My experience with Holm Audio was very good. The installation with JJ and Ronnie is exceptional…read more They are professional, informative with recommendations and very good at what they do. They leave with the premises cleaner than when they arrive... would highly recommend!

I went in on a special event night with some manufacturer reps that were there to demo and answer…read morequestions. Had a great time, I was interested in subs at the time and was impressed by the JL audio demo. After the demo, I met Mike, Holm Audio owner. Seemed like a cool guy. He loaned me a couple of E110 subs to demo at home. He reached out via text to see how I was doing and negotiate a possible purchase. When I told him I was interested in demoing the E112's he told me they only one, he tried to sell me the 10 and 12 inch sub at a discount. I wasn't interested, as the size difference would bug me too much. So he asked me if was interested in anything else. I told him I was also interested in a direct to consumer subwoofer brand from Norway. Well I guess that upset him because he told me to return the subs right away, and that I would not be in his "VIP club". Needless to say, I returned the subs and did not make a purchase. This sucks because I really wanted to support a cool local Hifi shop like Mike's. But if he can't accept the fact that people are cross shopping consumer direct brands, he has a rude awakening coming. One star is for the staff, they have been nothing but amazing. In the end, I found a deal online for a pair of E112's that was better than what Mike could offer.

I went in full of questions about a vintage receiver for sale. The nice fellow in charge talked me…read morethrough all the details, answering / humoring all of my questions (some of them being a little dumb). He took the equipment apart for me to show me its inner components and explain how they function. He offered a listening session, so I could explore its features before making up my mind. I ended up buying the piece (Technics SA-800) for a more fair price than I've ever seen on ebay. It is a really neat specialty shop, a very rare find these days. I don't live close to it though, so I check out his website occasionally to keep an eye on what he's offering.

This place is amazing for old but high end home video and audio equipment. I walked in for getting…read moresomething fixed but he told he can't but referred me to Electronic Engineers on Belmont. This guy is very knowledgeable and customer service orientated. He has equipment that I would love to buy next time I'm in town. A must stop for buying vintage equipment. Very cool place!

Stopped in to Superior Audio Systems with my friend, was greeted warmly, and treated to an…read moreappropriately excellent acoustic experience. J Galanti is incredibly knowledgeable and just as friendly! I can recommend him with absolute confidence

I met Joe in 2009 requesting help with setting up my Vandersteen speakers. He spent a lot of time…read morealone in just preparation installing the batteries needed in the high pass filters & also the built-in subwoofers. Also, placeing the speakers in my listening area in my home. A little about myself. I have worked collaborating in the music business when living in Southern California and still today, with very well-known respected engineers, composers & songwriters. So sound is extremely important to me. Because I am working on projects for Artists/Singers & Movie & Television placement material. Joes' expertise has made this enjoyable and possible. Joe has also setup turntable phono cartridges. It is so nice to work with a fellow perfectionist like me. Thanks Joe. Bruce

Quintessence Audio located at 5701 W Dempster Avenue in Morton Grove provides an unique friendly…read moreenvironment that feels like hanging out with audiophile friends helping to provide me with the best equipment and service without any pressure or hurry to buy equipment. Mick, Patrick, John and Fritz will provide knowledgeable information with private listening if needed in a comfortable environment. Delivery and/or setup is available. An award winning store that stands behind all equipment they sell. Thank you guys. Ronn Christopher Powell.

Great sale and installation! Would not hesitate to buy from them again. They came to my house and…read morebrought the amp and went far more than necessary to set it up.

Ken Christianson is an audio savant. He helped me to cut through the crap and get the best I could…read moreget within my budget. I enjoy music so much and with Ken's help my Naim/Quad system has truly made my life better. He even came to my house to set it up!

Brought in my Victrola suitcase record player to have my needle fixed and was met with the most…read morecondescending 'we don't do that here' response. They said "this isn't what I would use to play records". I didn't ask you. They referred me to another audio shop where I will hopefully be met with more respect. Sorry it's not a thousand dollar sound system. Even if it was, I wouldn't go to you.

I was seeking to update my 2-channel system for my enjoyment in retirement. My vintage system,…read morepurchased in large part from Simply Stereo at their old location, was working fine but I was looking for something better. After answering question after question and really listening to my responses, Dave set me up with an incredible system. He matched a McIntosh integrated amp with a pair of Dali Epicon speakers and a REL subwoofer. He came out to the house, set-up the entire thing and even corrected errors on my video system. The results were incredible. I could not be happier with the component choices and the musicality of the system. It has a great sound stage. Daves interest, attention and willingness to take the time to explain things are second to none. This is the only place to go when shopping for high-end audio equipment.

Stellar experience at Simply Stereo!…read more We were in the market for a new media console, and Salamander caught my husband's eye. He noticed that Simply Stereo was listed on Salamander's website as a premier dealer. He sent an email inquiring about coming in to see some items in person, and we headed there on Saturday afternoon. We were greeted right away by Dave, who was helping a customer carry something out to their car. When he came back in, he listened to what we were there for and showed us upstairs to one of the listening rooms. He patiently answered approximately five million questions from my husband and, as luck would have it, what they had on display almost exactly matched what we were looking for. They were able to to get fiddly with the details of what looking at side panel options and determining how the tv mount connects. It was a no brainer to make our purchase from Simply Stereo. The price was excellent and the customer service was top notch. From the email through purchase, it was a great experience and we'll definitely be back in the future - I think a few speakers caught my husband's eye while we were wandering the store.

Wonderful people to do business with. Bought a device here…read more Very knowledgeable and wonderful stff

I had a superb experience with Decibel Audio. They were the only dealer of Kef speakers in the…read moreChicago area, speakers that I had read stunning reviews of and wanted to test. I was referred to Adam at Decibel, who is an owner. He spent 3 hours with me on the day I went there to listen to the speakers, he recommended a specific speaker model suitable for my living space and listening tastes (all classical, mainly chamber), I had brought a couple of my cd's with me, he recommended a specific cd player which was so good it enhanced magnificently the very old cd recordings I deliberately brought with me (because I love them). Then, because I have a large LP collection, he recommended a specific turntable and stylus. He hooked up the cd player and then the turntable and I was blown away by their incredible, natural, precise, warm sounds. On top of that, he told me that various components were on sale, which was a nice plus. I had in my then home some old high-end equipment (B&W 801's, a custom made tube amp, custom made turntable, etc) which I asked if they would be interested in as a trade-in. He offered to look at them, I sent photos, he said he would move the equipment to his shop and then determine the value. The trade-in value he gave me, after his truly exhaustive research, was more than I expected, and even with respect to one piece for which he couldn't determine the value, he offered to sell it for me on consignment (I declined and simply wanted to donate it to him, but he insisted on giving me something for it). On top of that, they delivered and set up the system in my new abode, spent many hours doing that, training me, testing it, and then returned a week later to switch the speaker stands he recommended (which weren't in stock originally) which also were hugely discounted and he thought better than the loaner stands he gave me, retested all the equipment, and has left me with a concert hall quality sound system that is breathtakingly accurate and spacious, at an incredibly fair price. They are a pleasure to work with, no hard sell, no special fake listening room (just a normal, open space with stuff and people in it), very responsive and very, very honest. I cannot more highly recommend them, whatever your level of interest might be. (Incidentally, they have a large variety of equipment). (This review is entirely voluntary. I had to ask them where I could post a review.) John Stiefel Chicago, IL

These guys are fantastic in their service as well as their prices and selection. I came looking to…read moreget a turntable and hi-fi system as a graduation gift for myself, and the staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful in walking me through everything the system would need. The store has a fantastic selection of turntables, speakers, records, and receivers at a variety of prices friendly to newcomers and high-end audiophiles alike. My friend and I (who studied audio in college and work on audio hardware) were extremely impressed, particularly with the very reasonable prices on some excellent turntables they had. Joe and Tony showed us some awesome vintage pieces that the shop had rebuilt, and it was fun to geek out - it truly shows they are passionate about what they do. They were very welcoming to me as a newcomer to the hi-fi space and also did a great job of being mindful of my budget (which isn't easy given how much cool stuff they have in there). Andy walked me through the store and gave me gear recommendations from the start, and Evan helped me with invoicing, cables, etc. Many other staff members whose names I did not get were also helpful in getting everything ready for me. On top of all that, their service quite literally goes the extra mile. They even let me stay past their closing time, and Joe very kindly offered to drive me home with my new gear himself, which was a great help since I came via bus and would've had to Uber or something otherwise. The entire staff helped load everything in, and Joe was a pleasure to chat with on the drive home and he even helped me carry my things to the lobby. I remain impressed with how helpful and good-humored Saturday Audio's staff were, and I'm super glad I chose to shop local here in Chicago. My new setup sounds awesome and didn't even hurt my wallet as much as I expected, haha. If you need anything turntable or hi-fi related, absolutely go here - can't recommend them enough!

I can spend hours in this shop just looking at all the great stuff. It's a bit more dangerous on…read morepayday, so I go when I'm broke and leave my cards at home. Around 5 years ago I was looking for a replacement turntable. I stopped by and had a look around, found a really nice old Dual that would play 78s as well as the usual 33 1/3 and 45. They were great to deal with and I got a good price. They had the Ortofon cartridge I wanted and were able to order another I needed for playing the 78s. They also do good quality repair work and the tech helped me get the turntable set up: pitch and balance set correctly. If you're into higher end hifi this is a great place to shop.