Good stores in/near Toronto, ON (1 Viewer)

[JakubH]

Can anyone recommend any stores in or close to Toronto, Ontario that are competetive price wise? I am looking to find the best deals on Pioneer, Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo and the like, especially Pioneer, Panasonic, and Harman/Kardon. I've seen some other Canadians post better prices than I can get locally for some products, and would like to know where I can get similar price. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Salvador]

I could tell you where NOT to go. Avoid Tabangi electonics like a disease! The salesman there is full of BS and when we closed the deal on my 3802, i felt like i was dealing with the devil or something. I should have canvassed more but i was getting impatient. Also look out for kennedy hifi. Avoid this guy named Benny in that place, he is such an elitist prick bast@rd. He basically treated me and my friend like we were sutpid, oblivious shoppers who didn't know a lick about home theater. There is this guy named marcus though in hifi that is pretty good with customer service. Just avoid benny, i think he caters to those willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars on equipment (unless of course you're one of those people).

 

[Steve Adams]

there is a place in markham, on woodbine ave, a little was down the road from the comfort in. cant remember the name of the store exactly, but there is a sports bar there to. the bar has great food, and the store has lots o gear! and good prices...

 

[Steve Adams]

oh, btw, if you go there, go to prime burger and get me a big as double burger and fries and courier it to me?

 

[Mark Dubeau]

My suggestions:
- Canadian Sound in Brampton
- Lipton's in Newmarket

 

[Spiro A]

BAY BLOOR RADIO NO OTHER FOR ALL THOSE AND MORE

 

[RichardMA]

Bay Bloor Radio is a @$!!# ripoff shop. They have
good inventory, but their pricing is predatory.
Try Audio Excellence on Bayview ave just north
of Hwy 7 or American Sound on Yonge St. north
of Hwy 7 or Brack's on Yonge St. just south
of Hwy 7 on the West side of Yonge St.
Bracks is also downtown on Wellington St.
They priced the Rotel RSP-1066 at only $1850 Can
(about $1200 U.S.). You can bargain with them
all.

 

[Andrew Chong]

You could try Trutone Electronics (est. 1968) in Mississauga right at Dundas and Tomken Streets.

The three separate visits I've paid them have been satisfactory. The staff is overall quite knowledgeable and fair and willing to bargain especially if you plan on buying multiple items. They have given me bargains that far outweigh a visit for the same items at The Sony Store by a magnitude of at least a $120 savings (thank goodness Sony was out of stock and I was able to cancel my Sony order and get refunded).

In my experience, if you purchase PSB speakers from them, and you encounter any problems (in my case, a defective driver and tweeter on the same speaker on two separate occasions), you can bring them back and they are authorized to fix them. However, the turnover time may vary depending on availability of parts; it took about three weeks and my repeated follow-up calls to get the new driver retrieved from PSB (who were holding the repair up due to unavailability) and installed. On the other hand, it took only three days for the tweeter to be replaced.

 

[Brian Johnston]

I don't think anyone has mentionned Audio One yet, they are on Steeles Ave. W. (north side, east of the 400), best place I have found if you want to demo and compare equipment. They don't sell Denon stuff though.

Lipton's in Newmarket is good but, they are not set up to let you compare different products.

Brack on Yonge St. is good, but avoid the one downtown on Front.

Happy shopping!

 

[Martin Rendall]

I've had good luck with Audio One and Trutone, although Trutone will try to sell you cables.

Hi Brian!

Martin.

 

[JakubH]

Thank you very much everyone! I will be trying to make a road trip soon to check out some of these places. BTW, does anyone know of any H/K dealers in the area (non future shop of course), or do any of the stores mentioned carry H/K?

 

[John Doran]

audio one is a great shop.

avoid bay-bloor. for real.

- jd

 

[Brian Johnston]

I don't think any of the shops mentionned so far sell H/K, if you are looking for a place to demo some H/K gear, I think you are out of luck.

Brentview Electronics (Mt. Pleasant south of Eglington)I think sells H/K gear, but I doubt they have any set up to demo/compare.

Good Luck.

Hi Martin.

 

[ChrisAG]

Seems like people have positive and negative experiences no matter the place. My experiences, from best to worst:
Bay Bloor radio - Knowledgable and friendly staff, but a little on the expensive side. They are willing to negotiate somewhat. Clearance prices are OK. Merchandise can be returned for a full refund within a week, or credit within 30 days. Would shop there again.
Whitby Audio - I only shopped there once, but from what I've seen, they have decent prices, are willing to negotiate, but don't have as good a refund policy unless you ask for one up front. Would shop there again.
Kromer Radio - Similar to Bay Bloor as far as bargaining, but may have slightly better prices to begin with. Sales staff varies from poor to terrific. I don't know what their official return policy is, but they accepted the Onkyo 797 I returned after a week, without balking (though I had previously spent $3000 on speakers there, so that may have played a part). Would shop there again (tied with Whitby Audio).
Brack Electronics - Knowledgable staff, but can be pushy. Very expensive. I probably wouldn't shop there unless I wanted a Rotel.
Kennedy Hi-Fi - I somewhat agree with Salvador, but didn't have as bad an experience as him, and they are price competative. However, I will probably not shop there again.
American Sound of Canada - Knowledgable with good prices right off the bat, but awkward business hours. Staff is friendly at first, but if you have warranty problems that go beyond the straightforward they may get testy. Example: I was one of the first people to get a Marantz SR6200, and as most people now know, the x200 line of receivers were quite buggy for the first few months. As I (politely) reported multiple problems over time, the owner became quite impatient and rude, forcing me to deal directly with the distributor (fortunately they are close by). I will not shop at ASoC again.

 

[GabrielC]

I'm gonna have to agree with Salvador too, Benny at Kennedy HiFi treated my friend and myself like we were idiots. He didn't want to talk with us any longer than he had to and everything that came out of his mouth reeked of his elitist attitude. I won't ever deal with that guy and I definitely won't recommend him to anybody else, the store also has fairly high prices compared to other shops which is another sore point.

As for the others, I have the same opinions as ChrisAG on the Brack's, Bay Bloor, and American Sound of Canada. I haven't been to the others.

 

[Shawn Solar]

I ran up to Kromer radio for a fellow HT member out of detroit. I found the sales guy a bit more knowledgable than toast, but they do carry some good stuff. They carry H/K by the way.

 

[Mark Leitch]

Interesting to see all the Benny reports... I have heard of people almost not buying because of his presence... though Marcus seems very good. I have never bought from KHF, though I often give them the chance.

Two stores I do like are Toronto Home of Audiophile (sic). Not a big HT store, but nice stuff at good prices. I like Audio Excellence on Bayview as well.

I have yet to visit The Sound Room in Scarborough... but it seems promising. If anyone has, I would like to hear about it. I have also heard Alternative Audio out in Dundas is worth the drive... I have yet to visit though.

M.

 

[Joe Hsu]

heh, hey there Shawn.

 

[Phil]

I'm going to strongly recommend that anyone who is interested in receiving friendly, courteous service and very competitive pricing check out at HDTVat Bamburgh Circle in Scarborough (Warden Ave. just south of Steeles on the east side).
You will find that they will go out of their way to accommodate you. Speak to Steven, his wife Mercedes or their son Jim. They carry a wide range of products(Sony ES line, Denon, Pioneer ELITE, Panasonic, JVC, Harmon Kardon, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Infinity, Jamo, JBL, Bell Expressvu, JPS cables, DVDO iScan, Stewart Film Screens....) and are very pleasant to deal with. I have been to almost all the stores mentioned previously in the thread and usually end up buying at HDTV.
I should advise that there are several HDTV stores in the G.T.A. but can only comment on the Bamburgh Circle store.
They also have a new website www.hdtvonline.ca but I think they are new to the "web" experience so visit the store to get a true picture.
Feel free to mention my name.....
As far as Kennedy HiFi goes, I personally have never had a problem there...
Good Luck,
Phil

 

[Jon SS]

How were the prices at American Sound of Canada?

I was thinking about the Theta Digital Dreadnaught power amp, and I think they are the only dealer in Ontario (or even Canada) and therefore would not negotiate price. I notice all the dealers in the US sell under list.

Also, did anybody buy any Integra Research products in Toronto?

Thanks