Wow! The AR 160 S is beautiful and sounds like…my life has changed! The blend with the 2 REL S/812s is…OMG! The Sashas have never sounded so good. The setup and installation is stunning (to my eyes). Thanks for the great work.

Phillip Adams

Bought my first complete system from SE in 1989, and enjoyed their flagship store downtown for many years. They’ve always run a precise hi-end store that was as artful in sound design as it was in featuring a high quality sound-centered, audiophile lover’s environment. They always have a solid array of excellent components. Their new showroom model at Union Square continues this tradition by providing individual listening sessions by appointment only, which I enjoyed very much recently. Their professional staff are all sound connoisseurs who are highly skilled in matching your musical tastes with the right hi-end gear.

Daniel Falk

Of course the prices are high. This isn’t Best Buy. This New York institution turned me on the high end audio in the 80s and I’ve never looked back. I’m an audio engineer and have been one for over 35 years. If you want to listen to your mp3s through Ibuds, no offense, don’t shop here. But if you have the time, listen to what a really good system sounds like. You’ll hear that money well spent!

Robert Sorrentino

Fantastic staff and selection. Never pushy, helped connect me with an amazing new set of speakers at a very fair price.
Scott Oltrogge

Excellent and knowledgeable staff that really goes the extra mile to take care of their customers.
John Rogers

I could not be happier. Was it worth the 9 hour round trip drive, YES! The folks at Stereo Exchange are very attentive and do whatever it takes to help you out. They talk to you and not at you. Their products are vast, impressive and very competitively priced. In fact I purchased some higher end Focals and the ultimate price was below what I could find on-line. Yes, I’d recommend these folks in a “New York Minute.”
Roy Rossini

Great store, great environment, the ideal place to explore and satisfy your audio desires.
Roy Bonar

I accompanied my friend who’s a professional musician who has been playing in churches for about 10 years. He was interested in the lower-end of their equipment (~$2,500 amps, ~$3-5,000 speakers).
They set up a listening area for us with chairs situated so we could hear the speakers from the right place and screens to block extraneous noise, which was helpful because there were a number of customers.
Glenn let us listen for a long time to a variety of musical styles (Jazz, Classical, Hip-Hop) on several combinations so that we could hear the distinctions in the equipment. It was thrilling and made me want to start saving money. We learned a lot. He was enthusiastic and we talked a great deal. He was also conscientious of the differences among listeners’ preferences. The opposite of a cheap salesman trying to pressure you to choose a certain model.
It was an incredible experience and we felt generously treated.
Zachary Youngerman

David and Glen were a joy to meet, very knowledgable and welcoming. New location is great, and they have some seriously beautiful hifi on the floor. Highly recommended.
Jack Dixon

Can’t say enough about all of the guys and gals that work here. Always down to help, even when you are new to the world of hi-fi, and never just try to sell you the most expensive thing in the store, as is the sin of many electronics stores. Also very helpful with repairs or any issues you may have after your purchase.
Mason Harless

My experience with the service here has been nothing but exceptional. They are always very enthusiastic to help when i have any questions or want to audition any of the equipment.
Duy Tran

Been coming here for decades and the guys are honest. A gem for audio nerds.
Andrew Bollocks

I have been dealing with Stereo Exchange since they were in a loft building in the 20’s, way before they moved to Bway in the Village. I have my B & W speakers I bought more than 10 years ago from them & hundreds of pieces of equipment that we’ve exchanged over the years. Don’t get offended by the rudeness of the sales people, just ask to speak to the owner, and complain. There equipment has always been top of the line. I live in Alabama and miss the heck out of places like Stereo Exchange. You never miss your water ’til the well runs dry. You want great equipment this is the place!!!
Valerie T Porter

My favorite high-end audio shop. It’s been a delight to get some of my best pieces of equipment from Dave and his staff over the past 5 years. These guys are truly devoted to their customers’ audio experience; they don’t just “sell audio.” They are always professional, trustworthy and tremendously accommodating.
I frequent a few great audio shops where I live in Connecticut, and they all have the highest regard for SE and especially for its owner, Dave. These guys really look through the sale to the person on the other side. That’s the difference at The Stereo Exchange. Worth the trip; worth a try.
Stephen Campisi

Ok. I read every single review about this place before stepping through the doors. I was a bit uncertain about what to expect, but being relatively new to the audio world, and after a very painful $35,000 experience with Magnolia and their “White Glove Service”, I was really skeptical if such thing even exists still in the audio world.

In comes Evan Fusco, who I talked to on the phone when deciding to add a couple of components to my system after giving up on Magnolia’s performance, customer care, and even the most basic understanding of what they are supposed to do. After a very brief and friendly chat on the phone, I decided to schedule an appointment and view their showroom.
To say that the experience was phenomenally celestial does not do that man justice. I fully expected to be upsold on products, to be blasted by technical terms that I did not understand in order to make a sale, or to bamboozled with a whole “return everything to Magnolia, get a refund, and we’ll build it better.” That was not the case.
Evan took over an hour to answer every question, explain to me in a very friendly and simple way every misconception I had. He came over to my place, checked every input, every audio configuration, the Savant programming, and gave me an incredibly reasonable pricing to “fix it, without replacing it.” I was completely surprised by the honesty, and finding someone who actually wants to win a long-term client, versus make a quick sale.
Three weeks later, everything that was wrong in my Magnolia setup was fixed. I’ve added some SimAudio Moon components, and upgraded my Turntable and it’s Phono Stage, and the difference in sound was exemplary, and the best part about it, is that I was not forced into buying any item. Things were explained to me in the most detailed yet simple fashion, and I made the decisions to actually invest in those upgrades. The result is outstanding.
I could not recommend this place enough. I understand that a lot of the negative review bombings are from people who just walked in, and felt neglected. Well, to be fair, this is not a RadioShack or a BestBuy. I would recommend anyone to call, make an appointment, and I assure you, regardless of your budget, you will find an excellent reception, and attention to your time and needs as a potential buyer.
I wish I could give a six-star, but I guess it will suffice that Stereo Exchange has won a permanent client. I can truly say now that I have “an audio guy”.
Walid AlBawardi

 

Dave, Evan and Glenn are not only pure gentlemen, but extremely knowledgeable in this particular area, to wit: high (and beautiful) end audio equipment. They were patient with me, they discussed options with me, they were honest with me, and they helped me to construct a system that I completely love and sounds like pure heaven. Through them I got: new speakers, new amplifier, new cd player, streamer, new speaker wires, new cabinet to house everything, and new power surge bar. I honestly couldn’t be happier, all of it also looks amazingly cool (and yet retro). Also, they helped me revamp/upgrade my vintage Thorens turntable, so I think its great that they are able to provide services for vintage audio equipment. Finally, the store itself is amazingly cool – a lot of fun to browse and see all of the equipment – especially the stuff that is way out of my price range! The experience was so great I look forward to going back there just to discuss audio equipment and music.
Peter Sayer

I recently visited here to audition specific speakers, with a very different experience of other reviewers. Maybe they had a staff change? The staff I met were not only friendly, they were very knowledgable and helpful to work with my particular needs. They gave me some great ideas for a complete surround sound system, and I’ll be going back to work with them further to complete that setup. They have multiple audition spaces, I’m sure proper planning with them would yield the best results for your high end setup. Great experience overall, I would recommend them.
Matt DiRaffaele

Great place for stereo speakers. I had a great experience with those guys, don’t know why everybody is writing negative things about them?… They took the time with me, let me hear few sets of speakers, and as far as i know they are the only place who have a room that you can go inside and listen to music like you should be in stereo. David the owner is very kind, very polite, very knowledgeable and very patient…he advise me on several types of speakers, even checked the model of the receiver i have to see what will be the best fitted speaker for it. I ended up getting the Focal Aria 926 that was in sell. After all the research i did online they beat everyone else’s price. So if you looking for a place to get the best sound system or best speakers, this is the place to go to…
Thanks a lot guys…
Haim Shemesh

The place to go if you’re an audiophile – this place has some serious audio equipment, all of which you can demo first hand. Salespeople are knowledgeable and owner is a stand up guy.
Derek Mogull

These guys are top-notch. I would visit them again and I plan on getting my next head phone from there store. I had an opportunity to listen to an AK240 and an Audeze LCD-X. They even gave me an opportunity to listen to a $20k electrostatic Stereo system. 
Gavin Lee

I am literally crying with joy at the sound of these speakers. I recently went to Berlin in January and heard a local period orchestra. Playing a recording of them is shockingly close to what I heard in person. The speakers sound amazing in the room. Thanks for recommending them!!! Also, your two installation guys were fantastic and super helpful. 

B&W 803D4 Customer

I’ve been dealing with Stereo Exchange for more than forty years and over this time have bought several pieces of outstanding equipment, new and used. One major reason I’ve continued to patronize S.E. is because of the knowledgeable staff and ability to provide reliable demonstrations to let your ears make choices. It’s one of a small breed of genuine “hi end” stores left in New York, well known and highly regarded in the industry.

Henry B

Purchased a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 704’s from this exceptionally knowledgable sound merchant. Nearly six months after the purchase I noticed a major change in the sound emanating from my speakers, after sending an email requesting a house call to hear what I was hearing, the problem was quickly and easily solved. These guys are truly excellent and have earned my loyalty and business.

Grant Di Mille

Sell that car that only goes down in value and instead, use that money to buy quality audio gear from the Stereo Exchange. Immerse yourself in the near perfection of turning millivolts to audio output. Audio equipment at this level is a work of art, a visual delight as well as audio. With proper care, this audio gear can last a lifetime.
Mike Pool

Dave, Evan & Glen were highly professional, responsive & great to work with! They were able to stay on top of the vendor for my purchase when the vendor messed a few things up to get it resolved promptly! Look forward to finding more opportunities to work with the Stereo Exchange team in the near future!
Doug Brown

I’ve been in the process of upgrading my HiFi system for the last year and a half. Stereo Exchange has been an integral part in helping me achieve this and I have had nothing but extremely positive interactions with them. These guys know what they’re talking about. The guys who work there, Glenn and Evan, are extremely knowledgeable and very willing to educate their customers, but are in no way high pressure. They have both been a huge help to me in choosing the right equipment and in creating a comfortable environment in which to do so. The new space they’re operating out of, in Union Square, is intimate and lends itself to a great experience for listening to different set ups. On top of that, they have the best equipment in the city to choose from. All of this adds up to a solid 5 star review from me.

Jonathan Callahan

The service is amazing. In 2012 I bought a B&W subwoofer and needed repair later. I called them in 2018, from Brazil to ask for my invoice. They were not only able to find it, but did it with great customer service and in a couple minutes.
Now, in 2018, I decided to upgrade my stereo equipment and they were again, very fast, polite and straight to the point. I have purchased another set of B&W with great price and delivered to my front door.
If you are looking for a high end stereo, I fully recommend you buy it from Stereo Exchange. Based on my experience, Glenn or David (the owner) will help you even during the weekends, if needed.
Jonathan Callahan

Great store. Great service. Very patient and helpful all along the way. Went the extra mile. Dave (owner) and Ron both were very helpful, knowledgable and provided every bit of information to help a good decision.

Yarden Tadmor

Went here in early March to check out some Audeze headphones. I had read about them, but wanted to listen to them, and emailed Ron about what they had in. Ron was very helpful, so I decided to stop by on my trip to New York. Unfortunately Ron wasn’t there when we came in, so Alan helped us out. As someone who works in retail, I have to say I absolutely loved the guy! Funny, friendly, patient and very knowledgable. He let us take our time, I never once felt rushed or anything like that. Alan really took his time with us, and knew just when to joke and when to let us just enjoy the music. I have worked in retail for twenty years, and that is a textbook example of great service. Don’t get the negativity about Stereo Exchange at all, I recommend them with all my heart!
Karl Moller

Great and helpful folks with a well-curated selection.
Christopher Kramer

I was up in NYC on business and forgot my headphones. Fortunately, I came across the Stereo Exchange by accident and stopped in. My budget for the headphones was very low since I already had a great pair at home but the guys working there were super helpful at helping me find something quick and inexpensive. they also asked if I wanted to hear anything else while I was there. after explaining that I lived too far away to make a large purchase they still wanted me to listen to something they just set-up. WOW. these guys know how to make great sound and you could just tell how much passion they had for their products. this isn’t a fancy-schmancy place as I have come to expect at high-end audio shops but it was rather refreshing to see that all they really care about is servicing their customers and making great sound.
Jason Zucker

What Makes Great Sound