By Juan C. Ayllon You have to hand it to these guys. They put up their money to bring the latest in listening pleasure in hopes of making a living. And many do a terrific job. I'm talking about the brick and mortar stores where you can actually see, touch and listen to the products first hand and, quite often with a mere deposit of your credit card, borrow them to hear them in your listening space. This next week, Saturday Audio Exchange in Chicago will be auditioning my pair of Usher Mini Dancer Two DMD speakers (they are burning-in a pair of Usher's SD-500 monitors now), as they are considering carrying some of the exotic Usher line. Toska Audio in Highland Park, Illinois is currently an Usher dealer and has a pair or two of their bookshelf speakers on hand.
Saturday Audio Exchange and Toska Audio are two of the Chicago area audio dealers that also include: Simply Stereo (Hoffman Estates, IL), Pro Musica Audio (Chicago), Quintessence Audio (Morton Grove), Music Direct (Chicago), Nerd Audio (Chicago), Holm Audio (Woodridge), F-1 Audio (Palatine), and Deluxe Audio and Video (Naperville). No doubt, there are others, as well. If you're into Klipsch Heritage line speakers, both Saturday Audio Exchange and Simply Stereo provide you with the opportunity to give them a listen and form your own opinion. In addition, there are some excellent vinyl shops to explore. Two that come to mind are Vintage Vinyl in Evanston and Daddyo's Framing Music Memoreabilia in Wauconda. Again, no doubt there are many more. My point is that the brick and mortar shops are often staffed with very knowledgeable owners and staff that can not only provide you a chance to experience equipment up close and personal, but can help you find and select equipment that will have great synergy to help give you the best bang for your buck. Moreover, they offer you the opportunity to meet other like-minded audio enthusiasts. Some even host listening events. Off the top of my head, Pro Musica has regular meetings and Toska recently offered members of the Chicago Audio Society a chance to listen to a handful of products, including the Usher TD-10 and Figaro XL loudspeakers backed by some excellent components. So, if you're not doing anything, pay your local brick and mortar hi-fi store a visit. You just might be surprised with the treasures you will find!
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March 2024
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