Echo Audio

Category:	Electronics Store
Address:	1015 SW Washington St, Portland, OR 97205, USA
Phone:	+1 503-223-2292
Site:	echohifi.com
Rating:	4.9
Working:	Closed 11AM–6PM 11AM–6PM 11AM–6PM 11AM–6PM 12–5PM Closed

Location

Photos 35

Reviews 6

Fred Fischer

At the risk of gushing about Echo Audio... Id like to add my experiences with Kurt and his co-workers. Ive known Kurt since 1995 and, full disclosure, I also consider him to be a good friend. But, this review is about his store, not our friendship. Back in 1995, I wanted to upgrade my "mid-fi" stereo. Being a neopyte, Kurt helped me to dramatically improve my system. Over the years Ive been fortunate to have Kurts guidance (and Rin-Tin-Tin ears) to help me aquire better pieces to the point where I now own an extremely satisfying stereo system. And, almost everything Ive purchased has been preowned, saving me huge sums of money! By the way, Echo pricing is very fair. Be advised, they price to sell, stuff moves quickly, so its worth checking the website regularly. However, the most important aspect of dealing with Echo Audio is the honesty and integrity of Kurt and his staff. More than once Ive been tempted to buy a piece only to be talked out of it by Kurt because it wasnt compatible with my existing units. He has always has steered me straight. You will never be over sold. They take the time get a feel for what youre wanting to do and work within your budget to achieve your goals. Youre encouraged to take equipment home and hear it in your listening environment, which is often the true test of whether youll like it or not. Ive found that pieces usually sound far better at home than at the store. They stand behind what they sell. If theres a problem they make it right. If you assistance setting up your equipment honorable mention has to go to Kollin... he pays attention to the smallest details to ensure that everything is set up correctly. For sure, Echo Audio is a far cry from your typical stereo store. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.... there is no other like Echo Audio and I would NEVER buy audio gear anywhere else!

Mark Monteverdi

On 5/18, I went into Echo Audio to fit a cartridge to my Kenwood KD-500 turntable. This thing is in pretty good shape for a 38yr old turntable. The Grace G-840 arm required a minor repair with the anti-skate clamp which I did in like 10min. The salesman literally scoffed at my turntable. He told me no decent cartridge will help it and pretentiously questioned what system I had at home. I replied I have systems and why does it matter? I told him this same exact KD-500 is for sale at Freds Sound of Music for $1600. Yes I took his attitude personally. This unit was given to me from a very close friend of mine who is very sick. I treasure this turntable and for the salesman to tell me, "Youll be back selling it to us for $100," I was appalled. You know what man? Screw you. Maybe you should try to be a little more personable and not look down your nose at folks. Not everyone can afford a $3500 turntable with a $1200 cartridge and $5000 speakers. Music is more than what system you play it through-- its about the human experience. I know because Ive been a musician for 25 years. I did purchased the Ortofon 2m Blue from your business because I didnt feel like driving across town to another store, but this will be the last time I shop at Echo Audio. You got 2 starts for that. I hope the salesman reads this and groks the hurtfulness of his actions. I dont know how people like this make a living. What a dick.

A Private User

It is hard to convey just how positive I feel about Kurt and his Echo Audio store. I think we all hope to meet someone like Kurt when we are shopping for something that really matters to us. Someone who is knowledgable and a real, intelligent authority: Check (Kurt is a wealth of information and trains his staff well) Someone you can trust to listen to you and then steer you in your own direction: Check (Kurt has never endeavored to "upsell" me, he has even steered me away from buying pieces I was tempted on, assuring me that another piece would actually better meet my needs and be more to my liking- he was correct) A large and interesting, ever changing, supply of preowned and new equipment that spans the gamut from sub $100 to well over $50,000 pieces: Check (One of the most fascinating things about Echo is the constantly changing HIGH QUALITY inventory) The ability to audition things you may have only read about, in your own home: Check (They are the best service I have encountered in HiFi or any audio store) Kurt has gone from being "the guy my friend bought some speakers from" (thanks for that, Ken) to being the guy I trust to take care of me and Id feel privileged to call a friend. Put simply, if you love great audio and want honest help putting together a system or part of a system (or even just the best computer speakers for the money), you owe it to yourself to check Echo Audio out.

A Private User

Echo Audio is fantastic. Ive been into high end audio for 20 years and as part of my job I travel all over the country. Wherever I go I seek out the high end audio shops and I especially love the used shops. Echo is the best used audio shop west of the Mississippi, no question. While living in San Francisco I really looked forward to coming up to Portland and visiting Kurt at Echo. It was always a highlight of my work trips. This went on for about 3 years until as good fortune would have it I moved up to Portland!!! Kurt and his staff care about 1 thing - taking care of you and making sure you are informed and happy with your purchase. This honesty and dedication to customer satisfaction is why Ive watched Echo Audio grow and expand over the past 15 years. I know Im not the only dedicated repeat customer he has. Ive bought many great high end pieces from Kurt and even returned a few when they didnt quite sygnergize in my system. Amazing. Seriously, if you want unsurpassed service and satisfaction guaranteed you should go to Echo Audio.

A Private User

I had been looking into getting a starter turntable for a little while. I called around to a few local shops for some info. Upon calling Echo Audio I was greeted by an extremely friendly person who was very knowledgeable and willing to help. A pleasant surprise because the shops I had called earlier had no interest in me and my questions because I was a newbie to the vinyl world. When I arrived at the store to look around I was once again pleased at how friendly the staff were. They let me look around and answered every question in detail. They were even willing to let me try out some of the gear, which I thought would be out of the question because of the quality of their equipment. I left the store with a used turntable and preamp very excited. The staff were just as excited for me. Went home, plugged everything in and the experience of Echo Audio sunk in; quality equipment at affordable prices with a staff who cares about their customers no matter how many questions there are. Thank you Echo!

A Private User

I stopped into this store on a recent business trip to Portland. They have a great selection of used hi-end audio components at great prices; prices which you cant usually beat even on Audiogon. If I was building a second system, I would have walked out of there with some nice tube amps. However, I really didnt need anything, just looking. But who could pass up an awesome deal on a pair of Nordost Tyr interconnects. I had recently recabled my entire system with Tyr from Audiogon purchases, but the pair I got from Echo beat all these deals in price and condition. So, what the hell, I also bought a Yarland headphone amp from them to connect the Tyrs to and am now having fun doing some tube rolling. I love this little tube amp. Ill be stopping into Echo whenever Im in Portland and probably checking their website as well to snag deals before the word gets out. Also no sales tax just like Montana; what you see is what you pay.