Going to San Fran end of August

socfan12

socfan12

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Any good, friendly audio stores I should check out while in the area? Be it gear or new/used vinyl? Interested in good eats as well!

Open to recommendations!:tup:
 
I've been to Audio Vision SF Hi Fi Home Theater San Francisco High End Electronics AV Projectors Highend Speaker Systems Loudspeaker System, pretty good store! Audio High, in Mountain View, is also a cool spot, and you might be able to listen to the big Estelons there!
As for records, both Amoeba stores are mandatory. I dare you come out of either one empty handed :)
Food-wise, I agree with Rob's comment! There's one place I go every single time I'm in SF: Burma Superstar. If you like asian food at all, you have to check them out. They've been growing all over the Bay Area, so you should be able to find one easily. But there still might be a wait!
 
Allen,
Not sure if it is still open and that you may have time to visit, but the analog room in san jose is a goldmine for vinyl.
http://www.metroactive.com/features/the-analog-room-vinyl-records-brian-hartsell2.html
 
Hey Allen, you a carnivore? You have to eat at Epic Roast House on the Embarcadero (right beside the giant bow and arrow installation). The Ribeye is a must, to me easily rivaling the best of the best of Big Apple steakhouses. Get some truffle butter on the side if you're REALLY feeling crazy. Good selection of New World wines too. You'll also be in Dunganess crab ground zero so if you like your asian style crustaceans do check out the little family restaurants PPK or Than Lhong which are located on either side of Golden Gate Park. For west coast chilled seafood, Swan's long line is worth it. Then if you're into fine dining that's unpretentious I recommend Gary Danko's a block from Ghirardelli square. You may have to reserve way ahead of time for this but you can get lucky with late seatings.
 
asiufy said:
I've been to Audio Vision SF Hi Fi Home Theater San Francisco High End Electronics AV Projectors Highend Speaker Systems Loudspeaker System, pretty good store! Audio High, in Mountain View, is also a cool spot, and you might be able to listen to the big Estelons there!
As for records, both Amoeba stores are mandatory. I dare you come out of either one empty handed :)
Food-wise, I agree with Rob's comment! There's one place I go every single time I'm in SF: Burma Superstar. If you like asian food at all, you have to check them out. They've been growing all over the Bay Area, so you should be able to find one easily. But there still might be a wait!
Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion!

I'd like to add Tone of Music, in SF, as another audio store to visit (I've yet to visit :P but will do that myself very soon). If you're a McIntosh fan, Century Stereo, in San Jose, has quite an impressive collection. Music Lovers, in SF or Berkeley, is also another place worth visiting, especially the Berkeley one, where you can listen big Wilsons and Sonus Fabers.

As for Burma Superstar, as popular as it is, I do not find it to be very authentic. Plus the wait is ridiculous. I prefer Mandalay SF as a better Burmese food destination in SF (no affiliation whatsoever).
 
puroagave said:
frisco has an excellent vinyl scene, maybe Larry can chime in. food? SF is one of the great food cities in the US.

Al, you'll have fun regardless.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Rob. My family was there last year for effectively a long weekend. We liked it so much we decided to go back this year and enjoy it some more! Totally agree, a great town!
 
asiufy said:
I've been to Audio Vision SF Hi Fi Home Theater San Francisco High End Electronics AV Projectors Highend Speaker Systems Loudspeaker System, pretty good store! Audio High, in Mountain View, is also a cool spot, and you might be able to listen to the big Estelons there!
As for records, both Amoeba stores are mandatory. I dare you come out of either one empty handed :)
Food-wise, I agree with Rob's comment! There's one place I go every single time I'm in SF: Burma Superstar. If you like asian food at all, you have to check them out. They've been growing all over the Bay Area, so you should be able to find one easily. But there still might be a wait!
Click to expand...

Great suggestions, Alexandre! I see Audio Vision has Audio Physic, Nola, and Dynaudio, 3 brands I really like. I sold off my pair of Virgo IIs many years ago and really miss them. This will definitely be one place I will visit!:tup:

I missed going to Audio High last year. I was close to Mountain View visiting my wife's cousin. If I can get away for the day, I'd like to go down there and listen. Last year they had the big Estelons!:audiophile:
 
kzhtoo said:
Excellent suggestion!

I'd like to add Tone of Music, in SF, as another audio store to visit (I've yet to visit :P but will do that myself very soon). If you're a McIntosh fan, Century Stereo, in San Jose, has quite an impressive collection. Music Lovers, in SF or Berkeley, is also another place worth visiting, especially the Berkeley one, where you can listen big Wilsons and Sonus Fabers.

As for Burma Superstar, as popular as it is, I do not find it to be very authentic. Plus the wait is ridiculous. I prefer Mandalay SF as a better Burmese food destination in SF (no affiliation whatsoever).
Click to expand...

Khin, thx for the suggestion. Last year I wanted to go to Tone of Music but they were closed on that Monday or something like that.:( I'd like to try to get back there if I can...
 
In the Bay Area, I would recommend the two Amoeba stores - especially since they are relatively close to each other - although not that easy to get to without a car. For classical records they are mere shadows of what they were in their heydays. Just down the street in Berkeley is Rasputin's which is a huge store, with quite a bit of vinyl - not too much classical. We have lost a lot of fine smaller stores also.

I haven't been down to San Jose for some time to visit Brian Hartsell. But according to friends, he still has an excellent selection of relatively to very rare used rock, jazz, classical at collector prices, as well as most of the reissues. He also has some very nice analogue gear.

For equipment, Music Lovers, two stores in SF and Berkeley - the Berkeley store is within walking distance of Amoeba's and Rasputin's (1/2 mile flat walk).

My friend and consultant Tim Marutani is available by appointment. He will have only one system set up (currently it is a pair of Magico M Project with Constellation electronics, Aurender server and Pacific Microsonics Model Two.) Well worth hearing what he is doing. Need a car to get to his place in Emeryville, near Berkeley.

Larry
 
astrotoy said:
In the Bay Area, I would recommend the two Amoeba stores - especially since they are relatively close to each other - although not that easy to get to without a car. For classical records they are mere shadows of what they were in their heydays. Just down the street in Berkeley is Rasputin's which is a huge store, with quite a bit of vinyl - not too much classical. We have lost a lot of fine smaller stores also.

I haven't been down to San Jose for some time to visit Brian Hartsell. But according to friends, he still has an excellent selection of relatively to very rare used rock, jazz, classical at collector prices, as well as most of the reissues. He also has some very nice analogue gear.

For equipment, Music Lovers, two stores in SF and Berkeley - the Berkeley store is within walking distance of Amoeba's and Rasputin's (1/2 mile flat walk).

My friend and consultant Tim Marutani is available by appointment. He will have only one system set up (currently it is a pair of Magico M Project with Constellation electronics, Aurender server and Pacific Microsonics Model Two.) Well worth hearing what he is doing. Need a car to get to his place in Emeryville, near Berkeley.

Larry
Click to expand...

Thx for the info, Larry. Would love to hear the M Pro's. Would Tim entertain a visit from someone just window shopping?
 
I have been to many of the HiFi and music stores in the Bay area recently and have opinions on them all. First and foremost, these are my opinions from a consumer and have no connection professionally to any of these places. I did not live in the Bay area, but rather travelled two-three hours from Central Cali to visit the shops. Ok, here it goes:

HiFi stores i have visited in the past 4 years include Elite Audio Systems (SF), Audio Vision (SF), Analog Room (SJ) and only seen Audio High (MV) from the road, thus no opinion. In ranking the first three for overall worthiness and desire to visit i would rank them as Analog Room (1), Elite Audio (2) and Audio Vision (3). Now, i am bias because i own Sim Audio gear. Both Audio Vision and the Analog Room sell Sim Audio and Elite do not. Why i still rank Elite above Audio Vision is the customer service aspect. Ill get into into that in a second. Why the Analog Room is number 1. I met Brian H in 2011 while visiting my daughter in Santa Cruz while I lived in Italy. During my visit i visited multiple stores in Seattle and the Bay area. During this visit i purchased Transparent cables from Definitive Audio in Seattle and the Sim Audio 300d Dac from Brian along with vinyl. Brian H is a talker and great to listen to. He knows audio since it is his life. Yes, he will talk up his gear since he is a salesman, but in his roots he is a audiophile in heart and will tell you his true opinion. He has a small store on the corner of Fruitdale which may be easy to miss if not truly looking for it. A house gutted and transformed into a store. In his store he sells primary SimAudio, Pass Labs, Air Tight, Nottingham, SME, Quad, Harbeth, Quadraspire and a few other brands. Check his website out for the complete list. His vinyl collection is impressive with quality and quantity. No its not Amoeba or Rasputin, but he does have a reputable selection. Although, do not expect it to be cheap. I ended buying a majority of my system from the Analog Room. Secondary, i chose Elite Audio even though i only went there once. The owner took the time to display his Burmester audio setup and introduced me to the Devialet for the first time. He has taken much time setting up his showroom in combination to the coffee shop. If i ever chose to open a audio hifi store, it would mimic Elite Audio. Third and definitely last is Audio Vision. I have been to the old and new store in San Francisco. First time, i entered the small cramp store i quickly realized these people knew nothing in setting up a store. Completely disorganized and very cluttered. The owner (forgot his name) takes pride in owning ever piece of Sim Audio gear currently produced. In addition he has Dynaudio, Naim, HRS and other equipment in the shop. I entered the main room and was quickly sent out since they were giving a presentation to a client. Ok, i respect that, but did not need to be rude. By the way, why not have a dedicated room for scheduled presentations and not the main room? I stood a hour waiting to get questions answered and would not give me the time of day. The following visit to the new store, i received a similar service, but they were kind enough to have me listen to the Sim gear with Dynaudio. At the time of the visit he even stated his frustration with people coming to the store to listen and purchasing elsewhere. He seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. I told him i traveled three hours to visit his shop and spent much money on my current system. In conclusion, the store is cramped, overly priced and service is horrible. Would not give the store or arrogant owner another dime. Since i traveled three hours i did purchase 6 HRS sound isolation hockey pucks were a waste of money.
Again, these are my experiences and my opinions of the three hifi stores in the bay area. Other than the Analog room, i spent money buying music at Amoeba both in SF and Berkley along with Rasputin. A quick mention, i did like 1,2,3, Go in Oakland for selective inventory of heavy metal and independent artists on vinyl. Hope this helps.
 
socfan12 said:
Thx for the info, Larry. Would love to hear the M Pro's. Would Tim entertain a visit from someone just window shopping?
Click to expand...

Allen, let me know your schedule and I'll talk to Tim about availability. If I can make it, I can join you, maybe even on some vinyl hunting. Larry
 
Harris4crna said:
I have been to many of the HiFi and music stores in the Bay area recently and have opinions on them all. First and foremost, these are my opinions from a consumer and have no connection professionally to any of these places. I did not live in the Bay area, but rather travelled two-three hours from Central Cali to visit the shops. Ok, here it goes:

HiFi stores i have visited in the past 4 years include Elite Audio Systems (SF), Audio Vision (SF), Analog Room (SJ) and only seen Audio High (MV) from the road, thus no opinion. In ranking the first three for overall worthiness and desire to visit i would rank them as Analog Room (1), Elite Audio (2) and Audio Vision (3). Now, i am bias because i own Sim Audio gear. Both Audio Vision and the Analog Room sell Sim Audio and Elite do not. Why i still rank Elite above Audio Vision is the customer service aspect. Ill get into into that in a second. Why the Analog Room is number 1. I met Brian H in 2011 while visiting my daughter in Santa Cruz while I lived in Italy. During my visit i visited multiple stores in Seattle and the Bay area. During this visit i purchased Transparent cables from Definitive Audio in Seattle and the Sim Audio 300d Dac from Brian along with vinyl. Brian H is a talker and great to listen to. He knows audio since it is his life. Yes, he will talk up his gear since he is a salesman, but in his roots he is a audiophile in heart and will tell you his true opinion. He has a small store on the corner of Fruitdale which may be easy to miss if not truly looking for it. A house gutted and transformed into a store. In his store he sells primary SimAudio, Pass Labs, Air Tight, Nottingham, SME, Quad, Harbeth, Quadraspire and a few other brands. Check his website out for the complete list. His vinyl collection is impressive with quality and quantity. No its not Amoeba or Rasputin, but he does have a reputable selection. Although, do not expect it to be cheap. I ended buying a majority of my system from the Analog Room. Secondary, i chose Elite Audio even though i only went there once. The owner took the time to display his Burmester audio setup and introduced me to the Devialet for the first time. He has taken much time setting up his showroom in combination to the coffee shop. If i ever chose to open a audio hifi store, it would mimic Elite Audio. Third and definitely last is Audio Vision. I have been to the old and new store in San Francisco. First time, i entered the small cramp store i quickly realized these people knew nothing in setting up a store. Completely disorganized and very cluttered. The owner (forgot his name) takes pride in owning ever piece of Sim Audio gear currently produced. In addition he has Dynaudio, Naim, HRS and other equipment in the shop. I entered the main room and was quickly sent out since they were giving a presentation to a client. Ok, i respect that, but did not need to be rude. By the way, why not have a dedicated room for scheduled presentations and not the main room? I stood a hour waiting to get questions answered and would not give me the time of day. The following visit to the new store, i received a similar service, but they were kind enough to have me listen to the Sim gear with Dynaudio. At the time of the visit he even stated his frustration with people coming to the store to listen and purchasing elsewhere. He seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. I told him i traveled three hours to visit his shop and spent much money on my current system. In conclusion, the store is cramped, overly priced and service is horrible. Would not give the store or arrogant owner another dime. Since i traveled three hours i did purchase 6 HRS sound isolation hockey pucks were a waste of money.
Again, these are my experiences and my opinions of the three hifi stores in the bay area. Other than the Analog room, i spent money buying music at Amoeba both in SF and Berkley along with Rasputin. A quick mention, i did like 1,2,3, Go in Oakland for selective inventory of heavy metal and independent artists on vinyl. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Harris, thank you for the detailed response. Apologies I missed your post originally. I just came back to this thread looking for the suggestions. Google reviews seem to reflect what you are saying. Want to got to Elite, but your writeup makes the Analig Room very appealing, too. Thank you again for your post, ranking, and suggestions!
 
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