I've been a Richer Sounds customer for over twenty-five years, usually at the Kingston upon Thames…read morebranch. This time I was in Manchester and thought I'd drop in and see what the latest equipment is. Things have changed, the freezer with ice-lollies has gone but a tea pot was clearly on display if anyone fancied a brew. Julian Richer the company founder gave away the company to the staff several years ago and the staff proudly wear long service badges. Unlike some large internet retailers Richer Sounds pay UK taxes as well.

I am a huge fan of Richer Sounds…read more Since the age of sixteen or so, I grew tired of having an all-in-one cd player radio thing with a tape deck thing with a couple of space age looking speakers that was all made of plastic and probably came from Argos. No, what I wanted was a big, grown-up looking stack of units, one for the cd player, one for the radio, a record deck, an amplifier unit and some nice tall, mature-looking speakers to plug the whole set-up into. Normally you wouldn't be able to afford this kind of clobber, but that is where Richer Sounds comes in. What they do is stock discount ranges of all of this great gear, selling it at reasonable and competitive prices. There are always loads of staff in Richer Sounds and this Manchester branch is no different. They're friendly, personable and ready to help.

I'm having a total shopping on the internet backlash myself, especially for big purchases. Richer…read moreSounds love this. This is their goal, their mission. They are blinded by anything other than getting shoppers back into stores with experts to help guide their choices. Looking at the physical object that you will be parting with your hard earned cash for; comparing it side by side rather than just comparing two teensy images. The staff are really what make this place- they are all obviously so passionate about the products themselves that they would never dream of trying to rip off the customer. They are excited to get more people using high quality electronics and it shows. Specialising in hi-fi, home cinema and flat screen TVs, Richer Sounds should be your go-to store. Find out the latest technological developments, which competitors the team deem to have the edge - even get something custom made to your requirements. I guarantee you won't be able to calm them down if you go in and ask about this. Like the staff in the electronics store in The Forty Year Old Virgin but much more trustworthy..

Someone suggested I try here when my TV broke recently. I had a look on their website which gave…read moreme a good indication of the range they hold and the prices. Like Sophie C, I was apprehensive about parting with my cash without seeing the physical object I wanted to buy. I was also getting slightly confused between all the new telly talk (having never had to buy a telly before since I was lucky enough to receive a hand me down from my brother about 10 years ago!). The store was easy to find, just a couple of minutes off the M60 motorway. There is no on street parking, but there is a small off street car park just round the corner. The staff were very helpful, answering all my silly questions and helping me select the best set to meet my requirements. I only wanted a small telly and the selection available was far more extensive than some of the other major electrical retailers, and mainly focused on your better known/better quality manufacturers. One of the key benefits of Richer Sounds is the five year guarantee they offer for 10 per cent of the purchase price which is much better value than its main competitors. I would certainly recommend Richer Sounds to others, and will be visiting here again should I need any other AV equipment.

This is one of the most iconic and legendary music shops in the UK if not the world. They've been…read morearound since the late 70s and I just love stopping by when I'm back in Manchester. Even if I'm just browsing and not expecting to buy something, I usually do. Folks here know their stuff. Their knowledge of music goes beyond compare. And it's no wonder, this is Manchester after all. It's just so cool to go in a chat with like-minded folks about music. They have so much available in CD form as well as vinyl. It's easy to get lost in the beauty of it all. So whether you're looking for punk, funk, or disco, they'll hook you up. I wish I could give them ten stars.

Sizzling Soul Fabulous Funk…read moreBrilliant Broken Beats Awesome Abstract Hip Hop Fantastic Free Jazz Dazzling Dubstep Sweeeeeet Lovers Rock Beautifully crooned Country Amazing Americana Classic Chicago House Tantalising Techno Pogo-ing Punk-Funk Perfect Pop Gorgeous Psyche-Folk Blistering Garage & lots of cool Rock & Roll Don't mean to get all High Fidelity on y'all but Piccadilly Records is the Northern equivalent of Rough Trade East. They have aisles of incredible vinyl on 7", 12" and long-players, tons of new and re-issued CDs and listening decks where you can check them all out. Even better, most of the staff are deejays so can give you the lowdown on the tracks that are the most fly. They also host in-store gigs from emerging and established artists. What more could you want?

The Audio Works is one of the few remaining independent specialist…read morehi-fi and home-cinema retailers, specialising in high-quality equipment which has been carefully selected from a number of well-known and lesser-known manufacturers from around the world. The word "specialist" in the opening sentence should'nt deter the first-time buyer, as the shop also stocks a selection quality entry-level brands which have been selected to offer high performance at more affordable cost. The shop has a relaxed atmosphere with no pressure to buy, and listening to a number of alternative items in their demonstration rooms is encouraged, with a strong emphasis on the music. If you already have a system and looking at ways to make improvements without having to spend yet more money on equipment upgrades, then there a number of performance enhancing products which will give your current system a worthwhile boost in sound quality at relatively modest cost . Part exchange is also possible and there are pre-owned items which are listed on their website. It is an advantage to book an appointment if you would like a product demonstration-you might also sample a cup of their freshly-ground coffee while listening or viewing. As a customer since the shop opened I can warmly recommend Audio Works who won't blind you with science, and go along with an open mind and you may be surprised at what can be achieved with good advice and sympathetic set-up with free installation.

Dirty disco Deep house…read moreFree jazz Hard funk Detroit techno Psyche rock Acid folk Whatever music floats your boat, the guys at Richer Sounds will have a stereo or individual seperates that will make the most of your record collection. The staff are enthusiastic and friendly and the shop is packed with great stereo, TV and home cinema electronics. New stock arrives weekly and prices range from £20 to £200 for speakers and seperates. They also have a cool demo area and all the accessories you could need from plugs, cables and spark leads to spare DVDs, minidiscs and rechargable batteries. On the stereo right now? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh-99_1k3mE

I called in Bose while in the Trafford Centre for 2 reasons…read more1) To settle an argument with a friend on how the place is pronounced 2) To take a look to get more of an idea of the brand. This store is quite a cool, unusual shape and is more of a curve, I've wanted to call in this place for a while as on every visit to the Trafford Centre, I pass here on my way to parking my car yet have never visited it until my most recent visit. Apart from the shape, there is nothing special about this store, there seemed to be a few products on stands, and it didn't really strand out in any other way. The staff member seemed nice enough, he settled my argument but didn't seem too friendly in carrying on the situation and trying to help me around the store after that, despite the store being quite quiet. There isn't much else to say, this store is okay, but sadly is nothing more than that and sadly has done nothing more to impress me further than to warrant a two star rating.

For the many of the population whos simply cannot afford to go out and spend a ridiculous amount of…read moremoney on the latest LCD TVs or other expensive things, Martin Dawes is a rental store for people just like that! You can rent the latest plasma tv for as little as £9.99 a month! You can also rent freeview boxes and they have even brought in a range of sofas to help your viewing in comfort!! Definetley worth it when the purse strings are a bit tight, you dont have to feel left out with such reasonable and affordable prices!

At the end of September 2015, my Panasonic TV set started to display a bright narrow twinkling…read moreline, running vertically down the centre of the screen The TV came with a 5y Panasonic Warranty and I was told by Panasonic to contact Martin Dawes to do the work To summarize what's gone wrong with this repair 1 No service engineer sent to look at the set to see the fault, I was asked to send pictures 2 Set is uplifted, repaired and returned. Original fault fixed but set has 2 new faults, plus a scratched screen 3 Set is returned again. Dust found behind the glass screen. Set not tested by me and packaging damaged by incorrect handling by Martin Dawes staff when repacking the set to take back to the Service Centre for the third time 4 Threatening behavior used by Martin Dawes staff when it's pointed out to them that they're breaking the packaging by incorrect handling 7 months on - the matter isn't solved and I've even less faith in Martin Dawes now If you can AVOID Martin Dawes for TV repairs