I was in very deep search for a Soundsmith Otello Cartridge. I contacted at least 20 other sites and no one had ANY! I was exhausted to say the least. Then I came upon Audio Visions and BOOM! They had more than one in stock!They shipped it very quickly.The associate I talked with was very knowledgeable and kind.I made a new friend in the wonderful Audiophile world!Thanks so much!Toby

Cool hi-fi store with a wide selection of some of the best gear on the market.

The value of being able to walk into a store and having the option of trying out 30+ pairs of high end headphones cant be overstated. The staff can come off as a bit condescending but they know what theyre talking about and will hook you up with something appropriate to your situation... No hard sells for more expensive gear outside your range or interests. If youre thinking about spending more than 200 on a set of cans head in and hear the difference instead of reading a bunch of Internet reviews and trying to imagine what you want.

Very impressive selection of gear and a laid-back atmosphere, parking can be tough but this shop is worth a visit.

My vintage amp finally died so I spent the morning looking for a replacement. They had the Marantz receiver that I was looking for in stock when nobody else had it. I could have bought it online for more $ and waited 3 tortuous weeks. Taylor and Randolph were very nice and extremely helpful. I never felt rushed or pressured. It’s a really cool store with a lot of amazing equipment. I spent the entire day enjoying the receiver and sub. I’ll definitely be back to upgrade my speakers. Thank you!Update: I went back to update my speakers. I was promptly greeted when I arrived. I didn’t have an appointment but they were able to accommodate me. Taylor set up an impromptu listening session with the same amp we had just purchased. We listened to a few different speakers below and above our price range. It takes time to set things up so I was very appreciative of everyone’s time. Taylor handed us a tablet and let us listen to anything we wanted. He would come and check on us to switch out the speakers. In about 30 minutes the session confirmed my research. We got the Carina’s in white and I couldn’t be happier. My wife really wanted the speaker color to be white. I highly recommend making an appointment so they can prepare the listening session ahead of time. Overall it was a fantastic experience. They have a great selection of inventory and the experience to give good advice. Thank you!

Taylor was spectacularly helpful in purchasing my Meze Empyreans/Woo Audio amp. I was able to try out a wide variety of amps and headphone pairings before landing on this selection. Taylor even took the time to set up some comparison products I might like/gain insight from. I have purchased from audiovisionsf before when I bought my Hifiman headphones and Audeze LCD-3s roughly 7 years ago and I will most definitely return for any repairs/upgrades in the future.

Taylor really helped me out. First, spent a while with me as a walk in going through a lot of different equipment for a new apartment. Then scheduled an appointment and I was really in for an amazing experience. Taylor sat with me for hours walking Mrs through all the different equipment, listening to different records and songs and testing it all through different setups to find the best. O really appreciate the time they put in to making sure you find the best equipment for your budget.

I had an appointment with Taylor. Im pretty new to this hobby, but he was extremely patient, answered all of my questions (even the super basic ones) carefully and respectfully and made me feel like I was part of the club. He gave me all the time I needed to demo the equipment I was interested in, never pressured me to buy and never tried to up-sell. The guy knows his stuff and Ill definitely be back for advice and more gear. Thanks Taylor!

Beware - owner forces you to pay to shop. Yes, thats right. If you want to spend more than 20 minutes in the store listening to gear you are forced to pay a $250 consultation fee which you can apply to a purchase. No one can make an expensive purchase in less than 20 minutes. If you pay the fee and then dont find what you want, youre stuck.The owner explained he instituted the fee because people shopped there and then bought online. No surprise with service like this. I entered the store wanting to buy local. I left wanting to buy local, but somewhere else. Try Music Lovers, their service and gear are top notch.

F*** OFF AND DIE IN A DITCH-- Taylor, Audio Vision SF SalesmanI recently became interested in hi-fi audio and stopped in the store on 12/9/17 after finding this place on Yelp. I was interested in spending around $2000 on a starter system to start easing into this world.I should have read the reviews in more detail, as many 1-star reviews have documented a pattern of a hostile environment with condescending and dismissive salespeople. This would have saved me some time on this Saturday.I walked in and introduced myself to the gentleman seated behind the sales desk - a poorly kempt bro in his mid-30s named Taylor. I explained that I was looking for a system with headphones in the $2000 range. He barely acknowledged my presence and dismissively told me to wait while he came up with some ideas.I stood by the front display and asked him what some of the vacuum tube amps on display were. He was extremely condescending and blew me off saying Dont worry about it... thats an $8000 headphone amp.At this point, all my excitement about exploring this hobby evaporated. I thought this was a very rude response to an obvious noob who was clearly trying to learn about audio equipment as a beginner, but was willing to spend $2000 at a business. I asked if it would be possible to see what some of these systems sounded like.His response - would you go into a Ferrari dealership and ask to drive a Ferrari?I was really not expecting this amount of attitude from a salesman when I was trying to give them business, so I asked why he was giving me so much attitude.At this point, Taylor quickly changed from agitated to aggressively belligerent, and stood up and started charging at me. He blew by me screaming at me to F*** OFF, WE DONT WANT YOUR BUSINESS, GO DIE IN A DITCHI was completely shocked and abhorred by this behavior, as this seemed like someone who had some serious personal problems and anger management issues. I would imagine in any business that this kind of behavior would be grounds for immediate dismissal.There was another older gentleman seated at the other sales desk who appeared to be just as shocked.Anyway, he ran off to the back and brought another guy out while still verbally assaulting me, and at this point I simply walked out.This was by far the most shocking retail experience Ive ever had. As long as they have Taylor screaming obscenities and charging at customers, their business will fail, not to mention, open themselves up to legal liability.Ill be happily giving another store my business, and hopefully others will avoid this place and spare themselves some verbal abuse and time wasted. The ironic thing is that this entry purchase would have likely paved the way for more substantial purchases $20,000+, but this experience completely ruined any possibility of any future business at this terrible place.

I had a great experience with Audio Vision. Both Randolph and Taylor were incredibly helpful in assisting me to pick up my first HiFi speakers ever. When there were some technical issues they handled everything like a boss and convinced the manufacturer to send me an upgraded model from the one I purchased! Super cool, very excited to give them more of my business in the future.

Needed new speakers to address a dead sounding room. The team was open and approachable, listened to my exact situation and needs and found the best options for my setup. They could have over sold me but were honest about the options based on what I already have at home. The solution that they came up with sounds fantastic. Highly recommend this shop, they made what could be an intimidating experience (they have really amazing sounding high $ gear as well) simple and super positive.

Bought some headphones here and had a great time. Gave a budget, was handed some recommendations and then was left to try them out at my own pace on the couch.Was a little worried after some of these reviews but it was completely unfounded, the staff were really friendly and Id definitely go back... when my wallet has recovered.

Friendly and very helpful. I was looking for headphones and the person there asked about the type of music, budget and other questions. I had done some on-line research and had a decent understanding of the choices and the technical features but I let him guide me. He let me try various headphones above and below and in-line with my budget to give me a sense of the differences. He also was willing to explain technical details in plain English but only to the extent I wanted. No pressure, and allowed a lot of time to try different products with the music I preferred and my own music. He had some excellent ideas based on my planned use. I waited several weeks to write this review to be sure I was pleased with my purchase. I can confirm it was a great experience and I could not be more pleased with the service and my purchase. And an owner was there as well, who was friendly and helpful.

My Quiet comfort QC20i earphones lasted me 2 years, with almost daily use, until the audio on the left earphone no longer worked. I dropped off the earphones at the store to get a replacement under my extended warranty plan. Geoffrey was stellar in providing prompt, attentive, and courteous customer service. Thank you!

Had a great experience in purchasing new turntable. Taylor is very helpful and accommodating. Will be back for accessories.

My search for an entry-level/mid-level turntable setup is over, thanks to Antonio and his team at Audio Vision. I have been wanting to give vinyl a try for years and after attending a concert where the artist sold his album at the merch table, I decided to buy his vinyl and finally buy my analog setup.This led to countless hours of google searching, which ended up turning fruitless. For a basic budget system (talking less than $500) there are ample recommendations for a full system. But for anything past that, there is a void of good information. That, along with audio equipment being very subjective led me to look locally for information. This is where Antonio comes in.Customer service is a lost art. Antonio seems to be old school in his ways. When I first walked into Audio Vision I was quickly greeted and asked if I had any questions. I had no intention of buying anything that day but he was happy to answer any questions I had and let me browse around. I must have gone back to Audio Vision 3 times in doing my research to see if they had the brands of equipment I was reading about online, as well as to get a recommendation of what he thought of the items I was looking at. He always gave me great information and pointed me to two or three different items he thought would work for my specific situation.Finally, on my 4th trip, I had completely settled on a turntable and was deciding between which preamp and speakers to buy. I had a few in mind and told Antonio which ones I was looking at. He told me to schedule an appointment and they could set up the equipment for me to do an A/B test back to back so I could decide for myself (over online reviews) which system sounded better to my ears. I thought this was great and told him I would be back in an hour to pick up the turntable I just bought (because they had to install a cartridge for me).Lo and behold, when I returned to pick up my turntable, they surprised me and had the full setup ready to go including implementing my turntable, so I would get an accurate impression of how everything would sound together. I was able to sit there as long as I wanted trying out different albums and listening to the speakers to see which one I truly enjoyed better. Talk about customer service! Hearing the full set up together helped me make my decision easier rather than going home and reading a million more reviews over the different products.After I bought everything I realized the speaker stands were not in stock and would ship and be there in about a week. I asked Antonio if he knew of any stores that sold speaker stands that I could buy in the meantime until mine arrived and he let me borrow a pair of speaker stands to use until mine arrived! No other store would include this level of customer service that I can think of. And since I had booked an appointment to listen to different speakers he told me I could still come in and listen to a system that cost over 10x of what I just spent on my setup if I were interested. I definitely took him up on that offer and brought in my own vinyl to try on that setup. Let me tell you it was a dream!During no time did I feel pressured to make a purchase or felt like they didnt want to answer my questions about any and everything audio related. I would definitely recommend anyone looking for audio gear to check them out! I will definitely be back whenever I decide to upgrade my system.

Dont bother going there.If you have ever been in a Rolex boutique or a Porsche dealership you probably had a pretty good experience even if you ended up not buying anything that day. Its expected because you going to spend a lot of money on a luxurious item so buying experience counts even if it takes more than one visit.Folks from AV have a different perspective and youre welcomed with a question are you ready to buy today?. At first, I didnt know it was a problem but after I asked another associate to try some speakers the guy instructed him not to let me because I am not ready to buy today. There was 3 guys who work there and no other customers except of me, but I guess they have something more important to do. Come back when you ready they said. No thanks, never again.

I must say I was rather pleased with my experience at Audio Vision. I was looking for a specific set of low-budget speakers & they were able to help. Unfortunately, when I returned home, my first unit turned out to be defective. I called them up & they told me to come by at 3PM sharp - I arrived, they swapped the unit, & Im a happy customer. Id definitely go back.

A fabulous attentive HiFi store in San Francisco. Always a great selection of quality vinyl too from Antonio and the team.

Dont show up unless you just want to buy. Had done my research and wanted to hear different options before buying. Out of question unless you have an appointment and are ready to buy. They lost a long term customer unfortunately. Bought on internet for cheaper and better quality.

Incredibly helpful, friendly, patient and knowledgeable staff with a great range of products. Highly recommend.

Came in here to buy a smaller amp and a subwoofer. Randolph was very knowledgeable and pragmatic with what I actually needed for the size of the room. I never felt pressured or anything, they let me take my time and really carefully listen to the gear before deciding in addition to hooking up other speakers to A/B test.Will definitely be coming back when I get floorstanding loudspeakers.

Recently moved to the area and needed to get acquainted with the local hifi vendors. This is a proper quality store, stocking some excellent gear. The guys have been nothing but helpful and friendly and really know their stuff.

Best audio store in the bay area. Antonio and Randolph know their stuff. Wonderful selection at all price points.

OK, you need to be a hifi person to get this place. If $400 for artisan speaker wires insults your sense of value, then this is may not be for you. But if you really love stereo and geek out on hearing all the detail in music, these people will help you put together what you are looking for.

Antonio and team are stand up people who make good recommendations and offer sound advice. Great vinyl selection, too. Thanks, AVSF!

I went in to checkout a particular set of headphones I had been researching. Upon entering the staff seemed nice enough and helped me get setup to demo them. After about an hour I decided I like them and wanted to buy them. I asked about their return policy - my use case is wearing them for 8 hours straight at work. I cant tell if they will be comfortable just by wearing them in a store for 20min. The entire experience went downhill from there. All the employees started scoffing at my friend and I - stating that we wasted their time, my time and the shops time. I was shocked. Ive been in the audio world for a long time, buying equipment and testing it in your own home is pretty common place and pretty much everyone offers returns. Its not so much their policy that bothered us it was the way they went about it - trying to make us feel bad. They said good luck finding a place that lets you buy headphones like this and return them if youre not happy(which I did, Crutchfield). I apologized and told them Id be back in a few months to buy some cans from them for home use after which an employee said Oh, are you going to have to take those home and test them for 8 hours to see if theyre comfortable too??. Obviously, Im never going back there now. Even before this whole exchange there was a snobby feel about the place, neither of us enjoyed our time there. Also, the employees were loud enough amongst themselves to be distracting while I was trying to critically listen to the headphones I was considering.

Went into the store with the intention of trying out a few pairs of headphones and buying one on the spot. I ended up leaving without buying or trying anything because of the incredibly rude employees working there. They were so elitist and condescending. They were also just wrong about certain things they were claiming. Perhaps it was their attempt to try to up-sell things, but they didnt know all their gear requirements, claiming youll need X, Y, and Z to do what you want to do. This place is absolutely not transparent, and youre better off finding another store or just buying a product online (even without testing).

Totally avoid this place, even ur last resort!They try and size you up right when you walk in... they even want to know where and how you purchase your gear... GTFO. the self centered idiots who work here: its none of your goddamn business. Protect yourself, or walk in and laugh see the the invasion of privacy they project. Spend elsewhere - to be short and sweet.

Really wanted to give the place the benefit of the doubt. Sadly all the atrocious reviews were right. The owner was condescending, aggressive and accusatory from the get go; within seconds of being in the store accused me being there to steal his advice and knowledge. I began my research into equipment in May; four months previous in a different country before I even lived in SF. I was fully intending of buying a pair of speakers but having thought about it why would I leave hundreds of dollars with someone so rude and unpleasant.

High pressure selling-oriented, no purchasing no audition even for the portable device sample. No audition allowed that over your budget although u may just wanna experience some better device by curiosity. Very unfriendly and unsatisfactory experience.

Save your precious time elsewhere. Do your demo elsewhere and only step in if you you are ready to purchase. Anyway you can get better prices online. This shop is a waste of space.

One of the guys here has a great, helpful attitude (guy with tats on his harms) the other guy does not. I walked in asking for basic advice on how to resuscitate my dads old vinyl player as someone new to this stuff. He was not forthcoming with info, but rather made me ask questions I didnt know the terminology to, so that he could correct me. For somebody ready to drop 1000 bucks on their first time without much push back, he would do best to hold the customers hand a little more. If this is truly a music expert store only, it should be billed as such. Id love to buy my first vinyl set from this store, especially because its just a few blocks from my home, but I cant imagine feeling good about my purchase from that guy. I suppose Ill check whose working next time.

Go to music lovers audio instead, way nicer and accommodating staff

I went in to look at some options for hi-fi and was really pleased with the level of help I received. I learned some really interesting things (very knowledgeable staff) who were happy to let me take my time and give their time. Additionally the product range is superb and the staff really friendly and welcoming. No pretension here, just a love of audio!

Really cool and unique store and the owner was a pleasure to chat with

Friendly and helpful staff let me browse for as long as I wanted.

Large selection of high end audio equipment

Great brands. knowledgable staff.

Chris was extremely helpful and ridiculously knowledgeable

Good selection of headphones!

Not a nice place.

Best selection - Worst experience.AVOID IF:1. You are not sure of what you are looking for2. Need options to be explained3. Think that price is a factorGo somewhere else and avoid the lack of respect. The kind of place where arrogance gets you in comments like but please do not waste my time in the future ... very unprofessional.I have 35 years of experience and my clients understand ... Then you should now that for those who love music, and want to invest in great sound, we go to find peace, not to bad attitude.Big brands - the worst attention.DO NOT GO IF:1. You do not know what you are going to buy2. You need to be explained3. You need a competitive priceA place where the arrogance of the person who attended me led me to comments like Do not make me lose my time or I have 35 years of experience simply for trying to solve some doubts about a team of 5k + USD. I ended up buying my equipment in another place where they had the patience and respect of someone who loves music.