Jstas
01-10-2007, 06:05 PM
Well, I went looking to see who might have McIntosh stuff online. I wasn't expecting to find an authorized dealer, just an idea of cost.
Well, I stumbled on an oldy and what I thought would be moldy but they actually look much better. It seems they expanded thier inventory and it's pretty expansive too.
I realize that discounters can hurt businesses but, if you are like me and have very little in your area in the way of reputable shops that cater to high end manufacturers and the enthusiasts that buy those products, online is often your only resource.
In that line, the site I went to was woofersetc.com
http://www.woofersetc.com
I used them once before when onlinecarstereo.com was out of the Hifonics Nemesis amps I was looking for. They were good, fast and even gave me a follow up call to see how I liked my experience. While they are not authorized dealers on a good chunk of stuff, they do offer thier own in-house warranty that they stand by and that's a good thing. Customer service was plesant and didn't leave alot to be desired. I'd buy from them again.
OnlineCarStereo just added a bunch of brands. They are authorized dealers for most of thier stuff. The stuff they are not authorized for tends to be out of date by at least one model run and they aren't that much of a discounter. I have used them before though and when they were out of a model of head unit I was looking for, they made every effort to make me a happy customer. They just didn't have what I was looking for so I had to go elsewhere. I have bought amps from them and sent a few other people there who all had good experiences. I would use them again.
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/
This one is CarMedia1 and while thier site looks a bit MickeyMouse in design, all of thier gear they sell is A-stock/brand new unless noted as remans or B-stock. Thier prices are very nice on alot of stuff. They offer a warranty on the stuff they sell that they are not authorized dealers for but I can't speak for it. I haven't had to use it. I got my Kenwood eXcelon KAC-X650D 5 channel amp there and I haven't had any problems. Thier CS left alot to be desired but shipping was quick and easy. They were professional, just not a very good "bedside manner". Still, I'd use them again...with caution though.
http://www.carmedia1.com/
There is the always venerable CarDomain.com and they are authorized dealers for all of thier inventory now. Thier prices have gone up and they don't necessarily offer the same smoking deals but the big benefit is that you get customer service on the level of Crutchfield but with a hell of alot more variety and they still do offer good deals.
http://www.cardomain.com/
This last one will ship internationally last I knew. They are a British company so everything is in pounds but last I checked, they will ship to the U.S. You will be subject to customs. However, they carry alot of stuff we can't get here in regular retail like Becker, Harmon\Kardon and some real high end Blaupunkt stuff. They were about as nice as British people would be expected to be towards Americans but they proved invaluable when I was trying to replace the Becker head unit in a friend's 944 Porsche that someone tried to steal. It cost him a pretty penny but he got exactly what he needed. This information is several years old though so if you want to buy from them, check if they will still ship internationally first.
http://www.caraudiodiscount.com/
This last site is a decent site. Thier stock is almost always behind by a year or more. However, what they do is buy up closeout stock from other stores that are just looking to liquidate stock that didn't sell. Consequently, they often have smokin' deals on brand new equipment. If you are in the market for a new piece of gear, don't leave them out. Often times you can find last year's models are 50% off or more from these guys. I don't know what they are authorized dealers on if anything but if anything you get from them on closeout breaks, you are probably SOL anyway. Reason being is that not only is the item old and not being made anymore so replacements are lacking but the manufacturer likely does not support warranty work on the item anymore. Most mfr's offer a year or two warranty and if the item is old enough, the consider it end-of-life. Not everyone is like Polk Audio and willing to help out a customer no matter what.
http://www.acaraudio.com/
There you go, just some helpful info.
Well, I stumbled on an oldy and what I thought would be moldy but they actually look much better. It seems they expanded thier inventory and it's pretty expansive too.
I realize that discounters can hurt businesses but, if you are like me and have very little in your area in the way of reputable shops that cater to high end manufacturers and the enthusiasts that buy those products, online is often your only resource.
In that line, the site I went to was woofersetc.com
http://www.woofersetc.com
I used them once before when onlinecarstereo.com was out of the Hifonics Nemesis amps I was looking for. They were good, fast and even gave me a follow up call to see how I liked my experience. While they are not authorized dealers on a good chunk of stuff, they do offer thier own in-house warranty that they stand by and that's a good thing. Customer service was plesant and didn't leave alot to be desired. I'd buy from them again.
OnlineCarStereo just added a bunch of brands. They are authorized dealers for most of thier stuff. The stuff they are not authorized for tends to be out of date by at least one model run and they aren't that much of a discounter. I have used them before though and when they were out of a model of head unit I was looking for, they made every effort to make me a happy customer. They just didn't have what I was looking for so I had to go elsewhere. I have bought amps from them and sent a few other people there who all had good experiences. I would use them again.
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/
This one is CarMedia1 and while thier site looks a bit MickeyMouse in design, all of thier gear they sell is A-stock/brand new unless noted as remans or B-stock. Thier prices are very nice on alot of stuff. They offer a warranty on the stuff they sell that they are not authorized dealers for but I can't speak for it. I haven't had to use it. I got my Kenwood eXcelon KAC-X650D 5 channel amp there and I haven't had any problems. Thier CS left alot to be desired but shipping was quick and easy. They were professional, just not a very good "bedside manner". Still, I'd use them again...with caution though.
http://www.carmedia1.com/
There is the always venerable CarDomain.com and they are authorized dealers for all of thier inventory now. Thier prices have gone up and they don't necessarily offer the same smoking deals but the big benefit is that you get customer service on the level of Crutchfield but with a hell of alot more variety and they still do offer good deals.
http://www.cardomain.com/
This last one will ship internationally last I knew. They are a British company so everything is in pounds but last I checked, they will ship to the U.S. You will be subject to customs. However, they carry alot of stuff we can't get here in regular retail like Becker, Harmon\Kardon and some real high end Blaupunkt stuff. They were about as nice as British people would be expected to be towards Americans but they proved invaluable when I was trying to replace the Becker head unit in a friend's 944 Porsche that someone tried to steal. It cost him a pretty penny but he got exactly what he needed. This information is several years old though so if you want to buy from them, check if they will still ship internationally first.
http://www.caraudiodiscount.com/
This last site is a decent site. Thier stock is almost always behind by a year or more. However, what they do is buy up closeout stock from other stores that are just looking to liquidate stock that didn't sell. Consequently, they often have smokin' deals on brand new equipment. If you are in the market for a new piece of gear, don't leave them out. Often times you can find last year's models are 50% off or more from these guys. I don't know what they are authorized dealers on if anything but if anything you get from them on closeout breaks, you are probably SOL anyway. Reason being is that not only is the item old and not being made anymore so replacements are lacking but the manufacturer likely does not support warranty work on the item anymore. Most mfr's offer a year or two warranty and if the item is old enough, the consider it end-of-life. Not everyone is like Polk Audio and willing to help out a customer no matter what.
http://www.acaraudio.com/
There you go, just some helpful info.