71 replies to this topic

[gaz1958]

Hi there,
I'm off to Singapore later in the year and thought I might check out a couple of hifi stores. Anyone know of any dedicated audio shops worth a visit ?

Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Gaz.

[Whatmore]

Couple of posts on this already but THE place to go is the Adelphi. A shopping centre dedicated to Hifi

[The Hun]

Hi Gaz

Indeed the Adelphi is the place to go to. I was there on Thursday and Saturday. It is changing - not for the better imo. Once the 5 or so stories were just hi-fi with one or 2 camera stores - now there is a lot of beauty saloons and the like around the outer parts of each floor. I can't see the connection between hi-fi and beauty products (in my case at least the cause is lost). But I did get to listen to the new McIntosh mono blocks with Mac speakers - both products were superb. I would set aside easily 3 to 5 hours for a proper visit.

Regards

Peter

[Raeyz]

Yep, as Whatmore points out, the Adelphi is the place to go, there are a couple of other places that sell AV gear as opposed to pure Hi Fi like Sim Lim Square, but they are a bit dodgy to be honest. The Adelphi is a bit of a candy shop for Audiophiles, some truly high end gear, I spent about 8 hrs in there over two days. Prices are not quite as good as they were a couple of years ago to be honest.

You can get cheap Marantz/Denon stuff over there, ie Home Theatre gear, but maybe that is just because of the Distributor gouging in Australia on those brands (sorry can of worms I know ), the true high end stuff like Jeff Rowland, Krell, Dynaudio etc, seems to be getting closer to price parity with Australia, then when you consider the issues of duty on import and possibly sending it back for repair, the benefits are starting to dwindle to be honest.

[turntable]

the Adelphi is kool.

When inside, make sure you go to Audio Note and listen to the big Avantgardes with Air Tight amps and TW Acustik tables, as well as MBL and listen to the awesome MBL system.

Then go to the levinson shop and laugh how pathetic and unmusical it sounds :-)

http://www.stereo.ne...ghlight=adelphi

[firefly0071]

In Singapore, hifi is more mainstream. Even Ipod users purchase third part headphones including canal earphones and cans (like the Senns HD650 are accepted).

[DoggieHowser]

Adelphi is where the big names are. Dynaudio/Plinius on the ground floor, MBL/Cardas at Coherence on the top floor, Ayre/MartinLogan at Norman Audio on top floor, BelCanto/Thiel/JLAudio at Sound Decisions on top floor, AvantGarde/AMR at AudioNote, FiniteElemente racks at MusicByDesign

You can also find good brands off the beaten path.

I like going to Raindrop Audio. They are in Siglap (eastern suburb) and Ray whips up a nice cuppa Nespresso. He brings in Avid, Ayon, Wyred4Sound, RedWineAudio, M2Tech and Wavelength stuff

I also like AudioTrio for Sanders (electrostat speakers with transmission line woofers, as well as amps), ESP cables/distributors, Benchmark and Antelope DACs. They are in Beauty World. A short stone's throw away is X Audio which brings in Japanese brands like TAOC, Oyaide etc, alongside Parasound, as well as some really high end speakers.

If you like turntables, try High End Research which bring in SME gear.

With the A$ at record high, may be good bargains to be had.

Singapore is readily accessible by taxis if you are going to those outside of Adelphi. The country is about 70km wide so it's never too long a journey as long as you go off peak hours.. so say from 10am till about 12, and 2pm till 5. Try to call ahead if you want to hear something in particular so you can get them to set it up for you. Space is usually a premium so not everything can be displayed.

[ENIGMA]

the Adelphi is kool.

When inside, make sure you go to Audio Note and listen to the big Avantgardes with Air Tight amps and TW Acustik tables, as well as MBL and listen to the awesome MBL system.

Then go to the levinson shop and laugh how pathetic and unmusical it sounds :-)

http://www.stereo.ne...ghlight=adelphi

This was my favourite shop when i was there and Desmond was great company, made me really feel welcome and enjoys talking about our passion.

Oh, and the HIFI sounded superb.

[gaz1958]

Thanks to all for your replys. Might have to send the better half "shopping" for the "day".
Cheers,
Gaz.

[Keith_W]

This was my favourite shop when i was there and Desmond was great company, made me really feel welcome and enjoys talking about our passion.

Desmond and I were great mates when we were back in uni. Funny how things turn out - he owns one of the most succesful hifi shops in Singapore, while here I am keeping spammers away from SNA

[firefly0071]

I used to know Julia Gillard before she was an MP and when she was single.. and all I do is spend time on SNA

[The Hun]

I used to know Julia Gillard before she was an MP and when she was single.. and all I do is spend time on SNA

Firefly - I think you need to seriously count your blessings!

[Probbo]

Adelphi is certainly the place to go.

Also check out the 2nd hand stores in the basement......some nice Lenco TT's and a Basis 2100 there last time I visited (last month).....you can wave to the "massage" girls as you walk past

Make sure you explore the shops off the main area.......Modular Audio moved in last year and are worth a visit.

http://www.modularaudio.com.sg/

Also, have a look on Audiogon (use Search and enter Singapore as the location) as this might also point you at some stuff you want to look at.

For any hifi gear purchased in SG, the usual warning applies....effectively no warranty and some of the items are "grey imports".

With the strong aussie dollar there are still some bargains to be had.......one of the Adelphi shops had a demo Acoustic Signature Manfred TT (inc Rega arm) for SG1800 (AUS 1350).

cheers

[Keith_W]

I used to know Julia Gillard before she was an MP and when she was single.. and all I do is spend time on SNA

Yeah, this could be you!

[firefly0071]

I just finished university and although I was very politcally aware etc, I still needed growing up relationship wise. Julia was older than I was etc.

[gaz1958]

Hi Probbo,
Thanks for the info. It will be good to drool over some great gear that I'm deprived of here in the West even if I can't buy.
The strong dollar is very tempting but need the warranty for peace of mind.
Cheers,
Gaz.

[JohnA]

what about record stores in singapore?

[turntable]

what about record stores in singapore?

There is about 3 or 4 in Adelphi - all have 2nd hand as well. Mostely clasical, jazz, blues etc and lots of audiophile. one store has a lot of Jap pressings, however he charges well for them.

There is a CD/music store just up/down across the road from the Adelphi that sells new release vinyl. frankly, it was cheaper to buy in Aus, unless you find something you are specifically looking for.

[JohnA]

cheers Shane

heading over in July with family so will happily leave them for a day whilst i go shopping

[DoggieHowser]

The store across from Adelphi has closed down.

I think they were sourcing from Argentina for the cheapest CDs. I prefer getting mine from Amazon US in the end.

[turntable]

cheers Shane

heading over in July with family so will happily leave them for a day whilst i go shopping

Don't go Sunday as the Adephi is closed and go after 1pm. plenty of shopping for the family to do close by. In fact Singapore to me is like one giant Westfield.

[Whatmore]

In fact Singapore to me is like one giant Westfield.

Singapore has the rare distinction of being the only shopping centre with a seat on the UN

[Probbo]

Singapore has the rare distinction of being the only shopping centre with a seat on the UN

Ha ha...........it's about as big as a large mall as well !

[josh0571]

SIN has a nice Airport too:)

[A J]

Well with a weekend stranded in Singapore what was a poor boy like me to - off to adelphi to gawk at stuff I couldn't afford. Nearly broke out the credit card at the plinius dealers fir a cd101 to match my hautonga and also heard some of the nicest tube amp/horn setups I have ever seen - all in the S$50k+ bracket system wise. Bonus was I could get a quick pedicure and massage in between listening sessions. Awesome !!

[Lord Mike]

Someone donate a chin for Julia.

[A J]

I have to say after more than a few days in Singapore - it is like an onion. It takes a while to peel away the layers to find whats really going on.

[DoggieHowser]

I have to say after more than a few days in Singapore - it is like an onion. It takes a while to peel away the layers to find whats really going on.

Does it also make you cry when you are done peeling? ie when you notice what it's done to your bank balance.

There are a couple of Aussie audiophile expats in Singapore. You can probably meet like minded individuals in www.xtremeplace.com
Which I guess can be described as stereonet for Singapore.

Planet Audio is the subsection related to stereo only discussions.

Edited by DoggieHowser, 14 June 2011 - 09:47 AM.

[darthlaker]

I lived in Singas for 10 years and I am not sure ANYONE there really knows what is going on!

I was just over there 2 weeks back for a little trip - lots of cool stuff at The Adelphi and lots of cool music - gave the credit card a workout! Ernest at New Disc Village is a great source of music.....just let him know you want to listen to some fun, well recorded stuff and I guarantee that you will give the card some bashing!

Lots of expat audiophiles over there......another source of information to connect with people (especially stuff for sale!) is The Echo Loft forum....

http://www.echoloft.com/

[DoggieHowser]

Echoloft site availability has been pretty erratic last couple of years.

[darthlaker]

Indeed it has been.

Left a HUGE void when it went down for a few months.....back on track now!

[Whatmore]

Indeed it has been.

Left a HUGE void when it went down for a few months.....back on track now!

still doesn't work for me. The front page works (as it always has) but the link to the forums doesn't (as it hasn't for ages).
I occasionally look at xtremeplace when I'm feeling nostalgic about SG HIFI

[darthlaker]

Oh, sorry, I meant the Buy and Sell section...lots of fun stuff on there!

[michaeljohn1234m]

Oh, sorry, I meant the Buy and Sell section...lots of fun stuff on there!

whats the voltage over there

[darthlaker]

230V..works just fine here...

[Luc]

I'm heading over to Singapore in July and I just remembered this thread. So is the Adelphi still the place to go? I don't think I'll be buying unless I spot some SH gear and from what I can gather, the prices by the time you get back here and pay the duties and GST don't really make it worth your while. Is that true?

It's my first visit there and I'm still to book accommodation for our five days and haven't worked out what we'll be looking at yet, we both like shopping and eating so I'm guessing we should find plenty of that there.

I'd appreciate any advice you guys could offer on anything to do with the place, we're not the types who go to Disneyworld or theme parks for instance. I'll be doing the Botanical garden for sure and the Bird park[?] but I've got no further than that really. Working out where to stay is the biggy at the moment, we we're told by a mate that the Traders Hotel was a good one but it's fully booked at our time, Raffles @$400+ aint an option I might add.



Edit: I grabbed $88 one way fares to and from SIN to Gold Coast earlier this week when they first came up with Singapore Airlines new cheap carrier Scoop, by the time we added a baggage allowance there an back and decided to pay for meals (8 hours without anything to munch on or drink seemed a bit harsh) and all the taxes it brought the total price for two return tickets to $684.00 which is pretty good buying I reckon.

Edited by Luc, 23 March 2012 - 01:38 PM.

[JohnA]

adelphi is still the place to go, but to be perfectly honest, prices or not that much cheaper then here.
Some bargains if you want marantz, denon and some of the mainstream brands, but higher end is priced almost the same.

good record shopping in there also, there is one store though that has no prices but a great collection.
I leave him till last, and get use to asking him a price for every record.
He can be a little pricey.

I dont do any touristy things in Singapore, for me its purely a shopping holiday. Wife goes for work twice a year and i tag along as it only costs me an air fair.
We stay at the sheraton towers on scotts rd

[Luc]

Thanks for quick reply JA:D Shopping will be the main thing I think we'll be doing. Congrats on the nice write up in the Mag btw.

[DoggieHowser]

Universal Studios isn't a bad place to spend the day if you have kids. Nowhere as large as MovieWorld but there are some good rides there. The Mummy, Jurassic Park, Battlestar Galactica humans v cylons, and also the new Transformers ride.

If you want to look for second hand LPs try Kevin at House of Turntables. He quit a well paying job to pursue his passion. When he was in Brisbane for a layover on a holiday, he even helped me setup my turntable. That's the kind of guy he is. He's also scouring the world over for second hand vinyl. He just got back from a road trip in the US with a massive haul which should be in these few weeks.

The shop is in Bras Basah in the city. About 15 min walk from The Adelphi.

Hope this helps.

[DoggieHowser]

Here's the contact information

http://www.turntablesolutions.com/

House of Turntables
Blk 231 Bain Street,
#03-03 Bras Basah Complex
Singapore 180231

Tel: +(65) 65700120
Fax:+(65) 6238 8443
Email: mail@turntablesolutions.com

Operating Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday, 1pm - 6pm. Closed on Mondays

[JohnA]

Thanks for quick reply JA:D Shopping will be the main thing I think we'll be doing. Congrats on the nice write up in the Mag btw.

cheers mate

i should be grabbing my copy tomorrow to have a look

ps, with opening times, go after lunch to the adelphi. They say open from 11am but realistically, most dont open till at least 1pm.

[darthlaker]

JohnA,

Prices in Singapore for high end gear can be MUCH cheaper than oz!

You need to haggle....

A few dealers don't but they are in the minority.

[triode12]

Roxy Shopping complex in Katong has a couple of 2nd hand high-end stores. One of them is called Jun Heng Trading. I have dealt with him before and he is honest in his dealings. He sometimes has good bargains. But with everything caveat emptor.

Edited by triode12, 23 March 2012 - 02:52 PM.

[JohnA]

JohnA,

Prices in Singapore for high end gear can be MUCH cheaper than oz!

You need to haggle....

A few dealers don't but they are in the minority.

yes have done some haggling myself, but i usualy dont purchase big ticket items from there.
I an ususaly get the same deals locally.
If its half price difference like some of the mainstream brands, then its a no brainer.

I still love browsing around there and looking and listening to all the lovely gear under one roof

[darthlaker]

yea, always great to browse...i was there just last weekend.....addictive!

have fun!