Whetstone Audio — Local services in Austin

Great sounding equipment! I called ahead to ensure the store was open and told the salesperson we were coming from San Antonio and were band directors who were also budding audiophiles. When we arrived the salesman was handling an audition with another customer and we waited patiently for him to finish the transaction.

My friend and I introduced ourselves and were very interested in the wide array of brands that we have never seen or heard before. We even brought our own recordings. Several classical CDs and a few records that we have used in many stores to audition equipment.

I was told that he, the salesman, didn't want to listen to classical music. He proceeded to put the other side of an album on and go outside and left us inside to listen to a few tunes.

When the salesman returned, he changed the record to something else that I had no interest in hearing. When I asked about all of the brands and technologies we received no information. He did say that Rega was not as good as the Well Tempered because Rega cost $1,500 with a $1,000 cartridge and the well Tempered Cost $2,500??? Plus $2,000 for the cartridge. When I asked about arm length and why it mattered I received no meaningful information. He started the recording and went back outside.

There are many very interesting brands that I am sure sound great. If you are into rock, jazz, etc played on brand new analog equipment, this may be your store. However, I do not understand how one would willingly ignore interested parties who may buy very expensive equipment...

Whetsone is one of the few Harbeth speaker dealers in Texas so I drove down from Dallas just to hear some. The owner, Brian, was very patient and spent almost 2.5 hours with me. Yes, it is recommended to make an appointment. But this isn't like dropping by local electronics big box store. If you're in the market for the type of equipment Brian sells, audition appointments are very much the norm. And, it's not like its a pain to set up the appointment. Brian was super responsive in our communications.

I've been to many audiophile shops throughout my 20+ years in the hobby. Brian, runs one of the best. It's a relatively small shop and just runs it himself, so he doesn't carry a ton of options. But the main reason for that is that he has carefully curated a list of offerings he know will make you a happy based on his decades of experience in the industry. I'm pretty confident I would be happy with just about anything he sells out of his store. He's super approachable and isn't belittling or snobby like many audiophile sales people tend to be - he actually makes it fun to shop for audiophile equipment. He's also very patient and not pushy at all. Just a great experience.

Super happy I made the trip down to Austin to visit Brian's shop and will definitely be spending my audiophile budget with Brian...

I had a great visit with Brian. We chatted about my musical taste, my current gear and what I was seeking in speakers. Brian rotated me through listening to a series of nice products. No rush. No volume limits. It was easy and fun. I didn't really land on a winner but he got focused on a step up higher in the Revival line and ordered a pair while I was there. We'll follow up in a few weeks to see how they sound. Good guy and cool shop. Highly recommended. A+

July ‘25 Updates. Last year I bought a Dynavector 20x2L phono cartridge from Brian. He offered to set it up on my turntable. Right out of the box it was a huge improvement over the Ortofon 2M blue I had been using. After 70-80hrs it really caught its stride. Love it.

During the last year and a half of mulling over my next pair of speakers I auditioned Devore O/96s at Whetstone several times. I finally committed and ordered them last December. 8 months later, they arrived. Christmas came early....