Author Topic: singapore:where to shop for audiophile equipment (Read 19563 times)

migs · « **on:** Jan 09, 2003 at 11:59 PM »

I am going to singapore this weekend. Can anybody recommend some audiophile equipment stores to go to? Will be staying in the suntec city area.

audio_tyro · « **Reply #1 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 09:32 AM »

Hi Migs,

Pls. drop by my friend's audio store at the Adelphi building (Soundscape HiFi & Music store). He's a filipino, a very nice guy, he knows me even if you just mention Audio_Tyro. hehe. This building opens at 1:00PM.

Mr. Joseph "JR" Ramon
Soundscape HiFi & Music
#02-44 The Adelphi (Jan. 15 and onwards)
[#04-38 The Adelphi (Until Jan. 14, 2003)]
1 Coleman St.
Singapore 179803

The unit is around 3 shops away from the door front of Music By Design, and opposite Retrospective vinyl shop.

He carries Jean Marie Reynaud and Living Voice speakers, Naim audio, Jan Allaerts phono, and a host of other audio products and tweaks. Get a sneak preview of what his store is like by clicking on this link.... http://www.soundscapehifi.com

Adelphi is a building that hosts many audio video products. HiFi stores in one whole building! It's in Coleman street, very near City Hall, Funan Center, and only about 2 mns taxi ride from Suntec City.

If you're alone in your stroll, pls. avoid going to SimLim Square; dangerous place to get embroiled with a quarrel with their super-aggressive & arrogant salesreps. Good if you're with a Singaporean.

v0elker · « **Reply #2 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 09:50 AM »

audio_tyro's right, adelphi's "the place" for audio stuff. you can also drop by KEC. the manager, Clarence, is a very friendly guy and well liked by the local hifi community. he stocks lots of popular brands and has quite reasonable prices.

DONT EVER, EVER make the mistake of stepping into Klas Audio, well, unless you like a good dressing down, hehe. guy there is a well-known a-hole. he'll give the bastards at SLS a run for their money.

pay heed to audio_tyro's advice re: simlim. even the locals steer clear from simlim! if ur thinking that ur gonna get bargain basement prices, think again! but then again, there are a couple of shops that standout. alpha audio at the ground floor is staffed by nice people and give reasonable discounts, they stock kef, nad, musical fidelity, marantz, among others. another shop is audio act at the 2nd or 3rd floor (not sure), they have dynaudio, mordaunt short, etc. STAY AWAY from ALL other shops. feel free to browse around, but never make the mistake of talking to them. babastusin ka lang ng mga yun, lalo na pag dami tao. typical response from them "best price? you buy now, i give you best price."... kinda defeats the purpose of canvassing, doesnt it?

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btw, what stuff are you looking to acquire? maybe we can point you out to the proper shops and maybe save urself some time.

stradale · « **Reply #3 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 11:25 AM »

Di ba ganon naman talaga yung mga Chinese vendors, (even in HK) parang bastos and dating? Its just their mannerism I guess. Anyway I myself had a pleasant experience at SimLim Square looking for PC components (which are way cheap compared to RP prices BTW).

Saan ba yung Adelphi banda? Pwedeng lakarin from Orchard? I might go there next month kasi.

audio_tyro · « **Reply #4 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 11:37 AM »

Stradale,

Malayo kunti from Orchard kung lalakarin (25-30mns siguro). You can take a bus though going to City Hall. Adelphi is just adjacent to City Hall. Or you can take a cab, just mention Coleman Street -Adelphi building. Less than two minutes lang from Orchard.

Sa simlim, mahirap nga magtanong. Pag dami na tanong mo, obligado ka na'ng bumili, kasi magagalit sila kapag hindi ka bibili eh samantalang ang dami mong tanong. Crazy, man!

v0elker · « **Reply #5 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 11:44 AM »

Quote from: stradale on Jan 10, 2003 at 11:25 AM

Di ba ganon naman talaga yung mga Chinese vendors, (even in HK) parang bastos and dating? Its just their mannerism I guess. Anyway I myself had a pleasant experience at SimLim Square looking for PC components (which are way cheap compared to RP prices BTW).
Saan ba yung Adelphi banda? Pwedeng lakarin from Orchard? I might go there next month kasi.

hmmm, i admit mga chinese (specially mga cantonese) medyo different pananalita or pakikitungo, mga singaporean chinese nga dito medyo cold ang dating. pero in the case of some (of course indi naman lahat) vendors in hk and sing, madalas talaga bastos sila at mapanlinlang. during the year that ive worked in hk, dami din don manloloko, mostly preying on tourists and visitors.

pati dito sa sing, first time i was here kala ko lahat mabait don sa simlim, kasi maayos dito, yun pala dami din manloloko. naranasanan ko na at marami na rin nagkwekwento na pinoys and other foreigners, even caucasians (although matagal bago nila nalaman na naloko sila, kasi kunwari mabait sales sa mga puti, yun pala laki ng patong).

besides, if most chinese are like that, bakit pati mga chinese dito lagi ako binabalaan nung una kong nagtatanong about simlim. most of them have also had unpleasant experiences in the past.

i believe its pretty simple, most of the sales are rude and deceitful.

v0elker · « **Reply #6 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 11:51 AM »

if ur taking the mrt, alight at city hall and take the exit to the left (the other exits are: straight ahead, to raffle's and to the right, which takes you to the citylink mall, an underground walkway/mall leading to suntec city). once you get out, take the street to your left and keep walking (isang kanto lang, hehe) till you cross the street. yun na yung adelphi.

v0elker · « **Reply #7 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 12:04 PM »

btw, do your home work, dapat alam mo local MSRP ng items na bibilhin mo. sayang ngayon mo lang sinabi we could have checked the prices for you.

for example, the new NAD T752 MSRP in the us is $899, so your tendency is to convert that to sing (x 1.76 or something, varies) and youd get, around SG$1580. but the local MSRP for the T752 here is different, SG$1080 lang, which converted back to USD is just $600+! go figure, hehehe. minus the usual 10% discount, its 972, if your negotiate for more discount (specially if the model has been out for awhile), much better!

lalo na sa mga old/previous model na equipment, ang laki dapat makuha mong discount. just be careful, if ur not up to date, some shops (common even in hk) will pass it off as the latest model, hehehe.

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kaya ako, before checking the prices, i email or call the importer/distributor and ask them for the MSRP. most of the time, minimum na bigay na discount eh 10%, up to you if you can get more.

btw, the big electronics chains like harvey norman, best denki sell their items at MSRP, pag may sale sila be wary, that means binabaan na ng importer/distributor yung MSRP, hahaha. although marami singaporeans bumibili sa harvey and others, for "peace of mind". as always ingat pa din, baka bigay sayo, an item that has been sold before, but returned the following day, etc, kaya it might look new, but in reality...

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kaya ultimately, trust no one, hehehe...

v0elker · « **Reply #8 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 12:14 PM »

migs, sayang di kta masamahan, busy kasi this weekend with work. lapit pa naman ako kac am working at suntec.

btw, audio_tyro, dito ka ba sa sing ngayon?

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this is o.t. pero id just like to share with you the joy of buying used equipment here in singapore....

most of the time the items that are being sold are good condition and the prices are reasonable. dami pang options. yaman kasi mga tao dito. yung isa kong klala na local, start sya sa kef kht-2005 na speakers and marantz sr5200. tapos upgrade sya, to you know what? b&w 802s and sunfire seperates, laking jump! grabe ni indi ko nga lam yung model ng mga yun kasi mid-to-low end lang inaalam ko, hehehe. nagproprosper nga mga hi-end brands dito, bigatin gumastos mga tao dito!

audio_tyro · « **Reply #9 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 01:16 PM »

Hi Voelker,

Dito ako Manila pre. Just went to Singapore last June 2002 (in time for the Great Singapore Sale). Ang init nun, tulo lahat pawis, pagod kami misis lalo na dun sa Sentosa... like nung nasa cable car kami, parang oven! hehe. Sayang hindi pa tayo nagkakilala nun Voelker. Ang dami kong binisita na kaibigan ko dyan. Tama ka, matindi nga HT at audio system ng mga tao dyan. Yong isa kong kaibigan, si JR, sa addiction niya sa audio - naging dealer na siya ngayon dun sa Adelphi. Pero ang galing na niya sa audio! Dami na niyang alam. Last speakers niya bago siya naging audio dealer is Naim SBLs, tapos Naim din preamp/amp. Turntable pa, kable, at iba pa, lagpas milyon na cost. Grabi talaga sila no?

I like to go back there again if I can. Sarap ng food lalo na sa Clarke Quay at Boat Quay... well kahit saan dyan sarap food. Kahit sa Hawker's center lang ayos na! Kahit yong carenderia nila at the foot of a condominium, oks din. Whew, gutom ulit ako ah!

v0elker · « **Reply #10 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 03:56 PM »

talagang mainit naman yata dito the whole year round (oct lang ako start dito), very humid. buti na lang lakas ng mga aircon dito. pero pag weekend, specially when hoping from one place to the next (or from one mall to the next), talagang maglalagkit ka.

kita ko na yung sinasabi mong shop, kaso di ko pinapasok, mukhang mga mamahalin yung mga ni-ca-carry nya, hehehe. kahit saan talaga okay pagkain dito, daming variety, hehehe. favore ko ng roast port & char siew rice hehehe. gusto ko nga try lahat ng makita ko eh, hehehe. tama ka, kahit hawker lang masarap na, indi tulad sa atin, pag murang mura, mukha talagang mura, hehehe. dito kahit yung cheapest still looks decent, and they even taste good! grabe, kakagutom... ang let down lang dito yung mga cakes and stuff, indi kasing tamis sa atin, usually bland, kaya mas sarap pa rin mga matatamis na pagkain sa atin.

audio_tyro · « **Reply #11 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 04:20 PM »

Hi Voelker,
Baka maging "singapore food" thread ito instead, at puro pagkain pinag-uusapan natin. hehe. Pero kaya siguro marami nagkaka-diabetis sa pinas dahil dun sa sabi mo'ng mas masarap cakes dito kesa dyan sa singapore. Btw, the locals there pronounce it as "Singapoh"! hehe. Ina-alaska ko nga mga friends ko dyan eh, sabi ko sa "Gapoh" lang pala itong bansa nyo, sa Subic! hehe.

Anong trabaho mo dyan tsong? My friend audio dealer, si JR, used to be an IT guy of Deutsche Bank. Now that he's a dealer, he's the one who made their website. galing no?

Pasok ka dun sa store nila. mabait yon si JR, walang obligasyon or anything if you audition their gears. They know it sometimes takes long to decide on highend system so no need to rush. Try it. Learn the sound of their highend stuff. You will appreciate it!

v0elker · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 10, 2003 at 05:03 PM »

weird talaga salita dito, salita nila singlish eh. okay lah!

actually me mga friends ako na kilala sya, either naka-work sya dati or yung mrs nya. it din ata mrs nya, like me. punta kami dati on a sunday, kaso closed pala most adelphi shops on that day.

anyway, thats what im trying to avoid-subjecting my ears to high-end stuff, in our house, the wallet has the final say, hahaha. ni-i-invite nga ko dati nung isang local na kilala ko kasi when he first got his sunfire separates, his buddy came over with his krell separates para mag-compare. sabi ko di na lang, hahaha, maawa lang ako sa sarili ko. as long as indi ko naririnig yung high end stuff okay lang, ill be satisfied where i am, hahaha.

tuwing napapadaan ako adelphi, yung elpa showroom, laging meron nag-au-audition ng b&w 802 (di ko sure model-haha). dami nila gamit na mark levinson amps, putsa ang laki pala ng mga yun. heard from the guy there na they sell quite a number of those setups, whoah. ano ba yan!

audio_tyro · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 11, 2003 at 12:42 PM »

Hi Voelker,

How are you lah? Okay lah. hehe.

Favor na lang later. Since Singapoh is more advanced in getting the latest audio brands/models we see in magazines, siguro later makikiusap ako sa yo na kung may time ka pasyalan mo Adelphi tapos pakinggan mo yong gear na interesado ako. DIn sabihin mo kung okay o hindi. FOr instance, I'm getting interested on SOnus Faber Cremona Auditor (bookshelf version of Cremona floorstander). Kaso parang hindi pala ata sa Adelphi ang SOnus Faber dealer dyan ah. Kasi, pagnanalo ako sa 2004 senatorial election, I can afford to buy one SOnus Faber Cremona or whatever. hehehe. joke lang.

migs · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 11, 2003 at 01:53 PM »

Thanks a lot guys, for the input. Will be spending (probably time and not money) at the Adelphi building the next few days

stradale · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 11, 2003 at 07:08 PM »

I wonder how much yung Sennheiser HD600 sa Adelphi?
I'm sure meron silang headphone amps doon. Ano kaya ang match sa HD600? Please comment rsty.

v0elker · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 13, 2003 at 10:14 AM »

haha, no prob dude. though i can check the prices for you and all that, i wouldnt trust myself with determining its worth in terms of sq, my virgin ears will have a hard time, hehehe. dont worry, ill ask some of the local hifi macadamia nuts to come with me to check em out, or i can ask owner's opinions about em.

Quote from: audio_tyro on Jan 11, 2003 at 12:42 PM

Favor na lang later. Since Singapoh is more advanced in getting the latest audio brands/models we see in magazines, siguro later makikiusap ako sa yo na kung may time ka pasyalan mo Adelphi tapos pakinggan mo yong gear na interesado ako. DIn sabihin mo kung okay o hindi. FOr instance, I'm getting interested on SOnus Faber Cremona Auditor (bookshelf version of Cremona floorstander). Kaso parang hindi pala ata sa Adelphi ang SOnus Faber dealer dyan ah. Kasi, pagnanalo ako sa 2004 senatorial election, I can afford to buy one SOnus Faber Cremona or whatever. hehehe. joke lang.

v0elker · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 13, 2003 at 10:17 AM »

Quote from: stradale on Jan 11, 2003 at 07:08 PM

I wonder how much yung Sennheiser HD600 sa Adelphi?
I'm sure meron silang headphone amps doon. Ano kaya ang match sa HD600? Please comment rsty.

i dun know abt the hd600, but ive seen the grado sr60 n sr80 at sg$120 and sg$180, respectively. with 10% discount, that should come to just a little over P3,000

ill check the hd600 next time i go out. senns are readily available here. even the computer shops are selling senn-brand cans for use with pcs, as well as the wireless ones.

audio_tyro · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 13, 2003 at 10:45 AM »

Quote from: v0elker on Jan 13, 2003 at 10:14 AM

haha, no prob dude. though i can check the prices for you and all that, i wouldnt trust myself with determining its worth in terms of sq, my virgin ears will have a hard time, hehehe. dont worry, ill ask some of the local hifi macadamia nuts to come with me to check em out, or i can ask owner's opinions about em.

Thanks bro. I would appreciate it very much if you can share some comments on Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor. Take note, the Cremona Auditor is a bookshelf, while the Cremona is a floorstander.

Some owners of Sonus Faber Signum, upgraded to this model, and were very satisfied.

rtsy · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 16, 2003 at 06:37 AM »

Quote from: stradale on Jan 11, 2003 at 07:08 PM

I wonder how much yung Sennheiser HD600 sa Adelphi?
I'm sure meron silang headphone amps doon. Ano kaya ang match sa HD600? Please comment rsty.

I was there around June 2002. Of course, I asked about the HD600. Most stores I saw at Adelphi don't have it in-stock. They'd order then you come back for it. Too bad I can't wait for an order so I ended up buying mine at Sound Dimension at Park Square.

WAs a tad under PhP13k in Sing. Bought mine here for PhP14.5k.

I didn't see too many headphone amps. Only saw the S/S Grados.

bhongskie · « **Reply #20 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 10:30 AM »

Mods, I don't know if this is the appropriate board to post this topic, I assumed it is since this is concerning amps. Just repost to the proper board in case its inappropriate here. thanks!

Anyone knows where and what are the best (read CHEAP) shops in Singapore that sell hi-fi gears? Is it cheaper to buy inSingapore than locally?

I know electronic items (digicams, xbox, celfones, etc.) are more expensive in Singapore but how about amps?

TIA

ATJr. · « **Reply #21 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 10:57 AM »

hi,

you can go to Bugis, then to Sim Lim Tower or to Sim Lim Square. Beside SimLim Square, there is this Burlington square where you can see tube gears. If you want Surplus amps, they have those in Sim Lim Square.

you can also go to City Hall, then to Funan(mostly computers) or the Adelphi, they have high-end audio gears that you may want to check out.

if you are after really cheap surplus gears, then you can go to Paya Lebar, there is this thrift and save shops where you can good items for very good price.

when buying in singapore, you must know how to haggle, specially if you are at People's Park, once you inquire about the price, you may end up buying, the seller will never let you go off easy!!! iba ang ugali ng mga tao doon....

bhongskie · « **Reply #22 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 11:16 AM »

Thanks TonyT. I only know of Adelphi which is near city hall, but I heard shops there carry high-end stuff. Will check out pre-owned items, surplus, as well as brand new ones but only the more affordable ones like NAD, Rotel and the like.

Will check out the places you mentioned. Thanks for the tip and all.

ATJr. · « **Reply #23 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 11:26 AM »

@bhongski,

saan ka sa singapore? i have a brother who is a PR and he owns a flat at Choa Chukang, myself worked in singapore for 4 years and stayed at West coast and then Clementi...

miss ko na Lucky Plaza!

bhongskie · « **Reply #24 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 11:55 AM »

Quote from: TonyT on Feb 26, 2007 at 11:26 AM

@bhongski,

saan ka sa singapore? i have a brother who is a PR and he owns a flat at Choa Chukang, myself worked in singapore for 4 years and stayed at West coast and then Clementi...

miss ko na Lucky Plaza!

Sir tonyT, I don't stay in Singapore I will just be visiting again in March for a business trip. I'm really not quiet familiar with the place, just the places that I had a chance to get to. Last year I stayed at the Swissotel, the stamford which is a stoes throw away to Adelphi but did not have a chance to visit. This next trip I will not pass up the opportunity

A little problem though is that I will be staying in a different hotel which is farther.

In your experience sir, do you think prices in Singapore are cheaper compared to Philippine prices (for audio gears)?

ATJr. · « **Reply #25 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 12:05 PM »

electronics items are quite cheap in singapore, if you know where and how to look, if you know a local guy there, it would help to ask him to take you to places.

the mrt system in singapore rocks, so too with the bus system, non of the traffic hassles that are common place in metro-manila..and taking taxi rides a pleasant experience...

nga pala, if you take the mrt on a rush hour, medyo kakaiba ang amoy, magbaon ka ng viks....

bhongskie · « **Reply #26 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 12:18 PM »

I see thanks. I was having doubts regarding the comparative prices of items becoz last year around March when I was there, there was an electronics fair where items are supposed to be on sale. When I checked out, prices of digicams, PS, xbox 360 etc. are still higher than Philippines prices (not on sale).

Tama ka sir, siguro it's a matter of knowing where and how to look

One of the things i like about the place is their public transport which is very very efficient. Will not forget to bring vicks

ATJr. · « **Reply #27 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 12:24 PM »

ang mga singaporeans, mga kuripot, stingy, karamihan ng mga bumibile sa mga malls nila yung mga pinoys and other foreigners, nag-aabang sila ng "sale" at yoon ang dinudumog nila, hindi naman siguro lahat, pero isang singaporean na rin ang nagsabi nyan sa akin....

i have this nagging suspicion that the only reason that electronics items could be cheaper here is becuase they could be smuggled, but i hope i am wrong... $:-\$

bhongskie · « **Reply #28 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 12:45 PM »

noted.

been "googling" hi-fi shops in singapore to have an idea of their location. So far, of the few sites I have visited walang nakalagay na prices sa website kaya di ko ma-compare sa prices natin. $:-\$

oweidah · « **Reply #29 on:** Feb 26, 2007 at 01:07 PM »

sir tonyT,

how about capacitors? any idea what brands are available and their prices? tnx

********

may isang newbie dito nahihiya pa pero very knowledgeable sa singapore audio/hifi market. robert post ka na!

Author Topic: singapore:where to shop for audiophile equipment (Read 19563 times)

rtsy