Any good headphone stores near NYC?
Apr 17, 2015 at 11:49 AM Post #17 of 26
  There are plenty of hi-end audio salons around Manhattan (and quite a bit in Long Island and North Jersey, too), but you will be hard pressed to find one that stocks a variety of headphone amps.  I've seen them at Lyric, Stereo Exchange, and Sound by Singer, but they usually only cary one or two models at a time (or are actually stereo preamps with good headphone stages).  I've never seen them at Park Ave Audio or In Living Stereo.  As for headphones, you've hit all the usual suspects: J&R and B&H--They seem to stock the widest variety.  Also, B&H has a lot of stock that is not on display; you have to ask for it.  The aforementioned high-end stores seem to only stock Sennheiser, Grado, and/or AKG.

I know this is a very old thread but can you recommend some places to listen to and shop for head phones on Long Island, I am interested in hearing and purchasing higher end audio, such as HD800's, 812pro and HE560. Thanks in advance.
 
Nov 7, 2015 at 6:50 PM Post #18 of 26
Is B&H still the most likely venue in Manhattan for decent stuff (im particularly looking at HifiMan and AK.
 
Nov 10, 2015 at 11:17 PM Post #19 of 26
Is B&H still the most likely venue in Manhattan for decent stuff (im particularly looking at HifiMan and AK.


Check out Stereo Exchange in NoHo. Great wall off headphones to audition as well as a lounge dedicated to headphones (they've got a bunch of rooms for speakers as well). They have Hifiman, Audeze, Sennheisers, and lots of amps.
 
Nov 11, 2015 at 4:36 AM Post #20 of 26
Thanks Tylerchris
 
I intend to try StereoExchange and ACGears over the week. Any other tips for good stores?
 
Nov 12, 2015 at 9:57 AM Post #21 of 26
  Is B&H still the most likely venue in Manhattan for decent stuff (im particularly looking at HifiMan and AK.

Hifiman at B&H
Not sure who you meant by "AK."
BTW, B&H closes at 1:00pm Fridays and we're closed all day every Saturday.
 
As for headphones, you've hit all the usual suspects: J&R and B&H
FWIW J&R closed their retail store during 2014.
 
Nov 12, 2015 at 11:00 AM Post #22 of 26
Nov 14, 2015 at 5:42 PM Post #24 of 26
So im arriving tomorrow, B&H, Stereo Exchange and AC Gears on my to visit List as well as Academy Records on 14th street.
 
Any other tips?
 
Dec 28, 2015 at 4:59 PM Post #25 of 26
So i visited NYC and i wanted to buy some Hifiman HE560s
 
I went to AC Gears where the staff were friendly, they had a pretty small selection of gear but couldnt find a price match for me on their website for the 560s, so i left and went to Stereo Exchange. This is an impressive business with a lot of great gear. However when i told the owner i heard of them through HeadFi she became irate and said that she didnt want me to come in, demo gear and then buy online cheaper. i assured her that i was in the market for 560s and once we got the tense intro over with a guy called Michael helped me. He was very knowledgeable and friendly and i got to try out a few things but they couldnt match the cheaper price for the 560s id seen online. Its a pity that they have this impression of people on the site here as it is a great store and once i got past the initial awkwardness they were very knowledgeable and friendly.
 
During the week i was walking back to Times Square when i saw a little place called Audio46 on 46th Street (between 5th and 6th Ave). Well this was a real treat. Tony the owner welcomed me in. Nothing was too much trouble. For a small place they had lots of great headphones and they price matched the 560 i saw online with no issue. Ive even been in contact with them to ask about an amp for my next visit.
 
In summary, my recommendation based on my last visit would be to go to Audio 46 http://audio46.com/ first. Then consider Stereo Exchange and AC Gears (which are pretty close to each other).
 
Next time ill visit B&H (sorry guys)
 
Jan 4, 2016 at 5:11 AM Post #26 of 26
Sorry if it is too late..but if you are looking for a very high end headphones..it is best to check the website of the brand like Stax or ultrasone etc and look for the dealers in nyc..and then call few of them and ask if these models are on display..

Other well known stores like BH and video are great general stores. And what you are looking might be more of a small professional sound stores etc
 

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