What a great used record shop! It was very easy to get to in the trolley system from the lake/downtown area. The selection had many titles that I have not been able to find at other locations. The attendant was super informative and helpful. He saw what I was looking for and made great recommendations. The prices seem reasonable and comparable to other shops I visited. I will definitely visit again. read more

Prices were on the higher side, and the staff didn't provide much assistance. While there's a good amount of new vinyl available, the selection of vintage records is fairly limited. Additionally, not comfortable with their political views being displayed in the store window. read more

The selection is the best selection ever from the biggest artists in the world to underground artists. The service is amazing and the workers are super kind The cost of everything was perfect for my budget read more

My friend and I popped in here while walking around Toronto on a Sunday afternoon. What a great find! Tons of records, CDs, and Knick-knacks. There was someone setting up for a DJ set when we were there. We didn't stay for it, but it seemed like a cool space to see live music. read more

Sonic Boom - Vinyl Records Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Possibly the fanciest, spacious, and tidiest record store in Toronto. Store is well-designed and you can find something to your taste, no matter your music genre preferences. If you are into CD's, cassettes, and their respective players, they have them too! I picked up a new copy of the Cult of the Lamb vinyl here, which I've never seen anywhere else. Also picked up the Beatle's Magical Mystery Tour vinyl - solid track list. The staff is not as friendly as other record stores and there are a lot of unwelcoming "you're on camera" type signs literally everywhere, which really threw off the vibe of the store (I mean is this necessary?). However, the vinyl selection is great and reasonably priced, and I appreciate that they grade the used vinyls for quality as well. read more

Sonic Boom - Vinyl Records Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I still remember when Sonic Boom was at Bathurst/Bloor, in a building beside the Bloor (Hot Docs) Cinema, its inventory then was mostly CDs and the store rang with the clank-clank-clank of shoppers shuffling through the CDs. Then they relocated to inside Honest Ed's when Dollarama of all things took over the old location. Eventually they found their way where they are now, in a garment warehouse building on Spadina between Chinatown and Queen West. As the revival of vinyl records overtake physical music sales, the clank-clank-clank is replaced by the more quieter thud-thud-thud of shuffling through LPs. They still have CDs on sale, albeit a much smaller stock than back then, downstairs behind the stairs. And as digital music takes its toll on music stores and names like Sam the Record Man and HMV disappear from the landscape, Sonic Boom manages to hold its own; at this point it's practically the city's biggest record store. What that means is for its impressive selection of LPs, it's likely you may find an album here that most other music stores in Toronto may not carry. I've had some luck finding some obscure rock and heavy metal and jazz titles here. They got a ridiculous amount of used albums, seemingly an endless supply as people gather around the shelves immediate to the entrance for recent arrivals. And oh seemingly all new LPs are sold with a plastic outer sleeve for your extra protection. Big a shop as it is it carries its own quirkiness. Large window displays promoting whatever latest album releases of choice. A corner of pop culture books and treats and gifts hits you before you head downstairs. And oh, the Phonomat, a vending machine spitting out random 7" 45s. Fun and full of character in its own way. read more

Fantastic record store which harkens back to the record stores of yesterday year or at least the closest you can get today.

Overwhelmingly huge vinyl and CD collection. I've been to record stores all around the US and Southern Canada, and probably none of them compare to this. read more

Sonic boom is exactly what you would expect it to be. It is a record store, full of records. The days of one and two dollar records are behind us, but if you are looking for a specific album you are likely to find it here. However, like all niche locations they have had to diversify their offerings. If you are looking for some eclectic action figures based off of your favorite bands, or pop cultural oddities, you can find them here. They also have a wide array of different candies, and all sorts of other products in the greater music nerd sphere. read more

I wasn't very impressed. They weren't that friendly and seemed to be too busy to look thru my small selection of CDs for sale. In the end they did look thru them and really gave me a minimum price for a rather nice collection. I'm sure they have way too many CDs already, but friendliness would have been great read more

A heaven for folks who love records! For the rest of us, it's still fascinating to see the huge collection of all things music and beyond. Its definitely a fantastic throwback to see walkman and tapes. We didn't realize how big this place was until we walked down the stairs to find even more sprawling collection of records, collectibles etc. The neon signs and the cool signboards all over the store made feel like it's a music museum. There are tons of people which is pretty impressive. Here's another reason why Toronto is such a cool city! read more

Sonic Boom - Vinyl Records Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Beautiful location on Spadina. Smart move. Vinyl folks enjoy it more than I do. I don't care if vinyl sounds better; I like Apple Music. The store is two levels and good T-shirt collection. Where else can you get a HALL AND OATES T-shirt!? read more

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Last Sunday I made my 3rd visit to Sonic Boom, which is located on the east side of Spadina Avenue, south of Dundas St. W. The store consists of two levels; the first level you walk into from the street contains displays of new vinyl, new vinyl releases against the wall on the right and a large inventory of 'music swag' for sale, i.e. t-shirts. You walk downstairs at the rear to the much larger lower level which mainly contains music in different formats, i.e. vinyl, CD, and DVD. With the tremendous vinyl resurgence in recent years, a large part of the very spacious store is dedicated to the format, although with vinyl records being so popular/in demand these days, the prices for new (still sealed) records are quite high. Fortunately the same new titles on CD are generally priced significantly lower. The different formats are divided up by genre: rock, jazz, metal, etc., and new and used titles are kept together in the racks. The sales stickers on each item for sale are colour coded to help customers differentiate between the two: a white sticker for a new item, a yellow sticker for a used item. I plan to return to buy several titles on CD; as I previously mentioned, their CD prices are comparatively reasonable. read more

Nice selection of albums, cds, and merchandise. Deep collection of new and quality used music. Two levels. Very friendly and helpful staff. Not for bargain hunting but high quality. Husband found an album he'd been looking for. read more

Sonic Boom - Vinyl Records Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Sonic Boom is Canada's largest independent record store with over 25,000 titles to sort through. They buy and sell vinyl records, CDs, and 45s. My favourite part is not only digging through all the records, but checking out their extensive retro T-shirt selection. There's always a classic find there. Sonic Boom also sells books, turntables and accessories and lots of toronto themed chotchke's. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time when stopping by. There's so much to look at, and you'll always find something fun to buy. Tip: if you're driving, there are 2 public parking lots very close to the shop. One is located north of of on Sullivan Street and the other is an underground "Green P" lot located on the east side of Spadina Ave, just south of Dundas. No matter how you get there, you won't be disappointed! read more

Sonic Boom - Vinyl Records Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Wow! It has been a while since I have been in a legitimate record store... and one that is as wonderful as this! So thankful for the quick walk that took me past this area. If you love Vinyl, this is your place! The old school records with a new school feel! Wonderful cards and gifts to boot! A for sure stop! Please enjoy the ambiance and wonderful staff! There truly is something for everyone here! read more

Sonic Boom - New release wall! - Vinyl Records Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This is one of those staple shops you see along Spadina that will always beckon you to get closer and go inside to browse. This store is huge and honestly, you can spend hours just looking through all the vinyls, dvds and cds for sale. Besides music, the store sells their own merchandise and pretty unique books. I think the only downside I have with this place are some of the items can be overpriced. You have to be on the lookout for a good deal here but regardless of whatever you spend here it's always quality! read more

Other collectors I know have been avoiding this place like the plague, and now I know why. I went to pick up a record here tonight. I'd ordered it earlier today, and I knew it might not be ready, but I thought I'd stop and check, because I was in the neighbourhood. I gave the dude the order number, and he asked if I called and arranged to pick it up "early", and I said, "No, I ordered it today," and before I could get another word out, he took my fucking head off: "THAT'S NOT THE QUESTION I ASKED YOU." I thought about retaliating, but then I thought, What's the use? The guy's a dick. Sonic Boom was my local record shop, and I spent a ton of cash here yearly. I'm not going back, and I encourage everyone else who collects records to go elsewhere, too. Big Shiny, Kops, Pop Music and Neurotica all have better service and great selections. I don't know what's going on with the service at Sonic Boom but it's really taken a nose dive. Other stores are improving their service because they know times are tough, and people can go anywhere they want. Seems to be the opposite at this place. Good riddance. read more

I love independent record stores. I stopped by here to look around. I really like it here. The place was setup well to allow for safe browsing during covid. They have a good selection, and I found a number of interesting things. I was looking for this weird russian vinyl thing and wasn't sure where to look. The person was able to locate the exact vinyl I wanted without trouble, he was super helpful. This is definitely one of the better record stores in Toronto, I highly recommend it. read more

Very popular, almost iconic store in Toronto selling new and used CDs, vinyl and DVDs, along with other music/popular culture items. The selection is vast, including some hard to find CDs and box sets. Something that particularly attracts me as a collector. I've not found the staff to be particularly friendly, or welcoming, but as someone that likes to browse uninterrupted, that's not such a bad thing. A bit more showing of appreciation at the cash register wouldn't go amiss, but it's not enough to deter me from frequenting the store whenever I'm in the neighbourhood. read more

The best vinyl shop in Toronto. HUGE selection. Great mix of new and used vinyl. I have found some amazing pieces at Sonic Boom over the years. If you're visiting the city and not sure which vinyl shop to start at. This is the one. read more

This is a place that I usually don't go by myself but my husband loves it. It's a great place to find classic stuff like Vinyl Records, DVD/Bluray, CD's, Books and cool T-shirts. It's huge, clean and full of amazing stuff. There are many small record shops in Toronto but nothing as huge as this one! I don't know much about music but it was fun to hang out here sometime. This time, I've got to choose our favourites T-Shirts! lol, I picked one for me and one for my husband. He also got another one for himself too. Each T-shirt is around $30 but the used ones are around $20. Is it expensive? They're Band T-shirts though. If you're going to a rock bar and don't know what to wear, come to check it out here! There might be an answer for you ^^. *This vote is based on my husband and me. * read more

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I have loved every iteration of this storefront, and Sonic Boom is no different. The bones of the building are so gorgeous that anything inside, will shine. On a recent trip, I was inspired to review Sonic Boom and their gift selection which boasts pretty impressive piece of real estate within the stores. Sonic Boom seems to have gotten a message that diversity in offerings is best, and I can't say that I am complaining! There have a giant selection of music in almost every format while also curating a stellar collection of greet cards, candles and gift sets that range from beer-at-home brew kits to a range of spa-like products. I walked away with bunch of gifts and though it added up quickly, the price was pretty right for each item. I picked up a jade roller, two box sets of tapered candles, four greeting cards with various messages and a steam facial kit. What I expected when I walked in? No. Am I happy? Very much yes. read more

I had been to Sonic Boom once before in 2010 and was so impressed, I thought it was one of the greatest record stores I have ever been in.. Naturally I was on tour then, and was living in a van on 10 dollars a day, and couldn't afford to be taking my fare share of records back to the states! Take 2, work trip brought me back to Canada 8 years later, and I made it a point that I needed to get back to Sonic Boom! I dragged a co worker through the underground mall and on the city streets to this musical mecca! I found a Labi Siffre record I have been searching for, for years and I enjoyed checking out all the cool posters of bands who have done In-stores over the years like SLOAN! I also dug through the rarities records and found a GBV, "Devil Between My Toes," for only 300 bucks... I didn't take that one home with me but I did find a Christmas Present for my pops and did bring Labi home with me! This store is perfect.. Amazing selection, well organized, friendly staff, fun nick-nacks and toys, magazines, posters, great t-shirts, killer film section, and all the records a boy could dream about owning! SONIC BOOM could be and Explosion to your bank account if you are not careful! read more

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Nice store, RUDE employees. I was looking at a record player, and an employee walks up to me. I had pressed the play button because it was displayed out of the box with headphones attached: so I thought it was a sample. I guess it wasn't. Instead of helping me, the man castigated me. He asked, "Do you know how to use a record?" I said, "No." He said, "THEN DON'T TOUCH IT." I was curious about the item. I'd wanted to learn more. Why put a record player out of the box, and in front of the customer, if it's not for display? Come for good ambience, but you probably won't buy anything because of the customer service. read more

This store is massive and they have a ton of new and used records. They often have rarities, and have good selections of country, blues, punk, and heavy metal, as well as vinyl soundtracks. Sometimes I can kill 2 hours in this store. They were asking about $30-40 for a phony Danzig 777 I Luciferi as well as a Thrall-Demonsweatlive vinyl EP which were both as legit as a three dollar bill. I have since seen these 2 records disappear from the shelf but I hope a sucker didn't actually buy those. In Sonic Boom's defense I know HMV used to also carry counterfeit vinyl and CDs and obviously not everything from the distributors can be inspected before ordering by catalog number. Other than those 2 instances I haven't seen any horseshittery at Sonic Boom at all. I hope Sonic Boom thrives, but some of the staff aren't too knowledgeable about certain types of popular music. One time the guy at the counter had a hard time inputing data into the register when he couldn't figure out if Blondie was the album title or a person/band. I guess he was subtracting the inventory at the POS but how do you not know who the fuck Blondie is? Find almost anything from Amy Winehouse to ZZ Top at this store. One time I went in just for some plastic outer sleeves (purchasable as singles or by the dozen) and before I know it I am browsing around and my arms are full of a slab of records consisting of Dayglo Abortions, Howlin' Wolf, X, Metric, The Spoons, Slade, Venom, ABBA, Concrete Blonde, 2 Live Crew, and Maiden's 2nd album. It was quite a schizophrenic mix of nothing but goodness. At that point I felt it was best to just leave. The store also sells record players, novelties, and misc items such as miniature chrome-plated karaoke microphones with a patch cord connection. Free stickers and sometimes buttons at the cashier. Spadina has turned into a toilet bowl chock full of degenerates and scum but you guys have brightened it up a little bit more since you had moved to the avenue, thanks Sonic Boom! May all yuppies and hipsters live happily ever after at the bottom of the deepest and saltiest ocean. All fads shall come to an end soon or later but I hope this store will continue to thrive for generations to come. read more

Came to sonic boom on the recommendation of other yelpers who love vinyl as much as I do. This place is pretty funky looking with an huge downstairs full of vinyl, cds and dvds. I was amazed by the amount of vinyl, until I realized that most of it is either a) re-issues or b) new vinyl. Barely any used vinyl at all! At least of known artists. I only came out with 1 Lp and 1 cd because honestly the prices were a little crazy even for some of the used vinyl. I understand the more antique an album is the more you charge, but $175 for 1 beatles album that has 10 identical ones behind it on the shelf? Please. If your looking for new expensive vinyl your at the right place. As for the used vinyl, there is a turntable you can tests out your finds on but like I said, it's like going on a treasure hunt. I came out with one of my fav artists so I wasn't entirely disappointed but would probably only come in once or twice a year. read more

Sonic Boom - My finds at Sonic Boom! Woo Alice Cooper! - Vinyl Records Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Sonic Boom is the biggest name in the underground music business. As big chains slowly die a slow death (HMV, e.g.) up pops a larger and swankier little business with no signs of slowing down. Hosting some impressive names in live music at their old location on Bathurst, Sonic Boom now has a cavernous home in the spacious spot in old chinatown next to Dark Horse on Spadina. With plenty of room on the main floor to browse the not-so-dusty bins of vinyl and check out the vintage electronics stacked artfully in the front windows this spot has never looked so purposeful and attractive. The dungeon-like basement has been spruced up with fancy new flooring and wall-to-wall bins of rekkids. With their grand opening just last weekend, go and smell that new LP smell as soon as you can! read more

Lots of new records, which is fine, but I can get them anywhere so not much appeal for me. Very little to find in the used bins outside of common stuff. There were a couple of records I might have bought had the prices and condition been better, but nothing I absolutely needed. Another funny thing about this shop is that it's the only record store I've been to anywhere that had a security guard. I guess shoplifting is a problem there. read more

Solid record store that has a variety of other stuff as well. Considering how much they carry, things are nicely organized.

I've been to sonic boom twice now and I LOVE IT HERE! The store has an incredible selection and the Friendliest staff who are happy to answer any questions. Had to do an exchange during my second visit and had no problem what so ever. I will definitely be a repeat customer and will recommending this store to everyone! read more

We would like to write a good review for this shop but unfortunately, we cannot do this. It is really a big record shop with a big choice. We found and bought here about ten records. It was rather difficult to find what we wanted due to the randomly placed alphabet and no help from the staff. They have to learn how to keep order and how to respect customers in "Rotate This" shop at 186, Ossington Street or in " Kops Records" a Queen Street. Cannot say we spent not enough money to be treated like desired clients. On contrary, we faced disrespect, arrogance, and neglect and got a bitter aftertaste after visiting this shop. The shop general manager Christopher was rather rude and disrespectful. What was very surprising. You have to be careful when buying records in Sonic Boom shop because you can never exchange the item here even if you see scratches on the surface of the record. You will get no excuse ..Receipt says: " Exchange accepted for used and sealed new items with a receipt within 7 days." But do not believe this.! read more

visited the new location finally, a shell of its former self, as the one on bathurst was fairly bigger, having said that, the selection of the New location is fasinating. a split level store with all sorts of goodies and nick nacks on the street level store, followed by all of the records, cd's and dvds in the basement. a few huge differences bewteen this store and the previous location. this location is damn near spotless, the staff are super friendly, and they have a live dj? (all the times i went to the previous location they only had a radio on?) i also noticed the pricing was considerably lower at this location, sometimes by at least five bucks or so, which is amazing come check out canada's largest independent record store \m/! read more

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I had such a good time browsing this store for at least an hour. It seemed like it would be overwhelming when I walked in, but it only took me about 30 seconds to clearly see and understand all their organization and different sections. The signage was all very clear, good and sensical. The first thing I looked for was the same first thing I ALWAYS look for when I go to a record store, which is a specific obscure album I've been wanting for years. To my extreme surprise, I actually found it! And for only $4! Wow! After that, almost everything that popped into my head to look for, I found. It was absolutely unbelievable. The employees never spoke to me when I was browsing, which I personally like. I could clearly see employees accessible and available all over the place if I had any questions, so that was good enough for me. I think I did get trailed by an employee who might have been suspicious of me potentially shoplifting for a couple minutes, but it wasn't too bad and he backed off after a bit. I saw pricetags from $1 into the high hundreds, but from my experience as a collector (and the modern marvels of being able to price check things on my phone), the prices seemed fair. The brand new records were maybe $5 more expensive than online, but probably on par or even cheaper if you factor having to pay shipping. As for the used albums, their prices varied by album condition, edition, etc. One thing I really appreciated was that they put out some cheaper and more expensive versions of the same albums when they had them. For instance, you would be presented with options to buy a slightly damaged one for $5, a good condition used one for maybe $10, a brand new sealed one for $20, or anything in between. I know some stores won't even put their cheaper copies on the shelf until the higher priced ones have sold, in order to pressure people into buying those first. So that was cool. Overall, I was very happy with my experience and my purchases, and have already recommended it to some of my friends who are going to be in the city soon. read more

Friendly and helpful staff. Reasonable prices! Have found many gems at Sonic Boom.

Sonic Boom has a lot of potential, nice looking spacious music wonder world, if it would only offer you more for your decent used CD's. They will offer you around .25 cents to $1.75 for your used CD's Customer service is non-existent here, no eye contact, lots of attitude from sloppy dressed/groomed employees who should consider a shave, maybe wear some nicer clothing and be more enthusiastic. read more

It's been almost close to two years since I've shopped at this place, but holy shit, it's slowly turning into the Honest Ed's of physical retail media. During my most recent visit, I planned to have a look at their blu-ray/dvd section (which I found in the past had been a great place to look for rare/collectable new and used product), located in their basement, under the stairs. When I arrived, to my astonishment, the entire section had been overrun with CD's. When I asked the token, under-the-stairs-tatted-twenty-something clerk, "Where is your film collection?", she responded by saying that their CD library had been extended into the film department, and that any blu-rays and dvd's could be found on a pathetic looking bookshelf. When I questioned her as to the turnover rate of CD's vs. blu-ray/dvd I was informed that there was INDEED a higher turnover rate of CD's. Have I stepped into a fuckin' time warp? Unless their CD's are HD re-issues, or special editions or out of print editions, THAT would indeed be high turnover. Unless your product is reflecting these criteria, there is something called online media, where any old edition of a recording can be found, minus the plastic. The fact that they've practically removed any semblance of a film collection, goes to show how much they don't care about film. This place, as far as I'm concerned, is pretty much focused on a demographic. It's downtown hipsters ready to spend their big bucks to pick up too-cool-for-school vinyl...... No thanks!!! read more

I dropped in at Sonic Boom the other day to do a little browsing since I was next door having a coffee at Dark Horse Espresso (previously reviewed). Admittedly, I don't buy many records anymore these days, but I do still keep my eyes open for the few pieces that I am still looking for, and this is probably one of the better places remaining. The store is very large, with some records and a lot of other stuff upstairs, and then a huge basement filled with new and used records as well as cd's and dvd's. I don't recall ever asking for assistance, but there are always staff around helping other people, and they seem to know their stock fairly well. The main floor, has other music related items, such as books and an assortment of turntables; there is also a clearance section with decent copies of used records for $3.49 up to about $10. The lower level has lots of new records at the usual prices, and lots of used items priced from $4.99 and up. There are also racks of cd's and a backroom of dvd movies and tv shows, but I am not sure what the prices are like, probably reasonable though. I think they also have a section of rock t-shirts downstairs. I didn't find the specific album that I thought they had recently, but I did pick-up a few from the clearance bins. Overall, probably the best selection remaining in Toronto, and everything seems to be in good condition. read more

Rude and ignorant staff. The girl at the buying buying desk was incompetent and uneducated as to what the records are worth. Stay away from this store. Better record shops in Toronto read more

Went on 1 of the busiest days of the year!! To say the least, it was crazy packed and really busy! We lined up (line was around the corner) before they opened, yet once opened it moved incredibly fast! Very organized place with friendly and very knowledgeable staff. They were incredibly organized for this event, which made it a beautiful experience. Will definitely be back! read more

Sonic Boom - Vinyl Records Near Me - Toronto, Ontario