Magnolia Audio VIdeo

Insulted on the telephone by an ill-​informed salesperson. I think I’ll stay away.

Walked in to this place and asked about Projectors for my movie room. Just to be clear I have been working and owning projectors for many years. The people in there had no clue about any technical or even simple projector questions. I even asked about the new JVC 4K projector they have setup in one the rooms and none of the idiots in that place knew how to change the video to 4K and they told me that they have to call the guy that knows and comes in to do the setup for them. I even asked for the remote so I can show them a few things and maybe they learn, but they couldn’t find the remote control. Finlay, after spending few minutes realizing I am dealing with bunch of douche-​bags, I decided to talk to the pretty cashier asking if she could look something up for me on the computer. She was pretty, but dumb as a doorknob. Anyway, if she is still there its worth stopping by at this place and check her out, but other than that RUN AWAY!!!

After 20 years of neglect, I rediscovered my sound system and the «magic» of stereo again. My CD player is old and unable to play some audio formats. I decided to look at an Oppo 95 Universal Player (all in one blu ray, dvd, cd player…) which this place carries.
The store is a high end home theater store and has some very impressive audio equipment. I was especially taken with the McIntosh Tube Amps driving the surround sound system. They sound warm and very «tuby» like but I have to admit, I still like my sound system better. My system is worth thousands but Magnolia’s is worth tens of thousands. Yeah! Back in the day I did things right!
If your an audiophile then you will appreciate or prefer stereo over surround sound systems because of the pscho acoustic qualities which is limited with surround sound.
Surround sound systems have that «wow» factor but unlike stereo they do not have that «magical» psycho acoustic quality. Look up the definition on Google or Wiki and also look at the subject of the «Missing Fundamental». The human brain does some crazy shit when it processes sound.
Well anyway the sales person, Victor said the store has a 30 day return policy so I purchased the Oppo. As soon as I got home, I immediately started to compare it with my POS Sanyo CD Player, which is falling apart but still plays. The Oppo is suppose to have a superior DAC found in very high end equipment and I don’t know what the Sanyo has but sonically I could not tell the difference between the two. However in defense of the Oppo, it has all the features I want, HDMI, RCA Outs, USB, eSATA Drive Input, and Remote Control. Other players don’t have all these features but the question is, is it worth the extra cost?
I was really hoping to hear a difference and Victor said I would but he’s a salesman trying to close the deal, so he’ll say anything.
In conclusion, I decided to keep the Oppo because it plays just about every format including Blu Ray and the tray door opens quickly which other players with the same features do not. Although I didn’t test their return policy I have no problems with Magnolia and hope they stick around because there are few high end audio stores out there. And I don’t want to make an appointment just to audition a piece of equipment.
Update: The store has moved inside the Best Buy in WLA. I met up with the manager and after a lengthy conversation with him, I’ll have to say that Audio/​Video Guys are full of shit and worst than car sales men. He is telling me a bunch of BS that is impossible and I am sure he believes in the crap he’s telling me.

I wish the lovely folks here had punched me in the face and robbed me before I walked in the door.
Instead, like an idiot, I bought almost $ 100k worth of stuff for my new home and received some of the worst customer service imaginable.
Biggest mistake I’ve made in 2, no 3 years.

just bought my entire home system at Magnolia. Vinh Trieu was my salesman and made everything so easy. he sold me what i needed and never tried to up sell me on anything. i spent a lot of money there and its great to know that i have someone i can call and email (he always returns both) with any questions i may have. i’ve even returned and upgraded a few things and he sent people to pick up my returns and deliver the new equip. everything was made so easy. As long as Vinh is there i will be a loyal Magnolia customer

This place is the absolute worst. Very unprofessional! They never return calls. I spent over $ 2000 three weeks ago, and still have not received my equipment or a call back from the manager. I don’t understand how this place is even in business. The positive reviews for Magnolia posted on this site are obviously from employees within the company hoping to gain business. Trust me; don’t waste your time or your hard earned money! A total rip-​off for the amount of money spent.

Do yourself a favor and look on the websites of the manufacturers for their local dealers and DON’T go to this store. They tried to sell me an open box item and I had to go back to return it for a new item. I mean it was only $ 1700, but who’s counting. They also have the typical retail sales idiots working there, selling whatever is on special or «calling the manufacturer» for clearance on a discount, even though B&W is in Britain!!! and it was after hours when they called. LOL.

The follow up of their install department is AWFUL. They designed a $ 15k family room audio video package for me and on the day of the install the guy who had sold and designed the whole setup for me quits. So I am left with the store’s general manager who gave me the absolute bare minimum in terms of support for follow up questions. Two weeks later a couple of my audio zones aren’t working so the new sales rep tells me I need to purchase a $ 1500 wireless remote to take care of the problem. Over the following few months there are several bugs in the system that need to get worked out and each time I call for help my rep is out of the store and won’t call me back – literally every time I called I had to call back at least once for the problem to be addressed.