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Audiophile Equipment in Toronto

AlvinofDiaspar

AlvinofDiaspar

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Just a question - where can one pick up some budget (by audiophile standards) but high quality audio equipment (amps, speakers, etc)? Clearly not Best Buy and the like.

An additional question is - does anyone have any experience with Epos speakers? And what would one advise for setting up a decent budget system?

Thanks in advance!
 
Bay Bloor for sure. Brack used to be good when they were down on Wellington. They moved a few years back to somewhere near Dufferin and Castlefield I think.
 
I have had tremendous luck in buying used equipment EBay is worth a look.

I bought a pair of legendary Yamaha monitor speakers on Ebay for less than $100, which usually go for >$300, even though used. Occasionally you find items that are placed in the wrong category and escape the attention of other bidders. This is how I found the these speakers. Also a good source for Receivers, many high end 5.1 systems are being replaced by audiophiles for 7.1 systems or those with HDMI switching. As such there are some great bargains with lots of Yamaha, Denon and Harmon Kardon receivers.


My brother stumbled upon a pair of Mission loudspeakers at Value Village for $7. Some cosmetic damage on one but they work perfectly.
 
Thanks everyone - I wasn't really looking for high-end or even mid-end by audiophile standards (who can afford those!), just something that is a step above generic fare.

Glen:

I am trying to avoid 5.1/7.1 systems - the way I envision it right now, it's going to be simply stereo (with the possiblity of a sub later for a 2.1 system). I thought ebay is a good idea and thanks for reconfirming that direction. At this stage I am not looking for transports either since I will basically be using my computer as the input.
 
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I purchased a set of Creative Gigaworks T20's a few weeks ago for my computer. I couldn't resist at half price. Theses are certainly good enough for a small/medium size room. IMHO these would suffice for most applications.
 
I highly recommend Kromer Radio on Bathurst, just north of Dundas. They have mid and high end equipment at better prices than Bay Bloor Radio, and you don't get any attitude there. Kromer carries the much respected "Paradigm" line of speakers, which are made in Canada too! I went Paradigm 7 years ago and never looked back, they're brilliant.
 
Thanks dt_toronto_geek. Paradigm is definitely one of the speaker brands I am considering, since I've read some really good reviews of their monitors.

Great to hear about the lack of attitude - that's one thing really off putting about just starting to get into AV.

AoD
 
AoD,

truthfully I have only sold a couple of things on CAM. Essentially any owner posts up and gets contacted via email. I would expect most people will lowball on the component and the owner will sell based on the balance of their need to max the amount and timeline. I do think most of the people selling on that site are audiophiles of some sort but i would tend to stick to stuff that is in the GTA so you can demo first. Check out their scam and fraud link to be sure.

I will be using CAM to sell a proceed AMP-5 5 channel amp soon as my son's nursery has displaced my HT room. Its a great amp for 2 channel sound as well as surround. hint hint!
 
I'll just throw my support behind the Paradigm brand as well. I am on my second set of their speakers (my first set was ruined by cat scratching) I'm not in the city but I bought mine at Gibby's in St Catharines. I didnt like the styling of the current models so the salesman told me they had a few of the previous years models in the back. I ended up buying a pair of these and saved about $75.

My current amp is an upper end SONY 5.1 from about 7 years ago, but I am just running it with the pair of front speakers now. I think surround sound is a bit of a gimmick to keep people buying ever more equipment. Its the same with all electronic and high tech equipment - they keep adding features that nobody with a job and a life actually need. Keep it simple and enjoy!
 
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Redroom:

I've read in multiple reviews that their Atoms are really good for that price point.

re: gimmicks

That's what I am trying to avoid - I wanted the system just for playing music well, not home theatre or anything that's meant to blow the roof off.

AoD
 
I think what I've got are bigger than Atoms... I have the Monitor 5 v.4, likely a 2006 model which I paid about $450 for the pair. Its just a joy to see "Made in Canada" on the label.
 
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