Recommends

lorenzonw

Joined 5 years ago

Best 2-channel audio store in Seattle. First of all, let me preface this review by saying that I have been a customer of The Audio Connection for the past 20 years and have become friends with John Zimmerman, the owner, over time.

In this day and age of chain stores and impersonal service, John?s store is a welcome anachronism. This is the store to go to for 2-channel sound. And he?s one of the few stores with expertise in turntables. He even has his own in-house service technician. From the outside, it looks like a little hole in the wall. But when you walk into his listening room, you instantly feel at home. John has a refreshingly low-key approach to selling. He finds out what the customer is looking for, sets up a system, and JUST lets them listen rather than talking a bunch of sales hype. He'd rather let his customers decide for themselves rather than telling them what they should be hearing. That would explain why most of his new customers hear about him through referral.

His lines of products represent the best deal for the money whether you're buying an entry-level, mid-end, or high-end stereo. It's a shame that most people have no idea how good a stereo can sound and just rely on slick sales people and heavily marketed brands. The companies John represents manufacture reliable products and have been in business for years. His top-of-the-line speakers are Chapmans. They retail for $7500 a pair and smoke speakers costing 3-4 times more! And on the other end of the spectrum, John can put together an entry-level system for $2K that sounds surprisingly musical.

Do yourself a favor and audition a stereo at The Audio Connection before buying one from a big name stores. I can almost guarantee you?ll end up buying your stereo from John. You?ll have an excellent customer experience and will be taking your friends there after they ask where you bought such a good sounding system.