[Tsuioku]

Have a friend heading to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore next month and hoping for some recommendations on where to pick up an MP3 player for a good price.

Kuala Lumpur: Did a little searching and doesn't seem to have many stores with good prices. Most threads recommend skipping entirely and just shop in Singapore.

Singapore: Already told him about Jaben. How does their in-store pricing compare with their online pricing? Any other places you would recommend?


Some DAPs that we're thinking about are the AMP3 and the T51. Where should he go and what's a good price to aim for?
Any other players that's a good bang for the buck or in a similar price range you would recommend over there?

Another plus would be if there's something around the store to keep the typical lady friend occupied

 

[ClieOS]

For KL, try a place called Lowyat Plaza, which is located in the middle of the city, near the Time Square Plaza. It is the electronic heart of the country.

If your friend is going to Jaben, then (s)he should also visit the shopping mall next to where Jaben is. It is called 'Funan Plaze', and the whole building is full of electronic stores. Also, a place called 'SimLim Square' is also a must visit. Stereo Electronic is a fine store to visit as well, and their new store is in Plaza Singapore.

In store pricing is usually cheaper than on-line since you don't have to pay shipping.

 

[estreeter]

Having just been through the very hell you describe, these are my tips:

1. Don't bother going to Adelphi (Jaben and other stores) until 2pm at the earliest - you will be greeted by a very dark mall with mostly closed shops if you try to go early. There hours seem to be midday/2 till about 7 or 8 - the rest of Singapore opens around 10am. If you come from a country where merchants throw open their doors at 8:30am, this can take some getting used to.

2. You will see a few headphone amps / DACs in a window display that has absolutely no connection to the stores in Adelphi - there is a phone number to call for an audition. good luck

3. I didn't even bother in KL - the CBD is a madhouse, particularly Bukit Bintang - but you will find that tech and audio are mostly dominated by the Chinese in both Malaysia and Singapore and not too much gets past them when it comes to doing business. Their interest extends to taking your cash or a credit card and you walking away with your purchase - I didnt find anyone who could offer tips on freight etc. I'm willing to bet that my local audio guy would at least hand a tourist customer our Yellow Pages if they asked about freight back to their country - the Adelphi guys didnt seem even remotely interested in doing anything beyond scanning my credit card. Might be different if I wasn't a Gwailo tourist, but it didnt leave a positive impression. I remained polite, and didnt try to haggle - just a fairly frosty bunch when you walk in off the street.

Jaben - be prepared for higher pressure sales than the other stores. Nondescript and crowded inside, stack of headphones on the wall/window but I didnt hang around. Some old guy wanted me to buy a headphone amp - weird.

I'd like to go back with a lot of Singapore dollars in my pocket, but its not quite audio heaven when you have 2 more countries and a shopaholic partner to consider

estreeter

 

[estreeter]

Having just been through the very hell you describe, these are my tips:

1. Don't bother going to Adelphi (Jaben and other stores) until 2pm at the earliest - you will be greeted by a very dark mall with mostly closed shops if you try to go early. There hours seem to be midday/2 till about 7 or 8 - the rest of Singapore opens around 10am. If you come from a country where merchants throw open their doors at 8:30am, this can take some getting used to.

2. You will see a few headphone amps / DACs in a window display that has absolutely no connection to the stores in Adelphi - there is a phone number to call for an audition. good luck

3. I didn't even bother in KL - the CBD is a madhouse, particularly Bukit Bintang - but you will find that tech and audio are mostly dominated by the Chinese in both Malaysia and Singapore and not too much gets past them when it comes to doing business. Their interest extends to taking your cash or a credit card and you walking away with your purchase - I didnt find anyone who could offer tips on freight etc. I'm willing to bet that my local audio guy would at least hand a tourist customer our Yellow Pages if they asked about freight back to their country - the Adelphi guys didnt seem even remotely interested in doing anything beyond scanning my credit card. Might be different if I wasn't a Gwailo tourist, but it didnt leave a positive impression. I remained polite, and didnt try to haggle - just a fairly frosty bunch when you walk in off the street.

Jaben - be prepared for higher pressure sales than the other stores. Nondescript and crowded inside, stack of headphones on the wall/window but I didnt hang around. Some old guy wanted me to buy a headphone amp - weird.

I'd like to go back with a lot of Singapore dollars in my pocket, but its not quite audio heaven when you have 2 more countries and a shopaholic partner to consider

estreeter

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Having just been through the very hell you describe, these are my tips:...

Here are a few of my own:

1) Jaben and most of Adelphi stores do open at around 1.30pm~2pm (no one buy high end audio gears in the morning, I guess), but most electronic store else where are usually 11.30am. In fact, if you take MRT (subway), you should visit Stereo Electronic first at 11.30am, demo their headphone and amp if you like for an hour, then make you way to Jaben/Adelphi which should open by then.

2) Do your home work, set your target, and don't ask for too much advice. In this part of Asia, we kind of assume people coming into a store is planning to buy something because we tend to have a really fast pace life style. When you are here, telling the stuff you are 'just look around' and usually they will let you be. Stereo and Jaben both allow for auditioning, but you should bring some of your own gears as well, just to have a familiar sound for reference. There is no commitment even when auditioning, so don't feel like you must buy something. Also, when you know what you are looking for, there is less chance you get pull away from your target.

3) Take your time. Imagine yourself as a local and have all the time you need to look / listen around. One of the best time to to visit an audio store in Asia is 3~4pm, where most stores have much less people. If you visit a store at peak hours (usually 1~2pm), you will get less attention / information you need.

 

[Tsuioku]

@ estreeter: Thanks for the tips. My friend is chinese but he has a low tolerance for pushy sales.

@ ClieOS: Wow... aren't you in Malaysia? Guess you go to Singapore a lot.

He doesn't have to go to Jaben... just that I'm asking him to help me pick up a DAP and I told him that he could demo there to give him a bit more of an incentive =)

After further thought, most likely save a lil cash and ask him to help me grab an 8gb T51. Any store that he get that for cheap would be fine.

Just checked out the Plaza Singapura directory. If Stereo Electronics carries it, it may be a valid compromise. His gf can shop in the plaza while my friend has some fun demo'ing.

If anyone can give me a price quote on the T51 (Location/Store/Price) it would be great so I can give him the cash ahead of time.

 

[weibby]

T51 isn't available in singapore or SEA.

Given the trouble to get alipay up and if you go by agents for taobao, its cheaper and less hassle just to buy from mp4nation's sflo2.

I've calculated that its just marginally cheaper - 698 RMB - 140+ SGD + another 20-30 bucks for EMS shipping which works out to be $170 SGD but if you add the agents fee and time and trouble to get from taobao, its not worth it.

While MP4 nation is $140 USD which is about $200+ SGD.

The only good thing about singapore is that the audioshops are within walking distance and you can audition all the big brands esp if you're a head fi.

Shops like Stereo electronics stock all the top universals IEM/ Headphone and you can readily audition it to your heart's content.

 

[Tsuioku]

Thanks for the heads up...

Wonder if the T51 is available in KL then... Or should I bug my other friend that's in HK right now...

Only going to buy if somebody is bringing it back... sorta my way of stopping myself from spending money hahaha...

 

[ClieOS]

I don't think you will be able to find T51 easily in KL as well, but do try Lowyat Plaza as some stores there do carry Chinese brand DAP / PMP sometime. You can definitely pick one up in HK though.

 

[Caipirina]

Sorry for digging up this old post .. I thought it better than creating a new one ... 
 
Heading to KL in Jan and wondering what the Akihabara / Pantip Plaza / e-town equivalent there is, is Lowyat Plaza still current? Where would one go to i.e. find some KZ in ears (nothing super fancy and expensive) ? 
 
There might be a faint chance we take the train to Singapore ... been there before and now some spots for the higher end stuff, but not the lower end toys. 
 
Thanks