I must put in a good word for Quintessence Audio. Mick and company have been the premier retailer for 2 channel, High End Audio in Chicago and for the Midwest for well over 30 years. I have found them to be honest, reliable and exceptionally professional and am proud to have been there customer my entire adult life (I'm now in my 50s. Some retailers you recommend because of a particular line, or item. I recommend Quintessence, independent of the lines they carry, for this reason, some of the very best companies are on board with them: Audio Research, Pass, Wilson, Simaudio, Sonus Faber and others. I wish that I could afford to buy more equipment from them and I never hesitate in giving them an unqualified recommendation.
Best audio companies and dealers
I've thought about doing this over the years, but never seemed to get around to it. But I'd like to list the audio dealers and companies I've dealt with over the years that have offered consistently good products and customer service way beyond the average.
Two companies come immediately to mind: Cary Audio in NC and Reference 3A in Canada. Cary offers superb equipment, like the SLP05 pre-amp. And they have delivered excellent customer service throughout the years, and it's always been a pleasure to deal with them. The same goes for Reference 3A speakers. I owned the MM Decappos- great speakers, esp. for midrange, and you cant find a more attentive, professional person than Tash to deal with.
Two companies come immediately to mind: Cary Audio in NC and Reference 3A in Canada. Cary offers superb equipment, like the SLP05 pre-amp. And they have delivered excellent customer service throughout the years, and it's always been a pleasure to deal with them. The same goes for Reference 3A speakers. I owned the MM Decappos- great speakers, esp. for midrange, and you cant find a more attentive, professional person than Tash to deal with.