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April 2024 by Wade Wright
Very very nice store. We walked in to see the showroom and the associate was very nice. The product is very high end and they are happy to demo any of it for you. Would recommend if you have any questions about setting up any audio you want.
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March 2024 by Bo Sinanian
Great customer service, great products and very competitive prices. Fair, honest and helpful even if you didn't purchase from them.
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October 2023 by Eric Tennesen
Wonderful Shop, I always can find what I need here. The staff when i was there (should’ve got his name) was extremely knowledgable and very willing to help and answer questions. Seemingly limitless selection of new gear plus some tested used stuff for very reasonable prices. Would definitely recommend Reference Media to anyone looking for a good a/v store.
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September 2023 by Joe W.
The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They make every effort to make sure you get what you need and they stand behind every product that leaves their store.
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July 2023 by Brad A.
Stopped in today because I was in the market for my first "nice" turntable. I've had several over the years, but more basic stuff. My experience couldn't have gone better. Erik helped me out and thoroughly explained how it all works. Ended up leaving with a new Pro-Ject turntable and new (well new to me) receiver. Erik gave me a great one on one lesson on getting it all hooked up. And after all that I got the treat of sitting in their listening room and hearing the greatest speakers I've ever heard in my life! Got my new gear home, hooked up and it sounds soooo good. I spent 17 years working in musical instrument retail, over 10 of which in management. In training employees I would always say "we don't sell products, we sell the experience". Sure, I could've got the same turntable online...ordering from home on the couch and it showing up on my porch in two days, but why would you do that when you can get awesome one-on-one help from an expert. One of the best retail experiences I've ever had!
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March 2023 by Mark Mendenhall
excellent knowledge of 2 channel stereo systems and gear; Rob offers a superb lineup of products from the best audio equipment manufacturers - not to mention outstanding customer service, highly recommended
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December 2022 by Jeff C.
If you live north of Seattle in Western Washington, definitely check out Reference Media for both 2-channel audio and home theater. Apparently, they also do a lot of home theater installations in King County so consider them also for home theater installations if you're also speaking with the usual home theater companies in King County.I can recommend Reference Media from two perspectives:1. They can put together a good sounding system: Believe it or not. stores that carry expensive audio equipment aren't always good at creating systems that sound good. I listened to the Acoustic Signature turntable in their main listening room and it sounded more veiled than I would have expected. The owner knew right away that it was the Pro-ject phono amp that was causing that veiling. To his credit, switching to a digital source through the same system showed that was the case as the same system immediately started sounding pretty epic.2. They carry a lot of less common audio brands. What initially motivated me to visit Reference Media was that they were a Nottingham Analogue turntable dealer. I've been researching options to upgrade my turntable which has a power supply that is probably overdue to fail. In addition, they also carry Gold Note & Boulder. Though these are more esoteric brands, I would encourage you to visit them even if you have a more reasonable budget. They also carry more mainstream audio brands such as Rega, Marantz, and NAD. I believe a good proportion of their clientele comes from Western Washington University and I am confident that they can put together a great sounding system at more reasonable price points.
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December 2022 by Rob Camandona
I can't recommend RM any more highly -- they helped us solve some significant issues with our AV setup during our rebuild. Erik and his folks were so knowledgable but also professional and courteous, and in my experience you don't always get that combination. And, being local means that if anything fails, they'll be there to fix it (not that I anticipate that happening!).
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June 2022 by Gregory Dumais
Used to stop by the old Fairhaven location before boarding the ferry back to AK. The staff—esp. Rob—is totally approachable, extremely efficient, knowledgeable & communicative. In the 3-4 orders I’ve placed over the last five years, I’ve never once encountered a QC problem. Even though I’ve since relo’d to the Midwest, I keep coming back. My go-to dealer, for sure.
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June 2022 by Bryan L.
This is the place to go for high end audio/video in Bellingham. The owner is great and willing to take the time to talk shop. Very nice equipment and a great new space to experience various set-ups. The prices are competitive and what you'd expect for what you are purchasing. Love it. Only wish I had more money to spend there.
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May 2022 by Brian Kennemer
I went in to ask questions about a turntable I bought from someone else but was having issues with. Rob helped me troubleshoot the issue and taught me a bunch of stuff I didnt know. Turned out my turntable was defective from the factory and the people I bought it from also sold me the wrong speakers for what I was trying to do.Rob was so helpful I ended up buying speakers and a turntable and sounds amazing!He didnt try to make some massive sale. They had entry level gear and he helped me figure out the best combo for getting me started.I will most certainly be back when it's time to upgrade.I highly recommend stopping in here if you are an expert or a beginner.
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May 2022 by Brian K.
I purchased a turntable and speaker combo from Sonos (a brand that Reference sells) and it wasn't working correctly. I went in just to ask advice about how to address the issues. Rob, one of the owners, helped me troubleshoot my issues. Turns out that Sonos shouldn't really be selling turntables as going analog to digital is not the best and Sonos should really stay in their lane. Rob was so helpful and informative though that I decided to have him help me pick out some speakers to use with my new turntable. I got some Totem mini bookshelf speakers that are amazing. I got them home and was getting some pretty terrible sound issues. I called him and he walked me through a few troubleshooting steps and then he had me bring him the turntable to do some checking. Not only was it set up wrong but it also had some grounding issues from the factory. Again, he was so helpful and so non-pressuring that I decided to buy a turntable and return the one I had. I got it home and it sounds AMAZING. Expert or beginner, I feel like everyone looking at audio or home theater systems should go and talk to these guys. Helpful, no pressure, expert advice.
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October 2021 by Darrell Pittman
Good stereo store, OK love the place
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July 2021 by Samuel Courtney
Rob will get you where you need to be on your audio journey.
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January 2021 by John Beatty
Reference media is really a friendly store. I went in with the intention of hiring them to fix a connection problem between an old A/V receiver and a new Sony TV. They helped me in the shop and basically told me how to fix the problem. It worked.
