Audiophile Must Visits in HongKong

[rtsyrtsy]

I'll take the family to a combined post-Valentine and 5th wedding anniversary celebration to HK mid next month. Can Pinoydiophiles please point me to the audiophile must visits there?

Priority 1 for me are CDs. Are CD's/XRCD's cheaper there? What's the equivalent of Tower/Borders/HMV there? Obvious ba this is my 1st trip to HK?

I was hoping to hear stuff like Shanling, Xindak. Can anyone please reco friendly stores (sana where I can drop your name so I avoid rude treatment)?

Any 2nd hand gear stores?

Yung mga may ipapabili, I can try but no promises, OK? I'll be taking my 3 year old so I'll only have 1 hand to carry shopping bags.

Also please check out the etcetera forum where I ask about Must Eats in HK. Here's the link:

viewtopic.php?t=218

Thanks!

[Hyperion]

I'm not sure if I can still remember the correct places, it's been a while since I've been to HK. This is the guaranteed foolproof way to find your way to audio heaven there: the moment you arrive in HK - get a coupla HK audio magazines (audiotechnique, audiophile, hifi review etc) which are available in most sidewalk or magazine stalls. They are full of ads. Wait - some of the addresses are in chinese character though hehehe.

I suppose walking along the streets of Mongkok, as well as a couple of floors of Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sa Tsuy alone will have you seeing and hearing exotic audio stuff in no time at all. There's also the Caroline Center near Excelsior Hotel. There are many shops in Central HK too, but mostly in high rise suites so they are not easy to find unless you know the exact address.

Here are the more prominent hifi dealers in HK:

Excel Hifi (sonus faber, halcro, levinson, audio research)
Radar Audio (proac, duntech)
Elephant Radio (AN UK, Roksan)
Audio Supplies (conrad johnson, gryphon, ensemble, martin logan)
Jadis Electronics (jadis - obviously hehe, ayre, boulder, acoustic energy)
Sound Concepts (ATC, Acustik Labs)
Absolute Sound (Naim)
Encore Electrical (Harbeth, Exposure, Epos)
Richcom (Unison Research)

As for CDs, the last time I was there - CD in HK was already more expensive compared to here. Normal CD is priced around HK$100 to HK$125 there so imagine the price at a roughly 7:1 conversion ratio.

But you do have a whole lot more choices there. (went home with 25 cds the last time around, my poor credit card was massacred) The HMV in Tsim Sa Tsuy (5 or 6 floors) will have your wallet wishin that you didnt enter the store hehehe. Sometimes, bargain CDs are available in the smaller shops / stalls but they are not arranged so you will waste a lot of time finding CDs. Not recommended unless you are staying in HK for a long time.

As for the places to eat - it would be tough to eat HK/chinese food if you cannot read chinese characters. (especially because they have different definitions of steak, burger etc over there!) There are however the usual fastfood there: Mcdo, Pizzahut etc so if you want to be safe ... Meron din pinoy dishes sa mga places na puntahin ng mga DH hehehe ...

Happy trip btw. As for your pasalubong ... hehe a pair of Cremona lang, pwede na.

[SD-6]

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[SD-6]

The CDs I bought at HMV last weekend costs between HK$45-89 (HK$1 = Php6.90).

I saw some audiophile shops in the malls & Mongkok. The chainstore "Fortress" had some AVRs costing more than what is being offered here in RP.

This is rather distressing as I remembered HK is supposed to be a place for a good bargain. To tell you the truth I find HK more expensive than Manila.

Tip: Bring a jacket. It's cold over there. Temperature fluctuates from 14c to 20c.

Oh and I almost forgot. It's sale season. Better get the cc ready for the pounding.

[mozilla]

Try these:

MONGKOK
>Prosperity Building
1,2 & 3 floors
61 Tung Choi Street.
Mongkok MTR
(Tube and vintage hifi)

>Grandcastle Commercial Centre
2T Sai Yeung Choi Street South
Mong Kok MTR SaiYeung Choi exit.
20 shops of mostly high end stuff.
(20 stories of interesting high-end shops! Quite a few
used hifi shops too)

PRINCE EDWARD
>Sun Wah
4/F room 33, 760 Nathan Road
Tung Hoi Building
Near Prince Edward MTR
(Impressive range of VERY high end used modern gear.
This is where I
saw the Grand Slamm X1s going `cheap')

APLIU STREET
>Top International Electronic
151 Apliu Street.
(Latest Houston/Audio space products)

>Full Range Electronic Tube Shop
246 Apliu Street

CENTRAL
>Reference Audio
Room 224-225, Melbourne Plaza
33 Queens Road Central
(Very good used hifi here. Bought my first Audio
Research system
here. Ask for Joe Lau)

>Vintage Sound
Room 101, Golden House, 28 Pottinger Street, Central
(Vintage tube enthusiasts who have so much gear that
they opened
their own shop to display their pride and joy and to
hear their own
equipment during lunch and weekends! This is Tim
Yung's (of
hktubeaudio fame) shop.)

>Y.K Audio ltd.
3/F Man Hang Commercial Building
83 Queens Road, Central
(Western Electric and Audio Research gear, lots of
CD's and vinyl.)

>Radio Antique (Wi Wi tube supply)
2/F 12 Bonham Strand East Central
(My favorite valve supplier)

>International Hi Fi Service
603 Hung Kei Building
5-8 Queen Victoria Street
Central

>Chekiang First Bank Centre
1 Dudell Street Central
(4 shops there, very high end but new stuff only.)

>T.P. Class Audio
Room 603
Yu To Sang Building
37 Queens Road Central

> Choice Hi Fi
Room 601-602
Yu To Sang Building
37 Queens road Central

Mong Kok is the best place.

Most concentrated would be Tim Chi bldg, 2T Sai Yeung Choi Street, close to Dundas street. The WHOLE bldg comprise many hifi shops. Mostly 2nd hand relatively current gears. Be careful though of being ripped off since they know you won't be back soon!

Most concentrated VINTAGE gears and DIY stuff are in nearby Tat Fat bldg, 1st - 3rd floor. 61 Tung Choi Street. Also check out the basement of this bldg (different entrance).

These 2 bldgs should occupy you for a few hours. Good luck.

I think the name for Tim Chi (cantonese translation) should be something like GrandCastle Bldg in English.

[stjohn]

wow, never thought there were sooo many places in HK. . . TNX, I only visited the 20-storey bldg and the 2-storey one with lower level in Mongkok (you got the address there)... pwede kang tumawad (kahit wala kang kasalanan).

sa central: Entertainment Bldg - if you're looking for Wadia, Cellos, etc.

TNX a lot for this info.

egay

[red76]

Click on link below:

http://hktubeaudio.homestead.com/shops.html

Good luck and happy shopping

[XLR_silver]

among the shops you mentioned which one is a reliable
source phono cartridges like the denon dl103? any idea on the price?

thanks!

[red76]

among the shops you mentioned which one is a reliable
source phono cartridges like the denon dl103? any idea on the price?

Try Japan instead. Here's a cheaper source for DL-103. The DL-103M and DL103D versions are both brand new:

http://www.hifido.co.jp

Just click on "English here!" and look for the Cartridges Category. The site is easy to navigate.

[XLR_silver]

among the shops you mentioned which one is a reliable
source phono cartridges like the denon dl103? any idea on the price?

Try Japan instead. Here's a cheaper source for DL-103. The DL-103M and DL103D versions are both brand new:

http://www.hifido.co.jp

Just click on "English here!" and look for the Cartridges Category. The site is easy to navigate.

hi red76!

have you actually tried ordering from them?
what are all the costs involved?

thanks!

[red76]

They are cheaper than what Koji at EIFL sells. They seldom have brand new cartridges, so if you have the budget grab em if you can. Besides, EIFL doesn't carry these D and M versions.

A friend of mine ordered an Ortofon SPU cart. with no probs. Excellent service he says. I don't know the price about shipping though. Contact them.

Good luck.

[rtsyrtsy]

What are the business hours of these audio stores during Thursdays to Sundays?

Are they a 10am to 10pm thingy?

Thanks!

[mozilla]

Some are but some open about 1:30 PM I believe.

[rtsyrtsy]

What time do shops close?
Thanks!

[mozilla]

Some 1 - 8, some 1 - 9pm.

[alfa]

Sometime in 1995 to 1997 i went to hong kong with my mom. We were in central and she was looking at some boring stuff so i wondered off.
I stumbled onto a building on Des Voux Rd in Central and saw a whole building, about several stories high, full of hi-end (audiophile) audio stores. Since I didnt know much about purist audio then i ended up buying a Yamaha receiver (RXV-1070). But i distinctly remember that the store and the others inside the building had audiophile gear.

Some years later i was looking for the same building but i couldnt find it anymore. Perhaps it was demolished or i've lost my bearing, has someone seen this building or a similar one in the same stree or area?

[Skabyol]

Hi everyone,
If you ever come to hong kong (lifted na ang travel restrictions due to SARS..hehehe). I would recommend a visit to the B&W showroom. Kahit nde ka bibili kasi the prices are much higher...pero the showroom has 4 demo rooms and the guy/s there is very helpful if you want to audition. Kasi there is usually no one there. I remember they had one demo room for the Nautiluses, another room for the CDM NT/CM series another room for 600/300 series (home theater setup din) and the another for the leisure series. Meron din silang mga rotel amps and integra receivers.

Skabyol