Updates on some online retailers
Jstas
Posts: 14,820
Well, I went looking to see who might have McIntosh stuff online. I wasn't expecting to find an authorized dealer, just an idea of cost.
Well, I stumbled on an oldy and what I thought would be moldy but they actually look much better. It seems they expanded thier inventory and it's pretty expansive too.
I realize that discounters can hurt businesses but, if you are like me and have very little in your area in the way of reputable shops that cater to high end manufacturers and the enthusiasts that buy those products, online is often your only resource.
In that line, the site I went to was woofersetc.com
http://www.woofersetc.com
I used them once before when onlinecarstereo.com was out of the Hifonics Nemesis amps I was looking for. They were good, fast and even gave me a follow up call to see how I liked my experience. While they are not authorized dealers on a good chunk of stuff, they do offer thier own in-house warranty that they stand by and that's a good thing. Customer service was plesant and didn't leave alot to be desired. I'd buy from them again.
OnlineCarStereo just added a bunch of brands. They are authorized dealers for most of thier stuff. The stuff they are not authorized for tends to be out of date by at least one model run and they aren't that much of a discounter. I have used them before though and when they were out of a model of head unit I was looking for, they made every effort to make me a happy customer. They just didn't have what I was looking for so I had to go elsewhere. I have bought amps from them and sent a few other people there who all had good experiences. I would use them again.
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/
This one is CarMedia1 and while thier site looks a bit MickeyMouse in design, all of thier gear they sell is A-stock/brand new unless noted as remans or B-stock. Thier prices are very nice on alot of stuff. They offer a warranty on the stuff they sell that they are not authorized dealers for but I can't speak for it. I haven't had to use it. I got my Kenwood eXcelon KAC-X650D 5 channel amp there and I haven't had any problems. Thier CS left alot to be desired but shipping was quick and easy. They were professional, just not a very good "bedside manner". Still, I'd use them again...with caution though.
http://www.carmedia1.com/
There is the always venerable CarDomain.com and they are authorized dealers for all of thier inventory now. Thier prices have gone up and they don't necessarily offer the same smoking deals but the big benefit is that you get customer service on the level of Crutchfield but with a hell of alot more variety and they still do offer good deals.
http://www.cardomain.com/
This last one will ship internationally last I knew. They are a British company so everything is in pounds but last I checked, they will ship to the U.S. You will be subject to customs. However, they carry alot of stuff we can't get here in regular retail like Becker, Harmon\Kardon and some real high end Blaupunkt stuff. They were about as nice as British people would be expected to be towards Americans but they proved invaluable when I was trying to replace the Becker head unit in a friend's 944 Porsche that someone tried to steal. It cost him a pretty penny but he got exactly what he needed. This information is several years old though so if you want to buy from them, check if they will still ship internationally first.
http://www.caraudiodiscount.com/
This last site is a decent site. Thier stock is almost always behind by a year or more. However, what they do is buy up closeout stock from other stores that are just looking to liquidate stock that didn't sell. Consequently, they often have smokin' deals on brand new equipment. If you are in the market for a new piece of gear, don't leave them out. Often times you can find last year's models are 50% off or more from these guys. I don't know what they are authorized dealers on if anything but if anything you get from them on closeout breaks, you are probably SOL anyway. Reason being is that not only is the item old and not being made anymore so replacements are lacking but the manufacturer likely does not support warranty work on the item anymore. Most mfr's offer a year or two warranty and if the item is old enough, the consider it end-of-life. Not everyone is like Polk Audio and willing to help out a customer no matter what.
http://www.acaraudio.com/
There you go, just some helpful info.
Well, I stumbled on an oldy and what I thought would be moldy but they actually look much better. It seems they expanded thier inventory and it's pretty expansive too.
I realize that discounters can hurt businesses but, if you are like me and have very little in your area in the way of reputable shops that cater to high end manufacturers and the enthusiasts that buy those products, online is often your only resource.
In that line, the site I went to was woofersetc.com
http://www.woofersetc.com
I used them once before when onlinecarstereo.com was out of the Hifonics Nemesis amps I was looking for. They were good, fast and even gave me a follow up call to see how I liked my experience. While they are not authorized dealers on a good chunk of stuff, they do offer thier own in-house warranty that they stand by and that's a good thing. Customer service was plesant and didn't leave alot to be desired. I'd buy from them again.
OnlineCarStereo just added a bunch of brands. They are authorized dealers for most of thier stuff. The stuff they are not authorized for tends to be out of date by at least one model run and they aren't that much of a discounter. I have used them before though and when they were out of a model of head unit I was looking for, they made every effort to make me a happy customer. They just didn't have what I was looking for so I had to go elsewhere. I have bought amps from them and sent a few other people there who all had good experiences. I would use them again.
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/
This one is CarMedia1 and while thier site looks a bit MickeyMouse in design, all of thier gear they sell is A-stock/brand new unless noted as remans or B-stock. Thier prices are very nice on alot of stuff. They offer a warranty on the stuff they sell that they are not authorized dealers for but I can't speak for it. I haven't had to use it. I got my Kenwood eXcelon KAC-X650D 5 channel amp there and I haven't had any problems. Thier CS left alot to be desired but shipping was quick and easy. They were professional, just not a very good "bedside manner". Still, I'd use them again...with caution though.
http://www.carmedia1.com/
There is the always venerable CarDomain.com and they are authorized dealers for all of thier inventory now. Thier prices have gone up and they don't necessarily offer the same smoking deals but the big benefit is that you get customer service on the level of Crutchfield but with a hell of alot more variety and they still do offer good deals.
http://www.cardomain.com/
This last one will ship internationally last I knew. They are a British company so everything is in pounds but last I checked, they will ship to the U.S. You will be subject to customs. However, they carry alot of stuff we can't get here in regular retail like Becker, Harmon\Kardon and some real high end Blaupunkt stuff. They were about as nice as British people would be expected to be towards Americans but they proved invaluable when I was trying to replace the Becker head unit in a friend's 944 Porsche that someone tried to steal. It cost him a pretty penny but he got exactly what he needed. This information is several years old though so if you want to buy from them, check if they will still ship internationally first.
http://www.caraudiodiscount.com/
This last site is a decent site. Thier stock is almost always behind by a year or more. However, what they do is buy up closeout stock from other stores that are just looking to liquidate stock that didn't sell. Consequently, they often have smokin' deals on brand new equipment. If you are in the market for a new piece of gear, don't leave them out. Often times you can find last year's models are 50% off or more from these guys. I don't know what they are authorized dealers on if anything but if anything you get from them on closeout breaks, you are probably SOL anyway. Reason being is that not only is the item old and not being made anymore so replacements are lacking but the manufacturer likely does not support warranty work on the item anymore. Most mfr's offer a year or two warranty and if the item is old enough, the consider it end-of-life. Not everyone is like Polk Audio and willing to help out a customer no matter what.
http://www.acaraudio.com/
There you go, just some helpful info.
Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
Post edited by Jstas on
Comments
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Nice write-up, with good info...Alpine: CDA-7949
Alpine: PXA-H600
Alpine: CHA-S624, KCA-420i, KCA-410C
Rainbow: CS 265 Profi Phase Plug / SL 165
ARC Audio: 4150-XXK / 1500v1-XXK
JL Audio: 10W6v2 (x2)
KnuKonceptz
Second Skin -
Very cool info John. Thanks.
Sounddomain and Crutchfield are still favorite as Ive yet to hear about anybody getting ripped off by them.
Crutchfield is also the only online retailer on Epinions.com that has hardly any negative reviews! Soundomain was second.polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
MECA SQ Rookie of the Year 06 ~ MECA State Champ 06,07,08,11 ~ MECA World Finals 2nd place 06,07,08,09
08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st
polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D -
In the spirit of this thread, I just wanted to let you all know about a bad experience I had.
Mac you get to gloat on this one. I purchased an Eclipse CD7000 on e bay, and the seller (HiFi Sound Connection) didn't have the HU in stock. In fact it is backordered, and i have no idea when it will ship.
This is the very first problem in some 300+ e bay deals for me, but it comes at a really bad time as I am trying to get the sound stage set up, and already sold my Alpine.
Anyway I am threatening them with action, but they are refusing to refund my pay pal account.
Just be warned.1970 Mach 1: ///ALPINE DVA 9860 H.U and H701 processor. Image Dynamics CSX 52 components, and IDQ D4 Sub. Polk/Momo 400.4 and 500.1 amps. -
That sucks......Alpine: CDA-7949
Alpine: PXA-H600
Alpine: CHA-S624, KCA-420i, KCA-410C
Rainbow: CS 265 Profi Phase Plug / SL 165
ARC Audio: 4150-XXK / 1500v1-XXK
JL Audio: 10W6v2 (x2)
KnuKonceptz
Second Skin -
not all authorized dealers are they great either. www.thezeb.com for instancedolfan87 wrote:In the spirit of this thread, I just wanted to let you all know about a bad experience I had.
Mac you get to gloat on this one. I purchased an Eclipse CD7000 on e bay, and the seller (HiFi Sound Connection) didn't have the HU in stock. In fact it is backordered, and i have no idea when it will ship.
This is the very first problem in some 300+ e bay deals for me, but it comes at a really bad time as I am trying to get the sound stage set up, and already sold my Alpine.
Anyway I am threatening them with action, but they are refusing to refund my pay pal account.
Just be warned.
-CodyMusic is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it -
Stay away for Online Car Stereo because they are a Pain in the Azz to deal with if you have a problem. I received a DVA-9861 from them that had several issues when it got to me so I sent it back. Well 3 weeks later I get an e-mail saying they have it Red Taged for repair!!!!! Needless to say I have contacted my attorney and they are sending me another one and offering me a 30% discount on any item I want plus free ship.Head this advice because they are easley scared.
STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!
I am a Fan of Crutchfield since they have awesome Customer Service and no ask returns within 30 days plus they have the JD Power award for there Customer Service.
I do have a few Ebay sellers I use and one of my favorites that I have received my SR6500's JL Slash Amps, Diamond Audio from is the12vikings.
This guy has a 100% FB on like 8000 items. He also carries the Full Line of Macintosh now and they are like half retail. All the items I have received from him have been sealed and all Serial #'s intact. I paid $500 shipped for my sr6500 and had them within 4 days. He does same day shipping.
Hope this helps anyone looking to Buy off the internet!
Thanks John for your info!!!NEWEST RIDE:
2006 Silver Jaguar XKR Coupe with factory BBS 20" and upgraded Brembo Brakes from factory....
Supercharger Pully Upgrade
Air Intake
Mina Exhaust System....
2007 Chevy Tahoe (Daily Driver):
Front Doors POLK sr6500
Amp front JL 450/4
Amp Sub JL 500/1
Sub JL 10w6
(Work Trucks)
2005 Mercury Mountaineer Premier 4.6L V-8
All Stock!!! In the process of changing this.
2002 Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 Crew Cab 6.6L Diesel
