I was prodded to think about this based on the number of posters that have trouble finding the gear they want to hear/demo in their area.
What do you do when on vacation? For me I always add a few things into my trips to other cities/areas. (1) Search out the best Vinyl stores (new & used). I like to support Brick & Mortar. (2) Look for the best liquor stores to see if I have find some bourbons not available around my area; and (3) Visit the best Audio Showrooms in town.
By doing #3 I get to see many pieces of equipment that I never get exposed to in my area. Why is it some brands have only 2-3 dealers in the continental use [don't answer that]. I'll admit to planning some trips to areas that have dealers that demo certain brands. What else are you going to do if you want to demo Basis Audio Turntables, or Borreson Speakers?
Let's not forget our "vacations" to audio shows (Axpona, Capitol Audio Show, Rocky Mtn, etc.)
I'm sure I am not alone here. What were some of your favorite Audiophile vacations.
You more accurately depicted what my intent was in this post. I did not mean to suggest that I was going on vacations with the specific intent of just going to record stores and audio showrooms. They were always side ventures while I was there.
Although she didn't like it much, I've gone to plenty of audio retail stores while away from home on vacation. Sue me; I wanted to see what 'Sound By Singer' looked like while in Manhattan and to hear what they had.
I get to hear and see things that have eluded me at shows, not to mention what is available to hear in Colorado anyway. Visiting audio stores is NOT a vacation, merely a side-trip if available. That's what makes audio a hobby for us.
tubes108, a caveat on the Borresen brand; they are detrimental to your pocketbook but you'll sure enjoy the music eating your noodles. :-) I think they sound spectacular.
PuLeez, We are not talking about looking at Audio stores in Africa when on Safari or in the African bush.
I missed the part we’re you excluded Africa in your original post.
You won't find any good audio stores outside of Joburg or Nairobi.
Weird, I’ve seen good audio stores in Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Durban and Capetown to name but a few. I guess I must have imagined it?
But come on people, don't extrapolate this benign question into far fetched examples.
Indeed. Only pgaulke here is sophisticated enough to have travelled to Africa. Let’s not be “far fetched” and pretend any of us travel abroad, let alone Africa, for vacation.
PuLeez, We are not talking about looking at Audio stores in Africa when on Safari or in the African bush. I've lived and worked in Africa off & on for over 35 years. You won't find any good audio stores outside of Joburg or Nairobi. But, given that I collect original vinyl from African Labels (not the French or British labels that pump out music from the continent) I would also see if I could find decent quality vinyl releases of select types of African Music.
But come on people, don't extrapolate this benign question into far fetched examples.
Being an audiophile is a hobby, why are folks making it out to be onerous chore to visit an a high end audio dealer or great brick & mortar music store when traveling or on vacation? I don’t get it
You don’t "get" why somebody who has gone to great expense and effort to travel 8,000 miles to go on a safari would rather not waste time looking at speakers but spend the time taking in the nature and wildlife?
SMH
I can just picture it afterwards;
Friend - "Well Paul, what did you see while in Africa?" Paul - "I saw some really cool audio stores."
Being an audiophile is a hobby, why are folks making it out to be onerous chore to visit an a high end audio dealer or great brick & mortar music store when traveling or on vacation? I don't get it.
I am crazy about traveling, and I was very happy when I found a job in which I needed to travel often to different cities and countries. What business trips allowed me to achieve my dream and visit many countries of the world. You can look for a good job for yourself on by the link website. I hope you will find something good for yourself.
I am unfamiliar with the Borreson brand. For Basis, I am aware only of
the Basis dealers I have dealt with. Those are American Sound of Canada,
also called Angie's Audio Corner, located in a Toronto suburb and
Goodwin's High End located in Waltham, MA. For info on other dealers do
contact Basis Audio directly; they are responsive to emails.
For LP stores worth traveling to. I always made a stop at the iconic
Village Music when I was in the Bay area. The store closed a while ago,
though afterwards the owner sold out of his record warehouse. Don't know
if he still does, believe his Village Music website is still active
which can provide specifics.
When in the hunt I found it most rewarding to visit cities with numerous
LP stores, such as the Boston area, Chicago area, and San Francisco and
surrounding areas such as Berkeley and Marin County, with Marin just
across the Golden Gate from San Fran. In Marin I found many hard-to-find
LPs at reasonable prices at Mill Valley's Mill Valley Music.
I'm keen on traveling, but I'm not able to go on trips that often because of my job. They don't go well together, so I think I need to change something.
I'm with petg60. No hifi shops on the island. The bourbon is in KY and I finished booze a while back. I take music with everywhere. Happy is a fine destination.
I'm taking one this coming August. Krissy is coming from NH, Rick from TX, and who knows maybe a few more will join us? We have a slew of stuff to try, and my Blackhawk should be here by then, plus whatever else might just magically appear.
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