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December 2023 by Nickey Netzah
This place never disappoints. The sound is just amazing.
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December 2023 by Gregory T.
This is one of my favorite places in LA. Great advice, great knowledge of HiFi components and a really cool staff.
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September 2023 by david martin
Wes and Dimitri are in a league of their own. Common wave, as a space, is also in a league of its own. And well, the hi fi equipment is just exceptional. This is the type of place a seasoned audiophile can go to and enjoy their self immensely, and an every day music lover will hear things they’ve never heard before. It’s truly a special spot, and I’ve bought quite a few pieces there. The service is top tier. They are honest and have integrity. No pushyness here. I had a problem with a streamer I bought here and Wes trouble shot it, determined it was indeed a real problem, and then went to bat for me with the manufacturer. What else can you ask for? I go here on my days off sometime just to see what they’ve been up to. It’s a fun place!
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August 2023 by Mr. T.
I recently purchased a new Hi-Fi setup from Common Wave. I had an idea of what I wanted but no clue how to configure it and pair the devices. I worked with Wes and after a demo I knew I wanted to pull the trigger. Wes recommended all the necessary gear to get the best sound of my setup. Everything he recommended was top notch. These guys are pros, they know their shit and carry quality gear. The communication was excellent, I was kept in the loop all along the way as everything was being shipped. They worked with me and the room I had to setup the gear and they came to install everything as well. I couldn't be more pleased with the experience. They have a pretty cool record shop in the store as well. I would highly recommend checking out Common Wave if you're in the market for Hi-Fi gear. Prices were fair market value and I didn't feel like I was being oversold or ripped off by any means. 10/10
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August 2023 by Mike W.
I have been planning to build my dream stereo for a while, and after visiting many local shops, I stopped at Common Wave HiFi. From the moment I walked through their doors, the general ambiance and attention to detail made me feel like this was the right place. There really isn't another showroom like it! I was able to audition the different speaker and components I was interested in, and many I had never heard of. (I must commend their patience in guiding me through the selection process. After all this time, and with all my research, making a "final decision" was a bit daunting, but they took the time to educate me about the latest advancements while also respecting my deep-rooted attachment to vintage audio quality) And, as someone who has spent years researching and dreaming about every component of my stereo, I was actually surprised by the level of knowledge and expertise displayed by the Common Wave staff (I thought I knew a lot!). Their genuine interest in my vision and commitment to understanding my preferences and needs helped me create a system better than I could have hoped for. As I sit here writing this review, I am surrounded by music that feels like it's coming to life in a way I never thought possible. My dream stereo is now a reality, and I owe it all to Common Wave HiFi for not only making it possible but for exceeding my expectations. Thank you, Wes and the rest of the Common Wave team, you have earned a customer for life!
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August 2023 by Barry G.
If you are looking for the very best in audiophile sound, Common Wave Hi-Fi is amazing and I highly recommend! They will gladly work with you to find the best sounding equipment within your budget and you will not be disappointed! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and will help guide you to put together a system that will produce amazing sound! I've been incredibly happy with what they put together for me.
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August 2023 by M M.
I went to Common Wave with three other friends to pick up a NAD C3050 limited edition integrated amplifier that my friend had special ordered and was ready to pick up. Ironically I introduced him to Common Wave and had suggested that he purchase the unit from them. Well, suffice to say, that I won't be recommending them anymore. So, what happened? When we arrived at the store we were met with an off-putting pretentious audiophile attitude from their employee who acted like he didn't want us there and that we weren't legitimate paying customers. I myself was in the market for some new speakers and asked to listen to a pair that they had on the show room floor and he told me they weren't hooked up and didn't offer to do so, even though all the associated electronics were clearly there. I repeated my request, inquiring what the issue was and he begrudgingly changed some cables around and set up the system. The issue was apparently he is lazy! Then he asked me what I wanted to hear and essentially refused to hand me the iPad that they use to stream music to the system. I listened to one song and then we left because this guy was clearly going to continue to fight me and make it a chore to hear another. Overall others in our group ended up purchasing some records and we picked up the integrated amp and everyone in the group said they felt unwelcome. They clearly don't want to create an inviting atmosphere for their customers and in the future I will go to any number of other high end audio stores in LA that truly appreciate their customers and go out of their way to create an inviting customer experience.
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May 2023 by Brandon Parker
Wes and his team were great. He sold me some of the best speakers I have ever had the pleasure of owning. Highly recommend his store.
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May 2023 by Lawrence Solum
Amazing store. Great selection. Immaculate service.
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February 2023 by henry chan
Wes was real inviting and help me look and experience various speaker auditions. Had a great experience and has an amazing variety of equipment to see and learn about to meet my needs.
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February 2023 by Jay T.
Wes was very gracious to open his store last Sunday for our local audio club. Fantastic store, equipment, and venue; a unique place. I encourage every audiophile to visit. Great LPs for sale at reasonable prices.
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September 2022 by Travis G.
High-end hi-if exists in DTLA, who knew? A very well thought out and inviting shop. Customer service is genuine and honest-- no B.S. here. The selection of gear here is off-the-charts good.
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June 2022 by Alyssa N.
As someone who loves music, and enjoys calm ambient settings, this was an absolutely perfect place to visit. I have recently discovered the Hi-Fi world, and Wes (the owner) did an outstanding job at giving me the key details and specificities of how turntables and speakers function, and bonus... he has an excellent taste in music. There is a wide range of amazing speakers, records, turntables, etc. I definitely recommend making an appointment and coming in.
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May 2022 by Jake Brown
Beautiful space with wonderful product. I purchased a pair of Totem Acoustic Sky Towers from Wes last year and they've been truly magnificent. Wes was really helpful in understanding my needs and desires in finding the right pair of speakers and find them he did. Thoroughly recommended.
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March 2022 by Chris A.
Don't be fooled into thinking that a place that has all this seemingly upscale audio equipment actually knows what it's doing. Took my record player to get set up last week and the first red flag was the owner telling me I would need warm sounding cables to go with my system. I've spent years researching audio specifications and am up to date on the technical specifications but lack the engineering finesse to assemble things myself. To be curt, if you actually take the time to research audio cables, old audio engineers will tell you the best cable does not have bells and whistles. As one industry specialist put it, "Ultimately, all you need from a good quality speaker cable is low resistance, capacitance, and inductance. That's quite simple for manufacturers to produce without any unnecessary alchemy. If you know where to look, you can find inexpensive cables with the desired basic specifications listed." You can also read up on the premiumization of the audio cable industry that occurred in the 80s, there are plenty of forums about it. Second red flag was being quoted $125 over the phone and being charged $135 in person. Sure, it's $10, and I'm not going to complain about that when I'm in person in your store. What I will complain about, however , is the fact that, for a supposed expert, the guy servicing my table did not know his way around my brand new table, asking me if I had played with it before bringing it in, and if I had indeed bought it new. Third red flag in here was the fact that the owner had a record player set up but could not figure out the source of static noise within the setup. Lastly, taking a look around, this place really seems like the place that up sells by selling pretty audio equipment on grounds that they have specialty knowledge. Read any amount of forums on tube amps and you'll see what I mean. Needless to say, this place was filled with over the top tube amps. Won't be coming back any time soon
