Magnolia Home Theater

[SMM]

Does anyone have any experience buying HT gear from these guys...good or bad? There prices are good and they seem to carry some high-quality products

 

[Hi Ho]

Magnolia HiFi is a well known chain that is now owned by Best Buy. In my experience, they have decent customer service and very nice stores but their prices are on the high end of the spectrum, especially when compared to online vendors.

 

[agarwalro]

I visited one just around the corner from where I live. I did not intend to buy anyting, just window shopping for 2 channel amps. The prices did seem on the higher side, but the rep that attended to me seemed knowledgable and was very helpful. He even printed specs (he has to find them online) for the 3 amps I was interested in.

 

[Davidt1]

I have purchased twice from them and have returned stuff without any problem. In fact, they have replaced Fry's as my favorite store when I am looking for sale items. I just bought an M&K VX860 sub from them for 50% off retail. Last black friday I bought a bunch of stuff from them at 60% off the regular price. This week they have the Definitive Technology Procinema speakers system on sale for 50% off. Magnolia has good stuff on sale frequently, and there is a 30-day in-home trial. In short, I like their sale prices a lot.

 

[cthomp]

Magnolia

I would agree with the other posts. They carry some quality brands like Martin Logan, DefTek, Vienna Acoustics, Denon and Pioneer. I was at the
one in Tucson and was very pleased with the knowledge of the salesperson. That coupled with their return policy, it may be worth a few more $$.

 

[Naves74]

I have never bought anything from them but I have been to one and the sales guy was nice and knew what he was talking about. The sale prices are good but thier normal prices are at or just below MSRP. They do have nice equipment too.

 

[j_garcia]

I've been going to them for years in the stand alone stores. I always get good deals from them, especially on TVs. Decent selection of some mid and higher end audio gear, and their staff are actually trained somewhat (they actually know something) compared to regular BB employees. Sales can be great, but their normal prices are pretty standard like Naves said - very near MSRP. They always treated me well and I still frequent their shops.

 

[mak99]

I agree, Mag AV is a great store with knowledgable & friendly staff. I don't think their prices are any better than comparable stores, but the customer service is unbeatable. They do have some amazing sales from time to time - I bought a $499 Panamax M5300 on clearnace for only $199 during a sale last Thanksgiving (actually bought a few and sold them for a little profit!).

As I'm at the point in my life where I can afford certain luxuries, I'm willing to give a quality company like Mag AV my business as opposed to BB/CC/etc. Their better-trained staff just makes me feel more confortable when shelling out my hard-earned money...

 

[Pyrrho]

My experience with them is somewhat different. I have not found the staff to be knowledgeable, and apt to try to sell you magical wires that you don't need. Of course, if you are a true believer in magical wires, then you may call such things evidence of "knowledgeable" staff. I call it a con job. There is also a level of snootiness that is common among stores that sell more expensive equipment. Of course, some like such treatment, as I am reminded of a "New York" deli (not located in New York), in which the staff were rude to the customers. I remember one patron liked such treatment, as he felt it made an "authentic" New York experience. To each his own.

 

[darien87]

I think Magnolia kicks ***! There's one just down the street from me here in San Jose. I just stopped in one day when I was contemplating getting new speakers. The manager Eric talked to me for about an hour. I ended up buying some demo Boston VR2's and a PV-500 from him. After about 2 months, I was unhappy with the low bass performance of the PV-500. I ende up buying an Earthquake sub to supplement it, but Eric said that he would give me about $200 credit if I wanted to return the PV-500.

Except for their sales and demo items, their prices aren't all that great. But they give GREAT customer service. That's worth paying a little more to me.

 

[zipper]

I've done a fair amount of biz with Mag. Yes, their prices are pretty much msrp, but they have stuff on sale frequently...........& they're willing to come off their list prices. They have some knowledgeable staff but aren't immuned to pushing cables.

Their 30-day NQA return policy is great. I've home-auditioned lots of gear. I've given them my biz & paid a little more in some cases because I appreciate their policy. But it's been advantageous in discovering that some gear sounds better in my home than in their store...........& vice-versa.

 

[soulposition]

I've actually just finished getting a second home theater done from Magnolia. I find the guys at the local Reston Best Buy location to be quite knowledgable as well as willing to give a good deal. I've purchased a lot of hardware from them and will continue to for the foreseeable future.

On the other hand though, this time I had the installers come out and setup my new theater and it was a hellacious time. The installers where lazy and were not very knowledgable. They only work from 10:30am to 4:30pm and they still take an hour lunch break. They rarely showed up at 10:30, more like 11 or noon and then generally left between 2:30 and 3:30. No wonder they quoted me a 4 day install.

Love the company and the deals I've gotten but I will not have them install anything again.