Alright, I just can't get into the "gym rat" thing. At all. I have tried. SO hard. I don't know…read morewhy, but I just don't like it. Ok, whatever I KNOW why, but I mean something besides the fact that I'd rather stuff myself with carbs and champagne than do squats and cardio. Then I figured it out: I don't like all the "gym people" milling about. For as long as I've been working out in gyms, I just don't like the strange social chaos that bursts forth from workout facilities. It annoys me. So, HiFi, where everyone works out with a trainer. I basically see this as a way to corral the gym chaos, as each person is being monitored, guided and disciplined. There is no "chit chat" at the water fountain when your trainer is demanding you do more crunches. There is no screaming and grunting in the mirror from ape-like men when a trainer is watching. I mean, there's a bit of all of that, but the level is so much lower here...and, I like it. Otherwise, I'd stop going...like at my other gym :) Anyways...besides that long diatribe (blame the endorphins), here's the skinny (pun intended).... Parking. Free. Not validated free, just free. So, unlike many other fitness jungles that offer "free" parking, but require you to take a ticket, carry ticket in with you, get ticket validated, have problems in the garage, etc...this is just free. Pull up, park on the 3rd floor if you can, and you are just steps away from hifi. Nice! Space: Open without feeling bare. Enough machines to get your heart pumping, and plenty of equipment to keep all those trainers busy, busy, busy with all their peeps in motion. Huge, bright windows with a fairly cool view of the river, a choo choo train, and Goose Island. (the actual Goose Island, not the brewery). It's clean, too. Very clean. Location: Right in the thick of things, just west of North/Sheffield. There's a Whole Foods close by, so like when you are done feeling all strong you can go grab healthy (albeit overpriced) lunch. Close to the expressway (west on North Ave), and easily accessible by the 64 bus, or walkable from the Clybourn red line stop (or Sedgwick brown line, but that's a bit of a hike), then again...it's a gym, and maybe we all need a few more steps to log into the pedometer, eh? ;) The trainers: Well, of course I've been hanging out with one of Yelp's finest personal trainers at hifi: Rob Lekan (Rob L on Yelp). He's a gem, obviously...but all the other trainers I've witnessed have also been friendly, considerate and genuinely dedicated to whipping their clients into shape, in the nicest way possible! ;) Other perks: massage room, clean locker rooms/showers, water cooler.

Wow- this place is impressive! I can't believe I've never heard of it until now...but thanks to…read moretrainer Rob Lekan (more about him soon...he deserves his own review) I've now experienced Hi-Fi Personal Fitness for myself. I've been a member of Equinox for the past 5 years and while the gym and classes are amazing their trainers absolutely suck (sorry Equinox- i love everything else about you). I've found a few trainers outside of the gym that I would love to train with, but where to train has always been the problem...since you can't bring someone into Equinox who isn't a member. But Hi-Fi Personal Fitness is the solution to anyone with this problem! It appears that anyone can train anyone at Hi-Fi Personal Fitness...I'm sure the trainers pay Hi-Fi a small fee, but so worth it for a location to train people! And they have every piece of equipment imaginable...and even a little spa area where you can get a massage after trainers such as Rob kick your ass. It was kind of crowded here for a Wednesday night at 6 pm, but there's so much equipment to use that we never had to wait for a machine. Not near where you live? No worries there cause parking is free!! So if you're looking for a place to train head on over to Hi-Fi Personal Fitness. And if you don't have a trainer I'm sure Hi-Fi has plenty of suggestions for you. And I have a suggestion as well- Rob Lekan!

Wonderful people to do business with. Bought a device here…read more Very knowledgeable and wonderful stff

I had a superb experience with Decibel Audio. They were the only dealer of Kef speakers in the…read moreChicago area, speakers that I had read stunning reviews of and wanted to test. I was referred to Adam at Decibel, who is an owner. He spent 3 hours with me on the day I went there to listen to the speakers, he recommended a specific speaker model suitable for my living space and listening tastes (all classical, mainly chamber), I had brought a couple of my cd's with me, he recommended a specific cd player which was so good it enhanced magnificently the very old cd recordings I deliberately brought with me (because I love them). Then, because I have a large LP collection, he recommended a specific turntable and stylus. He hooked up the cd player and then the turntable and I was blown away by their incredible, natural, precise, warm sounds. On top of that, he told me that various components were on sale, which was a nice plus. I had in my then home some old high-end equipment (B&W 801's, a custom made tube amp, custom made turntable, etc) which I asked if they would be interested in as a trade-in. He offered to look at them, I sent photos, he said he would move the equipment to his shop and then determine the value. The trade-in value he gave me, after his truly exhaustive research, was more than I expected, and even with respect to one piece for which he couldn't determine the value, he offered to sell it for me on consignment (I declined and simply wanted to donate it to him, but he insisted on giving me something for it). On top of that, they delivered and set up the system in my new abode, spent many hours doing that, training me, testing it, and then returned a week later to switch the speaker stands he recommended (which weren't in stock originally) which also were hugely discounted and he thought better than the loaner stands he gave me, retested all the equipment, and has left me with a concert hall quality sound system that is breathtakingly accurate and spacious, at an incredibly fair price. They are a pleasure to work with, no hard sell, no special fake listening room (just a normal, open space with stuff and people in it), very responsive and very, very honest. I cannot more highly recommend them, whatever your level of interest might be. (Incidentally, they have a large variety of equipment). (This review is entirely voluntary. I had to ask them where I could post a review.) John Stiefel Chicago, IL

These guys are fantastic in their service as well as their prices and selection. I came looking to…read moreget a turntable and hi-fi system as a graduation gift for myself, and the staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful in walking me through everything the system would need. The store has a fantastic selection of turntables, speakers, records, and receivers at a variety of prices friendly to newcomers and high-end audiophiles alike. My friend and I (who studied audio in college and work on audio hardware) were extremely impressed, particularly with the very reasonable prices on some excellent turntables they had. Joe and Tony showed us some awesome vintage pieces that the shop had rebuilt, and it was fun to geek out - it truly shows they are passionate about what they do. They were very welcoming to me as a newcomer to the hi-fi space and also did a great job of being mindful of my budget (which isn't easy given how much cool stuff they have in there). Andy walked me through the store and gave me gear recommendations from the start, and Evan helped me with invoicing, cables, etc. Many other staff members whose names I did not get were also helpful in getting everything ready for me. On top of all that, their service quite literally goes the extra mile. They even let me stay past their closing time, and Joe very kindly offered to drive me home with my new gear himself, which was a great help since I came via bus and would've had to Uber or something otherwise. The entire staff helped load everything in, and Joe was a pleasure to chat with on the drive home and he even helped me carry my things to the lobby. I remain impressed with how helpful and good-humored Saturday Audio's staff were, and I'm super glad I chose to shop local here in Chicago. My new setup sounds awesome and didn't even hurt my wallet as much as I expected, haha. If you need anything turntable or hi-fi related, absolutely go here - can't recommend them enough!

I can spend hours in this shop just looking at all the great stuff. It's a bit more dangerous on…read morepayday, so I go when I'm broke and leave my cards at home. Around 5 years ago I was looking for a replacement turntable. I stopped by and had a look around, found a really nice old Dual that would play 78s as well as the usual 33 1/3 and 45. They were great to deal with and I got a good price. They had the Ortofon cartridge I wanted and were able to order another I needed for playing the 78s. They also do good quality repair work and the tech helped me get the turntable set up: pitch and balance set correctly. If you're into higher end hifi this is a great place to shop.

This place has some deep cuts and the folks behind the counter can tell you about them. Great…read moreneighborhood record store run by people who really care about music and are glad to talk about it. Definitely check this place out and grab something "new" for your collection. Even the dollar bin has some good finds.

Good customer service. Various records and other items. Various prices and live dj's today.read more

Ken Christianson is an audio savant. He helped me to cut through the crap and get the best I could…read moreget within my budget. I enjoy music so much and with Ken's help my Naim/Quad system has truly made my life better. He even came to my house to set it up!

Brought in my Victrola suitcase record player to have my needle fixed and was met with the most…read morecondescending 'we don't do that here' response. They said "this isn't what I would use to play records". I didn't ask you. They referred me to another audio shop where I will hopefully be met with more respect. Sorry it's not a thousand dollar sound system. Even if it was, I wouldn't go to you.

I went in on a special event night with some manufacturer reps that were there to demo and answer…read morequestions. Had a great time, I was interested in subs at the time and was impressed by the JL audio demo. After the demo, I met Mike, Holm Audio owner. Seemed like a cool guy. He loaned me a couple of E110 subs to demo at home. He reached out via text to see how I was doing and negotiate a possible purchase. When I told him I was interested in demoing the E112's he told me they only one, he tried to sell me the 10 and 12 inch sub at a discount. I wasn't interested, as the size difference would bug me too much. So he asked me if was interested in anything else. I told him I was also interested in a direct to consumer subwoofer brand from Norway. Well I guess that upset him because he told me to return the subs right away, and that I would not be in his "VIP club". Needless to say, I returned the subs and did not make a purchase. This sucks because I really wanted to support a cool local Hifi shop like Mike's. But if he can't accept the fact that people are cross shopping consumer direct brands, he has a rude awakening coming. One star is for the staff, they have been nothing but amazing. In the end, I found a deal online for a pair of E112's that was better than what Mike could offer.

Just a follow up to my original review. Everything I said in that review still holds true. Now…read moreI've had an issue where something I purchased here was slightly damaged by me. They dealt with the manufacturer to see if they would cover it. They wouldn't. Again, Neil to the rescue. He disassembled the device and found the problem. Something interfering with the contact between headphones and the device. Once that was removed, the device is like new. I thanked him profusely for his efforts and asked what I owe him for his efforts. His answer: nothing. Whoa! I think I'm bringing Neil a nice bottle of wine for his efforts. Thanks Holm audio.

What an amazing place. Kasper is awesome and addressed the issue in my vintage broken cd player…read moreimmediately. He tought me how the player worked as well as diagnosing the issue within minutes. The store is killer with a lot of cool vintage gear on display. It is so refreshing to know places like this exist.

Amazing, every time I go visit these guys, I become even more amazed. They're honest and to the…read morepoint. My visit to Kasper and crew brought with it my McIntosh MX110Z and a Comustar 8" Celestron telescope power supply. Upon inspecting my McIntosh MX110Z Kasper discovered all I needed was a new mechanical set of RCA cables. Next he inspected my Compustar 8" Celestron Telescope power supply. It was obvious it needed components or capacitors because they were burned out. So I took my McIntosh MX110Z back out to my car; It took me about 5-6 minutes to do that. Upon returning back in Kasper had recapped my power board in 5-6 minutes. I was amazed. He didn't want to charge me anything, but I paid him for his great talent and genius. He should be building electronic components for NASA or Musk.

Dropped off an Onkyo amplifier, which had some functions I thought were not working. Roman…read moreinspected the unit quickly, next day he called me up and said no issues, working fine. I thought that was strange because some functions were not working. Brought unit home, then began to think the connections must've been the issue....and yes they were. Previously the speakers were connected to the rear speaker ports, when they should've been connected to the front or main speaker ports. I made the adjustment and functions in amplifier worked fine. Bottom line, Roman was correct; as soon as it was determined unit was working fine, nothing else needed to be done, so he called me to let me know. Definitely I would go back if I need any of my units serviced. On a side note, had a couple of chats with him, when I dropped off unit and when I picked it up, and Roman is very cool person to talk to, has interesting real stories.

It's been over two years since I brought a pair of VTL MB-1250 amplifiers to Roman's shop. One amp…read morewas working, the other wouldn't turn on. He assured me that he could fix the broken one. He would use the working amp for a comparison. After six months passed, I started asking for my amplifiers to be returned. It took more than a year of asking and multiple trips to his shop, only to have him agree to return just the broken amp. He will not return the working amp I brought for comparison. I've lost a rare and costly amplifier, along with all the time I've spent trying to have it returned.

I was seeking to update my 2-channel system for my enjoyment in retirement. My vintage system,…read morepurchased in large part from Simply Stereo at their old location, was working fine but I was looking for something better. After answering question after question and really listening to my responses, Dave set me up with an incredible system. He matched a McIntosh integrated amp with a pair of Dali Epicon speakers and a REL subwoofer. He came out to the house, set-up the entire thing and even corrected errors on my video system. The results were incredible. I could not be happier with the component choices and the musicality of the system. It has a great sound stage. Daves interest, attention and willingness to take the time to explain things are second to none. This is the only place to go when shopping for high-end audio equipment.

Very knowledgeable and helpful staff. I wouldn't go anywhere else: fair prices, equipment for all…read moretypes of listeners.

Honestly, I loved my experience here! I managed to find a couple of nice vinyls to get and was…read moresurprised by the overall selection they offered. It was clean and well-organized on the main floor. The downstairs is a tad neglected compared to the main floor. I didn't find anything downstairs to get. I was a bit shocked at the price of some of the brand new vinyls, but the prices for the older ones were comparable to other stores. I prefer shopping local, and was really happy to have stumbled upon here! Would definitely come back again! No bad experiences with the staff during my visit. They were actually more on the helpful and friendly side. Seems like they took past customer reviews/experiences seriously and improved.

Beautiful record store with so many genres from all over the world. We really went out of our way…read moreto come here and it didn't disappoint because we found the records we were looking for. I thought the records were reasonably priced. I do wish they had a bathroom though because we were in there for awhile and it cut our experience shorter than we wanted because we really need to pee lol