Boutique Audio Temple was created with a single goal in mind:  

Enable discerning music lovers of any and all tastes to suspend disbelief, and be truly “taken” to the original musical performance, all from the comfort of their own home. And, do so cost-effectively, with quality gear designed and manufactured right here in the United States – wherever and to the maximum extent possible. 

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Deceptively simple in concept, but in reality, this quest for ethereal, memorable, and cost-effective music reproduction in the home has been held hostage by a decades-long, fundamentally broken business model and approach.

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Traditional “Brick and Mortar” Retailers

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For decades, shopping at “high-end” audio dealers has never been fully satisfying because you aren’t hearing these components and systems in a real-world environment (like you have at  home). Literally, every single component you evaluate in store is new to you – making it virtually impossible to ascertain what does and doesn’t affect YOUR sense of real-world musicality. Further, you are almost always in very large room(s), with high ceilings that are sonically very different from your home environment. Add to that, these rooms are overloaded with dozens of pieces of equipment from multiple competing manufacturers.

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AND Those prices! These traditional, brick-and-mortar retailers don’t bat an eye at things like $10K -plus amplifiers, DACs, speaker systems… You name it; it’s truly insane! You aren’t buying a HOUSE or an imported high-end Sports Car! It’s a stereo! These retailers traditionally operate on a model whereby they buy what they sell (at “dealer cost” – which is typically 40-50% below MSRP) and then pass the margin markup on to you, the (now much poorer!) buyer.

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As a result, over recent years, we’ve watched the price of a truly memorable “high-end” stereo systems blow well through the $20-50K range at an ever-increasing rate. This is insane! Pay 30-50% more than the “value” of the actual products, all for the “privilege” of listening to them in a crowded environment that bears no resemblance to the reality of your room. A very expensive crap-shoot!

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Online, try/buy eCommerce Retail

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Recently, new and dedicated manufacturers arose based on a sell-direct internet marketing and sales distribution model. And, there is a small but growing trickle of long-time high-end brands moving in this direction as well, because they also want to break this destructive and expensive value trap to offer their customers higher value by eliminating the "middleman" margins. But this adds complexity to the audition and decision process for you, the end customer.

     How do you know what it sounds like? To you, in a real-world room? Trust reviewers?
     Perhaps, but they aren’t YOU, they aren’t in your room, and – everyone hears differently.

While convenient, a “try/buy” online process for evaluating and acquiring stereo gear is fraught with issues and trade-offs. Yes, you can try – one component at a time – a piece of kit in your home (first buying it, then paying for shipping, then evaluating for a short period, then shipping it back if it “fails to work” for you; paying the shipping and sometimes a “re-stock” fee).  Bad enough for electronic components, which are (sometimes) relatively inexpensive to ship, perhaps… But for large, bulky equipment like speakers, or fragile, complicated equipment like turntables, it becomes quite cost-prohibitive.

At best, this method of building out your system is hugely time-consuming and resembles a mash-up of “Groundhog Day meets Whack-a-Mole!”  Keep buying, trying, returning, and shipping until you finally reach your end goal, if you actually do.

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​​A better way – visit Boutique Audio Temple!

Built upon decades of experience in all things

“high-end audio.” Boutique Audio Temple offers

something truly unique: the ability to listen to highly-

curated, high-value stereo components in a real-world

environment, much like your own home – because it IS

a real home, not a showroom in a strip mall.  Just a

bog-standard New England colonial home with

7.5-foot ceilings. Oak hardwood flooring. Windows and

drapery, furniture, and everything else we all must deal

with in our own personal “real-world.”

Benefit from our careful curation of American-designed-and-made high-value stereo equipment that will, as a SYSTEM, truly take you THERE. All backed by the consulting (and configuration) services needed to guarantee you achieve your dream result – your own personal concert reproduction environment!

Why buy from Boutique Audio Temple?

In addition to offering “listen before you buy” capabilities, we coordinate your purchases of our partners' products to give you the following benefits:

 

If you are in Greater New England, you can coordinate with us to have your gear shipped from the factory to tax-free New Hampshire for pickup at Boutique Audio Temple. 

 

Purchases of Schiit electronics will also include free shipping on your entire order. Purchases of Philharmonic Audio Speakers will include free shipping, as well as optional in-home delivery and setup at a nominal fee.  Eminent Technology speaker purchases include free shipping and in-home unpacking and setup, if desired.​​