The New Audible Difference

Elite '08

35

144

Christian d.

Milpitas, CA

I fell in love here....really....true love....

I've spent many many hours here, and if it weren't for the sad fact i don't make enough money to take some of this stuff HOME, i'll probably spend even more hours here. That can be good or bad depending on how you look at it :p

One of the only places that carry Linn komponents and speakers. I've read much about the mythical brand, but once I sampled them in person here, I felt I had finally found speakers truly worthy of their higher-than-normal price tag.

As much as I adore my NHT 1.5s which i've had like...forever, to find another loudspeaker that articulated and revealed even more was a revelation for me. After countless years and hours trying to find "the pair" of all pairs, I finally found them in the Linn line-up.

What made this possible was the great staff. To be able to spend so much time auditioning hi-fi is an absolute must, but unfortunately places that will allow that with the aid of a knowledgeable sales advisor is quickly becoming a rarity.

One place that used to allow this was Laserland in Cupertino (yeah...cheezy name, but terrific store). That was my second home when i was in college! That's where I finally found my NHT 1.5s. Took many weeks and hours of listening and comparison to decide. Too bad they closed shop a few years ago. God I miss those guys.

Then there's the New Audible Difference.

I dread having to drive like a mad-man after work to get there before they close at like 5:30 on weekdays, but on my days off I like to stop by and...listen.

They have a few listening rooms, but where they keep the Linns is a modest but decently treated room for listening. It's in there you can bring your stack of CDs and sit.

Nice thing about the staff is they are pleasant and helpful when needed, but will leave you alone for decent spells, but check up on you from time to time. No pressure, no hassle. At least that's been my experience so far. I'm sure if they are super busy it'd be different, but the times i've gone fortunately haven't been crazy.

I like their selection of components. They seem to have an affinity for British brands, although the one curve ball that threw me off was their decision to carry KEF in favor of B&W.  For electronics, they carry Classe, which are so freakin' sexy...you just have no clue until you see them. Makes my Primare rig look straight up plain.

Aside from that, they are the only dealer in the Bay Area i know of to carry Linn, which IMHO you should definitely audition if you are in the market for a serious pair of loudspeakers.

At the time, they were also one of the few authorized Grado dealers, so that scores more brownie points for me. If you love a good pair of cans, this is the place! Wait...that sounds weird for some reason...

Negatives?

Parking? Ha! What parking? There's like two spaces to choose from, LOL. That seriously sucks when they are busy. And they are right off El Camino so there's no street parking either.

Oh...and the fact they also broke my heart. Because I was not able to take those Linns home. Maybe in another life....*sigh*

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Elite '08

477

2155

kim n.

Mountain View, CA

Great high end audio video specialist gear. McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Wilson X, and the like. Unfortunately the people who worked there probably deemed I wasn't able to afford anything. I walked through and not one person talked to me. Oh well, I'll be taking my purchasing elsewhere.

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