Audio Alternative in Lilburn

Review №1

2013-02-13

I always have the best experience when i shop at this store. i wish i could work there. it would be a dream job of mine. im always so fascinated by the equipment and the knowledge alan (the owner) and the rest of the staff has. they even a section of vinyl records for all you vintage guys, and the coolest vintage gear collection ive seen in a long time. do your self a favor and go check it out.

Review №2

2014-05-29

Ive been an avid HiFi enthusiast since I was a teenager, and have been visiting Audio Alternative periodically since I moved to Atlanta back in 1995. Once upon a time in Atlanta, there were dozens of high-end home audio stores and I probably visited most of them at some point. Since the heydays of the late 90s, most of the other stores have closed down and there are very few true HiFi stores left in Atlanta where you can actually go and hear equipment in person before making a purchase. Most retailers have converted exclusively to doing home theater installations and dont have much of a showroom (if any), or have simply closed up (HiFi Buys and Audio Forest being the most noteworthy examples). Even back when there was a store in every neighborhood, Audio Alternative stood out for the following reasons:1) They have used equipment. This is a great thing, because good equipment often lasts a very long time and you can get into mid-fi or true HiFi at a great discount when buying used. Alan and the team at Audio Alternative understand this because they have clearly lived the the life of the starving audiophile who has expensive tastes and a small budget.2) They are nice people. They arent pompous and conceited like *so* many other HiFi dealers Ive visited over the years (most of which thankfully went out of business). I totally understand that for every true HiFi buyer with enough money to actually afford the high-end gear they are looking at, there are dozens of gear-head kids (like I was) and posers who just take up time and never buy anything. At Audio Alternative, every person was once one of those wanna-be audiophiles, and they treat everyone with respect regardless of budget. Ive always found them to give me more time than I deserved, and they earned my loyalty. When I *did* have money to spend, I knew this was the sort of shop where I wanted to spend it.3) They have truly great brands. Perhaps due to the culling of the HiFi herd in Atlanta, Audio Alternative have slowly accumulated some of the very best product lines in all of HiFi. Brinkmann, Audio Research, Vandersteen, Aesthetix, Ayre, VPI, Magnepan, NAD - From high-end to entry-level, they have some truly excellent choices. Whats more, Ive seen all of the brands that have come and gone over the years and I value their process of continuously evaluating who is making the best of the best and changing brands when they think someone else is the state of the art.4) They actually know their product. Back in the day, stores like HiFi buys had great gear, but the staff were often not knowledgeable or were otherwise dealing in snake oil like $2000 cables, etc. Alan, David, and the rest of the team know how to set up even the most persnickety turntables and tube gear, and they generally ignore most of the faux science in favor of listening experience. There is an element of myth and legend in HiFi that few are immune from, but the staff at Audio Alternative do far better than most to avoid selling you stuff that wont make the music better.If youre in the market for any HiFi gear and youre in (or near) Atlanta, this is the place to stop first and last.

Review №3

2014-05-14

The trip to the store was a great experience. I found what I needed, and I got a chance to see so many more things in the store. The staff was very nice, warm and friendly to me. They took me on a tour of the store. It is an amazing place. I could spend a Saturday afternoon there. It really made me want to visit again.

Review №4

2014-08-20

Great experience. Brought in my own records to try them out on various turntables, and audition several different loudspeakers. Cant wait to go back!