+1 for Audio Doctor. It is nice to read positive experiences about High End Dealers.
A visit to the (Audio) Doctor
Looking at audio equipment can be a painful experience, sort of like looking at new (or used cars) or a trip to the dentist. I spent 4.5 hours at Audio Doctor in New Jersey. It was a great experience. Dave left a meeting early to see me. He knew that I was not looking at his very high end stuff, but he spent the whole day with me. No pressure, changing speakers many times and going back to a couple of them repeatedly. I have it narrowed down to two speakers, Vivid 1.5 or Janszen Valentia with air motion. Leaning toward the Vivids (pending wife approval). The shop is full of lots of incredible audio equipment at all price ranges. Clearly this is a business that is run out of appreciation of sound rather than maximizing profits.I am hesitant to go to small intimate shops like this out of concerns or pressure. This was just the opposite. Highly recommended.
38 responses Add your response
mastercylinder, Yes a salesman's job is to sell but that is a crude understatement. In reality it is to help guide and provide data to enable the person to discover for themselves what qualities in what product is going to make the purchaser the happiest with the goal of what they are trying to accomplish. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ PS Crwindy it was our pleasure hosting you. |
Master cylinder, sounds like you think “selling” is some form of trickery, pushing you to buy. Some experiences are like that, granted. But it sounds like Audio Doctor is the other kind of salesperson, the kind who has done his due diligence and education and curates a group of products that he knows and understands how they interact. At that point, he’s sharing his knowledge and enabling you to choose the product that most appeals to you. You can self-educate and should, but finding a brick and mortar store owner who will help you on your path is fantastic. I’ve found self education to be expensive! |
Rsf507, what are you questioning? Crwindy found us on these posts and decided to pay us a visit he lives in NYC and was on his way to his CT home and figured he would check us out. He has never been to our store. Many NYC audiophiles do not know about our store, they see our name at shows but don't necessarily put one and one together or didn't know that there was a store like us in the area. If you are visting NYC come in for a demo and see for yourself. We are a rocking store with many unique brands of gear not normally seen on display these include Light Harmonic's the Davinci, T+A , Rethem, Legacy, Aqua Hifi and many others. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
rsf507, I don't know what your comment contributes to this discussion. I spent many hours at the Audio Doctor's shop, and wanted to show my appreciation for his patience, selection and knowledge. If the post was too long for you, you did the right thing by stopping reading. I find people (myself included) are quick to criticize. The other side of that coin tells me that when I get exceptional service, I should praise it. I have no connection to the store (other than being a potential customer). A shop like this is what will make brick and mortar endure. |
I love it Stringreen, you managed to make a pitch for JR in an Audio Doctor post. Lets see if you want to see all the hotest brands and want an alternative to most of the other NY and NJ stores which have a very limited selection and tend to push only this one brand as the path to musical nirvanah compare our approach which is to seek out the most unique and highest performing brands in the market and offer people a choice of what product that they may like as many people have different tastes so we carry: ATC Legacy Rethem Paradigm Gradient Cabasse KEF Dali PSB T+A NAD NAD Masters Aqua Hifi Electrocompaniet Lumin Cary Audio Unision Research Nuprime Micromega Anthem Naim Cambridge Audio Manley Labs Conrad Johnson Parasound Sythesis Italy Light Harmonic the Davinci Innious Zenith Music Server Merrill Williams Real 101 Turntable Mytek These are just some of our lines and unique products on display, we have four sound rooms with one room being a dedicated Home Theater room. Stringreen you should really stop by and listen to a pair of Legacy’s Signatures, they put to shame many of the $14k loudspeakers on the market and cost $7k, and the new Rethm Bhava’s would shock you at how real and musical they sound and they are $4.2k a pair, and you can drive them with a 10 watt amplifier, the Legacy Aeris at $25k is one of the most amazing loudspeakers on the market, and comes with a room correction processor, preamp and dac, and boy do they give many highly regarded $30k to $60k loudspeakers fits. In fact we have three of the highest rated loudspeakers in the $20-40k price range, the Legacy Aeris Absolute Sound Recommended 2017, the KEF Blade, and the Absolute Sound Recommended 2017 Persona 9H. Perhaps the more you find out the better. Check out our video which was shot about 1.5 years ago to give you an idea of what our store is like, it is one big audio candy store with lots of really cool gear from $500.00 streaming speakers to Home Theater. This is why when someone actually comes to our store they rave over the experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NPIn3pEmI4 Dave owner Audio Doctor NJ |
Stringreen perhaps you should come in for a visit. What people who visit our shop love is a true selection of products as well as having many of the best brands which consistantly outperform many much more expensive ones. Take Legacy for example a pair of Signatures costs 7k and you can compare that speaker to a pair of Wilson Sabrinas or a set of Vandy Quattros Ct which are both 14 to 16k speakers The Legacy Aeris at 24k puts most 62k speakers to shame In fact we have three of the top choices in reference loudspeakers from Kef, Paradigm, and Legacy. Our selection of digital products include Lumin, Aurrender,Naim,T plus A,Aqua Hifi, Light Harmonic, Mytek, NAD, Innios & Baetis servers. In the entire tri state area we have the widest selection of truly outstanding music making equipment, setup in a private home with acoustics that duplicate real world enviornments. Long story short if you are looking for a store which dares to follow its own path which offers in each price range a wide selection of truly amazing products give us a ring. Dave owner Audio Doctor |
Stringreen, You should come over for a visit. Our shop is all about selection and finding brands which represent tremendous value. We have three of the top rated reference loudspeakers currently on the market, the Paradigm Personas, the KEF Blades, and the Legacy Aeris. One of the reasons many people who acutally visit the shop come away with a good impression is the fact that we have such a wide selection of state of the art products and in each catagory we usually have several choices, so for example in affordable speakers we carry KEF, Dali, PSB, Legacy, Rethem and Paradigm. Most stores in the New York tri state area have a very limited selection and usually feature one predominant brand as being the best in the price range. We love to be able to offer our clients a choice as each product brings something to the table If you would like to hear any of our products please feel free to contact us. Thanks Dave owner Audio Doctor NJ |
I had a very unusual but wonderful experience visiting Dave, the Audio Doctor. Unusual by means of his home and business in a Victorian home in Jersey City. I arrived 15 minutes early for an 11am appointment on Sunday and was greeted by his down to earth and friendly wife. We spoke for about 15 minutes discussing this old Victorian home while Dave was getting prepared for my arrival. She offered something to drink and I asked for a cup of tea in which she complied graciously. The house was set up with a large variety of top named components in different rooms ranging in prices from affordable to very expensive. I didn't feel I was in a showroom but in a friend's living room which added to the experience. Next up, Dave himself, one of the nicest and enthusiastic person you want to meet. For the next 2 hours we spoke about audio equipment and his knowledge was quite impressive. He worked at some of the high-end audio shops in Manhattan I use to visit with my brother back in the 70s and 80s. I felt as if i was speaking to an old friend. I guess we both got caught up in our interest and enthusiasm of audio equipment that I almost forgot why I was there in the first place. Not once during this time period did Dave try to sell anything. The next hour we discussed music servers and Dacs and did some listening. But what blew me away, Dave offered to bring some components we discussed to my home to audition. Wow, talk about great service! After over 40 years of auditioning audio equipment at many showrooms in the New York area, I cannot recommend a better experience and the hospitality of the Audio Doctor. |
I realize this thread is a bit old, but saw it and felt the need to contribute my experiences with Audio Doctor. I had an amp that required repair under warranty. The brand recommended and approved Audio Doctor because they were the closest dealer. When I wrote AD they didn’t respond. After I wrote them a third time they finally wrote back insisting they did respond (although they were unable to forward that email). They then refused to help me because the item was purchased in Canada, citing the manufacture’s policy. I showed them the manufacturer’s written approval. Still they refused. They then became aggressive, questioning why I didn’t buy it from them. When I told them I couldn’t find a US dealer via an Internet search they implied I was untruthful or inept. Ultimately, I got the item fixed in the US in Florida, fully covered by the manufacturer. This was the second such incident with AD. Since that time I’ve literally bought $40K in equipment (much carried by them) and have refused to call them or visit, despite their convenient location. The friend who accompanied me to the audio show lives in Jersey City. After, he asked me where he should go for high end equipment. I told him to avoid Audio Doctor. Audio dealers in the NYC area have a bad reputation, and these guys seem to be no different. |
Dear Jtrelin, What a lovely sentiment. Let get the facts straight. First of all we do get a ton of emails some which get stuck in spam so it is possible that yours were ending up in there, we are also a small comany with two - three employess so much of our time up to this point is or was spent working outside the office installing systems for our clients. Secondly, you miss one key fact, you purchased a product directly from Canada, for whatever reason, that makes it a "gray good" which is what a product that bypasses normal distribution is called, and you are acting as the importer. We are not required by any dealer agreement to service a product you did not purchase from us, and that includes all dealers unless you are a service center which we are not. We sell and service equipment for our clients and our service to our clients is above board. We secured a no cost a newer intergrated amplifier for one of our clients when their unit failed. we went to his house, picked up the unit, provided a loaner, has his unit repaired redelivered it. When it failed a second time we worked with the manufactuer to upgrade him at no cost to the next model which was more expensive. We normally go out of our way to take care of many people even ones who are not our clients, however, some people rub us the wrong way and this is not a New York thing. The fact that you think, " are entitled to service " because we sell the same product is ludicrious, and shows what kind of small minded person you are. Good for you that you found someone in Flordia to take care of you, we being a small company do not have the latitude to service people that our not our clients, nor do we have the resources to be able to take in repairs from clients that our not our clients just because we sell the line, we sell over 60 lines of gear can you imagine the time, paperwork and shipping costs engendered if we just took in and serviced for free products not purchased from us and that were imported directly by the client? Yes there are times when we started a new relationship with a client out of a service call, but most people understand civility and what is proper and what is not as well as what they are entitiled to receive. Sometimes being nice works try next time to see things from the other side before you try to denegrate their business. You are not entitled to anything a relationship starts with a covenant sorry we go out of our way for our clients, who have an understading of what is right and proper. We have a 4.9 rating on Google no store in the A/V business in the New York metro region scores higher. Our ratings are due to many satisfied and happy clients, who have all purchased products and systems from us. Good luck in your future purchases. Dave Lalin, owner |
When I sold audio back in the 70’s and early 80’s, we also offered service for the equipment WE sold. Many times someone would come in to try to get their equipment repaired which was purchased from a local discount store across town. We flatly refused every person that came in to try to get a repair of such equipment. We had a sign next the the service department that stated “We service ONLY what we sell”. We pretty much stuck to that unless the person was a customer of ours who made many other purchases from us. In that case weather the unit was in or out of warranty, they were charged the same price. We also let it be known to them that we were doing the client a huge favor. It is very expensive to run a repair service and it usually ends up being a losing proposition. You hopefully get your money back in sales, but not always. Audio Doctor had every right to refuse you service and if I owed the business, I would have done the same. I also question the persons motive for complaining about this in an open forum. Is the person deliberately trying to ruin Audio Doctors service? The bottom line is you bought something direct from Canada, skipping the US dealers and then you go to the local store for service and are told no. So, you throw a hissy fit and try to ruin a persons livelihood. Not cool. I’m glad you weren’t a customer in our store back in the day. I would have quickly escorted you to the door. |
Being in retail is tough especially with the yahoo’s on the internet being able to say anything about a business. Take a look at the following retail extortion site for what Upscale Audio deals with. I like the way these guys are not taking it lying down. https://www.yelp.com/biz/upscale-audio-la-verne A mechanic friend of mine who owned a shop told me many online extortion stories via reviews. It is always good to have some doubt on everything you read online. |
| Post removed |
I have at times felt that Audio Doctor's participation on other threads is inappropriate when they try to steer those involved in the discussion to gear they sell and then list the associated equipment lines at the end of the posts. In this case regarding whether or not to repair gear bought out of the country when they carry that line puts Audio Doctor squarely in the right. Dave articulated his rationale clearly. Why didn't jtrelin simply go to Audio Doctor in person and discuss the repair issue since he claims their shop is close to him? Don't get that at all. As the one requesting service in a sketchy scenario, a face to face might have yielded results with greater understanding instead of all the angst. |
I've had good luck with Audio Doctor however I've never required service from a component I purchased from them. I have no doubt though that they would be great with that too. With that being said, I have a problem with a guy (who signed up to Audiogon just to bash a dealer who didn't bow in his general direction OR, more likely, an existing Audiogon member who signed up under another moniker just so he/she can mask their identity) who buys a product direct from a dealer in Canada and then feels its a US dealers' responsibility to service it. If the dealer in Canada was good enough to buy from, ship to you internationally, pay appropriate duties (because I'm certain you/they declared the appropriate value) and still provide you the value you wanted then I'm sure they are good and honorable enough to service that product. Oh, it takes extra time? That's part of the risk you assumed when buying from them. Oh its inconvenient to ship internationally? Thats the way it goes. I personally enjoy the posts from Audiotroy, they always disclose they are dealers of a given product and they dont always recommend their own products but they always tell you how they feel. At the end of the day, I believe this troll @jtrelin should ask the dealer from whom he/she purchased their gear to service it. A high quality tech employed by a high quality shop is an expensive endeavor, all in well into 6 figures with salary and burden. Its not their responsibility to support your decision to save a few hundred bucks on your purchase you made elsewhere. |
Steve, you are spot on! A good salesman is someone who educates as well as asks questions. When we spec out a speaker system we ask questions: 1: Room size 2: Matching gear 3: Type of music you listen to 4: Visual or size preferences and or requriements. 5: How loud do you play? 6: Do you have a sonic palate preference ie a warmer or more detailed sound? 7: Image specificty do you like? Ie a big soundstage without focus or more focus image? 8: Bass response you are trying to create 9: Price range 10: What kind of speakers do you presently own along with the rest of the system and what do you like and what are you desiring to improve? What we find facsinating is how many people just blurt out over and over again on these forums the same set of speakers that of course they own therefore they are right for everyone. For this reason we sell lots of different brands of loudspeakrs because one size does not fit all. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
All salesmen are prejudice. No single audio dealer has everything that I want. For example, if you go to the AD for advice, would they actually tell you to go down the street to audition a pair of Revel’s or Wilson’s because that would fit tour needs better than what stock? That’s like saying a Toyota dealer telling a customer they would be better off buying a Ford. I would agree that AD didn’t have to support the “gray” market product, but it sounds like AD did everything he could to put the client down. I didn’t hear anything that the client took many hours of AD’s time then went online to buy it much cheaper. AD should have explained the scenario but should have assisted the maybe future client to help find someone to help him. Now, if I was that person that needed help, the next time I was looking for a new component, I know who I wouldn’t go to. I personally don’t think it’s appropriate for dealers to respond to audio threads because of their biases. All audiophiles have a bias to what they have purchased, but they aren’t trying to sell you something. |
Rbstereno, it is not a matter of prejudice, we have discussed on show reports that we have heard and liked many products that we don't stock, which include WIlson and Rockport for example. We stated in our Axpona report how good the latest series of Wilsons sound and we don't sell the brand now do we? We have also on occasion recommended people check out other dealers as well as our shop in discussions. We as a dealer choose our products because we feel that they offer things the other products don't, for example Revel doesn't offer a loudspeaker which has the room tuning capabilities of a Legacy or a Paradigm, does that mean we feel that our speakers are "better" it really does depend on what you prefer, in our mind the Revel although still excellent is outclassed by the Paradigm in terms of drvier technlogy and a few other advances. We have one of the largest assortment of reference loudspeakers in the NYC area which include the Kef Blade, the Paradigm Persona 9H, the Legacy Aeris, we will be moving into the Vimberg line in 2020 and the Alta Audio Diamond Hestia as well. Does that mean the Paradigms sound better that is up to the user. The Pardigm's when everything is right with them sound remarkable whien not correct they sound foward. In terms of imaging, bass response, resolution they are state of the art, however you still need to like the overall presentation. Our approach is to offer clients choices and not to try to ram one particular brand down peoples throats as a famous NJ dealer tends to do with one particular brand of loudspeakers. If you ask us which is our best loudspeaker we reply which is the best car a BMW, a Mercedes, an Audi, Cadilliac, Lexus, Infiniti, These statements that one loudspeaker or product is better is just stupid, all of the products we sell as well as the other dealers are all oustanding, as a dealer you choose products based on a whole slew of criteria. As per putting this client down, hardly, if you read his comments he felt he was in his own words "entittled to get service from us because we are a dealer of that product." Doesn't sound like a person who will be flexible or willing to see things from anothers perspective. Also for the record we have assisted many clients with repairs from gear not purchased from us, this particular client rubbed us the wrong way and in business as with any relatioship there are occassions where things don't work out and for this we are sorry that things didn't work out for this person with us. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
