High-end home Hi Fi in Limerick?

Comhrá

I'm considering looking for a decent home Hi-Fi system after years of having various mediocre audio systems in the house.

Is there any retailer in Limerick selling high-end home stereo systems with separate components? Preferably somewhere I can listen to a few examples.

I'm not sure Currys, Harvey Norman, etc. do the really good stuff.

Thanks for any suggestions.

banjobongo

I think Savins would probably be the best but if I was you I would either buy off the website or travel to Dublin to somewhere like Cloney Audio....I too would love to buy some high end hifi but cant afford it!

banie01

It really depends on what exactly you are after.
i.e audiophile CD/SACD? top quality stereo amps? Multi Channel AV Amps? Bespoke Speaker solutions? Top end speakers?

There are a few places namely F.S.V on lower Mulgrave St who are official Onkyo Dealers as well as Yamaha and Toshiba amongst others and the lads in there are very knowledgeable and great for advice.
There is ~Shannonside AV who do a lot of home automaton and high end video.
I'd also recommend a visit to the Richersounds Forum here on boards too....
They are Belfast based but offer fantastic service, great customer support and excellent advice too.
Savins also offer great service too.
I've used both FSV and Richersounds in a personal capacity and Shannonside AV in a professional one and can't fault any of them

Comhrá

banie01 wrote: »

It really depends on what exactly you are after.
i.e audiophile CD/SACD? top quality stereo amps? Multi Channel AV Amps? Bespoke Speaker solutions? Top end speakers?

Yes, that's what I'd like to explore. I may not go for the really top-of-the-tree system but I want a good system with separates like you mention above.

Kess73

For genuine high end equipment, be it audio or visual, you really need to be looking outside of Limerick.

Richersounds is probably your best bet as they have, imho, the best combination of quality equipment and in depth knowledge. They are also decent enough in terms of price.

keith_d99

Locally Savins, FSV and Shannonside

+1 for RicherSounds - they are excellent to deal with and will provide good advice (even on the forum).

You need to decide whether it's an AV amp or Audio amp you want (although the likes of Onkyo cater for both).
If it's audio - getting a good amp and speakers is key - you can plug anything into them then (cd player, ipods etc).
If have an Apple device, you should look at Airplay as an audio source. link
I have retired my cd player etc. with an iphone and a Spotify subscription.

Seperates is defo the way to go - bought a NAD amp and mission speakers 13 years ago from Richer Sounds in Dublin (when they had a store there) and they are still going strong with no need to upgrade.
It's a solid investment.

drunkmonkey

Savins would be good bet, the boss is usually there which is always a good thing, they seem to have a lot of Pioneer kit.

http://www.savins.ie/

bucks73

+1 for the lads on the Richersounds forum here. Ive dealt with them a few times and they have been nothing short of excellent. Downside is you dont get to listen to any kit before buying but the lads do know their stuff. No harm posting over there and getting a few ideas anyway. If you want to hear for yourself before buying Savins would be your best bet.

bazz26

FSV on Upper William Street next to Gleason's Sports Store, those lads all worked in Savins for years before setting up FSV. They would know alot about high end sound systems and are a very decent bunch of lads.

Clareman

I'm another for Richersounds, they have a fantastic Talk To forum here as well as a price match guarantee I believe.

I know we should be encouraging buying local and all that, and please do if you can, but if you are looking for high end gear you will find it very hard to get it in a local shop as most of the kit is very expensive and they won't be stocking it as it could go out of date very quickly, they will more than likely have to order it in for you anyway.

As someone who used to have a great audio setup in my living room, this was before Mrs. Clareman of course, I discovered that it's nearly always best to stick to 1 brand if possible, also don't feel the need to buy everything at once, don't get a brilliant Amp and save on the speakers because you don't have the money now, get the amp now and the speakers after when you can afford it.

Oh yeah, ASK QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE WHO KNOW, I can't say this highly enough, learn from whomever you can, you'll be amazed the difference stuff like cables can make (or not make). Make use of the Hi-Fi section on here as well.

Comhrá

Clareman wrote: »

I'm another for Richersounds, they have a fantastic Talk To forum here as well as a price match guarantee I believe

Clareman, thanks for the Richersounds forum suggestion - I've just posted a question there. If they aren't too much cheaper than the local boys in town here, I'd like to buy local. We'll see how it goes...:)

flutered

bazz26 wrote: »

FSV on Upper William Street next to Gleason's Sports Store, those lads all worked in Savins for years before setting up FSV. They would know alot about high end sound systems and are a very decent bunch of lads.

plus 1, also they are working musicians, they are in limerick, can people not give local buisness at least a try, before going elsewhere.

timmaii

flutered wrote: »

plus 1, also they are working musicians, they are in limerick, can people not give local buisness at least a try, before going elsewhere.

Plus 2, bought an amp there recently, the prices were pretty close to anything I could find online so I definitely prefer to shop locally in this case.

Beaver1

go richersounds, I buy all my equipment from them, great help and much cheaper than any store in Limerick and great selection

manna452121

FSV are the lads to go with.Since they left savins some years back I have bought all my items from them,3 tvs,2 Dvd players,1 Xbox,a few Mp3 players some headphones and a Yamaha Sound Bar System.One of the lads also came out and set up the TVs and the sound system.Shop local and support the lads.

Clareman

I was talking to my brother in law earlier today, he's a major Audio Geek, and he said that he wouldn't buy anything anywhere else than FSV, even if you can save some money online in the long run you'll save money by going into the lads, I think one of them called out to him to help setup some kit he got as well.

mossym

there's feck all difference between richersounds and fsv. both sell what would be considered entry to mid level audio gear from the likes of onkyo, pioneer and denon. nothing wrong with it, but in honesty it's not high end and no true audiophile ( or "major audio geek") is going to find gear they're interested in in either place.

that said, for the gear they do, both shops are quite good, and i'd have no trouble dealing with either. preference for richersounds due to some excellent customer service in the past, but wherever you get the best price i'd go with that.

I'd forget about cloney for now, if FSV and richersounds are in the range of your budget, then you'll be in a state of shock walking out of cloney. it's very much a law of diminishing returns anyway, you really need to enjoy audio and get satisfaction from incremental increases in quality to get into the big money. as with most things, a lot of the advantages of a proper system are found for modest money, moving up starts to get you less and less.
FSV might have the advantage of an audible demo, IF they have the item in stock. these aren't common items, so they tend not to carry a lot of them instore and order in as needed