And you should include KronosAV in the North, see Kronos AV - World Class Audio
The Gramophone - Edmonton, AB. B&M as well as online
https://gramophone.ca/
sorry, I see it’s already pinned
Added.
Thanks a lot!
Added all 3 locations.
Thanks a lot for your input!
Yep. got it there.
Thanks a lot though!
Audio Ark isn’t on the list yet. Also in Edmonton.
On the Calgary front K&W Audio sells Grado & Senn as well as other gear
I think that taps out the local stores I’ve dealt with
Thanks a lot!
Added.
Spotted these stores before but couldn’t confirm whether they actually sold headphones or not.
It’s wild how some of these home audio retailers list them under “Accessories” 
1 Like
Elise Audio in London are great for demoing IEMs, along with headphones and source gear.
Harrods in London also has a good headphone selection IIRC.
KEF recently opened a showroom in London to go along with their other showrooms in Asia.
Thanks a lot for your input!
Definitely added Elise Audio.
I’ve pinned Harrods as a different-colored pin to separate from the other audio specialty stores, though… it would be quite obvious to locals I suppose.
I’ve omitted KEF showroom as I’d imagine they’re a flagship store of a single brand rather than a retail store selling a variety.
Here in the Land of Beats and Bose, buying headphones (or other portable gear) based on their sound quality is still a pretty niche thing. 
Not to mention the fact Canada is pretty much a retail wasteland and many manf. don’t even have authorized dealers here - but that’s a rant for another time 
Tell me about it.
I shouldn’t be complaining since Vancouver’s got a few, but it’s far from anything comparable to say… e-earphone. Their main store in Osaka back in 2009 was where my interest in this hobby really took off.
Headphones. com being stationed in Vancouver, I don’t know what the Lissimores are doing not even having appointment hours for product demos at their office.
Or considering the cost of real estate, book a community centre space and have monthly demo events (Leave out the reviewer meet-and-greet for another occasion. What we need first is a physical location to try out products with our own ears.)
There are so many ways to have customers interact with products, as it is THE way to make the most informed of decisions before bidding farewell to our precious monies, and yet here we are.
Going forward with this thread, I’ll start posting pictures of shops that have really cool layouts.
Starting with the portable audio section at Quebec Acoustic.
- plain and practical, and yet very elegant
4 Likes
TheSoundLab in Busan, South Korea.
- one of the most refined stores in Asia I’ve come across while putting together the map.
- it’s even got a mirror to check out how you look with the products you’re demo-ing to fulfill the needs of urban travellers who also have aesthetics in mind.
- upon close inspection, they’ve got disinfectant sprays and kleenex at each table to wipe demo units before use. I’ve seen disinfectant wipes at e-earphone for customers to use, so it’s nice to see this shop follow suit.
3 Likes
e-earphone started a youtube shorts series interviewing foreign customers on what they purchased
2 Likes
AVAC Headphone Yokohama branch, Japan
- being a store chain mainly focused on home theater audio, their selection falls short compared to their portable-centric counterparts (e-earphone, Fujiya Avic), but their newly established headphone specialty branch displays their products that looks astonishingly good
- not to mention the fact that they have sound isolation booths available for customers is something many stores should take note of
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snapshots of e-earphone around the late 2000s when they first started in Osaka
- I recall it being on a 3rd floor of some really shady building along the same street their main store is located now.
1 Like
Definitive Audio - Seattle, WA
Added.
thanks a lot!