TekTicker

I tried to search for this, but wasn't able to find a thread about it so I thought it might be appropriate to share our experiences with both online and B&M retailers of home theaters.

My favorite online retailer for anything HT is crazyeddie.com.

The B&M retailer that I like best (although I think their prices are a little high) is Best Buy because of their customer service.

Any other favorites?

skar

I mostly like smaller independent shops because they tend to have much more knowledge staff and most of the brands I like aren't found in BB or CC.

My favorite store is HiFiSound Electronics in Minneapolis. Excellent staff and great brands. I love PSB speakers and are the only dealer in the western part of the Twin Cities. I'm willing to pay a moderate premium over the best online prices to give them my business.

Audio King is a local chain store that is a nice middle ground. More locations and flyers in newspapers like BB and CC. Audio King carries brands like Denon, Infinity, Krell, Boston Acoustics, and Martin Logan.

I'm willing to shop online also for the best prices, but I have yet to make a $200+ Home Theatre online. Online stores that I will consider include J and R and Crazy Eddie. Also Shop Sunshine and Express Cameras (carries Onkyo and Denon receivers) have great prices. Anyone used them?

agrall

That's a joke, right? Best Buy does NOT have good customer service... They may have better prices than some of the more specialized HT retailers, but, with the exception of certain stores, their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

I have recently had an absolutely terrible experience with Best Buy, and I will never return there, (nor will many of my friends) especially for home theater hardware. In the future, I will frequent some of the smaller, more specialized shops. I will end up paying a little more, but they care about their reputations, and will therefore do their best to please the customer.

skar

You must have been comparing Best Buy to K-Mart, Walmart, and Sears.

briank

I also kind of took this as a joke but could be wrong?!

Crazy Eddie usually has great prices but people have had numerous complaints about shipping time and having to wait for it to be in stock for LONG PERIODS of time.

And ofcourse Best Buy can be "friendly" sometimes but that's only if they know what you need or run into the "perfect" person.
But if you have a "problem" once you realize the hassle that the store policies can actually have. Or if you have any sort of detailed questions more than likely their "experts" won't be able to help you much. So basically you would have to KNOW YOUR STUFF and what exactly you want/need on your own.
And to the extent of their "help" it would be just checking you out.

reverb

Choosing not to consider significant online home theater purchases would eliminate some of the best values available.

For example: Outlaw Audio, Home Theater Direct speakers, Ascend Acoustics speakers, Norh speakers, Better Cables, and more...

Xytraguptorh

For those of you who've ordered from crazyeddie.com: where are the shipping charges listed on the site? Or are they just included with the price that's listed? Also, how can you find out if a product is currently in stock?

M i c h a e l

Also consider that most (i.e., 99%) of high-end brands do not allow their
product to be sold online, and purchasing them online a) voids the warranty,
b) will cause the dealer doing so to lose their line.


The best place to buy Home Theater gear, is at http://www.stereo411.com
click on the "Dealer" tab and find a competent audio dealer near you.

Do you resaerch, look for a 15-20% discount, and have a great system, at
a good price; much more rewarding than having an OK system at a very cheap
price, IMHO.

Happy shopping.

nekobus

I have to second this, especially for speaker purchases.

I went to my local independent shop and was able to take my time auditioning and choosing speakers. I ended up paying the same price I would have paid online, plus I they have a return policy which doesn't include such lovely things as return shipping or restock fees.

In addition, I ended up with a system which would put any HTB sytem to shame for not that much more money.

On the other hand I have purchased other components, such as receivers and DVD players, online.

reverb

Also consider that many higher-end/high-quality brands are available only directly from the manufacturer via online ordering, including those I referenced.

As an owner of much esoteric two-channel stuff over the years, I would definitely place Outlaw and Home Theater Direct's offerings alongside comparable products costing many times more from familiar high-end companies. And I'm certainly not alone. If it weren't for direct online purchasing, this stuff would be much more expensive.

M i c h a e l

True, there are a few high quality brands that sell online, no one
was arguing with that. But the majority (literally 99%) do not allow
online sales, which is important to note so people are not stuck with
gear that has no warranty.

BTW, I've recommended Outlaw to folks here numerous times; don't think
there's a cheaper entry-level HT amplifier available, short of going the used
route.

TekTicker

Regarding Best Buy, I know some of you guys have had bad experiences with them, but I've had nothing but good experiences. Their prices are a little high compared to other online retailers and Good Guys or Circuit City.

As for Crazy Eddie's, I am totally in love with them. A few years ago, I bought a Sony 50" from Fry's for about $4,600 with just the manufacturer's warranty. My wife found the same model from Crazy Eddie's for about $3,000. We called their service number and, including shipping and four years of service and warranty came to about $3,500. That's well over a $1,000 we saved. Fry's gave us a big hassle about returning an open box and even charged us a 10% restocking fee.

Their website is just for your informational purposes. You'll have to call and talk to an actual person to get the prices and shipping confirmed. The wait time on shipping is about two weeks.

Crazy Eddie's is great. You won't find any prices lower than theirs, even with the shipping costs included. If you do, just call them up and they will match it. There is no sales tax, so you can't beat that either.

Their service and warranty is handled by a third party. You'll just have to register and if anything comes up, they send a repair guy to your house. Many people are afraid to drop money on a retailer they can't see and complain with, but you should give them a chance. We're glad we did.

Scott

B&M is the only way to buy HT. Most of the big online places only go to a certain level, and that's it. All of my equipment (except for the rear surrounds and the Aura's) came from B&M's, and I'm happier for it.

Best B&M? Paragon Video! Steve is a hoot to talk with, and everyone knows more than I'll ever learn. The customer service (pardon me for digressing, but perhaps I should use another term if "customer service" applies to Best Buy) is outstanding.

freeflight

Sears is not bad, they can price match online store.

reverb

They can price match a few select 'established' online retailers total delivered price (including shipping). Not any online price.

freeflight

It depends on the sales person. I price match with a noname online store once (just the lowest price from pricescan.com) without adding S/H charges.

skar

That doesn't improve their service.
I would probably use them, but IMO they don't sell any of the best brands.

reverb

Of course, but since their policy clearly contradicts that one can't rely on salesperson errata. And the policy revision is probably being further implemented each day at more and more stores.

For the specifics of the new Sears price matching policy see my post in this thread:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=130959

Geofferson

www.lgdsuperstore.com is also a good site for HT.

Mitsurugi

Try to find a local high end store.