HIFI scenes in australia

[anewmission]

Is it just me or does the hifi scene in victoria seem far bigger than anywhere else in australia. Most of the things in the classifieds are in victoria and same goes for anything decent on sites like ebay and gumtree. What are your thoughts?
 
 

[ray4410]

funny about that,i live in victoria,when something comes up either here or ebay/gumtree that i am interested in they are mostly interstate.

[Gryffles]

Yeah, I’m not so sure. My last three purchases have come from WA. 

[todagt]

I'd would say the scene is pretty good over in WA. It's good here in Vic as well

[audiofeline]

My perception is that Perth is very vibrant.

[anewmission]

I live in sydney and for the most part there is not much.. A few suburbs have some really high end stuff that comes up in the classifieds. I can only think of a few hifi retailers and a few wholesalers here.

[Guest]

Canberra, lol. 

[att23]

I believe it’s because most Sydneysiders have other priorities like mortgages?

 

And our living space may be much smaller than McMansions in other states, so that limits how big or how many speakers/gear we try to keep?

 

Also rent is too expensive so most hifi business who needs some room for display/audition goes bust. 

 

There are some super rich in NSW that keep ultra high end gear and have real estate at home to keep them, but it’s not that common and those ultra high end gear don’t usually sell well here on the SNA classified. If someone can afford a Bentley, why would they buy secondhand? They don’t care about the savings like us poor folks. 

[anewmission]

I believe it’s because most Sydneysiders have other priorities like mortgages?
 
And our living space may be much smaller than McMansions in other states, so that limits how big or how many speakers/gear we try to keep?
 
Also rent is too expensive so most hifi business who needs some room for display/audition goes bust. 
 
There are some super rich in NSW that keep ultra high end gear and have real estate at home to keep them, but it’s not that common and those ultra high end gear don’t usually sell well here on the SNA classified. If someone can afford a Bentley, why would they buy secondhand? They don’t care about the savings like us poor folks. 

You are exactly right. Sydney is the soundbar city. Haha

[alistairm]

My experience is that Sydney and Melbourne are pretty similar in terms of quality and volume of gear. 

 

Cue massive generalisation based on anecdotal evidence, but I think Victoria has a higher proportion of active high-end dealerships. On the other hand, I think Sydney has a higher number of ultra high-end systems...

[anewmission]

My experience is that Sydney and Melbourne are pretty similar in terms of quality and volume of gear. 
 
Cue massive generalisation based on anecdotal evidence, but I think Victoria has a higher proportion of active high-end dealerships. On the other hand, I think Sydney has a higher number of ultra high-end systems... cause let's be honest... if you really have the coin you're not living in Melbourne full time... 
 
/duck

Yeh theres more french and german girls that start their backpacking in sydney

[barn door]

WA would have to be up there with having some of the best gear up for sale.

Having said that, can’t complain about the gear that comes up for sale in Melbourne.

[Mike13]

6 hours ago, Sime V2 said:

Canberra, lol. 

Funny, highest average annual earnings. Tiny market gets you Miranda HiFi and... I can’t think of any others. 

 

You’d probably be the highest contributing person from Canberra to the forums. 

[Guest]

I shop in Sydney now. 

[Guest gmdb]

I rarely post these days, but I found this fascinating.  I'm in Brisbane and most enquiries / sales I get for the cables I sell are:

 

1. Victoria - an easy number 1

2. WA & QLD - tie (but I think QLD activity is higher than otherwise because I'm local)

3. SA and TAS and ACT tie

4. Overseas

5. NSW

6. NT and anywhere else in Australia

 

In the past I've been involved in several non-audiophile activities and most enthusiasm and activity was generated by people from Vic, WA, QLD, SA, and NSW in that order.

 

Not a critique of NSW or Sydney.  I grew up in Sydney and lived there till I was 33, but it is kind of different to other places I've now lived in. 

Edited February 17, 2019 by gmdb

[LHC]

11 minutes ago, Sime V2 said:

I shop in Sydney now. 

It is only a 2.5 hours drive away (+ another half hour to CBD or Lane Cove). 

[The Bluesman]

You Know, it's funny and you must stay alert with hand on buzzer, bit like a game show and I've seen stuff come up in other states BUT I'm not into the post thing, local pick up for me and I've bought some good local gear and it is kinda nice meeting the seller, more importantly checking the gear out in person 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, LHC said:

It is only a 2.5 hours drive away (+ another half hour to CBD or Lane Cove). 

I agree, if I wake up that morning with intent to buy, what I want will most likely be in Sydney, Canberra is always “have to be ordered” and by mid afternoon, I’m back home and setting up. 

Plus Canberra will never compete with Sydney prices. The last 3 big purchases have been in Sydney, and before then my whole Hi-Fi shopping experience since the 80’s was at Miranda, but that’s not an option anymore for most reasons, mostly service and price. That place isn’t what it used to be unfortunately. 

Stores like the lifestyle store and Len Wallis are 2nd to none. 

Edited February 17, 2019 by Sime V2

[Guest gmdb]

12 minutes ago, Sime V2 said:

I agree, if I wake up that morning with intent to buy, what I want will most likely be in Sydney, Canberra is always “have to be ordered” and by mid afternoon, I’m back home and setting up. 

Plus Canberra will never compete with Sydney prices. The last 3 big purchases have been in Sydney, and before then my whole Hi-Fi shopping experience since the 80’s was at Miranda, but that’s not an option anymore for most reasons, mostly service and price. That place isn’t what it used to be unfortunately. 

What happened to Duratone in Curtin?  I used to be able to buy some quality stuff from them in 1990s when I lived down that way, and they were always willing to do a deal.  But I do remember that the guy who ran the place was getting a bit old.

[Guest]

@gmdb that store has never been on my radar, I’ve only ever stepped there abut1/2 dozen times. Cracpot owners, and the store is like a 2nd hand thrift shop. . 

[Guest gmdb]

Just now, Sime V2 said:

@gmdb that store has never been on my radar, I’ve only ever stepped there abut1/2 dozen times. Cracpot owners, and the store is like a 2nd hand thrift shop. . 

Ah, it's really changed then. But 1992 was a long time ago.  It used to be the only shop available for quality HiFI in Canberra. 

[Guest]

@gmdb lol, my opinion is based from the late 80’s to present. I was into Yamaha gear back in the early 90’s, so Miranda was my place of choice. 

[anewmission]

Sydney is a working city. People work here until retirement and then alot of the time they move elsewhere. The lucky few who make more than the average person may retire in sydney. I saw that some new apartment penthouses in cronulla suburb are selling for 7.5million and its no where near the cbd.. So for my parents who are about to retire they are better off keeping their giant 2 story house in the suburbs than downsizing.

Len wallis is definitely great. Sydney hifi in newtown is good but everything needs to be ordered in and apollo hifi in marrickville is probably the best as far as doing good deals. Cant really think of anywhere else in sydney. I dont think these stores are going to last all that much longer either. I was in a flagship jb hifi store yesterday and all they had was soundbars piled on top of one another.. Harvey Norman had budget yamaha 5.1 systems and budget klipsch 5.1 systems..

I remember even 15 years ago there was 10x as many hifi stores in sydney. The samw thing has happened with the local music scene in sydney. Between 95 and 2010 it was thriving. Now just full of dj's whos music really hasnt changed much since the 80s

[LHC]

Is Eastwood Hi Fi still operating? 

[outdated]

Hey, another Canberra original here, now residing in NSW.  It's interesting to read a negative impression about Duratone, to see how different people see things differently.  I grew up in the area and both my parents and more recently myself have bought gear from Duratone (or their sister shop Kingston HiFi for a time) since the 70's.  I don't think there was ever a piece of equipment we ever bought there that did not perform well and sound good - even if it was usually 'budget' gear.

In between times I bought some stuff at lesser 'flashy' shops and was never happy with any of it. Recently I wanted to get back to something approahcing quality gear and thought I would try out Duratone for old times sake - it had been 18 years since I went there last.  It was exactly as I remembered it from the 80's and 90's, somewhat chaotic and "well worn" to put it kindly, but stacked with proper quality gear and people who love hifi.  Such a breath of fresh air in a world of overly flashy and pretentious shops staffed by clueless tossers who know absolutely nothing about what they're selling.  I got excellent service, excellent advice and a decent discount from RRP such that it was only a little more expensive than buying online.  Well worth the small premium.

Maybe it's just me, but I was totally stoked to find the shop just as it had been for years... a proper "old school" shop!  In my opinion it's well worth a visit for any hifi enthusiast.

No connection to the shop, just a happy customer.