$12,995 Audio Research Reference Phono 2 SE Phono Preamplifier

This listing is for a gently used $12,995 Audio Research Reference Phono 2 SE Phono Preamplifier. This won "Product of the Year" from Absolute Sound in 2013. This was, until recently, Audio Research's top of the line phonostage.

The term "better than new" is one that is very often abused. It's really hard for a piece of gear to be "better than new"! So I don't think I have ever used that term. But the biggest complaint that reviewers have had with the AR Reference Phono 2 SE is that the enormous Teflon capacitors in this unit which help to give it such great sound cause it to need a LOT of break in time, at the very least 500 hours and more is better. 500 hours is a lot of records. Most people don't listen to 500 hours of records in a year. Do you want to buy a $13,000 phonostage and still not have it broken in after a year?

So this unit has been broken in for you and I guarantee you that it will sound a LOT better than a new unit. You can go down to your local AR dealer and you can hand him approximately $14,000 (depending on the tax in your jurisdiction) and then you can start working on the immensely frustrating process of breaking that unit in to where you can enjoy the full musical magic that it's capable of. Or you can send us $9,500 and receive this lovely unit already broken in, sounding luscious and full bodied. We'll save you time, thousands of dollars, and save your ears from hearing the much less musical output of the new and spendy one. If that sounds like a fair deal to you then let's do business. If you'd prefer to break in your own then please visit your local AR dealer and bring lots of extra Benjamins. Either way, you'll end up with a wonderful (used) phonostage in due course, it is just a matter of how long it takes and how much it costs to achieve the same exact result. We've graded this 8/10 only because we are very conservative. There are no visible or functional defects of any kind.

This is a very gently used Audio Research Reference Phono 2 SE. We're selling it for a customer for whom we've sold many items, easily a dozen including very major items and probably more than 20. We've never had a single complaint on any of his items that we've sold. He takes absolutely superb care of his gear. This is complete with all original items as shown in the photos below. He's fortunate in that he has not only a nice room for his gear as many audiophiles do, he has a complete dedicated building for his reference 2-channel system of which this was a part. This is a dedicated system optimized for playing vinyl. He does have a digital front end but he barely uses it. In fact we're also about to list his Grant CD1000 CD player that he hardly ever played.

The AR Reference Phono 2 SE is well known among audiophiles for being a wonderful sounding unit with a tremendous feature set. It allows you to do everything you can do on the front panel from the remote control. This includes choosing your RIAA curve (RIAA, Decca, and Columbia) and choosing the loading for moving-coil cartridges by remote. These are features that may seem like a luxury when you just read about them but once you have them then they come to be features that you really want to continue to have and to enjoy. Of course, this is not a unit that you would buy for the features, it's a unit you buy for the sound. We've included excerpts of Jonathan Valin's review below. This was his reference for years until it was recently replaced by the $30,000 new 2 box AR Reference 10. It's hard to argue with the fact that he likes the one that costs more than twice as much more but then again he probably pays a whole lot less than you or I do for either one of them.

Detailed specs and a review of the unit plus a lot more pics and our complete selling policies are below. I include a lot of info here about the system that this unit has been used in and other info that may be extraneous to some buyers. We have people tell us they love all the info we include and others say they wish the ads were shorter. Of course we'd love to please everyone but it's impossible. Do feel free to scroll down to the tech specs if you just want the details on this unit with none of my color commentary.

The main feature in his system is the Lloyd Walker Black Diamond V turntable. And like many people with the Walker Black Diamond he has the Clearaudio Goldfinger ultra high-output moving coil cartridge. He was very happy with this Audio Research 2 SE but then someone told him that the best phono stage with that turntable and cartridge combo, especially with his Lamm hybrid Reference M1.2 power amps, is the Ypsilon VPS 100 phono stage. So he called me up and asked me if I could get that for him. And I said yes, we're Ypsilon dealers, but I had to say that we'd never before sold a VPS 100 though we'd love to. At $26,000 they are very expensive indeed. Most people think of the AR 2 SE as expensive. And it's half the price!

And then with the Ypsilon you also need to buy a step up transformer if you have an MC cartridge. They do everything with transformers at Ypsilon whereas the AR you can just push a button to choose any cartridge loading either from the front of the unit or from the remote and you have a wide range of choices. If you have multiple arms and cartridges that you like to listen to then certainly you'll be better served by the AR product. It makes switching between cartridges an absolute breeze. But I asked this customer and he said he's had the same arm and cartridge for years and has no inclination to change, he's just looking to get the very most sonic perfection out of that combo and the amazing speakers we had sold him 18 months ago. So for him the Ypsilon made sense and he went for it even though the Ypsilon transformer adds another $2,800 for the base model or $6,200 for the top of the line one he went for.

While I'm happy to report that he's absolutely loving the Ypsilon VPS 100 and raving about the new things he's hearing with it from his well loved collection of vinyl, I fully expect whoever buys this AR 2 SE will have the same experience of joy and new immersion in his own record collection. That's the beauty of our hobby, that one person can go on to something new and this opens up the chance for another person to get a bargain on something "new to him or her" and then that in turn probably frees up something for the next person. In the process new people get introduced to the hobby, new people discover the love of vinyl and above all we get to keep enjoying the music that is the common thread for all of us. So my hope is that there's a good home out there waiting for this 2 SE. I don't think that you could hope to find a nicer one than this if you've been looking.

Since my customer bought his Ypsilon VPS100 I also went and got a proper demo myself of a system using top of the line Ypsilon electronics and it was the finest audio system I've ever heard at any price. It was nowhere near the most expensive but it was absolutely the best and by a wide margin. Ypsilon is just extraordinary. Here's a picture of that system which features a full set of Ypsilon electronics, the VPS100 phono stage, the Ypsilon PST 100 Mk II line stage preamplifier, and the absolutely mind blowing Ypsilon Set 100 Ultimate mono blocks which deliver 120 watts of power from a SET hybrid amp. This was my first time hearing the massive Lansche 8.2 reference speakers. I have fallen in love with lower speakers in their line which feature the incredible Corona plasma tweeters. If you'd like to purchase any of these items, please feel free to contact us.

While we were there, I helped install the very latest Lansche Corona plasma tweeters on this pair of Reference 8.2's. I've been told that both Wilson and Magico have tried to buy Lansche tweeters to use in their own speakers, the tweeters are absolutely haunting in their beauty. I dream about them. They play all the way out to 150K and produce a beautiful purple flame from the burning plasma that actually makes the sound. It's glorious to both listen and watch them. The room treatments are from Golden Acoustics and we can sell and install those for you as well, they sound incredible.

OK, back to the system that the AR phonostage came out of. This gentleman never used this system for parties or anything of that sort. The only time there are more than 2 people in the room is when we come to put something in. This is an audiophile's retreat from the world where he goes and carefully pulls out a record, cleans it with his Audio Desk record cleaner and plays it on his Lloyd Walker Black Diamond V turntable. The AR Reference Phono 2 SE was connected to an Aesthetix Callisto Signature tube preamp, then he had us sell that and he replaced it with the Allnic L3000 tube preamp. He uses the Lamm Reference M1.2 Hybrid power amps and the ultimate reference speaker system from Scaena, their top of the line $165,000 1.3 Master Reference system of which only one has been made.

This particular pair of Scaena speakers were in Harry Pearson's famous demo room on Long Island where they were Mr. Pearson's reference pair of speakers for 8 years through various upgrades and despite the fact that all the other manufacturers were trying to get Harry Pearson to take out the Scaenas and put in a pair of their best speakers. After the speakers left HP's they were upgraded yet again and installed into our customer's system in the Fall of 2013. Since then he has been working on bringing everything else up to match the quality of the speakers and the Walker Table.

All the tubes are stock tubes from AR and have about 650 hours on them. The unit itself has about 1527 hours on it. There is an hour meter so you can very easily check hours from the front panel or the remote. It is supposed to be reset only by an AR technician since it can only be reset with the unit open and the power ON so it's dangerous for an end user to do. That's why the hour meter was not reset when tubes were changed and why the reading on the meter differs from the hours on the tubes by about 877 hours. Of course you can easily track this and we're happy to place a sticker for you on the back of the unit with the discrepancy in hours between the meter and the actual hours on the tubes marked if you wish. AR states that stock tubes should last between 2000 and 4000 hours in normal use so you have approximately 65% to 85% of the life expectancy of this set of tubes left for your enjoyment. If you want to roll NOS tubes of course please feel free. While resetting the meter is supposed to involve an AR tech replacing tubes does not. It's very easy for an end user to change tubes with the top cover being supremely easy to remove and if you can do so safely in your home then we advise that you listen with it off and just keep it off all the time. That is what Jonathan Valin states in his review also.

Our customer was using this AR Reference Phono 2 SE on a Synergistic Research Tranquility Base and he felt that added to the sound of the unit. Of course it is not required for the AR 2 SE to perform or sound great but it's something that he used and thought was valuable. We're a Synergistic Research dealer so we can sell all their products to our customers but we are restricted from listing their current products for sale on Audigon. Our customer does have a couple of these Tranquility Bases that he no longer needs and is going to be putting up for sale and you should feel free to contact us privately if you'd be interested in one of those either on its own or in a package deal with the AR Reference 2 SE or Grant CD 1000. He still uses Tranquility Bases in his system but the new components he has bought need less of them because he let go of the Grant as well as something that had an external power supply and replaced it with something that did not.

He was also using a Synergistic Element C.T.S. AC Power Cord with this and Synergistic Element C.T.S. balanced XLR interconnects. He's keeping all those of course but we'd be happy to sell you new ones or other models as part of a package deal if you like.

The AR Phono Stage does take an AC cord with a 20A IEC on it, rather than the more common 15 amp version, so beware of this in terms of fitment for an after market power cord. If you already have an after market power cord you are happy with then you might just need to switch to a 20A IEC and we are happy to help with that. The unit does not actually draw much power so the 20A IEC is not used due to the power draw. Jonathan Valin speculated that they use it because the 20A IEC's give a better fit into the outlet than regular 15A ones do. It is the sort of attention to detail that we like to see in fine components.

We can also sell you after market power cords to fit from Synergistic Research, Verastarr, Wireworld and other high quality brands if you need something new. Of course the phono stage comes with the factory AR cord which is good for a factory cord but not necessarily what you'll want to use long term. But that is up to you.

We do sell worldwide but this unit does require 120Volt power. It can take 50 or 60 Hz so a stepdown transformer is fine if you're in a 240V country. We don't know what would be required to change the voltage of this unit so we're not offering that ourselves.

The Reference Phono 2 SE Phono Preamplifier earned Absolute Sound's "Upper-End Phonostage of the Year (Tube)" in 2013. It is still a current model though no longer Audio Research's top phono stage. They have introduced the Reference Phono 10 at the $30,000 price point to compete with the Ypsilon and the Constellation Perseus in this rarified price category of ultimate reference tube phonostages.

Specs are below. Please see Audio Research's website if the abbreviated specs taken from there don't give all the information you desire.

Reference Phono 2 SE specifications:
Type: Tube phono preamplifier
Tube complement: Four 6H30 dual triodes, plus one 6H30 and one 6550C in power supply
Frequency response: ± .2dB of RIAA, 10Hz to 60kHz; 3dB points below 0.3Hz and above 300kHz
Distortion: Less than .002% at 1.0v RMS 1kHz output
Gain: Selectable, 51dB (low), 74dB (high) at 1kHz BAL; 45dB (low), 68dB (high) at 1kHz unbalanced
Selectable loads: 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50 ohms and custom
Phono eq: RIAA, Columbia, Decca
Output impedance: 200 ohms unbalanced, 400 ohms balanced
Maximum inputs: 250mv RMS at 1kHz (680mv RMS at 10kHz)
Dimensions: 19" x 7" x 15.5"
Weight: 27 lbs.
Price: $12,995

Absolute Sound's Jonathan Valin reviewed the Reference Phono 2 SE Phonostage Preamp and had this to say: "One look inside—and you will have to take the top plate off (and I advise you to leave it off, if kids, pets, or spouses don't make that impossible) to install the tubes—tells you why: lots of large Teflon capacitors that weren't there before. My first thought on seeing these caps was, "This is going to sound like a Ref Phono 2 on steroids."

But the difference in sonics actually goes beyond the massively beefed-up power supply, which now has twice the energy storage of the original Ref Phono 2. The thing isn't just faster (although it is faster), harder-hitting (although it is harder-hitting), or more extended in the bass and treble (although it is these things, too), with excellent bass-range grip and explosive impact on big transients—the benefits you might expect from a stiffer power supply. It is also markedly lower in noise and grain, higher in resolution (and the Ref Phono 2 was no slouch in the detail department), richer and more natural in tone color, more tightly defined in imaging, and more immersive when it comes to ambience retrieval. It is, in short, less tube-like (in the "coloration" sense), more neutral, less there-in-its-own-right than any previous ARC phonostage I've heard. (A further important word about the 2 SE and ambience retrieval: With the right speakers and electronics, this phonostage— along with the Ref 5 SE linestage that I just covered and the Reference 250 monoblock that we will come to in a few paragraphs—has the uncanny ability to reproduce voices and instruments as if they are embedded within an acoustic space that is audibly different than that of your listening room. These instruments and voices don't sound, as they so often do with less high-resolution gear, as if they are standing in front of an acoustical scrim that stretches out behind them, like actors filmed in front of a projected backdrop in a 40s film. They are, instead, reproduced within the space, like actors filmed in a location shot. In order to reproduce the very air of a hall or club in this utterly realistic immersive way, a component must be capable of extraordinary resolution, as well as very very low noise. The Ref Phono 2 SE fits this bill better than any previous ARC phonostage or, frankly, any other phonostage I've yet tested.)
....
As has long been the case with every successive iteration of ARC products, the Ref Phono 2 SE appears to be incorporating more of solid-state's undeniable virtues (there, I said it)—its lower noise, its wider bandwidth, its superior transient speed, its dynamic impact, its tighter focus, its more neutral tonal balance— without sacrificing the tube's ability to more fully and naturally reproduce very low-level details about instrumental and vocal timbre, texture, and dynamics, or its ability to see into the stage without flattening images or dimming the lights, or its magical way with instrumental bloom. When you can not only hear the obvious differences between the "chick" and the "shimmer" of percussionist Butch Miles' stickwork when he plays with his hi- hat closed and open (on Reference Recordings' swell From the Age of Swing LP), but can also actually hear him opening and closing that hi-hat as he plays, you're getting the kind of resolution of instrumental detail, playing style, and lifelike timbre, texture, and dynamic that makes for astonishing realism."

As mentioned above, the owner of the AR Phonostage also has 2 extra Synergistic Research Tranquility Bases, so let us know through email at [email protected] or by phone at 575.535.2280 if you want to grab one of those. Even one Tranquility Base in your system will make a fantastic difference. He has 2 available and of course we can always get you as many new ones as you want.

We have disabled the "Buy it Now" button on Audiogon because we had a whole run of people 2 years ago who agreed to buy then didn't pay. We prefer to do business the old fashioned way where we exchange emails like gentlemen and conduct a smooth and safe transaction for all parties. Because we don't own this we cannot take much less than the asking price for it. If you make us a low offer there is no way I am going to go to this gentleman and tell him that I have a low offer, that so and so really wants it but his wife won't let him spend more than X amount for it. I'll just ignore the lowball offer and wait til a better one comes in. However, if you want to buy this together with some other items, as part of a package deal, then that would be something we can discuss. Just let me know what items you want.

If you are the one who decides to purchase this item, thank you and enjoy! Our full store policies are included below the pictures, but for now I would like to let you know about a few of them. For payment, we are happy to accept a cashier's check, a bank wire or PayPal. If PayPal is your preferred payment method then please add the following percentage of your purchase and shipping price to your total to cover the PayPal fees: 3% for domestic buyers or 4% for international buyers. Also, since this is a consignment sale where the equipment does not belong to us but to our customer, we need to ask that the buyer promptly inspect and test the item upon receipt and report any problems found so that if there is a problem found we could withhold funds from paying our customer to deal with the problem. We don't think there will be any problem, but once we have paid him we won't have any recourse if any problem is found. So, please take the time to unpack and test as soon after the equipment arrives as possible. Our policy states that we will hear from you within 10 days of receipt if any discrepancy is found. However, what we really want is to receive your email saying how much this enhances your listening experience right away, just as soon as possible so that we know you are satisfied. But if there is any problem at all then we want to hear about that right away as well, so that we can make it right for you and make this a successful transaction for all concerned!

Also, because we're selling this for a client and have to give him the cash for it, we're not going to take trades unless you make us some trade offer that we consider to be so far in our favor that we can't resist putting in our own money to buy your gear. An exception to this that we would be willing to consider would be that if you want to buy this AND some other items that we sell then we'll try and make you a package deal for all of it. Since this is not ours we cannot discount it much, but we can give you an extra discount on other items we sell to make you a package deal. So if you want some Lansche speakers or Ypsilon amps or any of the many other things we sell, which are listed below, then please email us about it.

We would be happy to sell your gear on consignment if that would help you to purchase this or other items from the High End Zone. In some cases we might sell your gear on consignment even if you don't want to buy more gear from us, if the gear is very nice. Our most successful customers are very busy folks and we understand that if they spend hours answering questions from Audiogoners, that is thousands of dollars that they lost in terms of what they could have earned with that time. We do have some restrictions as to what we can sell because of the manufacturer rules about online sales and so on, but we do our best to help. We can arrange to have the gear picked up from your home or office, or in some cases we can even have someone come in and pack it for you. Then we will handle all the testing, photography, sales of the item and follow up after the sale. Since many people prefer to buy from a dealer and because we have 12 years of perfect feedback on Audiogon and Ebay with no neutrals or negatives ever we can usually get more for your items than you could get yourself. Depending on the exact item, you may net as much or even slightly more having us sell it. And once you factor in the value of your time, it's a clear savings to let us sell the gear for you. So let us know if we can be of service to you in that area.

This Audio Research Reference Phono 2 SE Phono Preamplifier is in excellent condition and has been well cared for. The finish is free from any noticeable scratches or flaws and thre are no known flaws or defects in the function, nor has the unit been repaired.

This listing includes the Phono Preamplifier along with a stock set of vacuum tubes, power cord, remote, manual, and will be shipped in the original boxes.

The vacuum tubes are shipped in a protective foam block and are conveniently numbered for proper installation which is done by referencing the diagram in the manual.

Here you can see the Reference Phono 2 SE's inside, without the tubes and then with the tubes installed.

This Reference Phono 2 SE has been very well cared for and is free from any noticeable flaws.

All original accessories are included.

The manual seems to have encountered something wet along the way and is not in perfect condition, but it is complete.

This Audio Research Reference Phono 2 SE will be safely shipped in the original boxes.

As was noted above, the Synergistic Research Tranquility Base that appears in these pictures is not included in the price of this listing. However, if you need to upgrade any of your cables, Tranquility Bases or other items in your system to the current spec, please contact us through email at [email protected] or by phone at 575.535.2280 and we'll be happy to assist you with a package deal for everything that you need.

Here is the shipping info for the Audio Research Reference Phono 2 SE Phono Preamplifier

1 box
25 inches long X 24 inches wide X 17 inches high

Total Weight: 37 lbs

Origin: We ship from Gila, NM 88038 / USA

Please email us at [email protected] if you are sincerely interested in purchasing this and have any questions. We may also be contacted by phone at 575.535.2280.

Thank you for your interest and good luck biding.

Welcome to the home of High End Zone!

Thanks for looking at our listing.

Please check our perfect feedback from years of trading on Audiogon and buy with confidence. We have sold gear all over the world, to every continent except Antarctica and hopefully one of those scientists there will order from us soon!

We offer professional packing, prompt shipping with tracking info sent to you and a high level of customer service and support. We provide guaranteed quality and service. We think we are the perfect service for the customer who wants great savings but does not have time for all the hassle of putting together a system with pieces obtained from many different sellers. We offer one stop shopping for all your high-end needs.

The High End Zone, is a full service audio and home theater dealer offering superb gear at substantial discounts. That's our demo theater above, loaded with the gear that I love and the same gear that we love to sell, Runco, Revel, JL Audio, McIntosh, Anthem, Lexicon and more.

The High End Zone is all about listening to good music, talking to clients around the world by email, and helping people get the most joy out of the time and money they invest in their high-end audio and theater hobbies. If you're a successful individual, you and your family should be able to enjoy beautiful music and video in your home affordably, and the buying process should be fun, not a chore. We're dedicated to that and I hope we get the chance to sell you something that you and your family can enjoy together for a long time in good health, just as my family and I enjoy our several high-end audio and video systems!

Thank you for your interest, please do not hesitate to email us with your questions at [email protected] or give us a call at 575.535.2280.

The Fine Print:

We accept payment by PayPal, wire transfers from anywhere in the world and cashier's checks drawn on US banks. We will also accept escrow if the buyer pays the fee.

If PayPal is your preferred payment method, then please add the following percentage of your purchase and shipping price to your total to cover the PayPal fees: 3% for domestic buyers and 4% for International buyers. If you pay by PayPal then your purchase must be shipped to the PayPal shipping address only, per PayPal's rules.

We may accept a personal check from long-standing Audiogon members, but it does delay shipping for clearance. Please ask before paying that way. If you desire to pay by some other means you do not see here then please email us, we will try to accommodate you if we can.

Our items are guaranteed to work properly and be in the condition we describe. If we make a mistake, if an item does not work properly, or if the item description is inaccurate, we'll offer you a full and prompt refund or exchange and issue return shipping labels at our expense.

Please check your purchases promptly upon arrival. In general, our policy is that any flaw, damage, missing item, incorrect item, etc. must be reported to High End Zone by email no later than 3 days (72 hours) after that item is delivered. If you are not able to check the item yourself in that time frame, please make the necessary arrangements to have someone else make such a check for you in your absence.

This listing is for a consignment item, please read the listing and be informed that this sale will be sealed and complete 30 days after you receive the item in the guaranteed condition, which means that we need to hear from you absolutely no later than 10 days of receipt if any discrepancy is found. We will do our best to remedy any situation that arises, while taking care of all parties involved, which includes you.

In rare cases we have allowed a return to happen for a 20% restocking fee but we will not be able to do this for our consignment items after 30 days. Any item that is returned to us due to any reason other than the item not working properly or not in the condition we describe, the buyer will be charged a 20% restocking fee. This includes sales where the buyer "changes his mind", where his wife beats him over the head for spending too much money, where some unforeseen crisis, financial or otherwise, strikes the buyer, his family, his friends/ business/ job/ pets/ favorite sports team/ etc. or any other reason that the buyer may seek to cancel the sale or return the item for some reason other than a mistake or discrepancy on the High End Zone's part. And this includes cases where the buyer changes his mind and wants to cancel the sale before he even receives the item, possibly before we even ship it. We are a small company and the moment a buyer commits to purchase one of our items we are redeploying our capital to get other items for our customers to buy. If you decide 2 hours after you buy something that you don't want it anymore, chances are we've already spent the money to restock. So the restocking fee absolutely applies in all cases of buyers changing their minds, wanting to cancel a sale after it is agreed or returning an item for any reason other than High End Zone providing a flawed or incorrect item.

We can sometimes make an exception if you change your mind in order to buy something else that we can sell you, generally a higher model. For example, if you make a deal to buy a JL f113 from us and then you decide that what you REALLY want is a Gotham g213, then we can probably work it out to make that switch for you without a restocking fee. That said, please don't buy if you're not sure that you want the item you are buying. If you need to check with your wife, your broker, your business partner, your kids, or the Supreme Court before you buy, please do that. The High End Zone cannot be held responsible for any case of wives beating their husbands for spending too much money on good gear.

Special Order merchandise cannot be returned or exchanged even if you change your mind or decide you would rather order something else. This means that there are no returns, refunds or exchanges on special order sales unless the item is received damaged or malfunctioning and the buyer promptly notifies seller of such damage or malfunction; in which case the seller will replace, repair, or refund the item at seller's expense and option. In the case of any merchandise defect or shipping damage, the buyer must report these to the seller as soon as detected and in any case within 3 days of receiving the items.

The High End Zone is a full service home theater dealer located in Southwest New Mexico. While we are well established as the premier dealer in our small town market, we also serve many clients who have multiple homes or live in far-flung places. The world is increasingly a small place and I delight in talking with and serving clients from all continents and many countries of the world. Depending on your needs we are happy to just sell you gear (note some manufacturers may prohibit us from sending gear to certain places) or we can provide a full service experience including system design, acoustic design and construction, installation, programming, and more. We've done work for very high profile clients with multiple homes and we are also proud to serve many hobbyists who enjoy this hobby on a modest budget. No matter your budget, we'll strive to provide the products you want at a price that is fair with top shelf service.

Some of the many lines we sell include, but are not limited to:

AB Amps
Acoustic Sciences Corporation ASC Tube Traps
AMX
Audio Desk
Axonix
B.M.C.
Capriccio Continuo (ATD)
Cineak
Crestron
Da-Lite screens
Daniel Hertz (ultimate audio creations of Mr. Mark Levinson)
Denon
Dragonfly screens
Einstein
Escient
Extreme Media Servers
Finite Elemente
Furman
Golden Acoustics
Hartvig
HB Cable Design
Ikeda
Isoclean
JBL
JBL Synthesis
Kaleidescape
Key Digital
Lansche
Lexicon
Lutron
Mark Levinson
Marantz
McIntosh
Middle Atlantic
Millenium
Mozaex
Paradigm
Parasound
PHC (Professional Home Cinema)
Polk Audio
Revel
Runco
Salamander
Scaena
Screen Excellence
Screen Innovations
SE2 Labs
Silverline Audio
Stage III
Stewart Film Screens
Tandem
Thales
Transparent Cables
Tru-Audio
Velodyne
Verastarr
Vidikron
Wireworld
Ypsilon

*List includes lines we are factory direct with as well as lines we get through distribution or through our extensive dealer network. Most customers don't care whether we are factory direct if we provide authentic product and great service at a fair price, but if you care about this or any other issue, please ask us.

Unlike most shops that sell a very small number of lines that they are authorized for and will always try and talk customers in to buying just those few lines, we are willing to sell you virtually any line that you want. Obviously we make a lower profit if we have to get it from another dealer, but our goal is to provide you, the customer, with one stop shopping and top notch service. It's more like the business model of Amazon than the old school brick and mortar stores. We want the customer's business and we will try and earn it by providing competitive pricing and top notch service for you on whatever brands you want. Of course if you are not sure what brands are best for your needs and want us to provide expert analysis of what gear represents the best value for your dollar, we are more than happy to provide that too. We spend a great deal of time and money listening to and viewing a wide range of audio and video systems, as well as bringing in gear for long-term testing in our facilities. Most of the salesmen you might deal with in a home theater store do NOT have a high-end audio video system in their homes. I have 4 such systems, including Runcos in every nook and cranny, and I live with this stuff daily. So I truly know what works well and what is worth spending money on and what is not. And even if I used something for years and loved it, when I hear something better, that is a better value, I switch immediately. My main loyalty is to the customer and your satisfaction--I want you to buy not just one thing from us, but all your gear, for life, and to recommend us to your friends and family. To that end, I will strive to give you the best and most honest advice, fair prices and great service. And I'll try to get you any brand you want, ultimately your system needs to satisfy you, not me.

Our clients certainly enjoy their home audio and video rooms. We do as well and hope you'll also take pleasure and be inspired by the variety of these beautiful installations.

Some aspects of making an informed choice in an audiophile grade listening room or a home theater system are worth a little extra effort. We invite you to contact the High End Zone for help in making your choices, we will make the extra effort worthwhile.