Good HiFi stores in NY, Washington DC area


Hi, I'm looking for recommendations for good HiFi stores in NY, NJ, Philadelphia, Delaware, Maryland and DC metro area. I'm looking to buy good condition pair of used/demo Speakers (for Pass XA 30.5). I've shortlisted wide range of brands (coincident, silverline, Von Schweikert, clearwave, DeVore, Tannoy, Proac) etc. or any other suggestions please... My priority is to listen to...

Coincident (Super Eclipse, Super Victory)
Silverline (LaFolia, Sonata III)
VS (DB 99)
DeVore (9s, O/93)

I can travel out of my way for the above models. I plan to audition and buy speaker during my short USA trip in July 2016. Thanks
kartikeyp
In the DC area. . . .DejaVu Audio (dejavu-audio.com) and CommandPerformanceAV (commandav.com). Both in Virginia.
I second Deja Vu Audio a great store and they do have Proac which is on your list, not to mention lots of other great gear. They are in Mclean VA about 15-20 mins outside DC.
David Lewis Audio in Philadelphia.

I have never seen so much high end equipment in my life.

Amazing!

Well worth  the trip.
DeVore, NYC, go to In Living Stereo.

They were a fine place to shop when we bought our DeVore Gibbon 88 speakers three years ago.
 Check out Vandersteen at Audio Connection in Verona, New Jersey.
No other store like it. 
They carry the great Audioquest products also. I can't wait to get my phono cable!!
Proac at Deju Vu Audio in McLean with lots of gorgeous boutique low watt tube amps, also in Verona NJ (at least they used to have them) with ARC amplification; Devore and Raidho at Command AV in Falls Church; Vandersteen Maggie's and Linn at Gifted Listener in Centreville VA; tons of expensive Dynaudio and more at JS Audio in Bethesda MD; The Listening Room in Pikesvilke MD (near Baltimore) used to have Von Schweikert and ARC; tons of rooms of gear at David Lewis Audio. Could spend two weeks there alone. 
+2 John @ Audio Connection.  Yes, John still carries Proac.  Soon I'll be switching to Vandersteen.  Regards........

The people at Living Stereo are  a little stuffy and not flexible with prices. They have Devore and Dynaudio.

Of course the BIG FISH in that area is Stereo Exchange. They are a mixed bag.

The rooms are nicely set up.

My NJ picks are: 

Care Audio in Edison

Audio Connections in Verona

Woodbridge Stereo in Woodbridge

Bravo A/V in Bernardsville

Audio Video Synergy in Clinton


One NYC dealer I know and like:  Cloud 9 Smarthome in Union Square, Manhattan


I know the proprieters of all of these stores, and trust their knowledge and dedication to customer satisfaction. 

Thanks Guys for quick responses.. I have contacted some of the stores. Audioconnection, Verona seems to be a must go place. 

Larryi; 
I'm visiting USA and hoping to buy speakers after audition. The store seems to be obvious choice. I don't have an option to sell or return speakers once I buy and take it out of USA. So I may even move up to higher models, to avoid short term upgrade. And meanwhile if i see something similar up for sale on Audiogon, nothing like it !!

In NYC I would recommend making an appointment to see Gideon at Audio Arts. In my opinion, it will help to open your eyes to what is possible. If you haven't heard Zellaton speakers before, I suggest that you do before purchasing others. 

Good luck and enjoy your trip!
Don't forget Wes Bender Audio and Jeff at High Water Sound - no trip to NY would be worthwhile without seeing these guys.  If your in my neck of the woods (Eastern Long Island), check out My Favorite, Roy at Audioden.  
Was at Deja Vous Audio yesterday.  I couldn't believe the sound I heard.  I have CJ gear.  They hooked up a CJ 60 Watt amp running some 95 DB Audio Note speakers, some Harbeth 5' and Proac speakers.  A great store and worth the trip just to see the vintage gear.

pekelola
Which did you prefer, AN, Harbeth , or ProAc? OP- It's a bit off your path, but Don Better Audio has a heck of a lineup. I believe you could hear DeVore, Vandersteen, Ryan.... and more.
Deja Vu is quite a different kind of store--a lot of old gear, but mostly "new" gear that they make in-house or through exclusive associations with builders in Europe that build new stuff from old parts.  Some of the speaker systems based on Western Electric, IPC, RCA, Jensen, etc. drivers are fantastic sounding.  Even better than their in-house speakers are their tube amps, linestages and DACs made from a mix of vintage parts.  You can hear AN, Harbeth and ProAc at Deja Vu.  You can also audition DeVore at Command Audio in Falls Church Va. 
Forefront Audio in Rochester is a Clearwave Loudspeaker dealer (I saw my brand on your list).

Jed K.
Clearwave speakers

Thanks again friends. 

Jed; Which Clearwave model do you have and which amp you are using?

Bacheaudio looks interesting...
Hello Kartikeyp,

We should be able to accommodate most Clearwave models you are interested in over @ Forefront Audio.  By this summer, I'll have a new 3 way model in my Resolution line too.  He's running Plinius amplifiers a lot, but carries a range of high end amplifiers.  I'd imagine you might be able to even bring your own amplifier to try too.

Best,
Jed
Kartikeyp
In the NYC area I recommend Wes Bender Studios  in Brooklyn.  He is very friendly puts together great sounding systems (both tube and solid state )  and has great speaker lines :    Marten ,  Hansen ,Gamut to name several . I know none of them were on  your list but they are all excellent.  Wondering what your budget was it makes it easier to recommend speakers in your price range.

nsp
Thanks nsp. Wes Bender Studio is on my list. The list of the Speakers/Models I have mentioned are the ones I like, of course from the reviews i have read here on Audiogon. I have never personally heard any one of them. And during my short trip to USA, I might not get to listen to some of them as most of them are discontinued.

Your inputs will be a great value to me. My price range is 3000-4500 USD and I might be able to stretch a bit more if I am getting very good value. That's the reason I am looking at Demo/Used pair. Any suggestions are most welcomed.  
Kartikeyp
Just saw your last response . sorry for delayed response.  in your price range new speakers  which have been reviewed very favorably in Absolute  Sound are :Revel Performa 3F206,  Tannoy Revolution XT8F ,  Dynaudio Focus 260 . Keep in mind I nhave not  HEARD THESE speakers just reviews.
Wes Bender has a demo pair of Marten Form Floors which you can hear at his studio and I think also entry level speakers from Gamut. Wes was asking what electronics you use and cables and your room dimensions/? Here is link to see and hear the Martens:  Youtube.be/sD8WZvrcRDo  ..
A speaker which I have heard twice at length is Focal UtopIA Diablo , a  monitor speaker w/stands.  IT is really terrific and gives you a real taste of the high end. It might be out of your price range as it ratails for I think 13-16k and used is about 8500-9000. 

NSP

nsp
Thanks.. My room dimensions are 12 Ft x 22 Ft , height part 7 Ft, Part 16 Ft, with natural stone flooring and Masonry walls. SO very live room conditions. (However Im planning some cloth curtains and room treatments for that. I have an old Cary Preamp (CAD 5500). But I have finalised a new preamp (Cary SLP 98 L) and digital player is Sony HAP Z1 ES. My interconnects are Morrow Audio MA 1.1 (RCA). I'll pass on this information to Wes Bender also. 

I'll also put Focals on my list. Some good reviews on them with Pass amps. Not the Utopia Diablo though, they are way out of my buget.

I just saw another current thread on Silverline Sonatina MK IV. A current silverline model and within my range. I tried to find some feedback on that on audiogon but there was'nt much written on this model. However, i'm very encouraged by the positive feedback from the Sonatina MK IV owner, laurendy3.