[intoflatlines]

There's some good info in this thread. I'm going to have to bookmark it.

 

[-=Germania=-]

Wait - I live in evanston and seen this place - WHY HAVE I NEVER GONE INSIDE?!!!!!

 

[chillk]

I think the place off of 75th st and 355 is called holm audio. They have a lot of high end stuff. I haven't checked out their headphones but have listened to speakers and tube amps there. Audio Consultants is okay, but their prices are high. I think there is also a place called decibel in wicker park that sells grados.

 

[hawk]

Btw I bought my HD485'S from Audio Consultants.

 

[BlackstoneJD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Germania=- /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wait - I live in evanston and seen this place - WHY HAVE I NEVER GONE INSIDE?!!!!!

Because they don't want you to know what they've got in there!

It is strange, but Audio Consultants is rarely mentioned in the forums but it is in my view one the best shops for enthusiasts, at every price level.

I'm not sure how competitive their prices are on things like headphones, however. You'll probably want to have an idea of what the product you are interested in is selling for in non-high end shops. They aren't going to match some low ball website price but sometimes you can do some finagling.

My Sennheiser 590s broke tonight (at least 7 years old) and I brought them in for repair. Great service as usual. They will scour the earth for parts if necessary.

If the difference in price is marginal, it is worth it to buy from them because their service department is so good. They really take care of you after the sale.

The staff is also extremely knowledgable about the gear. The difference is that when you go there and ask them the difference between the Grado and the Sennheiser or different models, they will tell you and they won't try and oversell you. When I was auditioning my headphones there I went in ready to buy the expensive HD600s and they actually convinced me to get the less expensive 590s because they were a better value. That is not to say that they didn't like the HD600, it is just sometimes value is a scale tipping factor. I have never purchased a piece of gear there that I did not like.

Also, they shake up their product lineup when quality starts to lag. They don't let fallout from merger and acquisition activity in the industry reach their customers. They dropped a few popular high-end brands simply because quality was not up to their standards.

 

[sejarzo]

Grados here:

Saturday Audio

1021 W Belmont Ave (one block west of the L), 773-935-HIFI

They are not open on a "normal" schedule, check the web site. Sunday afternoons are the best time, less crowded.

I've not shopped at Audio Consultants in the ~22 years since I moved from the NW suburbs, but spent a lot of time in their Libertyville store back then. Bought a pair of Signet headphones in there. They always impressed me as a low pressure, helpful bunch of folks--and as BlackstoneJD mentioned, committed to the concept that anything their customers bought should last....no FOTM sort of gear there.

 

[VeipaCray]

+1 for Audio Consultants. I've been shopping there for years (Hinsdale location). I'm very new to head-fi and just bought my first pair of Grados (RS-1) from Audio Consultants. Audio Consultants had the full line of Grados, including the Grado amp, the Senn HD650s, and they carry Stax (but didn't have any in Hinsdale). I spent about 2 hours in the store listening... the sales guys were great and able to answer all of my questions. I do wish Audio Consultants had some kind of tube headphone amp to audition.

I shop at Holm as well, but they don't seem to have a lot of headphone gear.

 

[Cry Havoc]

Veipa - Did they have any of the Denon line there?

Btw, if someone wanted to organize a mini-meet, I would definitely try to attend!

 

[VeipaCray]

Cry > Audio Consultants carries Marantz gear. Since Denon / Marantz are the same company, most stores carry one brand or the other but not both. No Dennon at AC. Holm Audio carries Sherwood Newcastle (the OEM company for the higher end Denon and Marantz gear). I've got the Sherwood Newcastle separates on my multi-channel system.

I just joined this group a few days ago. I would offer to setup a mini-meet, but don't know what's required. PM me if you would like to talk about setting up a meet.