What are the must-see shops in SoCal?

Also you really should catch some live music, Belly Up - Solana Beach is my fave

JD Souther plays there tommorow...

Optimal
Sunny
Excel
David W
Element in Pasadena
Brooks Berdan
Alma
Stereo Unlimited

just my $.02

when I get tired, I head North and work on a layer of rust....

I did a tour last summer of as many audio stores in Southern California as I could find.  For demo purposes and multitude of equipment I would say:

Sunny's in West Covina 
Alma Hi Fi

Moving to SoCal? 

Being you're an audio enthusiast and here, already says somethings not right,but MOVING to SoCal? Are you retired with a fat wallet? Weather is great, way too many people, horrible traffic anywhere and what you read about the cost of living is pretty much correct.


Otherwise, paradise. Can't imagine living anywhere else, and I know there are beautiful areas in plenty of other states.There's a reason people from all over the globe keep coming to this insane state.
Did you find one of the few remaining, undiscovered pockets of SoCal, that is sane?


Disclosure-I'm a SoCal native.


All the recommended shops are good. Some, better than others. Upscale is strong with Focal,Tannoy and of course Prima Luna, since the owner is the distributor.

Stereo Unlimited, San Diego.

Don't forget Upscale Audio. Also quite a few in Orange County and San Diego.

Acoustic image in Studio City
Optimal enchantment in Santa Monica
Audio element in Pasadena

Happy Hunting

Excel Audio
Brooks Berdan
Sunny's (in Corvina)
Shelley's Stereo

These are the stores that I went for demos and really had a good experience. Google will tell you what they carry.

LA may have the most audio stores in a concentrated area than any other place I have been too.  There are a lot more stores that I have not gone to. The best way to see all the stores is to go to the monthly LA Audio Society monthly gatherings at the top stores.