Toronto Home Theater Dealers?

[sndtowne]

Hi all,

I live in Texas, but my wife and I will be visiting Toronto for a week in April. I plan to visit the Paradigm speaker factory while I'm there, but I would also like to visit some of the better audio/video stores too.

Can some of my Canadian friends out here give me the names and addresses of some of the better home theater operations in Toronto?

Also, I don't speak French - is English the common language in Toronto?

Oh, by the way - what kind of temperatures can I expect? I want to bring proper clothing. The coldest it ever gets where I live in Texas is about 10, with low 30s pretty common in winter.

Thanks in advance.




Bruce

[ZX 6R]

I don't live in Toronto, but have heard about a few of the stores. From what I hear Bracks is a must see for an AV geek. Speaking just english will absolutely not be a problem for you. The only place that would ever be an issue is in a few spots in Quebec. Even in Quebec though alot of the population is bi-lingual so there probably wouldn't be an issue.....

In April all our winter igloos have melted and polar bears have gone away so you won't need any parkas or guns okay .....Seriously have a good trip and I am sure some of the locals will be able to fill you in on the good stuff to see and do in Toronto.

[Evan Scussel]

I just got back from Toronto a couple weeks ago and asked members of another forum the exact same question. A lot of them told me to go to Bay Bloor Radio on the corner of Bay St. and Bloor St. DON'T. The only really high end stuff they carry is Thiel. They carry Bose (I avoid any store that carries this brand) and have an elitist attitude. I walked around the store for about 25 minutes and nobody said a word to me...possibly because I was in jeans and a sweater. I heard if you wear a suit in there they won't leave you alone.

There is a ton of cool stuff to do in Toronto and outside of Vancouver, might be the most USA-like city in Canada. In fact, I did so much in my four days up there I didn't have time to visit any other hi-fi stores.

Other places that were recommended to me but that I didn't get a chance to frequent were Kromers on Bathurst St and Audio One north of the city at Steeles and Jane.




Still searching for that elusive "perfect" sound.

[justin]

Give fairview HiFi a look. It's in burlington ontario. About an hour or so from toronto. http://www.fairviewhifi.com I bought my Paradigm speakers there. I got a good deal on them and they were very helpful too.




Jus

Taking it one day at a time. Life moves quick.

[Andrew Pratt]

Also, I don't speak French - is English the common language in Toronto?

Actually given the multicultural aspects to the city french is the least of your worries Seriously though no english is used in all parts of canada other then some remote northern native communities and quebec of course...but even there almost everyone understands english.

I can't recomend any of the high end dealers since I've only ever been into a few mid-fi type places when ever I've been there.

[Claude D D]

Check out Brack,the same guys own Premier Audio here in Edmonton.Talk to Marty,he's one of the owners.They have a good sellection of new and pre-owned gear.Really cool stores too.They sell Rotel!!!!

http://www.brack.tv/index.htm

[princeoliver]

I hope you will enjoy your visit to my town! We had a real cold winter and I hope all this snow will melt by early April.

As for your visit to Hi Fi stores, yes Bracks would be a good place to start. I have a good relation with the store and it was there that I got my Rotel gears. Bracks have two locations one on Wellington Street downtown and one on Yonge Street in Thornhill. For Hi end gears you might want to visit American Sounds (http://www.americansound.com) in Richmond Hill. There is also Audio Excellence on Bayview Avenue in Richmond Hill which also sells very high end stuff . Closer to the mid town area there is Executive Stereo (http://www.estorescanada.com/executivestereo) near Yonge and Eglinton and Hi Fi Fo Fum on Mt. Pleasant. Audio-one (www.audio-one.ca) near Steeles and Jane is also a good place to visit. As for Bay-Bloor radio, it is a Toronto institution. I agree they have been concentrating on mostly mid-fi gear in recent years (e.g. they dropped McIntosh from their line up recently). But they do have some VERY high end stuff lock up on the second floor. I think it is just their style that they don't want to talk to you. I use to work around the area and would go in wearing business attire. No one EVER talks to me!

Anyways hope you have a good time here!

[sndtowne]

Thanks everyone.

Say, does American currency spend in Canada, or do I need to convert to Canadian $$ ?




Bruce

[Andrew Pratt]

You're likely going to find that some places will accept US currency but the exchange rates will be pretty bad comapred to what you'd get at a bank. So I'd convert some US funds into canadian and then just use VISA or M/C as much as you can or simply use your debit card. the vast majority of stores up here all accept debit cards so I almost never have more then a couple of dollars worth of cash on me...i use plastic as often as possible

[zforgetaboutit]

Also, I don't speak French - is English the common language in Toronto?

Yes. Folks in Texas should try it, I hear it's quite popular.

I was in Houston a few times, and all I heard was Mexican, Spanish, Apache (all noble languages), and something called Drall (I think) spoken by the Saywut tribes.

[sndtowne]

>

He he. I remember when I was in the Air force stationed in the U.K. right outside of London. We were told we would not receive overseas pay because - since we spoke a common language - there was no hardship.

I maintained that we did not quite speak a common language. I spoke northeast Texan English while the British spoke proper English. I was there for six months before I really locked on to the British form of English.

But even the British have their equivalent to the "Texas Drawl." It's called Cockney - a peculiar vernacular where people drop the beginning "H" when pronouncing a word. It's neat to hear though.

I also enjoyed hearing Irish English and Scottish English too.

Since I'm from north east Texas, I don't have the thick Texas Drawl like those who live further down. But still, when I was stationed in the U.K., people would sometimes ask me what part of Texas I was from (instead of just noting, "You're a Yank aren't you?") They could recognize a Texas accent over simply "American English."

(Of course, Texans are highly offended at being called "Yanks.") :LOL:




Bruce