On Line Audio Mail Order Retailers


What is the general opinion regarding various on line audio retailers, just to name a few, Crutchfield, Music Direct, B&H, Adorama, Amazon, Best Buy and many others. If you were going to order an item that was available at all of these big name retailers which one would be your top choice and why.
vahes
Not sure if could say these would be my top choice simply because they are the ONLY ones I have ever ordered anything from so far.
But I have purchased 3 separate items from Parts Connexion.
All 3 transactions were flawless, all arrived perfect and exactly as described and were a huge saving over new.
I have ordered from Music Direct, B & H and Best Buy.  All 3 gave great service.
Music Direct, Audio Advisor, Crutchfield, and for used audiophile items try TMR; The Music Room.
Check Amazon and you will see that they use third party vendors. Amazon does not stock high-end audio components. So if technical advice, returns or service is needed, vendors have different policies.

My first experience with Music Direct was a pleasant surprise. I ordered a refurbished integrated and when it arrived one channel was dead. One short phone call and a replacement was on the way, along with a shipping label for return of the defective one. No questions, no need to return the defective amp first. When the replacement arrived I saw that it was not labeled as refurbished. I called to let them know about that and was told they were out of refurbished units so they sent a new one. Service exactly as you'd want it.
Best Buy has good specials and can be handy if they have a local store but you'd be lucky to find anyone in the store who knows anything about the gear.
In a world with flawed fundamentals, there is no such thing as a perfect decision. A pipe dream of a flawed human mind, it is.

If it was a perfect world, though, we’d all be marching up and down the square in the same uniforms, in a perfect synchronicity, and be a non-living non-aware thing.

So much for perfection, as perfection --has no mind.

Life is a grind. It can be no other way.
Audio Advisor and Needle Doctor are my two go- to places when I mail order. Never a problem with both!
Teo.

Was that post meant for another thread possibly?

Not much relevance to the question posed by the OP and if I may say so pretty far out for this fine Fathers Day!
Have a great one.
Music Direct i know people there and i love there great service.I buy accessories and cd however i got Stillpoint acoustic panels and got 10% off and free shipping.This was much better than the Cable Co which has very crappy service and always has to call you back.Good luck with that one!!
I would classify B&H Photo and Adorama as primarily camera, video and photography retailers.  For audio, I turn to Music DIrect, Audio Advisor and Crutchfield first because that is their primary raison d'être.

Aside from that, I have purchased from all of them (but primarily camera gear from B&HPhoto and Adorama) with no issues and excellent customer service.
Have bought some gadgets and accessories from B&H and Newegg. Both have been excellent with pricing and the transaction process. Both offer great specials frequently. Purchased some APC and Cyberpower battery backups at below 50% of retail. Both are fairly liberal with free shipping as well.
Besides Music Direct, I've also had great service from B&H and Audio Advisor. If you find yourself in New York it's worth a visit to B&H, a giant fantasyland of gear...audio, photo, every kind of electronics you can imagine, with a staff that knows its stuff. It's pretty much the most fun you can have in Manhattan. 
I think most of the online retailers who sell high-end stuff have people who can give you support when you need it.  It's kind of strange though - Most of these online companies charge full list for their products.  When I go to a brick and mortar that charges full list I get a demo and setup in my home.  These online guys give you none of that and still charge full list for the most part.  But to answer your question, I've had very good dealings with Audio Advisor and Music Direct.  They had people available to answer my questions about the products and were very courteous and knowledgeable about what they sold. 
I've bought stuff of all kinds from B&H since before the website, and never had a problem. The only hassle is the hours they are closed/offline. I'm not that impatient anymore, so I just wait until they reopen.
Music Direct is a pleasure to deal with. I got my Marantz separates and JBL 4319 monitors from them. If you know what you want, it makes it easier.

For car audio, Crutchfield hands down. Huge selection, superior customer service, from budget gear all the way to high end, generous return policy......always a painless experience. Never ordered home audio from them.