Holm Audio — Attraction in Woodridge

This is an excellent audio store with great staff. I’m a newbie to h-fi audio. My friend got me listening to records, and recommended that I get into it. So, I went into Holm Audio to learn about my options.

Initially, Chris walked me around the entire store and showed me every turntable model they sell. I settled on the Rega P1 after much deliberation.

Neil walked me through the differences between integrated amps, DACs, and the different classes of Amps. He let me borrow the NAD 3020. I took it home and plugged some old Infinity Beta 20s to it, but it lacked the power I was looking for, especially low end. Neil recommended a subwoofer to help with the low end, and I settled on a used Elac subwoofer which he recommended (even though I bought it elsewhere). Ultimately, I took back the 3020 because I was unimpressed with the unit. Mike Holm agreed to sell me the NAD 3045 (a more powerful unit with more digital inputs) at a fair price. I left super happy with the attention and service.

A week later, I purchased some Wharfedale Dentons to replace the Infinity speakers through an internet retailer. I went back to Holm Audio because the speakers lacked range and depth. Mike said he could buy the speakers from me, but he recommended that I try Nordost Biwire Jumpers. I did, and these helped tremendously.

Two weeks later, I returned to the store. This time I was looking for a solution to streaming high res using to the NAD 3045. The only way to stream MQA and lossless formats to the 3045 was to plug my phone into the USB-B input. This was difficult to do with an Apple iPhone, but I figured it out. However, I was dissatisfied because the phone was connected through a short cord to the NAD 3045, requiring me to stand up every time to change songs. The option was to buy a Bluesound Node or other high-res streaming device accessible through an app. Together, the price of the amp and streaming device was more or equal to other (more powerful) NAD integrated amps with built-in Blu-os. Mike agreed to take back the NAD 3045 and gave me full credit towards the purchase of a new amp.

I couldn’t be more satisfied with my purchase or experience. Chris, Neil, and Mike were patient, knowledgeable, and flexible in helping a newbie find the right system. I highly recommend Holm Audio. I already recommended Holm Audio to a friend who has visited the store to trade his used equipment and purchase Bluesound streaming products. Looking forward to returning in a few years to...

am deeply impressed with mike holm and his staff at holm audio!

i've had the pleasure of spending time with much of the staff across a wide variety of topics (everything from vintage repairs, high-end cabling, MM vs MC cartridges, favorite powered bookshelf speakers, strangest and rarest turntables, etc) and always come away feeling more educated, informed and inspired about the world of hifi.

i spent a good 6 months working with mike to find a good quality nakamichi cassette deck for my budget (and was very impressed how seriously he took my request - am not only very happy with the unit he found, but thought the price he asked was very fair, too). i think he and his crew really, really care about creating a safe, comfortable, casual and conversational environment to hang-out, ask questions and listen to great music.

*my wife worked for 8 years in a record store and has a great collection of cassettes and mixed tapes (we're having a blast being able to reminisce and listen to them again).

i've enjoyed listening to kevin go on about tube amps... chris telling me about the tone arm on his new vintage turntable... mike telling me about the nakamichi he keeps in his bedroom... and neil's war stories about the golden age of hifi.

one weekend, i happened to be stopping by as they were unboxing a pair of brand new anniversary edition PSB speakers (passif 50)... everyone came over to check them out (as chris gently assembled them, wearing white gloves, in the front room). the excitement was palpable and i learned more about paul and sue barton than i could have ever bargained for!

will also be forever grateful to mike, chris, neil and team for their help reviving my father's vintage conrad johnson sonographe SG3 (which we all thought was a linn, at first glance). this turntable is very sentimental to me and am so happy to be able to confidently play records on it again (with brand new belts and a fully rebalanced tonearm).

i've also really enjoyed their bi-annual 'musical event' (which assembles representatives from many of the major brands they represent: NAD, KEF, western electric, REGA, kirmuss, etc)... it's a great opportunity to listen, learn and be a part of their larger community of local customers and fellow audiophiles.

so grateful to these guys for showing me 'the way'... thanks...

Short version: Great place to buy audio and video equipment better than a big box chain. Full story: I recently (2020) made some audio purchases from Holm Audio. I drove 2 1/2 hours each way to do so and it was worth the trip. The people. I dealt primarily with Mike Holm (owner) and Neal. I dealt total with 4 employees and one enthusiastic audiophile loyal fellow customer. It is a team atmosphere. I appreciate sales people who are willing to share their expertise and also those who are candid enough to refer you to another specialist when your question is better suited for someone else. This happened several times. I have been a customer myself since 2000. They gave me great advice on getting into home theater then, but this is mostly about my recent experience which was a transition to mostly streaming- capable equipment that sounds better than most. The place: Audio and Video everywhere. Real deal. Real inventory. This is not a big box. No Washers and dryer here. It is separated into several smaller listening rooms. No bottom end mass market stuff. Loads of used mid to high end equipment for the budget minded. The new lines start at the mid level and go to esoteric. Quite a bit of the used stuff is listed on their website. The deal: Mike and Neal made some great recommendations. I am not an easy customer. I am not an open checkbook customer, and I don't even remember how many different combinations they setup and let me listen to get to the best sound for the budget I had in mind. I had expectations on what I wanted going in. They set those up and let me enjoy, then offered some alternatives in some cases, and set those up and let me compare (thanks for your patience Neal). I changed my mind on some and bought what I had in mind on others. I was treated very well in-store and on the final deal. You will know you are in a small and established...