hand, you have 100k to blow, have no knowledge of audio whatsoever, and don't mind if your audio shopping experience includes a free bit of psychoanalysis by an old-school Glengarry Glen Ross-style salesmen, this place might work for you. read more

I have had many great experiences here and have spent over $4000 on equipmentover the years. Today i called to ask about getting assistance for getting one of my old turntables back in good working condition. I very rude man (Vince?) spoke to me like i was scum - and said unless you bought it here we wont help you. Terrible experience and now i will have to find a new store when i do the next upgrade to my system. read more

This shop is a small, no, a medium-sized miracle. First, the architecture is unusual and worth a look even if you aren't shopping there. But if you are, and you're looking for an equipment replacement or upgrade, this is the place to be. There are a number of gentlemen working there, all of whom are quite pleasant, supremely knowledgeable, and generous with their time. They tested the equipment I brought in even though I wasn't there to make a purchase, then fixed me up with state-of-the-art speaker cables to replace my old frail ones, and, vive la difference! I now have sparkling sound from my Stanton turntable far better than I'd ever heard it before. They kept my amp overnight, and soldered the custom cable wires so they fit in its ports, at no extra charge. And they let me bring in my dog Jasper, and even let Jasper play with and ultimately have their own dog Leo's toy. (I thought Jasper was the world's laziest dog, then I met Leo!) Take advantage of this shop! It's the only one left in Berkeley, and possibly the East Bay. read more

This place is exceptional. Let me first say what they offer is not a discount experience. They're an independent, local business, and they deal in retail. In exchange for paying more than an annoying, impersonal big box store, you get great information, solid recommendations for your budget, and PHENOMENAL equipment. The folks who work there (I worked mostly with Graham and Tobin, but everyone I've dealt with is cool. Graham especially has gone the extra mile in service; offering us consulting, in home set up, listening patiently to my panicked phone calls (When I managed to melt plastic onto my amp's tubes -- a long story) all with pleasant energy. This is one of the first experiences where I bought something that sounded even better AT HOME than it did in the store. I bought the following gear: A Wadia itransport for my IPOD A Decco integrated amp / DAC (Which competes nicely with DAC's $1000's more) and the coup; a 55 WPC Vacuum Tube Amp (Cronus by Rogue Audio) As other's have recommended, I called ahead and outlined what my budget was and some basic ideas of my goals (Excellent 2 channel stereo with a relatively small footprint and tube sound if my budget would accommodate it. I'd pre-selected a nice sampling of music on my powerbook. I wanted to put this equipment through its paces, so I selected all genres, emphasizing songs with lots of layers so I could fully assess imaging and sound stage. As i listened to my tracks through the different configurations, I heard subtleties and nuances I'd never heard before and instead of focusing on the equipment, I ended up with a greater appreciation of the music and the work that'd been done creating the recordings (If your curious; Wilco, Coltrane, Queens of the Stone Age, Electric Miles Davis, etc). I ended up buying most of the pieces I auditioned. The friend I'd brought to help keep me "grounded" bought the same pieces I did, + a CD player and turntable :) I'll be picking up a turntable and speakers next, then my system will be set for the next 15 years :) In summary: Exceptional equipment for most budgets. No high-pressure sales tactics whatsoever, just a passion for music and and an honest effort to guide the customer in the right direction for his needs. You won't be disappointed. read more